Spices: Burger Bar

We were looking for a place to have dinner in Greenbelt and we came across Burger Bar. The resto was relatively new during that time so we decided to give it a try.

Burger Bar

We started our meal with the Pilsen-Battered Fish and Chips. The fish sticks had a nice crispy crust and the fillet inside was moist and flaky. The dish came with a mayo based dipping sauce but I wanted more flavor out of the fish sticks. I enjoyed the fries, it was crunchy even when it got cold.

Pilsen-Battered Fish and Chips - Php190

The Falafel Burger caught our attention that we decided to give it a try.  The ground chickpea patty badly needs more herbs and seasoning, it tasted so bland. Moreover, even if the patty was served on a bed of mashed squash with tartar sauce on top, the sandwich was just too dry.

Falafel Burger - Php195

One can create his own burger and I felt the menu lacked basic information about the different types of beef, I kept on hearing diners asking about it. I just decided to try out their version of the american classic Cheeseburger.

Cheeseburger - Php195

The burger looked really good  with a nice char on the patty and the melted cheese on top. Juice spurts out the patty as I took my first bite, the burger was perfectly cooked to a medium well. The burger was pretty good and I enjoyed every bite of it.

Though it was not one of my most memorable burgers, I wouldn't mind eating here again. For the quality and size of the burger, I find the prices really reasonable.  Next time around, I'll definitely will try to make my own burger creation.

Burger Bar
Address: Ground Floor Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel No: 625 2792

Spices: Silantro

I came upon Silantro in I am a Dekaphobic's site. Having a fondness for Mexican cuisine, I visited the place and tried the food out. As it turned out, the resto serves a fusion of Pinoy and Mexican cuisine.

Silantro

We wanted tho try the Dinamita but it wasn't avaialble so we ended up ordering the Papi's Frita and Nachos.
The Papi's Frita is thick cut french fries with a generous amount tomatoes and melted cheese. I really enjoyed the fries, even with the tomatoes and cheese on top, the fries were still crunchy.

Papi's Fritas - Php95

Just like the fries, the Nachos also has tomatoes and cheese on top. One has a choice of meat you can put on your Nachos. I picked chicken and ask them to serve it on the side. The Nachos were delicious and what made this dish standout was the super flavorful chicken.

Nachos - Php145

The bestseller of the resto is their Lucha Tacos. Depending on what meat is available, you can pick from a single, double or triple choice (Ligero, Medio and Completo) of meat in your taco. The meat choices are pork, chicken, beef, ox tail, lamb and lengua. You can also pick from having a hard or soft shell taco.

Lucha Tacos 

I went for the Medio soft shell taco with Lengua and Beef. The meat was topped with chopped tomatoes, lettuce and cilantro. It was served with guacamole salsa. The Taco might look simple but it packs so much flavor, it tasted so fresh and savory.  The combination of the fresh veggies, guacamole salsa and marinated meat was spot on. I love the marinated meat, it tasted of sweet paprika. I just hoped that they heat up the meat before serving. One notable thing to ask for is their hot sauce, they don't serve your ordinary bottled hot sauce but rather they'll serve you a small cup spicy guacamole salsa.

Medio Lucha Tacos (Lengua and Beef) - Php85

I got to try one of their main course, the Grilled Mahi Mahi. The lightly seasoned grilled fish was served with the guacamole salsa and a cup of rice with ears of corn.

Grilled Mahi Mahi - Php165

The fish was moist, flaky and it was seasoned enough to bring out the flavor of the fish.

Aside from beer, Silantro also serves two cocktails, the Margarita and Mojito. The resto boasts of their Mojito and one can choose to go for unlimited refills. The Mojito was quite good but I felt that they have to be consistent in concocting their cocktails, there were times that I felt that the Mojito tasted too much of alcohol.

Margarita - Php120

Mojito - Php90

I enjoyed dining here in Silantro. This small resto serves simple and tasty food. Prices are relatively cheap and  yet the food was of good quality. A resto that's worth visiting again.

Silantro
Address: 75 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Tel No.: 654 9657

Spices: Hermanos Taco Shop

I first heard of Hermanos Taco Shop from the owner of B&T Kitchen, he told me that it's one of the few restos in the metro that serves authentic Mexican dishes. I've read different reviews about this place, it was a mixture of rants and raves.

Hermano's Carne Asada Taco

Located beside a gasoline station, the resto is small and sits only a few people.

Small Dining Area

Upon looking at the menu board, the resto serves Tex-Mex (Texas Mexican) dishes as well as authentic Mexican dishes.

I started with a Tex-Mex dish, the Carne Asada Burito. A wrap that contains broiled sirloin steak, pinto beans, Spanish rice, sour cream, cheese sauce and lettuce. Served with nacho and salsa.

Carne Asada Burito - Php295

The Burito was pretty big and it looked promising. The ingredients used were of good quality but it lacks flavor. It didn't have the sweetness of paprika and the fresh tangy flavor of cilantro.

The Cheese Quesadilla was made using melted Jack and Cheddar cheese.It was served with sour cream and Guacamole. Adding a spoonful of Guacamole on top of each portion of the Quesadilla was a nice touch since it cuts down the saltiness of the cheese.

Cheese Quesadilla - Php190

The first authentic Mexican dish that I tried is the Carne Asada Taco. One important component of what makes a Taco authentic Mexican is the tortilla. Mexicans use corn tortilla and not the plain flour type. The taco was filled with chopped steak, sour cream, lettuce and Pico de gallo. Pico de Gallo is salsa that consists of tomatoes, onions and chilies. It was served with chips and salsa.

Carne Asada Taco - Php175

The very first thing that I notice was the chopped steak, it was cold. I'm pretty sure the meat didn't even hit the pan. Not only was the meat cold but it also was flavorless. I give them credit though for the beef's tenderness.

I'm already disappointed with how the Taco tasted until I added some Picante, a Mexican 'ketchup' that is made up of tomatoes, garlic, onions and chilies. The spicy sauce brought the dish to life, adding it made me want to wolf down everything.

Picante

The Fish Taco, a dish that also originated from Mexico is one of the resto's bestseller. This is one of the dishes that consistently gets mixed reviews. The main gripe of this dish is that it leaves an oily rancid aftertaste in the mouth.

Fish Taco - Php175

Luckily for me, both times that I ate the fish taco, the lightly battered dory fish fillet was excellent. I love the delicate crunchiness of the batter and the dory fillet was so soft and tender. I can easily eat more of these.

The resto also makes and serve Horchata, a Mexican drink that is made with rice, cinnamon and sugar. The drink is really sweet so it's best to let the ice melts first before drinking.

Horchata - Php95

I also had a bottle of Corona beer and as expected there was a wedge of lime in the bottle. From what I know, putting a lime wedge in the bottle is done outside of Mexico. I hope next time they would ask the customers first before putting the lime in, just to keep things 'authentic'

Corona Beer - Php150

Since I haven't been to the country itself, I really can't say if the food here has the authentic Mexican flavors. I can only base it on what I've seen and heard. In my opinion, the reason why this place gets mixed reviews is because of inconsistency. The ingredients were of good quality and it just all boils down to preparation and execution. You have to serve good food all the time. If asked if I would go back to dine here again, I would still gladly say yes.

Hermanos Taco Shop
Address: 27 Granada Avenue corner Jose Vera St., Quezon City
Tel No: 570 8435