» The TriNoMa Bloggers Food Tour: The Honor Roll

I know a lot has been said about certain food establishments that participated during the much anticipated and much ballyhooed TriNoMa Blogger Food Tour. Though I agree that certain people could’ve been nicer to bloggers, I somehow feel bad about potentially harming the reputation of a restaurant because of one lousy employee. Having been brought up by family built on the financial rewards of providing good food, I feel a little bit of empathy towards establishments that joined the project with good intentions. Of course, I only speak for myself and I respect what ever plan of action other bloggers have chosen to take.

This entry will feature the restaurants who served the best food and gave the most inviting atmosphere for bloggers to enjoy what they have to offer. I must remind you though that due to time constraints and gastric limitations, I was not able to visit all of the participating restaurants.

Aside from tasting the food, I also looked at the menus of most of the participating restaurants to see if the taste was in fact commensurate to the rate it was being sold for. It was also a good gauge on whether or not it was worth returning to any of the participating restaurants - you know, when I actually have to pay for the food.

So here’s the honor roll, in random order:

HAIKU - 3rd Level

Haiku got the ball rolling for me and they seemed very prepared with their signature dish - Sashimi Salad. The vibe inside the restaurant betrays the Zen minimalist philosophy that most Japanese restaurants exude. Instead of the muted shades of white and black, Haiku features rich hues of wood and bold patterns on the wall and ceiling. Despite these departures, the place still gives off a very Japanese feel. I don’t really know how that works, but once you’re in the premises you immediately feel that you’ll be served with good Japanese grub.

Understandably, my carnivorous self was not too thrilled with the dish that they served. The Sashimi Salad (See picture - P240) consists of the usual leafy greens, unidentified meat and more unidentified crunchy things laced with dressing. Two strips of tuna sashimi also accompany the salad base on a star-shaped platter. The plating is nice, but come on, can we get anything edible?

The other people seemed to have loved it so I guess it’s safe to assume that dining in Haiku would be an enjoyable and pleasurable experience for your regular leaf-eater.

Bubba Gump - 4th Level

Again, on an interesting note, I DON’T EAT SHRIMP. What tided Bubba Gump over for this picky eater is 1) their cordial and perky crew and 2) their amazing flavored lemonade. Ok, I don’t eat fruits too so it’s safe to assume that their lemonade was probably artificially-flavored. Who wants yucky natural goodness anyway? If you want it natural, then go suck milk out of a cow’s teat for all I care.

Minor beef with this restaurant: Assuming that the restaurant lifted it’s name from the movie, the name Bubba Gump makes no sense. Bubba and Forrest are NOT blood relatives and Bubba’s full name in the movie was actually Benjamin Buford Blue. So unless Bubba and Forrest got married in the Netherlands, Bubba Gump never existed in the plot. Boo. Oversight! Never mind, it’s just me being retarded… in a good way.

Mann Hann - 1st Level

These guys were prepared! The crew laid the food out on one table and the bloggers could easily taste their dishes while they readily answered whatever questions were directed their way. Finally, a restaurant with artery-clogging servings of pork! I wasn’t so thrilled with their suggested serving style though. They wanted us to wrap the pork in leaves before eating them.

Let me just say that’s that the grossest thing I’ve ever heard. Pork is meat. Pork is edible. Leaves aren’t. Can you even believe these people?!

I’ve eaten at Mann Hann before - while entertaining a guest from the US — and I think it showcases the best of what Filipino-Chinese cuisine has to offer. It’s a nice introduction for visitors from foreign lands and it could also serve as a nice reminder regarding the finest of Pinoy food.

Oki-Oki - 1st Level

Oki-Oki served an entire spread with drinks included. As the name would suggest, the restaurant is a upscaled version of mainstream Japanese restaurants like Yoshinoya and Tokyo Tokyo. Instead of further pushing Japanese dishes to the mainstream - like how Tokyo Tokyo glorifies breaded pork chop to Tonkatsu — Oki Oki pushes the envelope by putting an eclectic and sometimes unthinkable twist to traditional Japanese food.

No dish exemplifies this bold approach more than their best-selling Crazy Maki. They added a good amount of crunchy puffs and crab stick shreds to the usual maki to produce a more interesting texture and flavor. The price tag of 290 for 6 pieces could prove to be prohibitive, but based on taste, the Crazy Maki was up there with the best dishes I tried out that afternoon.

Fish & Co. - 4th Level

I’m a big fan of Fish & Co. so you could definitely expect to pig out on Fish & Chips if it’s on the house. A serving costs close to 500 pesos, but the taste the consistency of the fish will definitely keep you craving for more. The fries aren’ half bad either!

T.G.I. Fridays - 4th Level

Now this is interesting. TGIF has been my birthday-treat-for-friends-venue of choice for quite some time now so I’m really accustomed to eating their food. They decided to play it safe by serving their trademark Buffalo Wings, but I would’ve really appreciated it if they stepped outside the box and went with a more exciting entree. All things being equal though, the food still tasted terrific.

Other articles about the food tour! (lifted from AJ’s blog)

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18 Comments

At 2008.01.16 02:58, Neil said:

Xet. DI ko na-experience ang Sashimi salad ng Haiku. I was full already at Oki oki.

—–

Oh, the leaf wrapping? I thought it’s originally Korean. Anyway, we weren’t able to visit the resto so again, nainggit na naman ako.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 04:13, misterbub said:

Bubba Gump was taken from the company founded at the end of the film and novel named the Bubba Gump Shrimp which harvested, what else, shrimp. That’s why the restaurant is centered around shrimp food.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 06:54, Bakla and His Cabalen TriNoMa Experience | Bakla Ako, May Reklamo? (I'm Gay, Got a Problem With That?) said:

[...] The TriNoMa Bloggers Food Tour: The Honor Roll Cabalen, Food, Reklamo, TrinomaCabalen, Food, Reklamo, TrinomaLink: [...]

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 07:06, Bakla Goes to the Trinoma Blogger Food Tour | Bakla Ako, May Reklamo? (I'm Gay, Got a Problem With That?) said:

[...] The TriNoMa Bloggers Food Tour: The Honor Roll [...]

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 17:35, Fritz said:

bah, carnivore! That Mann Hann leaf, though, was really fresh and crunchy. Yum!

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 20:26, nash said:

No new restaurants? Seems like the usual food court with the same old franchises….

[Reply]
At 2008.01.16 22:37, Gian Paolo said:

When it comes to fruits, I want “yucky natural goodness”!!! Yum yum.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.17 03:21, Jeffrey said:

I like how you described Haiku’s interiors, you can be a good architectural magazine writer.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.17 15:47, I Went to the Trinoma Bloggers Food Tour and I Got Nothing to Show for It > Noisy, Noisy Man | Your daily dose of retard said:

[...] The TriNoMa Bloggers Food Tour: The Honor Roll [...]

[Reply]
At 2008.01.17 17:34, Liz said:

I love Mann Hann. Yang chow rice, fried fish fillet and beef brocolli - the best!

[Reply]
At 2008.01.18 19:51, Win $250 said:

I’m starving now

[Reply]
At 2008.01.18 19:56, Win $250 said:

Same here Liz

[Reply]
At 2008.01.21 18:09, ris said:

wow this is like china in blogging revolution! only that we’re only starting to catch the fire. i read somewhere that in china companies have been hiring bloggers to events where they get to blog about products and services.

i hope those kinds of promotions boom here too. may mga downsides nga lang, pero sabi nga, if it works, it pays really well.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.21 22:35, Helga said:

I LOVE Haiku! Didn’t know there was one at Trinoma.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.23 11:14, utakGAGO said:

Haiku’s the BEST for me! But since your ever-carnivorous self didn’t like the idea of salads and the green stuff, that sucks.

One thing, I don’t eat shrimp too.

And I’m not really fond of Fish and Co. If you wanna know the truth.

[Reply]
At 2008.01.24 12:39, mike said:

I know that my comment is off-topic, I would like to thank you, benj, for visiting my blog http://confessionsofapinoyblogero.wordpress.com/

[Reply]
At 2008.01.25 15:18, Sidney said:

Maybe you should start eating vegetables and fruits…
much better for your health than a fatty piece of lechon.

[Reply]
At 2008.04.28 19:03, ellen said:

I would love to join the tour after meeting the girl from Summit. But that would jeopardize everything. I work in a resto kasi. Haay. Buti ka pa you seemed to have enjoyed it.

[Reply]

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The TriNoMa Bloggers Food Tour: The Honor Roll

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