a bite of brownie

85°C first caught my eye when i saw someone carrying this bakery's box in SJC airport. something about picking a food as gift to friends/family from another state gives me the impression that food from this bakery must be good. after doing further research, i learned that this is a highly recommended bakery. i was supposed to get some macarons from chantal guillon but didn't make it before their closing time. since this bakery is less than fifteen minutes drive from palo alto, i ventured out to newark to try this bakery. i've been told that there is always a long queue to this place and it wasn't an exception when i went. it took around ten minutes before i got my turn to pick the bread that interests me. there were a lot of choices that did not only look yummy but also looked fresh. every five minutes, you'd see someone refill the counters. since i was thinking of getting bread which i think would last without refrigerating for 24 hours, i got the giant brioche, cheese bread, cheese dog, calamari stick, and chocolate sponge. there were a lot of other bread there that were calling me but they'll just have to wait for next time. when i was in the cashier, i was told that the chocolate sponge needs to be refrigerated so i had to return them. i found a seat and started on the cheese dog. it wasn't spectacular. i tried next the calamari stick which is a bun of bread with black squid ink on it's dough. i liked it but unadventurous people towards food wouldn't. it had an after taste of the black squid ink. the cheese bread had a cream cheese filling on it. it would pair well with coffee or tea but since i had it with water, it was too sweet and satiating for me. the giant brioche was just fine so all-in-all, my experience was a disappointment as compared to the hype that i got from stories and research. it's possible that i picked the wrong items. this bakery reminds me of bread talk but i enjoyed bread talk's bread better.


85°C Bakery Cafe
35201-V Newark Blvd
Newark, CA 94560

Verdict: 2.5/5 (the items i picked were not extra-ordinary but i am still curious about the hype of this bakery and i'm still planning on trying out their other items.)

i got introduced to chantal guillon's macarons when i received a two-piece macaron gift from a teammate. i think they were passion fruit and hazelnut praline macarons that came in a small white box with red ribbon and the G logo stamped on the box. my first bite on one of the macarons was ecstatic! it was just heavenly. i guess i finished both macarons in less than two minutes. it was so good that i craved for more. i was sad to know that its branch is in san francisco but then i learned that they had another branch in palo alto that was just thirty minutes drive away from me! i got ready so fast and headed off to get more macarons. i bought twelve pieces of macarons: italian pistachio, passion fruit, salted caramel, mango, champagne, cherry-chocolate, dark chocolate, tahitian vanilla, hazelnut praline, persian rose, almond amaretto and red velvet. every piece was just awesome! it's so difficult to pick favorites among them but if i am forced to choose, i guess among my top three would be: champagne, mango and italian pistachio. i can't imagine having enough or too much of these macarons! i would love to learn how to bake them at home to have unlimited supply of these.


Chantal Guillon
444 University Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Verdict: 5/5

after a short stroll at willow glen downtown, i decided to try out this place for dinner. i usually order the saganaki/flaming cheese for starter but skipped that and ordered an entree right away. i got their paidakia/lamb chops which comes with two sides from their list of signature sides. i chose wild rice pilaf and grilled asparagus. the lamb chops were juicy and tasty but the rice pilaf was little oily. the grilled asparagus was perfect though for the lamp chops. opa!'s menu offers a lot of options. they have good wines too. most of the guests there were pairing their dinner with a glass of wine. i like the ambiance of this place. it's cozy and small so it can get crowded during weekend nights.

Opa!
1384 Lincoln Ave
San Jose, CA 95125

Verdict: 3.5/5 (-1.5 for the oily rice pilaf, i would still go back to this place)

ever since i was exposed to japanese cuisine, i fell in love with it so I couldn't refuse an invite to this restaurant. it has a wide selection on its menu. people who crave sashimi, sushi, tempura, teriyaki, udon, bulgogi and katsu will find this resto the perfect place. i had the chirashi which has different pieces of sushi (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, halibut, albacore tuna, surf clam, shrimp), tamago and seaweed salad over a bed of rice. one companion ordered the mizu sushi boat. one ordered a roll and another got the black cod with fried crispy noodles on top of it. after all our orders came, the rest of the group except for one person who doesn't eat sashimi was envious of the chirashi and sushi boat. all of them wished they ordered the same and wish to come back to try it next time. this restaurant is a bit pricey but the quality of the food is excellent. the ambiance is comfortable too and this place is always packed so it is advisable to get a reservation before coming.


Mizu Sushi Bar & Grill
1035 S Winchester Blvd
San Jose, CA

Verdict: 4/5 (-1 since it's a bit pricey but i guess one has to pay more to get good sushi here in California)

One afternoon while waiting for the LBC package bound for delivery to our place, I got a call from my sister, who wanted me to come over to Ayala to eat lunch with her and our mom. They gave me instructions to head quickly to Chika-an, which I did, and hurried to the rendezvous point.

I arrived at the restaurant after all the food were delivered to our table. The place was packed! Of course! It's lunch time and it's hearts day! I've seen several people traveling to and fro with flowers and chocolates and gifts and balloons and little things they'll give to their significant partners on the way.The flower shops were also bustling with people on a single file line, waiting for their turn for some delicate blooms as a present.

Ah, love!

I entered the packed establishment and saw my family's table filled with several dishes of food. There was Chicharong Bulaklak, Pochero Steak, Banana Heart salad, Kinilaw na Isda, Bam-i, Bikol Express, Crispy Pata, Gizzard BBQ, Chicken Relleno, Baked Scallops, Crab Relleno; all of which I sampled individually. The Chicharong bulaklak was good enough, though not the best. The Pochero steak was a little gamey and the crispy pata had crispy skin but the meat was tough to chew. I'll have to give them props for their crab relleno (they used real crab meat for this). The baked scallops was also okay, though not the best and the Bicol Express like it had too much coconut milk. The Chicken relleno and the Kinilaw was a great order though. I had a good enough experience here though, plus we ordered a nice serving of leche flan and turon. My mom had a cup of Pinipig with genuine Latik or coconut sweets.




Chika-An Ayala
3rd floor Ayala Center Cebu



Verdict:
A: 2.5/5 Could be a little bit better, in my opinion. I think Hukad is a better choice for me.

my teammates and i headed off for lunch to this nice mediterranean restaurant at pruneyard shopping center that's very close to my office. i've been here before and i enjoyed its food so i was looking forward to going back. we tried their "mediterranean meze sampler" which comes with tzatziki, melitzanosalata, falafel, dolma, hummus, tabouli, babaganush and pita. the portion for two was already a lot for us three but it was delicious! i ordered the lamb souvlaki that is marinated lamb with grilled vegetables, white rice and rice pilaf. the lamb was tender, juicy and tasty. i liked the seasoned white rice but wasn't too fond of the rice pilaf. all of us had a great time. the food was served promptly and its taste was great. the service was good and ambiance was nice.

Cafe Artemis
Pruneyard Shopping Center

as send-off party to my teammate, we had indian lunch buffet at this restaurant. i've been to a lot of indian lunch buffets and this place wasn't remarkable. the buffet table had very few options, around two chicken dishes, four vegetarian dishes and three dessert options. the buffet table wasn't arranged with easy access. two people on the buffet table can get crowded. the food tasted just fine and not significant. one of my teammates noticed the servers were all mexicans and we didn't see any indian coming out from the kitchen. she didn't like the taste of the grilled tandoori chicken.

Steps of India
2062 Curtner Ave
San Jose, CA 95124

Verdict: 2/5 (very few options, i'm not going back.)

One drizzling evening, my siblings and I decided head back to David's steakhouse for our dinner, but much to our dismay we found it locked down permanently. After several disappointed moments and careful recalculation of plans, we then decided to scour the uncharted corners of E-Bloc for a new dining experience. Lo and behold, Everything Yummy located beside Charlie Chicken saved our dinner plans.

It was a quaint place, spacious and homey with ample amount of chairs for the its patrons. We were greeted by the servers and had the doors opened for us upon our arrival. Interestingly, the menu was composed of only a few items in stock, not to mention a whole page for sardines.

But it didn't disheartened us, no. We ordered a leg quarter of chicken inasal, a plate of home made burger, a set of adobo called adobomb, and a large plate of ribs.

The flavors were intense and very flavorful, totally different from my expectations of this restaurant. The burger steak was made of meat and bread. The leg quarter was cooked just right, juicy inside but crisp on the outside. Their adobo tasted like it was slow cooked and very tender. The meat managed to absorb most of the flavor of the sauce. The ribs that we had were fall off the bone.