COCA Restaurant Review at SM Aura: Experiencing The Art of Ojiya

To be perfectly honest, I’m a really huge fan of hot pot. I could still recall that as a kid I loved observing how the simmering pot would be split into two—spicy broth for the oldies and clear soup for us kids and for those who aren’t into anything spicy. We would fill the broth with watercress, sliced beef, pork, squid balls, fish balls, tofu and taro.  So when I received an invitation recently to review another must-try hotpot restaurant, I immediately agreed. After all, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a hot pot, I think the last one was with a Korean restaurant in Quezon City. I got really excited to try COCA Restaurant for the first time. 

Located at the top level of Skypark at the SM Aura Premiere in Bonifacio Global City, COCA’s known not only for their delicious hot pot but they really have good a la carte offerings as well. I had no regrets braving the traffic I had encountered from my place in Quezon City to BGC that weekday morning. The Buffalo Bites was so, so good. Tender yet flavourful crispy chicken in bite sizes. I was initially reminded of my nephew’s favourite Korean chicken, but I actually like COCA’s better—crispy chicken with a tangy glaze that offered a mellow kind of sweetness.

Shrimp Bucket Restaurant, Il Terrazo Mall, Tomas Morato, Food Review

It had taken quite some time before I was able to attend another foodie meet-up organized by Zomato. So I was really happy when they had invited me to attend a food tasting/review of Shrimp Bucket at Il Terrazo mall, which was really just a stone’s throw away from the Philippine Showbiz Republic’s office where I’m currently working. It was my first time at Shrimp Bucket and I was pretty excited to try what their menu has to offer, especially since I am a seafood aficionado. They had this cozy ambiance complete with intricately designed stacked golden bucket towers as decorative on the ceiling. 

The unique golden Shrimp Buckets on the ceiling.

Tempura Japanese Grill offers Japanese seafood lovers a savory treat

Japanese cuisine remains a top choice among an extensive range of diners, from those who want to treat themselves after a long day at work, to those who simply want to spend quality with their loved ones over a good meal. The complex flavors brought by the precise cooking techniques of Japanese cuisine, especially seafood dishes, make it an easy favorite to even the most discerning palate.

 

Tempura Japanese Grill, a frontrunner in authentic traditional and exotic Japanese cuisine, offers such array of exquisitely prepared seafood dishes and prides itself with its delectable Grilled Honey Miso Glazed Salmon.

 

The Honey Miso Glazed Salmon is prepared with premium Norwegian salmon loins caramelized with Tempura Japanese Grill’s thick signature honey and miso sauce. The buttery goodness of Norwegian salmon paired with the bold sweetness of honey and tanginess of miso make for a savory experience that will definitely captivate salmon lovers.

 

Tempura Japanese Grill’s mouth-watering seafood fare promises a flavorful feast that will definitely satiate that Japanese seafood cuisine craving whenever it kicks in. Reasonably priced at PhP 385.00, the Honey Miso Glazed Salmon is indeed the real deal. Give in to the tempting invitation of the Honey Miso Glazed Salmon, for that deliciously filling Japanese seafood fix. Tempura Japanese Grill is located at Banawe, Morato, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Midtown, U.N. Avenue, Convergys Makati, SM Pampanga, and SM Cebu.

Seafood Dampa in Macapagal Boulevard: Freshest Bounties of the Sea

I've been hearing a lot of reviews about Dampa in Macapagal Boulevard, just a few blocks away from Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City. I knew it was a take-off from the "original" one found somewhere in Paranaque City. I don't even know if that thing still exists until now because I was told that most of those stalls had already transferred to Macapal Boulevard Dampa. My best friend invited me to come along when they've brought in her foreigner boyfriend to Dampa in Macapagal. They wanted him to experience the "paluto style" of restaurant/eateries as well as try the best seafoods in Manila.

For those who aren't familiar yet, Dampa is basically a wet market where you come to shop (or you may ask someone to do them for you) for fresh seafoods, meats and veggies and then ask restaurants to cook them for you--according to your own preference and liking: it could be grilled, steamed, fried, stewed, buttered etc. The most important thing is to learn the proper technique to haggle with the seafood merchants. If you are totally clueless about it, I suggest you ask someone who knows how because otherwise you might be overcharged in terms of item/product pricing. Shopping your own seafood meal is actually fun. I was surprised to see really huge lobsters, an abundance of seafoods like sea urchins, parrot fish, clams and rich fat crabs at Dampa Macapagal Market. 

It was chow time and we've ordered pusit lumot (small type of squid) for adobo (marinated in vinegar and soda with onion leeks), buttered garlic shrimps, grilled pink salmon belly, shrimp tempura and some flour battered fish. The taste really amazing, surprisingly not "fishy" especially the squid. Its got a sweet aftertaste--a proof that it was indeed a fresh harvest from the sea. I'm not used to eating pink salmon as a grilled dish, we usually cook it sinigang (Filipino tamarind based soup dish) but never grilled. I loved it so much! It bursts of sweet and salty taste. 

But among our orders, I instantly fell for buttered garlic shrimp. It was so addicting, I swear I could finish an entire plate in one sitting. It tasted so good that we all wanted to have a second serving cooked. Even our foreigner guest loved them! We're certain that the next time he visits the country, we'll visit Dampa Macapagal again. That's how well we enjoyed our meal.

Dampa Macapagal is located at Macapagal Boulevard, near Roxas Boulevard and Mall of Asia, Aseana Complex, Pasay City.