TaiOne

Earlier today (yup, just today!), Mom and Brother wanted to go out for lunch.  Mom has been mentioning about trying out a new restaurant at the new Promenade mall called TaiOne for some time now, and curiosity got the best of her.  I've grown a bit tired of the food choices in Greenhills too, so trying out something new is music to my ears.

TaiOne, a play of words for Taiwan, is (obviously) a Taiwanese restaurant.  LOL.  From the outside, the signage says "TaiOne Beef Noodles A Taste of Taiwan" so an easy guess would be that the specialty is indeed beef noodles.  You bet I was going to get some beef noodles! 

Oyster Omelette

One of the best oyster omelettes.  I'm a huge egg person, and trust me when I say the egg was good.  It was cooked perfectly; extra fluffy and a tiny bit undercooked - just the way I like it!  Wish that the oyster pieces were more though...  

Braised Beef Brisket & Tendon Noodle

Another winner!  Didn't I tell you I was going to try the beef noodles?  And I loved it!  The broth was heavenly, the noodles chewy and the beef was very tender.

Beef Burritos

Ever tried a Chinese burrito?  Well here it is!  And it's pretty tasty!  Except maybe next time I'll ask them to take out the cucumbers.

Panfried Pork Dumplings

TaiOne's panfried pork dumplings are crunchy on the outside and juicy on the insides. 

Sauteed Cabbage with XO Sauce

Sadly, did not get to try this one.  Someone (ahem, brother) wolfed it down before I could even get a spoonful!

Chicken Nuggets

If you're familiar with the chicken chops that are available in different milk tea shops, then you'd know what this one tastes like.  

Satay Beef with Water Spinach

Again, I only got one piece of beef before someone attacked it and left nothing at all!  But happy to report that the one and only piece I got was very flavorful.

Oh and by the way, TaiOne takes pride that their dishes has no MSG on it.  I can tell you it's true because all three of us who dined there didn't get that thirsty feeling afterwards - the usual MSG consequence.  Plus points for TaiOne for coming out with really tasty yet MSG-free food! 

The verdict?  TaiOne is one of the better restaurants we've tried in a long, long time.  One of the best among the Greehills restaurants, I daresay.  Will definitely be back to try out the other dishes.  4.5 out of 5 stars! 

TaiOne is at G/F, Promenade New Wing, Greenhills, San Juan

Red Onion Cafe

I am so late.  This what was was running through my mind the moment I stepped into Red Onion Cafe.  Late?  Yup.  Who knew traffic would be horrible and that I'd get lost on my way to UP Town Center?  I cursed myself inwardly and put on my best face forward in hopes that A. someone would come later than me and B. they are not halfway through their dinner yet.  What on earth am I talking about?  Let me go back to the very beginning:  a few days before the said dinner, I received an email from Aldous, a blogger who was organizing a media/blogger food tasting event at Red Onion Cafe.  As I always say, I'm open to trying out new things, so I quickly said yes, and looked forward to the dinner.  When I arrived, seems like everyone was already there.  I gave a sheepish smile and apologized for the time.  I plopped down on one of the seats and quickly went into full blogging mode.

Red Onion Cafe

Double Fried Sweet & Sour Pork

The first dish that I got to try from Red Onion Cafe was the double fried sweet and sour pork.  It reminded me a little bit of the Korean fried chicken because the outside was nicely crisp while the insides were tender.  And since it was sweet and sour (my favorite), I guess I would have to say that this one really hits the spot.

39 Spices Beef Noodle

We're all familiar with beef noodle soup, but this was my first time to try 39 spices beef noodle.  39 spices!  Whoa.  The taste?  Spices galore!  Hey, it wasn't called 39 spices for nothing!  The flavor was ok for me, but some who are not too keen on spices might find the flavor a little heavy.

Sichuan Mala Chicken

Spicy!  Spicy!  Spicy!  The Sichuan Mala Chicken was spicy alright, and since I'm not a spicy food eater, I didn't enjoy this dish thoroughly.  My other tablemates seem to like it though.

3 Cup Chicken

Always been a fan of the 3 cup chicken while growing up, so when this dish was served, it stirred up fond memories of my childhood.  Why 3 cup?  Because the main ingredients in making this dish consists of 3 different cups namely sesame oil, Chinese rice wine and soy sauce.

Walnut Shrimps

One of my favorites that night., was the walnut shrimp.  The walnuts were crunchy and sweet, while the shrimps gave a good bite.  The mayonnaise was not too overpowering too, making this my ultimate dish.

Ginger Mahi Mahi

Me and ginger, we are not friends.  But I liked the way Red Onion Cafe cooked theirs, in such a way that the ginger aroma was not too much for non-ginger eaters like me.  Oh and the mahi mahi?  Perfectly cooked. 

Mango Taiwanese Snow Ice

Didn't enjoy this one that much...  I feel that the taste of the mango was lacking.

Red Bean Taiwanese Snow Ice

Although the mango snow ice wasn't that good, I liked the red bean version.  You can really taste the red bean in every bite!  That's probably the Chinese in me talking.  LOL!

And how can I forget?  One of the owners who was with us that night, Mr. Mark Endaya, introduced to us Red Onion Cafe's official noodle shaver.  Adorable!  Care to think of a name for this chef?  

Overall, I liked the dishes in Red Onion Cafe.  Although they do not have the usual Taiwanese dishes we're accustomed to (namely, xiao long bao, which we were told will be coming up in the next few months), they manage to produce great tasting dishes without veering away from its Taiwanese roots.  Will definitely be back to try out the other dishes!  4 out of 5 stars.

*Special thanks to Mr. Mark Endaya for the great dinner, and to Aldous for the invite!

*Although this is a special blogger food tasting event, all opinions and views are mine, without any bias whatsoever.  Just saying!  

Red Onion Cafe is at UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City