A few weeks ago, the whole of Manila went wild with the opening of the latest dining spot: Todd English Food Hall. My facebook and instagram feed was churning out pictures upon pictures of the said restaurant, and even the food bloggers and celebrities alike were one in unison about how Todd English Food Hall rocks. So after a week of seeing rave reviews, I mustered up the courage to brave the crowds of SM Aura and stepped into the halls of the famed Todd English.
Todd English Food Hall is a restaurant with a buffet-like spread. There are several stations to choose from ranging from pastas and pizzas to meats and seafood. But make no mistake about it, they are certainly not a buffet restaurant. All you have to do it order from their menu, and your food will come out from the specific station that makes it. Simple as that.
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| Pasta Station |
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| Bar |
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| Desserts |
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| Fried Oyster |
The oysters were too small, overcooked and dried up. You know the 'squirt' that you get when you bite into oysters? Well they don't have that.
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| Asada Steak with Pear Salsa Tacos |
The combination was great, but the 'taco' wrap was too thick.
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| Parmesan Fries |
Possibly the toughest, hardest fries I ever ate. No parmesan taste either.
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| Crabonara with additional shaved fresh truffles |
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| Crabonara ingredients on the side |
Originally the crab, bacon and egg was supposed to be mixed into the pasta. But since we ordered additional shaved fresh truffles to be added, we had the other ingredients on the side. This one was ok.
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| US Hanger Steak with Roasted Bone Marrow |
You know how the dish says 'with roasted bone marrow'? Well, the server didn't tell us that they ran out of stock. We didn't find out till we tried looking for it, couldn't find it, and asked about it. In place of the marrow, they put in a teeny tiny piece of foie gras which was overcooked to the nth level.
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| TE Two Way Duck |
TE Two Way Duck is comprised of duck breast and duck confit. Duck breast was not bad, but the confit? EXTREMELY salty!!! Not to mention oily too. Feels like I'm drinking oil. And since we don't have a death wish, we returned it.
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| TE Half Chicken |
The only good dish of the day. This was the replacement to the failed TE Two Way Duck. The chicken meat was very soft and juicy, even the breast!
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| OMG Dessert |
Next to the chicken, this was the next best thing. If you love chocolate lava and salted ice cream, then you're in for a treat! Wish they toned down the sugar on the lava though... it was way too sweet.
Other observations:
*exhaust not working; the place is overall stinky, so prepare to smell like food after dining there.
*lots of small flying insects everywhere!
Sigh. I guess by now I should have learned my lesson when it comes to overhyped restaurants. But when almost all food reviews and social media posts say it's good, then one cannot help but get their hopes up. Lesson to be learned: either don't go to a restaurant while on their soft opening, or don't believe everything you read. 1 out of 5 stars.
Todd English Food Hall is at 5/F SkyPark, SM Aura Premiere, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
