Nomama (Scout Tuazon, near Tomas Morato)

Beloved and I had dinner last night at Nomama. This self-proclaimed Artisanal Ramen place is located at Scout Tuazon street at Laging Handa village. We walked from Tomas Morato through A. Roces Ave. to get there. Since it was an artisinal ramen place, I expected ramen of high quality. Of course, we expected to pay a bit more than I'm used to. Since Beloved was prepared, and was too tired from the walk to go further, we stopped by.

It was a fairly simple and open place. I first noticed that half the kitchen was open to the patrons, and its staff was busily working on food. Beloved noticed that the floor did not have any tiles or whatnot, and was just bare cement. It didn't bother me, of course. What concerned me a little was, for a ramen place, it had just half a page worth of ramen selection. They have plenty other somewhat unusual Japanese offerings. We noticed one of their offerings called Prixe Fixe Menu (575 Php) offered three courses: an appetizer, either a greenery or a raw composition of your choice; a ramen; and a kit-kat bar for dessert. We both decided to take that offer, since it practically meant free dessert. Beloved chose their Thai Green Curry Ramen, because their Ox Tongue and Chili Tofu ramen wasn't available, and their Tuna and Avocado raw composition. I ordered their Nomama Ramen and Beef Tataki with Chips. Hint: my latter order wasn't part of their "greenery" offerings.

North Park (Scout Dr. Lazcano, near Tomas Morato)

Beloved and I had "breakfast" at North Park near Tomas Morato yesterday. I say "breakfast" with quotes because it was our first meal of the day. However, it was already nearing night time. This Chinese restaurant is actually pretty common in that most malls have one of these. We never tried the place, however, for since we don't usually crave for Chinese, and when we do, it's usually just the dimsum. Anyway, being one of the few restaurants at Tomas Morato area we've yet to try, we went there for the heck of it, and also because I felt the need for something hot and soupy due to a mild cold.

The place isn't exactly on Tomas Morato. This place can be found behind Alfredo's Steak House, another restaurant we haven't tried yet. Anyway, we were led upstairs, and on the way, I got a glimpse of their noodle offerings. They actually serve six types of noodles. I cannot remember all of it, but luckily, it was also displayed on their menu-slash-placemat. While choosing our orders, they served us hot tea, which was what I expected from any decent Chinese restaurant or tea house. Their menu have the expected dishes, such as noodles, dimsum, rice, and various Chinese mainstays. Of course, we went here for the soup, specifically their noodles. Beloved got their Nanking Beef Noodles (163 Php), and asked for their Flat Shanghai Noodles. I ordered their Ultimate Noodles (249 Php) with their Hong Kong Noodles. Finally, we also asked for their Prawn Dumplings (223 Php for 6 pieces), and had them steamed rather than fried.

Seafood Island (Shopwise, Cubao)

Beloved and I had dinner at Seafood Island, Cubao a couple of nights ago. We've been here before, but we didn't get to try the reason you should go here the first time we went—the eat-like-a-pirate "boodles". That was more than a couple of years ago, and we've been to its Trinoma branch a couple of times with friends to try out the boodle. I didn't get to take pictures both times, since everyone dug in before I had the opportunity to. This time, since it was just me and Beloved, I can finally write a proper review.

I've already said boodle twice, thrice if you count the one on the title. But what is a "boodle"? The best description I could give is a table full of food. These various platters, which is really an understatement to use as a term for this offering, have various stuff in it in addition to a mountain of rice good enough for four—and that's the smaller boodle. They come in two sizes, good for three to four or five to six. Beloved wanted lato or sea grapes, and after finding a couple of these boodles out of a dozen or so that offer this, we chose their Palawan Shores (785 Php), good for 3-4.

Gayuma ni Maria (V. Luna Extension, near Maginhawa Street)

Beloved and I had dinner at Gayuma ni Maria last night. We've known this place, which is located at the Savemore end of Maginhawa Street, where it meets Anonas and becomes V. Luna, for a while but never had a chance nor reason to visit it. Beloved got to try out one of their cakes called "Better Than Sex" during one of the food fairs we attended. Aside from the name, she didn't really found it special. After looking at the menu through the web, Beloved finally found a reason to go.

The reason for going was basically the names of their dishes. Beloved was giggling hysterically as she read through the online menu. When we got there, through a porch that you occasionally see during Halloween, we found ourselves in a similarly themed dining area. The online menu was a bit outdated, especially when it came to price, but the reason, the silly naming, was still there. Beloved planned to order their version of tom yung goon called "Unrequited Love", but settled for their French Kiss (295 Php), which was a beef tongue dish with mushroom-sauce. I was going to order their "Holding Hands While Walking Pa-Swing Swing Pa" or "H.H.W.W.P.S.S.P." for short, solely because of the name. However, I was recommended to order their I Love You, Cross My Heart (215 Php), instead, and I chose to do so since it looked a bit more satisfying, despite being both chicken dishes. We also ordered their Peek A Boo (145 Php), a pumpkin soup, because all the other appetizers we wanted to try weren't available.

Van Gogh is Bipolar (Maginhawa Street)

Beloved and I had dinner at Van Gogh is Bipolar a couple of nights ago. This, for the lack of better word, strange restaurant is located on Maginhawa Street. The last bit of the previous statement would foreshadow this review. At first, I thought it felt very formal since we had to make a reservation beforehand and the price tag was among the steeper ones we've tried. However, since Beloved has been to this place before, she told me that it wasn't, so, at least, we didn't have to wear something formal, especially since we had to remove our shoes beforehand.

To start off with the strangeness, the dinner was entitled Cuckoo Gastronomique Nights. As for the place itself, there were no signage or anything aside from the "open" sign outside the door. In fact, it resembles more of a unit at an apartment complex on the outside. We were the first guests there, I guess since it was pretty early, and we were greeted by the owner and host of the place, Jethro. After removing our shoes, entering the place itself continues the strangeness of this story. It was more of a home than a restaurant. The ambiance felt homely despite having plenty of eccentric decorations: mismatching furniture from antique to modern, movie posters, mostly nude photography, a collection of strange hats (which guests are encouraged to wear) and aprons (which I wouldn't recommend wearing, but it's up to you), scientific instruments, rugs and drapes, a ceiling lamp made with a parasol, globes, clocks, a corner littered with vandalism made by the visitors, a huge collection of teapots, and other things you would expect (or not expect) from someone who travels and collects stuff around the globe. The soft lighting and choice of music added to the homeliness of the place.

We (I, since Beloved already knew about it) were (was) asked to read the house rules by the door. Apparently, there were no servers, and self-busing is required. What surprised me more is that the place can and will only accommodate twelve people at a time. We were asked where we wanted to stay—either at one of the three small candlelit tables for two at the living room or one big one at the dining room. We chose one at the living room which I later found out to be a converted sewing machine. Then, we were allowed to make ourselves tea using one of the many teapots and your choice of tea leaves depending on your mood. Might I add that they weren't your usual tea leaves—he offered dried leaves from plants you would find outside one's home, such as guava, mango, or guyabano. Now, to order, we were asked to choose between four to eight courses varying in prices. We chose the four-course offering, which Jethro explains really is more of a five-course offering, priced at 777 Php with a choice between either a "Happy" fish-based meal or a "Chill" meat dish as our personalized main course. We had to write it down on paper, ring the bell, wait for the kitchen window to open and give the paper.