Rediscovering Filipino Cuisine with Kusê

this is the first of two parts to the fabulous belly busting pre-Valentine feast we bloggers were treated to at Old Vine and Kusê located at the Venice Piazza Mall at McKinley Hill, Taguig.

There's really no substitute to honest to goodness Filipino food. Last week, I was among several bloggers treated to an early Valentines feast by owner Larry Cortez and by nights end, I was stuffed beyond belief! I was so full I had to pass on two of the dishes they had served us, the classic Bulalo and inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly). It smelled so good and I really wanted to eat more but there was no way I could. And that's a lot coming from me!

My favorite dish for the evening was the Fried Pla-pla with burong mustasa, balo-balo, escabeche and tomato salsa. I don't really know what escabeche is but I definitely LOVE balo-balo which is a (if I'm not mistaken) Kapampangan delicacy. It is a concoction made of fermented rice and generally has a very unpleasant smell. The one we had in Kusê, however, was not very stinky. It was perfect with the salsa and the fried fish. At first I though the fish was Tilapia and was surprised at how big it was! This dish costs Php 295.00 and for me, is worth every peso, seriously!

 It also complemented their best-selling Garlic Dulong rice nicely.A bowl of this yummy fried rice costs Php 95.00 and is good for sharing.

An interesting dish I sampled that night was the Paco Salad sa Laguna (Php 165.00), which is served with kesong puti and red eggs. Paco is, as I understand it, a kind of plant that thrives in the cool climate of Laguna.

For dessert, Kusê offers an different but definitely delicious sapin-sapin.

Overall, I would rate my dining experience at Kusê as excellent :-) An added bonus to dining at Kusê is that it is adjoined to Old Vine, so if you are craving for a more international flavor, you can just walk on over and order from that menu too.Watch out for my Old Vine review!

Smoke Resto

Trying to find a good yet pocket-friendly place to eat along the famed White Beach of Boracay Island is like looking for a needle in a haystack. To be fair, there are new places all around the new D'Mall that are more affordable than the restaurants on the main beach, but if you're looking for something different from what you can normally get here in Manila, try out Smoke Resto. It's a bit of a walk from the beach, but it is so worth it!

I first discovered Smoke way back in 2005 on one of my spur of the moment trips to Boracay. My cousin was still living in the island and she introduced me to the "cheap" alley where great meals are waiting to be explored! Back then, however, it was much cheaper than today. However, for about Php 80-125, meals are still cheaper than in the beachfront restaurants. It was so cheap, in fact, that one year, we ate almost all our meals there for the duration of our stay.

My favorite order is the Beef Salpicao, now priced at Php 90. It is a bowl of rice topped with tender beef strips, slightly spicy and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I love the flavor of this dish. It is not too salty nor too plain for my taste. This time however, I ordered the stuffed squid with vegetables. I would have preferred the squid to be grilled and seasoned a little more, but when dipped in soy sauce and vinegar, it was pretty good. I enjoyed the huge serving of vegetables though.

In the past few years, the menu of Smoke has grown a lot. I have yet to try many of their new dishes. I can't wait to go back to the island to do so!

Smoke Resto is located a few meters away from the Hey! Jude RESORT (not bar!).