BISTRO GROUP Starts Dine-in Operations

I belong to a multitude of Filipinos who miss the ambiance and feel of being in a restaurant but these past few months, it made us realize health is first. I have dined in a few restaurants these past few days and just like these guys from the Bistro Group, they will take no chances in making it safe for diners to choose and dine-in the restaurant.

Following government regulations and ensuring the health of their customers and staff, they have now began re-opening branches starting June 15, 2020.    ​For burgers, chips and ribs, TGIFRIDAYS Bonifacio High Street, Alabang Town Center,​SM MOA, Glorietta, ​Evia are open from 10 am to 6 pm.  For pizza, pasta and hearty Itaian dishes, ITALIANNI’S is open at ​BGC, Ayala North Exchange, Greenbelt, Glorietta​, Eastwood, ​Evia, Midtown, Alabang Town Center, Vista Mall Sta. Rosa is open from 10 am to 6 pm except Vista Mall and Midtown which starts at 11am. For all day breakfast lovers, DENNY’S is open at Uptown Parade, ​Midtown, Eastwood, ​Vista Mall from 8 am to 6 pm sans Uptown which closes at 7 pm. Steaks and grubs at TEXAS ROADHOUSE can now be tasted at  ​Greenbelt and inside Italianni’s Evia Lifestyle Center from 10 am to 6 pm. For Chinese/Shanghai based cusine, MODERN SHANGHAI is open at the ​Evia Lifestyle Center ​NOMO (Vista North of Molino) which opens at 10 am and closes at 6 pm. Sushi lovers would love to dine at WATAMI Ayala North Exchange or their stores inside TGIFridays Glorietta, TGIFridays Bonifacio High Street, TGIFridays SM MOA, TGIFridays Alabang Town Center, and soon TGIFridays Evia NOMO opens from 10am to 6pm. Fave wing place BUFFALO WILD WINGS only offers take-out and delivery services, specifically the one inside Denny’s Vista Mall and Denny’s Uptown.  

Now there’s no more reason to skip your favorites from these Bistro Group Restaurants because they’re all open, just for you! So, shall we order take out?!

My South Hall by Chef Josh Boutwood

It looks like folks from the south are in for a treat as Chef Josh Boutwood and the Bistro Group just opened up My South Hall, an upscale food hub located at S Maison in Pasay City. Located at the first floor of the mall, they put up 7 restaurants that serve beverages and regional dishes (for the goal of bringing in sought after world cuisines in a fast casual dining setting). I had to sample them all in a few hours so we got a few of their best sellers (although they've been in operations for a few days) and honestly, I thought I was going to have to pay a lot for it. But no, they're quite affordable.

Chef Josh was born in Bedford, England. He moved from Europe to Boracay in 2010. Together with the Bistro Group, they curated these 7 entities to give you great choices if you're up for a meal. 

WCKD serves Authentic Taiwanese Milk Tea made from black and green tea leaves.

Juicy is the number 1 fresh fruit juice brand in Korea

As the name suggests, Seoul Hotpot does Chuck Eye and Angus Beef Sirloin Hotpots

Golden Treasures has some good dimsum.

Tabemashou serves ramen, sushi and skewers

Roast'd serves Chinese style roasts. If you want chicken, duck or roast pork, this is the place you should go to

Roma celebrates anything pasta, so go here if you want something heavy and hearty

Chix has got some of the best wings, I had a dozen and a half so if that's not a measure, try it at least. It was my fave among all the things served there.

The roast chicken was reminiscent of HK roasts, a tad dry but had a crispy skin. I suggest you get the pork variety since most appreciate that.

I ordered the Truffle, it was filling and the pasta was fresh. If you're in a group I would suggest you get this in lieu of rice. Pretty heavy.

They also have three kinds of pasta, I like the Conchiglie more because it kinda gets the sauce stick so you get the flavor profile more.

For milktea lovers, they've got WCKD that serves really good black tea varieties. I ordered the Strawberries and Cream with pearls and it was not that sweet which is perfect for me who's trying to tone down in sugar.

This thing deserves a spot in a museum hence the number of photos I got here. I love the spicy miso ramen, the thick slice of pork is made of dreams, grilled to perfection. At 275, this just takes it out of the ballpark. Worth every penny.

The Hotpot was also nice, although there are not much broth choices, I guess they follow Taiwan standards where you just have it on boil. The meat is A+, graded and all. The veggies are also fresh but I suggest you cook it last so it doesn't go to soft. This would be good for groups of 3, but if you eat a lot like I do, nobody's stopping you!

I had two serving of wings, one is Chipotle and the other is Buffalo. I like spicy stuff and this was so hot for the others, I needed more heat so make sure you ask them to punch it up a notch if it's your jam.

The Conchiglie with pesto was good but I suggest you get this for sharing, it's a huge plate and was heavy. Love it for carbo loading, I think they also had anchovies so it was a bit salty. The sauce just sticks, and that's a good thing.

Juicy had really good smoothies and shakes, but I like this Banana and Peanut Butter combo. It's not too sweet, they also use premium peanut butter so you get the nutty taste locked in. Not the sugar, and if you fancy fruits, they have a lot of other things on the menu which you can try. It's not that expensive too.

Love the Buffalo Wings, wish they had sauces to go with these wonderful wings! I was dreaming of Bleu cheese LOL

The Hakaw and Siomai at Golden Treasures was prepared well. It was fresh, hot off the steamer, I wouldn't mind having seconds.

The Yakitori from Tabemashou was a hit, some like the Chicken Skin ran out even when I lined up early, I think you would love that as well.

To make it all better, go grab a Coke Zero because the moment you fill up, you need to burp and make space for more. I love how we all spent a fine afternoon in this place, now there is more reason to go to S Maison down south. This is definitely one stop you shouldn't miss!

Now make sure if you're in the Mall of Asia area to drop by My South Hall for good premium food at affordable prices. It's far from where I live but since I frequently go there for events, this will be a venue I wouldn't mind going back over and over again. Don't just read there, go troop down the new joint because this is good. This is also under the Bistro Group which has proven track record of good restaurants. 

I would love to have another bowl of ramen! Mmmmm! 

Reminisque Bistro: Food, Drinks and Good Music

We went to the Tomas Morato area a few days ago to experience Reminisque Bistro. It's a restaurant and pub at Scout Lozano Street right at the back of Zirkoh in Tomas Morato Quezon City. The place is right below the modern multi level parking complex and can easily be spotted on the district. The place is owned and operated by a group of friends (Ynna Matias, Jun Aventura, Martin Porta) who initially just wanted a place where they can crash, remember the good old days, particularly the 80's when the music was perfect to their ears. They invested a lot in the interiors, putting tables significantly tight, and put some really good Filipino regional food on the menu.

Chef Richard Nazareth, owners Ynna Matias and Jun Aventura

The Interiors

The place reeks the owners taste for the 80's, but kept it modern and not so vintage aside from the little pieces and clocks on display. At night, they open up the LED lights on the posts which randomly changes color. A feature that you would find a little fancy when in Reminisque. Aside from that, they've got dark wood tables and chairs, white upholstered bar stools, leather bunk chairs, and a white fabric covered tables on the main dining area. They also added a whimsical beehive installation on the private room where small gatherings could take place. Aside from that, their full bar could whip up some of the best cocktails and juices you would really love. They also have a fully functioning DJ's booth so invited guests could enjoy spins of their own decade and a small platform for acoustic performances as well. We even had Pido of former Artstart band sing during the small event.

The Food

Cansi Soup - The lovely beefy broth and the fruity and sour "Batuan" found locally in Iloilo/Bacolod area just made this Cansi Soup a hit with everybody. I had tons of this because I am partly ilonggo too, this was as good as you could have had it in Negros. People wondered how they got it because this is a little scarce to source but they said friends helped ship it. I'm going back for this.

Chicken Inasal Salad - Lovely roasted Chicken Inasal slices mixed with greens, sweet golden mangoes, olives, tomatoes and light dressing. Pretty good.

Salmon Salad - This one must be eaten fast. It's like Tempura batter covered so it kinda softens a little when left to be cold. It's good don't get me wrong, but not my favorite.

Pork Sisig - Now this is tasty. I loved how they mixed the usual sisig bits with chicharon bits (pork crackling). It's a play on texture, then a tangy touch with the calamansi plus your optional liquid seasoning and chili. You can't go wrong with sisig.

Tibok Tibok - This is Pampanga's queen of desserts and with good reason. This Tibok Tibok sounds so native but is very close to Maja Blanca. They added tons of cheese to cut through that sweet coconuty taste to have a little saltiness in each spoonful. I like this a lot so make sure you order one before you leave the place. 

Reminisque Bistro has all these and more on their menu which you can probably have in small functions or just about any visit to the Tomas Morato area. They can take care of you and your gatherings so give them a call at 441 5302, or visit the place at Scout Lozano in Quezon City. They open from 11am and closes up til 2AM - that's in the wee hours of the morning. If you have birthdays, meetings, celebrations, they have packaged menu's to choose from or you may opt to have them customized to your preference. So go ahead and invite your friends and try out the place. It's near mine so if you're in the mood to treat me for beer I'd be glad to!

For more information about their restaurant:

Reminisque Bistro

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https://www.facebook.com/Reminisquebistro