ANNAM Noodle Bar Opens In Eastwood City

A new restaurant just popped up in Eastwood City! It's called ANNAM which comes from the same people who brought you NAMNAM Noodle Bar, the most popular one in Singapore. Now I don't think I've tried it when I was there because I probably was concentrating on hawker stores but the good thing is, they're relatively serving the same dishes as if you're there. The lovely menu is composed of different bowls of Pho, so you're relatively going to have your Vietnamese fix when in this joint. I'm a little tired of the other Vietnamese restaurant in Eastwood, not naming names, but their store is relatively a fresh take on that.

I don't have interior shots but I'll be back there soon. The place has tons of seating, bunk seats, bar stools, they can easily fit groups and combine chairs and tables if needed. It looks small outside but they maximized the space inside so you're bound to find something good to eat in ANNAM. Speaking of which, here are some of the things I liked on their menu.

This is one of their dried noodles. They call this the Sauteed Lemongrass Pork Noodle. It is served with a bowl of bone broth on the side and the way they eat it is they pour a bit of it on the dried noodles before consuming it. I like the fried Imperial Roll on the center, tasted like a cross between the local lumpiang shanghai and chinese kikiam. It's a little softer though, but really good.

This is their Vegetarian Southern Rolls served with peanut sauce on the side. For those who are watching their weight, this might be a good alternative to your favorite rolls. Wrapped in rice paper, has cabbage, bean sprouts, other veggies, it's filling but definitely not oily. If you're a little allergic to prawns like me, this would be a good thing to have while having your Pho fix. 

This one is the Fresh Southern Rolls with Prawn, Pork, Fresh Herbs and Peanut Sauce. I can hear the ladies on my table raving about these. It's fresh, you get that sweet shrimp flavor when you bite into it. Pretty good that we get something legit like it now in the Philippines. 

They don't really hold back on the spices so you might find a few of them a little too SPICY. Be careful what you ask for, but this is GOOD NEWS for people like me who LOVE the spicy kind. This is their Crispy Squid with Sriracha Mayonnaise. As the name suggests, they probably have a batter and got these squid pieces deep fried. Then you have the option to up the ante with the Sriracha laden mayo as your dip. I loved  this one. 

This is the Crispy Imperial Rolls. As I said a while ago this is a cross between our very own lumpiang shanghai and chinese kikiam which I absolutely love.  Yes, you need to have this either over rice or just be something to munch on while you're having your pho. It's sweet and savory, something that most of us in Southeast Asia LOVE!

My love for beef balls were already triggered as soon as I saw this on the menu. This is their Pho Australian Ox Tail and Beef Balls. It's like a lighter bulalo, with a few herbs in between. The beef balls are also freshly made so they probably did it inside the restaurant with their own hands. It doesn't seem refrigerated either which is a good thing. It kinda crumbles a bit when you bite into it but it was still firm. The rice noodles were springy, make sure you add Sriracha and Hoisin sauce to take the flavor profile further. I loved this a lot! 

I chose this for the sole mention of Sambal on its name. This is their Chili Sambal Braised Beef. It's got strands of beef, separated or broken down by the sheer softness of it. It's mixed in with Sambal Chili, which Singaporeans love. I like the intensity, but this might prove a little too hot for Filipinos. This is probably made for me, I did finish the whole thing, but it's a tad pricey. I think you're paying for the ambiance, the interior, the freshness of ingredients. With that in mind, add it up, then it's worth it.

This is their 3 Colour Dessert. It almost felt like a halo-halo but it's not. It's closer to their Iced Cacang but I think they used coconut milk instead of milk. It's a little "not too sweet" for a dessert but it would be good for those who are watching their sugar. You get the same lovely flavors, less the sweetness. I guess it works.  

This is their Vanilla Pudding with Palm Sugar Caramel. You'll get that intense sweetness from the syrup, it kinda paints on the canvass, things like this happen. I like that it's sweet, but some of the others find it too sweet. I'm still rooting for it though. Good to share after a date.

My favorite part of the show was when they told me they had this inside the store. This is Fish Sauce, Chili Sauce (like Sriracha) and Hoisin Sauce. They actually sell these too, plus the bowls I think and a couple of the noodles they use in their dishes. They have it dried so you just have to throw it in boiling water and cook like how the pros do. Their Hoisin sauce is really good too, as it's not too salty, but more on the sweet savory side. Now that's just for starters.

ANNAM is something I'd really want to go back to when I'm having my Vietnamese Pho fix, they've literally exceeded my expectations and the catch here is, they don't even use MSG. Now that it is here, people should really try it out. I'm glad I did, so you know what to do. Go grab your friends, your loved ones, share a bowl of Pho and make ANNAM in Eastwood's 1880 Building. It's right beside the second Starbucks store (the large one). Just walk a couple of steps and you'll find it there. For what it's worth, it's the place to be now that it's raining a lot in Quezon City. They have intense Viet Coffee too for those who run in those batteries. You better get yourselves a bowl. Four out of Five Kumags.

For more information about their restaurant:

Annam Noodle Bar Philippines

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://annamnoodlebar.com.ph

Bros Who Brunch at Cafe Enye Eastwood City

Had a good amount of energy today so I decided to drop by at Cafe Enye in Eastwood City. It's a casual restaurant that serves colonial Spanish cuisine. I could see a couple of these dishes served at my home because obviously I'm a Bueno, but I'm quite new to this concept where they have promotions for Bros who Brunch. You can order a wide selection of plated brunch menus which will more or less contain these items below. They're in big servings and you can also add Php 199 so you can get bottomless mimosas and bloody mary. That's a smashing deal that happens every weekend from 9AM to 2PM until the promo lasts. I could sense they designed this for night workers who would want to get a drink or two the morning after. Most of the plates are below 300 too so you get upscale dining for less with your friends or office mates. Here's more reason to visit Cafe Enye.

Mahi Mahi Cubanos. These are special fish only found in the tropics, generally prized for their really good meat, a little scarce in most areas. These were made into sandwiches, sliced up in it's toasted crusty bread that could fill you up in no time at all. Loved it.

My personal favorite is this, Scotch Eggs. Meaty ham bits enveloped in crunchy batter and bread crumbs. They have different dips too so you get choices.

This one's their Gambas. It's rough but spicy, just enough to keep your rice and whole meal interesting. I do suggest you get a little more than a bottle of beer before taking an interest with this one because aside from the conversations, you might as well have it to chill out with your crew.

Why wouldn't you want to get this for size. It's mussels and clams in one dish. I think they got this from the Tapas style of meals in Spain, the 300 years must have done a lot for this to happen eh?!

This one's a little Filipino, it's home made Beef Tapa. Well seasoned beef strips dried and fried for your breakfast. They've got a mean Enye Rice to go with this as well. They've got that in some plates but you can always ask for it. Pretty good.

This one is well marinated, really good Fried Milkfish. If you think about it, this would be one of your more healthy options for the weekend. Don't forget to order Mimosas or Bloody Mary since that's bottomless, I'd suggest the Mimosa though as that's a bit more "citrus" than the other one. But potato potatoes.

I forgot the name of this one but it's pretty much a Fritata. It's got sausages and bacon too if I'm not mistaken. It's a common thing on Tapas.

I like this one too, the Pork Skewers are pretty much like Sate. Thin strips make a good canvas so whatever concoction they made for the marinade, it seeped in. Then grilled lightly.

This one is the Bacon and Sausages, I can imagine having wine with this but since it's more of brunch it can still be good with rice.

This one is a little on the curry side, these are Fish Skewers. I like how they did it with very strong spices, it almost fell off the skewers as it is very soft. 

The Pollo Croquettas were soft and lovely. I like the dips they also have on the side, made it like you want to paint on canvas.

My plate was a story but what's more interesting is that there's a big charity side to this story. You see these weekend lunch stories actually include them selling shirts as they are actually donating the proceeds to Big Brother Big Sister Foundation which helps children from indigenous areas to get to school and be supported for one year. This year's goal is to actually send around 800 kids so your help will really go a long way. It's not just you benefiting from the good meals you get in Cafe Enye but you also get to help a kid go to school, isn't that amazing?!

Again, just go to Cafe Enye in Eastwood City. It's at the ground floor of Excelsior Building right across the J.Co store and Starbucks. You won't miss it. Just ask the concierge or security, they mostly know how to get you there. #BrosWhoBrunch happens every weekend from 9AM to 2PM. Make sure you drop by and drag your family and friends. It's going to be easy to convince them with the Mimosas and Bloody Mary on the invite. There's craft beers too, quite affordable. Won't cost you an arm, leg or kidney.

For more information about their brunch:

Cafe Enye

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

https://www.instagram.com/cafe_enye/

London Style Brew now in Manila: Costa Coffee

Great news for coffee lovers out there, there's a new brand in town and this really came in the right time when we're almost all bored about the usual coffee shop we see in major thoroughfares. London based Costa Coffee is now in the Philippines and they're gearing to put up more stores in the country soon.  Costa Coffee was founded in London by Bruno and Sergio Costa sparked by their love for premium quality coffee. They've got 40 years of experience to back that up and over 3,000 Costa stores around the world to prove it. Their goal is to be the worlds most loved coffee shop brand, a feat that they can well do in the next few years I bet.

The Interiors

The place has 2 floors and is pretty much reflected to be much like the streets of London inside complete with a red phone booth outside which you can take photos with. The interior's made of several brick walls, upholstered and regular seats that would gladly be reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie.

It's the London culture, the vibe, the colors that they would like you to see inside the store. There several corners in this place that I would have loved to reserve for myself when I get the chance to hang out in Eastwood, especially the window seats. Remember, the Brits are some of the worlds most demanding customers and if they want quality on their drinks or food, they need to get it and this is much of a standard thing in Costa Coffee shops I'm sure.