Splice Delivers Exclusively via FoodPanda!

We visited SPLICE last week to try out their dishes courtesy of our friends from Food Panda. Splice has been operating since early this year and has impressed some of the foodies this side of town. SPLICE is located in Greenfield District's new strip called The Portal right along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City. 

At the helm is Chef Ivory Yat (third place in the first season of Pinoy Master Chef), she co-owns this place with Oliver Chan, Malou Galian, Harvard Uy de Baron and Japs de Jesus. The menu, is quite unique, filled with off tangent comfort food you could expect from a more adventurous establishment without the hefty price. They could have charged higher, but I don't think they made the restaurant that way, definitely not.

Splice Nacho Grande - It's like Cheese with Nachos, they don't hold back drizzling it with warm cheese sauce and add more cheese to an already cheezy version of bar nachos. Pretty good, has some bits of beef in the mix so it would be really perfect with 2 or more bottles of beer which they serve in Splice too.

Sriracha Butter Wings - It's  not your usual buffalo wings because they use Thai/Viet/Asian hot sauce called Sriracha to spice up your butter smothered wings. Not too salty, so you can feel the spices shine in this dish. It was pretty good.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup - This one felt okay, but I think the only fancy thing here is probably the spice on top (which I think is paprika and or nutmeg) plus a few lines of sourcream and snips of parsley. Hearty and would be perfect for the rainy days.

French Onion Soup - Must have this while it's hot. Don't take photos, just take it all in.

Splice Salad - I love the combination of sweet, salty, tangy and the freshness of the greens. I must admit it felt like I was having a Waldorf Salad without the walnuts and apples. I like it.

Slut's Spaghetti - Pardon the name but I think it's where they got the Puttanesca name to begin with. It's got really good meatballs, tomatoes, capers and olives in a tad salty anchovy oil. It wasn't to hot at all, plus I like how they kinda fried the meatballs because I don't like the ones they usually simmer in tomato sauce. This one is just right.

Danggit and Chicken Skin Pasta - My first impression was, this isn't date food. It will have the intense smell of danggit as the name implies and the fishy salty profile will complement the crunchy bits of chicken skin spread throughout the plate. It's not too overpowering but it's danggit so freshen up immediately before you talk to your loved one. Or mints.

All seemed to be patterned to the well loved family "The Simpsons" they concocted these Doughnut burgers.The first one is Homer's D'ohnut burger which had a play with spicy, creamy and tons bacon. The one on the top right is the Bartholomew Burger. It's got that glazed donut, coleslaw, cheese and jalapeno. It's not as spicy as you may think, it's just right but the flavor tells me you'll love that small kick when you bite into it. The Liza Burger has a salted caramel donut bread, honey dijon mustard and barbecue sauce. The representation is promising but I might think presentation can perhaps be improved somewhere, even if the bread is pretty delicate to work with. Still, the burger is divine.

Splice Beef Belly Barbecue - It's like skewered ribs, you can feel the root beer aftertaste. It was sweet and nice.

These are pretty good entree's which I think you could consider as mains. The first one is Buko Pandan Rice with the 8 hour Pork Belly Confit. Crunchy pork plus fragrant rice, it was a formula bound to be successful. I never tried anything like this so it piqued my interest. Hearing it being prepared 8 hours was a task, what more even doing it. A little chili and Vinaigrette was nice with it. The others like Chicken Saltimbocca, Brown Sugar Belly and Beef Stroganoff (which I also love) can be served for two people. I think they'll play around with these dishes more in the coming months. 

The sweet endings always, always has to happen, so they came out with these Red and White Pannacotta Crunch made with Vanilla Pannacotta, Strawberry Jam and Donut crunch, plus the Mango Pannacotta Crunch where they use almost the same ingredient but with Mango coolie and same donut crunch. Then we had the Meringue con Quezo that's got a cheesecake filling, graham crackers and fresh strawberries. They actually made a dessert with different textures, had it in different forms, but it works. It was a perfect way to end our meal and perhaps, a reason to come back for more.

Well, not really. If you don't have that much time, you can have all these meals right at the comforts of your own home. Splice delivers exclusively through Food Panda. If you are within the radius, you can use the FoodPanda app or visit www.foodpanda.ph and order online. Check out their social media channels below so you get updated with their new partner merchants as well. It's location based so wherever you are, you've got your neighborhood's best restaurants listed on this app. If they're not listed, you can always suggest your favorite restaurant and they'll think of a way to have them there too. It was a fun afternoon with other foodies, thank you Splice! Thank you also FoodPanda for having us!

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Rustic and Neo Spanish Feasts at ALQUERIA Tapas, Paellas y Bistecas

I had lunch with a few friends from the blogging industry a week ago. This place is called "ALQUERIA Tapas, Paellas y Bistecas". It's a mouthful for a restaurant's name but what ALQUERIA means is a small rural community. People from the city find refuge in places like these places to unwind, have tapas (appetizers or snacks in Spain), paellas (a popular rice dish), and bistekas (salted or peppered sirloin). No wonder they named it like that! Anyway, I so love Spanish cuisine because of my lineage, and this was all but a welcome sight!

The Interiors

The placed is tiled from the ground up. The patterns would make you think you're in a pub in Madrid or places for tapas in the city. They've also got an open kitchen with several chorizos hanging to dry, plus bread, blocks of chocolate, cases upon cases of produce much like an open pantry. The shelving also contains cutlery, wine glasses, beer and wine. They cook when you order so don't hesitate to watch them prepare your meal while you walk around. I highly suggest you do that, else, just sit and watch.

It also reminds me of a Spanish Chalet, well no, like a room in one of those chalets. The place can sit around 50-60 people, good sized with available seating outside (mall lobby area). The food is simple, rustic, non complicated. You'll see this next!

The Food

Let's start from my favorite on their menu, this is their Chorizo Frito with Manchego Cheese on top. The paprika filled meat was fried crisp on the outside then topped with real good Manchego cheese, then served with the side of Garlic Aioli (I think) and a few crusty toasted baguette on the side. I like the intense smoky and peppery flavor that permeates all throughout the meat and the slightly melted cheese on top. Did I say I loved this?

This is their Champignon al Ajillo, as with the terms used, these are champignon mushrooms with garlic, paprika in olive oil, then finished with white wine. It was good and light as an appetizer but I was really hungry for the next one.

This is called Coca, a Spanish pizza. It's got caramelized onions, green and black olives, tomato confit and slivers of salty anchovies. It's not overpoweringly salty, so it was something I could take. You must however, eat this while it gets served on the table. You can't wait for the crust to get soft, it must be crispy otherwise, it won't be as good. The slight hint of saltiness is good because of the anchovies, it's a good addition to just the usual pizza you get in other places.

This is their Huevos en Marinera. It's like salsa with runny egg and a side serving of spiced paprika chips that tastes like fried filo dough. It's good and perfect for those who love something egg based.

I've always loved Paella, this is their version of the Paella Negra a la Alqueria. There's no other way to showcase hearty fresh seafood but in a platter like this. Squeeze a bit of lemon on top and you'll enjoy the sea, the rice (which I recommend you overcook a bit so you can get stuff stick on the bottom) and everything else on it. It's going to be your Mom's favorite so make sure you order one for her when she's around. If you're on a date, you should get this other one.

For those who love something fresh and hearty, this is their Fisherman's Paella. Aside from the gorgeous seafood on top, the rice has been infused with saffron so you get that earthy, fragrant flavor in the whole pan. My favorite part is the rice that sticks to the bottom so I let everybody dig on the plate then scrape it off, this one is my favorite among the paellas served that afternoon.

For meat lovers like me, this is like a breath of fresh air. This is their Rib Eye, a 300 gram Black Angus Prime USDA Grade Steak. They have it portioned like this just like in Spain, though I do really prefer it not sliced, it's convenient. You may ask them if you prefer, and yes, it was good. If you're here to order one, make sure you eat it while it's hot, no time for Instagram posts as you can't really re-heat meat.

I love the actual Cochinillo served in Spanish dinners but this ones like a twist to the ordinary Crispy Pata that we're used to. This is the Pata Cochinillo. You get a piece of heavenly, crunchy pork leg, with the right amount of fat and meat inside. They serve this with a side of mashed potatoes and a spiced vinegar sauce. It was lovely, we could live here.

Last but not the least, it's desserts! The first one on top is called Canonigo. It's like a hybrid Brazo de Mercedes without the lemon curd filling. It's put on top of caramelized bananas and more caramel syrup plus cherry on top. It's light and airy but is pretty good to share. The other one is called Pudin. It's like brownie ala mode but the chocolate is more intense and probably dark. The consistency is also a bit on the soft side and the vanilla ice cream presents a contrast between hot and cold. It's good and a little fluffy, so if you're on a date, this would be perfect for your chocolate lovin lady!

If you plan to order this, make sure it's hot. This is their legendary Classic Churros. The good part of this is of course, the Chocolate syrup. Alqueria also packaged this very well so you can go out and carry it around conveniently, quite ingenious. The churros are also dusted with granulated sugar, and cinnamon, all available in 3, 5 or 10 pieces. If you're just up for a snack, stop by the 3rd floor of SM Megamall's Fashion Hall and get it. You'll get addicted in no time!

ALQUERIA Tapas, Paellas y Bistecas presents a very good choice for diners in the SM Megamall, Ortigas and Shaw area. If you're up for some good Spanish food, please don't hesitate to visit them at the SM Mega Fashion Hall and try these dishes I recommended. Remember to order the Chorizo for starters, the Fisherman's Paella and Cochinillo Pata for main course, then have the Pudin and tons of Churros for dessert. Remember to make room for that!

For more information about their restaurant:

ALQUERIA Tapas, Paellas y Bistecas

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https://instagram.com/alqueriaph/