Joyfully Yours: fusion cuisine

Showing posts with label fusion cuisine. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

A Hidden Gem: Orange Whisk Restaurant & Patisserie

On our way to attend a wedding, my fiance and I were driving around Betterliving Subdivision in Paranaque when we got lost even with Google Maps on our phone! All the directions keep leading us to dead ends in the middle of residences. With hungry tummies, we were searching on a place to have lunch when our car passed Michael Rua Street and saw this small restaurant which says it is "Home of the Best Chewy Buns!"

That's the reflection of me and fiance.

Without a second thought, we parked the car and went down to check out this orange, white and black place! Inside the restaurant, there were no customers but we didn't care because we were starving! We went in and saw a board which has their menu of hot meals written on it.

The hand-written Off-the-Menu specials

Since my fiance and I were both hungry, without thinking, we ordered their Chewy Buns right away since they were readily available to fill our hungry tummies!

The Chewy Buns

The Chewy Buns can be heated before eating or eaten right away. Being so hungry, we didn't care anymore and just ate it as it is! It is crusty on the outside as shown in the photo above and very chewy. The bun is sweet with a hint of salty and buttery taste. The spaces inside the bun are filled with the salty and buttery flavor.

Inside the Chewy Bun

Since it was so good, my fiance and I can't help but order more! Within 10 minutes, I think we were able to finish 8 buns! We also tried it heated and it was a lot better because after chewing a bit, the bun just slowly melts in your mouth!

THE MENU
Aside from their very yummy and special Chewy Buns, they serve a variety of cuisine in their menu. I wasn't able to take the details of the full menu because of my hunger but I was able to take some parts which have caught my attention.

THE APPETIZER

Deep Fried Chicken Wings are crispy outside with a very flavorful and juicy inside. You'll noticed some orange dots on the crispy part because of custard which has made this chicken flavorful.

Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Garlic Mayo Dip

A closer look. Can you see the orange spots?

I also love their chicken's plate! It's fancy and makes food look more palatable which in turn makes one want to eat everything on it!!

THE MAIN COURSE

Ready to get more hungry?

Hotel Line Spoon, Fork and Knife (classy!)

The Basil Pesto Pasta just smells so good as it made its way to our table. My fiance and I can't help but notice the generous portion of pesto. Orange Whisk uses bucatini which is quite interesting to eat. They are pasta which look like little straws that has a bit of sauce inside which makes each bite filled with pesto!

The purple leaf on top is called micro amaranth which is edible and a wonderful pop of color that made the presentation of this dish beautiful.

The heart shaped little greens are micro arugula. Don't be fooled by these small heart shaped beauties! Even they're small, they're packed with flavor!

Basil Pesto Pasta

Beef Salpicao is Filipino-styled beef steak cooked in soy sauce and garlic. Orange Whisk uses beef tenderloin tips for this dish and it comes with rice. The serving of beef tenderloin is very generous. Even if I have already finished my rice, I still had so much beef tenderloin. Since it's the tenderloin part, the beef is very soft and melts in your mouth!

Beef Salpicao

US Steak Onglet is something to look forward to in this restaurant! True to its name, the steak is really imported from the US which can be distinguished by its texture and taste. It's soft, tender and infused with flavor! I also love the fact that that it's perfectly cook the way me and my fiance love it: Medium! Even without gravy, it's already so good on its own.

The mash potato side dish is also to die for! It's creamy with baby carrots and mushroom. The micro arugula adds an additional aromatic kick.

US Steak Onglet

Baby carrots and mushrooms sprinkled with micro arugula on top of a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

Medium cooked US Steak sprinkled with micro amaranth.

THE DESSERTS

This Buko (coconut) Lychee Sorbet can take the taste of meat away from your mouth and breathe! It's smooth and sweet that will tickle the palette with its lightness.

Buko Lychee Sorbet

Since this restaurant is also a patisserie, there were lots of other baked goodies to choose from as dessert! You may also buy and bring it home to eat later on!

I bought this and brought it home! My brother love how chewy and buttery the cookies are!

Caramel Egg Tarts

Red Velvet Cupcake (so lovely!)

THE INTERIORS

As its name says, the motif of the place is orange with touches of white, black and gray.

Orange whisk themed light

There's a window to see the kitchen! That's Chef Isaiah Ortega preparing something good.

Chef Darbi de Jesus cooking in the hot kitchen.

A small LPG tank that's not flammable because...

it's a Tip Box!

THE CHEFS

These 3 chefs are the ones who made our dining experience in Orange Whisk very comfortable and wonderful! We loved talking to them about how they've prepared each dish! They're very accommodating and friendly. Also, we learned that they have just opened the restaurant this month of June!

Chef Korinne Lirio with their famous Chewy Buns! The first of its kind buns in the Metro!

Chefs Korinne, Isaiah and Darbi are at your service to cook you a very sumptuous mouthwatering dish!

Orange Whisk Restaurant & Patisserie is located at 35-B Michael Rua St. Betterliving Subd., Paranaque 1711. It's open on Mondays, Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am-10pm. For reservations and take outs, call 501-6454.

With a sign like that, you sure will see the place!

If you passby the place, remember to try and bring home a box of their delicious Chewy Buns!

If you're looking for a gastronomic adventure, take the courage and drive to Orange Whisk! It's going to be wonderful and a worth it trip! My fiance and I got lost, went in and did not regret any of it! ;) If you noticed, we ordered a lot to fill up every little space of our hungry tummy and we sure glad we did!

For more information, visit and "Like" their Facebook page: Orange Whisk Restaurant and Patisserie.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Banapple is a Treat

Joyfullyurs 3:00:00 AM 4 Comments

It was last year when I first heard of Banapple from "QC Na Year 3 Awards Night" at the Imperial Palace Suites. Banapple was awarded for being a very successful restaurant business that have started in Quezon City. The restaurant first opened its doors at 225 Katipunan Avenue, Q.C. (tel no. 439-2675) which became a hugh success. The place is always filled up with parents and students from the schools and universities nearby. It opened another branch in 2nd level Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato, Q.C. (tel no. 413-2675). Since the first branch of restaurant in Katipunan is always full, it opened another branch opposite it at 206 Katipunan Avenue, Blue Ridge, Q.C. (tel no. 438-2675) which is also always full despite having two branches on the same street opposite each other! Because of its success, Banapple branched out to other areas opening in Ayala Triangle Gardens (tel no. 756-2675) last December 2010 and in Connecticut St., Greenhills (tel no. 477-2675) last February 2011. Despite its fast growth and award-winning success, it is only recently that I've tried this place to learn what the fuzz is about.

Banapple logo on their placemats

It was in the morning when I went to their Greenhills branch. The place is very cozy with the lively colors of red, yellow and green which makes it feel like a cool summer hideout no matter what season it is. There are bookshelves lined up on their walls welcoming visitors to sit, relax, hangout and read a book or two while waiting for their companions or just simply enjoying the day.

Banapple (Greenhills branch) inside and out

Their tables are as colorful as the surroundings that makes one just want to stay and stare at their table top. I think the round edges of the tables are made up of marbles or holen in Filipino.

Banapple's table tops with their logo and a flower. Notice the green, red and yellow colors?

I absolutely love their red lampshades which ignites my imagination that they look like little apples floating around.

Banapple lampshade

Looking at the menu, the first thing I ordered is their Banapple Smoothie. The smoothie tasted more banana than apple with lots of milk. I think that apple in it made the mixture less thick and less creamy than the regular banana smoothie which can been seen on its top. But the apple made the smoothie smoother, easier to sip and swallow.

Banapple Smoothie

One of my companions ordered a Fudgy Banana Smoothie which has chocolate syrup stripes and very thick on top as compared to my Banapple Smoothie.

Fudgy Banana Smoothie

For appetizer, we had Super Caesar Salad, Banapple’s House Salad and Grandma’s Corn Chowder.

The Super Caesar Salad, true to its name is quite big for one person. The dressing is quite creamy and sweet with a little salty crunch from the bacon bits playing on one’s taste buds. There’s a tickling sweet after taste brought by the pecan praline bits.

Super Caesar Salad

The Banapple’s House Salad is a mixture of all the yummy greens one can think of like corn, cucumber, lettuce and bell pepper bits. It is mixed with crunchy sweetness of crumbled banana chips and honey peanuts that gives a bit on sweetness to the sour balsamic-caesar dressing. There’s a generous portion of shredded mozzarella cheese to mix in a little saltiness.

Banapple's House Salad

I did not have the Grandma’s Corn Chowder since I have other orders and I don't want to be too full. Of course, I still have to watch my figure out so that I can still eat more good food in the future. I just looked at my companions having their soup and observed. The soup is full of corn and potatoes. The mixture is thick and there’s a strong aroma of cream.

Grandma's Corn Chowder

For our entrees, we ordered their best-seller Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs as recommended by their waitress. We also ordered Breaded Fillet of Cream Dory with Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce. Then, we took their new offerings Banapple Beef and Sausage Stew and Bacon Fried Chicken Steaks with Milk’shroom Gravy.

The Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs has a very generous amount of sauce. The meat is very soft that it debones itself.

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs

The Breaded Fillet of Cream Dory with Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce is crunchy, sweet and has a hint of lemon sourness.

Breaded Fillet of Cream Dory with Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce

The Banapple Beef and Sausage Stew smelled really good. The scent of soy sauce and beef mixed together is quite dominant. The beef is very soft.

Banapple Beef and Sausage Stew

The Bacon Fried Chicken Steaks with Milk’shroom Gravy does not have a generous amount of sauce but it’s just perfect to retain the crispiness of the chicken. Unlike regular gravy, their gravy has a creamy milk taste which complements the salty bacon and chicken.

Bacon Fried Chicken Steaks with Milk'shroom Gravy

All the entrees served came with garlic rice which has a huge amount of toasted garlic that gave it a crunch of garlic goodness and paired with either corn relish or glazed butter carrots.

Garlic Rice with crunchy garlic bits good for garlic lovers like me!

For dessert, there’s so many cakes to choose from that can make one go crazy because they all look so delicious!

Cakes of Banapple Greenhills

To be able to review this restaurant perfectly, we got their best-sellers Banoffee Pie and Apple Caramel Crumble Pie.

I love their Banoffee Pie! It’s filled with chocolate shavings that I can’t help myself to pick them up with my fingers and eat it right away! The cream was not very sweet so it’s a good match with the caramel inside. The bananas are not too sweet and are still quite firm so it’s easy to pick it up with a fork, mix it with a little bit of cream and caramel then some of its salty crust before putting it all inside the mouth. It’s so yummy that getting one bite will lead to more!

Banoffee Pie

The Apple Caramel Crumble Pie is good for those who are not into very sweet dessert. The apple filling is not so sweet so the caramel crumble on top is needed to give it some sweetness. It’s served hot so it’s good to be paired with coffee or maybe ice cream on top!

Apple Caramel Crumble Pie

Aside from all the lip-smacking dishes this restaurant offers, I noticed that the price of each dish doesn’t exceed P200! Lastly, Banapple also offers other baked goodies like muffins, cookies and breads which one can take home for snacks or breakfast on the next day. They also deliver so if you’re getting hungry because of this post, you better call the branch nearest you with the numbers I’ve given above! Now I know what the fuzz is, I do agree that Banapple is definitely a wonderful place to hangout and have a happy, decent meal. I can't wait to go back and bring my fiance and family with me!