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Chinese restaurants are always delightful places to eat at if you want something cheap, tasty, fast, and potentially deadly (I only learned later in life that Chinese food is seasoned with the spice called MSG).  Mann Hann is a Chinese restaurant with humble beginnings at Wilson Street in San Juan.  “Great food, but no parking!” was the main criticism of their customers, but that didn’t keep them from coming back again and again.  Today, you can find Mann Hann at all major malls, serving their trademark dishes of chilled tofu with century egg, lomi noodles with meat and kikiam, and special yang chow fried rice. The Mann Hann TriNoma branch in particular gives you a pleasant, casual dining experience with their glass walls, subtle light, and friendly service from the staff.  Check them out at the second floor of the TriNoma restaurant area.

To save money I avoid eating out as much as I can, but Friday nights are an exception.  T.G.I. Friday’s brings me memories of the times when I still had a day job.  Come Friday after work, my coworkers and I would head out to have a beer and spend our hard-earned cash eating out at a relatively expensive restaurant. And for a change, we decided to get away from the Ortigas area where our office is located and eat at the T.G.I. Friday’s branch in TriNoma.

The servings at T.G.I. Friday’s are large enough for two girls with small appetites, so those who were a little low on cash were able to save some money.  For those who only wanted beer and something to nibble on while drinking, the potato skins and fried mozzarella make excellent pulutan.  All in all, T.G.I. Friday’s is a great place to go if you don’t mind spending a little more than what you do at your average beer house. We all deserve a break to celebrate a week’s worth of hard work

It’s really too bad that at this part of the Trinoma Blogger food tour, my stomach was close to bursting from all the delicious samples I’ve tried at other restaurants. Because of that, I wasn’t able to try the other Kapampangan delicacies prepared for us Mangan.  I was, however, in the mood for dessert and made a beeline for the puto bumbong when I first spotted it.  I normally associate this kakanin with the Christmas season, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see it sitting there in its deep purple glory.
Mangan’s delightfully chewy puto bumbong is made out of real galatong (sticky rice) and fresh pirurutong, which gives it its purple color.  Served with a pat of butter, grated coconut, and muscovado sugar (cane sugar), it was the perfect dessert to satisfy my craving for sugar.  I was also able to grab a few bites of their moist bibingka - another native dessert that you must try at Mangan. The puto bumbong and bibingka cost around 90 pesos each.

Mangan is located at the second floor of Trinoma, at the outdoor restaurant area.

I didn’t use to like eating shrimp because as a kid I always thought they were disgusting little insect-like creatures. That all changed when I went to the Bubba Gump restaurant at San Francisco almost a decade ago.  I’m not sure what other dishes we ordered but I distinctly remember having the Shrimp Net Catch - one of their signature dishes - and loving every single mouth-watering shrimp.  I had no idea that shrimp steamed in beer and seasoned with lemon and garlic could taste so delicious, I was converted into a crustacean-lover on the spot.  The beer splits the shell open a little, making it even easier to peel.

A few years later, I was beyond myself with excitement when I saw that Bubba Gump opened a restaurant in Greenbelt 3, and now TriNoma.  Shrimp lovers will also enjoy their other dishes like the popcorn shrimp and garlic shrimp.

My sister, Lorna is based in San Francisco and shared this PINOY DINING GUIDE: Filipino Restaurants in the San Francisco Greater Bay Area (Some Recipes Included).

The list is quite handy for those who miss Filipino cooking in the Philippines. Always call up the restaurant before you make eating plans. But for a tourist, I’d rather explore other restaurants. Check the link above because it contains recipes of Filipino Fusion Cuisine such as

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Technorati Tags: Filipino Fusion Cuisine

“Pho” means “beef noodle soup”, a staple dish of Vietnamese cuisine. From the name of the restaurant, you can already tell that pho is Pho Hoa’s specialty. I’ve been going to this restaurant for years now and every time I go there, I always order the same thing - the spicy, flavorful beef stew pho. They didn’t serve any pho during the Trinoma Blogger food tour but they did have some of their appetizers on the table, which I got around to trying for the first time.

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La Maison is not a typical steakhouse in the sense that it is a large restaurant filled with cowboy paraphernalia and the raucous voices of diners and the clanging of heavy plates. It’s a small, intimate, even romantic place with the quiet atmosphere of a fine-dining restaurant minus the five-star prices. Even during the Trinoma Blogger food tour with twenty people milling about, the restaurant retained its classy feel.

Oddly enough, the two dishes that really stood out among the ones that were served weren’t red meat (but maybe that was because we were given ribs instead of steak). The mussels in white wine sauce is definitely a must-try at La Maison. The sauce is seasoned with chopped garlic and brings out the salty flavor of the mussels. Definitely an enticing appetizer that will make you look forward to the main course.

Sole fish tastes just like expensive sea bass but costs a lot less, and the sole fish fillet at La Maison is undoubtedly excellent. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not particularly fond of fish. What I liked about the sole fish fillet however, is that it has the firmness and texture of white meat with the unmistakable flavor of fish.

La Maison is located at the third floor of Trinoma, in the outdoor restaurant area.