Now that almost everyone is going back to their regular routine and making up for lost time and income, you tend to forget to take the time out to enjoy life and celebrate small wins.
Those who do have the time and the extra money opt to go out of town or even out of the country to get together with family and friends to celebrate college graduation, a new job, or passing a board exam.
You don’t have to go out of town or out of the country to celebrate. You can do so by just visiting the SM Supermalls. SM Supermalls have gone out of their way to gather the best food and wine from different parts of the world at their various malls.
BusinessMirror went to The Podium, SM North, SM Aura, and SM Megamall to try out what their choice restaurants had to offer. These are the results.
The Podium
The first stop of BusinessMirror’s food adventure was at The Podium. The Podium unveils a well-curated lifestyle haven inspired by the metro’s most stylish set. It is the home to gourmet dining, branded fashion, and prestige wellness.
Terry’s Selection
Terry’s Section is a fusion of Spanish, Filipino, and European cuisine with an excellently curated wine selection by Don Juan Carlos de Terry himself. It is one of Manila’s finest restaurants serving European-inspired cuisine with an exquisite selection of wines. Aside from a vast assortment of hams, sausages, and cheese, the gourmet store also carries specialty culinary items and food products.
“The bistro is named after me so I have to make sure that I bring in the best of the best. Our food is about giving justice to the ingredients that we have,” Juan Carlos said.
When you order the Chorizo Terry on Piggy Back, this famous homemade chorizo is flambeed with Sherry Brandy in front of customers while placed on a pig-shaped container. When done it was sliced and served with bread.
Completing the appetizers were Jamon Serrano and Wild Mushrooms Bechamel Croquettes (creamy Bechamel croquettes made with Jamon Serrano and Shitake Mushrooms), Machego Dumplings (Fresh Machego cheese and Iberico Salami tucked into crunchy wanton pockets) and Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp cooked in extra virgin oil).
The highlight of the food tasting at Terry’s was the cochinillo with very crispy skin and soft and tender meat.
Terry’s is located at the Ground Level of The Podium.
Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro
If you enjoy a good cup of coffee and comfort food on the side, Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro is the place for you. Its first branch, which opened in July 2014, can be found at Sct. Torillos in Quezon City. Due to a growing demand for their food and coffee, the owners decided to open their second branch at The Podium last year.
Caerus owner Christopher Lim says what makes their coffee special is that they adjust the taste of the beans every day. This allows them to offer personalized coffee to suit their customer’s tastes. Their best seller is their Ice Caramel.
In terms of food, Lim describes their offerings as “coffee shop food with a Filipino twist” and the food is good to share. Menu favorites include Grilled Pork Liempo, Smoked Fish and Salted Egg Pasta, Kare Kare, and Roast Beef in Truffle Cream.
Caerus also offers a wide variety of cakes to choose from. Cakes that were served during the BusinessMirror visit were Mango Brulee, Strawberry Brulee, and Avocado Brulee.
If you happen to be at Caerus every Thursday and Saturday, you might be lucky enough to meet with Lim’s pet corgi.
Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro is located at the 5th Level of The Podium. A third branch will be opening soon at SM Fairview and this promises to be their biggest outlet.
SM North Edsa
SM North Edsa opened its doors on November 8, 1985. It was the first mall built by SM Prime Holdings Inc. with the initial tenants being SM’s 5th department store and first supermarket. At that time, it had a gross floor area of 23 square meters.
Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House
Part of The Red Crab Group that includes Seafood Island, The Red Crab, Pier at Clawdaddy’s, Cangerjos Locos, and Alimango House, the latest branch of Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House opened its doors only last February 14, 2023
Janice Crisostomo, Crustasia’s Head for Operations, said the restaurant offers dishes from Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. Crisostomo said they had initially developed their own versions of the different dishes but they wanted something authentic.
To achieve this, Crustasia hired chef consultants to ensure that the restaurant would be able to achieve the goal of offering a food trip around Southeast Asia.
Crustasia’s best sellers include the Seafood Laksa, Mixed Seafood Tom Yum, Satay Sampler, Singaporean Chili Crab and Mango Sticky Rice. Items on their regular menu are food for sharing.
Those on a budget can opt for the Waterway Hawker Favorites which offer meals good for one like Crustasia Seafood Omelet, Vegetable and Mushroom Mie Goreng, and Crispy Fried Pork Belly and Fried Rice, among others.
Crustasia Asian Seafood and Noodle House is located at the Sky Garden of SM North.
Sicilian Roast
If you are craving pizza and pasta and you happen to be in the vicinity of SM North Edsa, you may want to try Sicilian Roast.
According to Operations Manager Gerald Bryan Ducano, most, if not all, of their ingredients are sourced from Italy. Like any other Italian restaurant, their best sellers are their pasta and pizza.
BusinessMirror got to try out their Quattro Formaggi and the Americana. For pasta, the group sampled Penne alla Siciliana and Ricotta e Spinaci. The team also had an opportunity to taste the Filletto dei Salmone. To end our food trip at Sicilian Roast, we got to sample the Bombolone, similar to a fried doughnut with chocolate syrup in the center and dipped in cream.
Sicilian Roast is located on the 2nd floor of SM North Tower at SM North Edsa.
SM Aura Premier
SM Aura Premier is a large upscale shopping mall located along McKinley Parkway corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Prego Trattoria and Cicchetteria
Strategically located at the 5th Level Skypark of SM Aura is Prego Trattoria and Cicchetteria. Louie Toledama, Restaurant Manager, describes Prego as an authentic Italian restaurant where most of its ingredients are sourced in Italy. If possible, most of their dishes are made from scratch, especially the pasta and the pizza dough.
To prove his point, he had his kitchen team prepare the restaurant’s best sellers. To start the food tasting, Tuscan Meatballs were served. The meatballs were handmade by their chef and were cooked in Arabiatta sauce. This was followed by two pizzas – the Gorgonzola and the Margherita Pizza.
For the pasta dishes, he served Fettucine Salmone (fettucine pasta with smoked salmon in cream sauce) and Spaghette Pescatora (fresh seafood in homemade Italian sauce). Grilled meat lovers will enjoy the Grigliata Carne which includes Black Angus Tenderloin, Porchetta or Roasted Pork, Roasted Chicken, and vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and spinach.
Steak lovers will also enjoy the Fiorentina Steam from Italy, Tomahawk Steak, Rib-eye Steak, and the Carre D’Agnelo or Grilled Rack of Lamb.
Barcino Wine Resto Bar
Barcino allows its customers to take them to Spain with a few sips of Spanish wine and flavorful bites of authentic tapas and paellas. In the Barcino kitchen, the chefs marry Spain’s rich history and the Philippines’ love for festive celebrations and flavors.
This is fulfilled by serving delicious Spanish cuisine using only the finest ingredients directly sourced from Spain and lovingly prepared by Spanish chefs using long upheld traditions and ways of cooking.
BusinessMirror got to sample the Paella de Cochinillo, a scrumptious paella topped with succulent oven-roasted suckling pork belly. Also served as the Solomillitos Con Salsa de Setas or Tenderloin with Bacon Wrap and the Chorizo and Cheese Plate. These three dishes were served with red and white wine.
Barcino Wine Resto Bar has 18 branches. The SM Aura Premier branch is located on the 5th Level Skypark. Plans include opening more branches outside of Metro Manila.
SM Megamall
SM Megamall is the third-largest shopping mall in the Philippines.
Paul Boulangerie et Patisserie
Paul Boulangerie et Patisserie has been in the business of baking bread and pastries in France since 1889. Ben Chan, the owner of Bench, brought in Paul in December 2013 with their first branch in SM Aura. Their bread is baked traditionally, hand-crafted using the best natural ingredients that are freshly flown all the way from France.
The Paul branch in SM Megamall is their 3rd branch which was opened on April 15, 2017.
In addition to serving a wide range of bread and pastries, Paul also offers other dishes like the Roast Chicken, one of their best sellers, which is chicken seasoned with a variety of spices and garnished with a side salad, roasted potatoes, carrots, and broccoli.
Their other best sellers include the Roasted pork-chop which is pork loin marinated with mixed herbs and served with balsamic, apple red wine sauce, and seasonal vegetables; and Beef bourguignon, slow-cooked braised beef in red wine sauce served with sliced bread and a side salad.
For dessert, Paul has French toast and ice cream, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and powdered sugar on bread. They also have a wide array of fresh pastries, coffee, and other beverages.
Paul is located near the entrance of Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.
Fresh Baker Salon de The
French Baker was founded in 1989 while The French Baker Salon de The was opened in 2014. Currently, it has about 30 restaurant-café and 40 bakery-café stores within the system. The bakery-café concept has a limited menu offering while the restaurant-café has a complete line-up.
According to Johnlu Koa, French Baker founder, and CEO, The Salon de The was opened in 2014 together with the SM Fashion Hall expansion and it offers an upscale French Baker Dining Experience.
“We offer an upscale experience of The French Baker emphasizing on big portions and the French classics. We offer value for money, a cozy ambiance, and clean restrooms. It’s a great place to meet and catch up with friends and family over some afternoon tea or coffee,” he said.
The menu features a lot of French and European bread such as soup on bread bowl Chicken a la King in vol au vent shell, Steak sandwich with baguette, Parisian crepes both sweet and savory, and desserts that incorporate Parisian macaroons. French Baker also serves afternoon tea or coffee sets.
Sampled during the BusinessMirror visit were Shrimp Cocktails, Grilled cheese on sourdough with tomato soup and the afternoon tea set. Also featured with the Coffee Crunch Cake and Iced French Vanilla Oat Milk Latte.
Other best sellers include the coffee, Croissant Sandwich, Sopa de Mariscos, Truffle Pasta, Fillet Mignon, Bone in Spareribs and Pan Seared Salmon.
“All our restaurant cafes carry the Piacetto brand of Italian espresso beans for hot and cold coffee drinks. Piacetto offers a signature Italian profile with Arabica and Robusta beans from South America and Asia. These beans are roasted to Italian specifications which is a dark roast allowing for bold and strong flavors. The coffee is rich, mellow, and aromatic with that roasted taste,” Koa said.
French Baker Salon de The is located on the ground floor of SM Fashion Hall, SM Megamall.
SM Mall of Asia
The SM Mall of Asia is a must-see and must-visit destination as it is one of the largest malls in the Philippines.
Highlands Steakhouse
Previously owned by Tagaytay Highlands, the menu of Highlands Steakhouse is inspired by its previous owners but with new items that helped to evolve the steakhouse’s menu.
With only one branch, the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes that include Mushroom soup which makes use of three different kinds of mushrooms (button, shitake, oyster mushrooms) pureed into a rich and creamy soup and topped with black truffle oil and baked with puff pastry; Rockefeller oyster or fresh local Aklan oysters baked in creak spinach with parmesan and mozzarella on top and Truffle Mushroom Pasta with pasta made fresh in house every day and tossed in mushroom cream sauce and finished with truffle oil.
For their steaks, Highlands Steakhouse use only certified Angus beef. The Prime rib Steak is marinated in mustard, paprika, and spices and then patiently roasted on low heat for about one to one and half hours. The kitchen uses charcoal because the fat drippings vaporize and rise back to the meat which gives it more flavor.
In addition to the food, the restaurant is spacious and has a good view and good ambiance.
Highland Steakhouse is located along Seaside Blvd, Mall of Asia
Las Flores
Las Flores opened its doors at S Maison on November 1, 2022. With nine branches in Metro Manila, Las Flores not only promises good food but a good dining experience as well. Just like its name, Las Flores conveys lightness, color, and happiness, the very emotions that guests would feel upon entering the restaurant.
The menu offers a variety of Spanish dishes and some other Mediterranean dishes. The best sellers reflect a variety of tastes from tapas, pintxos, paella, and entrée. The best sellers include Salmon & Salmon which is marinated salmon with dill, salmon roe, truffle cream honey, and air baguette; Gambas Al Ajillo which is made of shrimp, olive oil, garlic, chili, and white wine; Paella Negra which is Black Rice, Squid, and aioli; Angus and Foie Minis which are beef tenderloin, foe, caramelized apple, and pandesal; and Pulpo a la Gallega or Boiled octopus, confit potato, EVOO, paprika and Maldon salt.
Las Flores is located on the 2nd floor of S Maison at Conrad Hotel.
Image credits: Roy Domingo