SM AURA EATS: 10 Most Awesome Restaurants @SMAuraPremier to Kick Off Your SM Aura Food Trip this 2014!

Here’s a 2013 wrap-up of our 10 Favorite Restaurants to kick off the SM Aura Food Trip this 2014:

1. PAUL BOULANGERIE AND PATISSERIE

PAUL Boulangerie and Patisserie has been baking bread and pastries in France since 1889. Finally, after 124 years, they have opened a store in Manila this December 2013. Their bread is baked traditionally, hand-crafted using the best natural ingredients that are freshly flown in all the way from France.

The local franchise is owned by Ben Chan of the Bench empire. Paul Boulangerie’s flagship store in SM Aura integrates the bakery, patisserie, restaurant, and tea salon in one.

Check out Paul when you are in SM Aura…

VERDICT

We love PAUL‘s French café ambiance and their authentic French breads and pastries. Make sure you try the croissants, macarons, and their version of croque-madame. Best to go in the mornings when most of the goodies are fresh from the oven.

It would have been lovely if they had a nicer view or were located somewhere with an alfresco setup, instead of the current commercialized view of SM Aura’s main entrance.

Budget is P250-P500/head, depending on whether you go for merienda or breakast/lunch/dinner. It’s relatively a bit expensive.

PAUL BOULANGERIE
SM Aura Premier
26th Corner McKinley Parkway Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1630
Telephone: +632 808-5324
Email: paul@benchtm.com

2. RAMEN NAGI BUTAO

RAMEN NAGI offers a gourmet version of ramen that is hailed as the best in Tokyo. It has been awarded the top spot in the National Ramen of the Year Competitions for the last two years (2011 and 2012). In Hongkong, the Ramen Nagi franchise is known as BUTAO, after its popular signature ramen, which Filipinos line up hours for just to get a taste. 🙂

Finally, Ramen Nagi has opened in Manila at the 5th Floor of SM Aura Premier. The Manila franchise is owned by Plains & Prints couple founders Roxanne and Erickson Farillas, together with Michael James Chua, Carissa Coscolluela, Enti Coscolluela, and Avi Siy-Chua.

As the Filipino foodie’s taste for ramen matures, one would prefer more rich and bolder flavors vs. the lighter variety. And once you taste the richer gourmet version of Ramen Nagi, there’s no going back to light and lesser quality ramen.

You’ve got to check out why foodies are raving about Ramen Nagi Butao…

VERDICT

So far, RAMEN NAGI has the best ramen in town, especially if you are looking for a richer gourmet ramen version. We love the Black King, Green King, and Ebi King. I can’t wait for them to offer the Truffle Ramen King version! The Boys love the Butao King version. 🙂

Each bowl of ramen is already a complete and satisfying meal. They only offer and specialize in ramen for now. I hope that they make dessert options available soon.

Budget is P500/person. Make sure to visit early and during the non-peak times to avoid the crowd.

RAMEN NAGI by Ramen Master Ikuta Satoshi
5th Floor SM Aura Premier (Beside Yabu)
2nd branch located in SM Mall of Asia
Email: ramennagi.manila@gmail.com
Facebook: Ramen Nagi Manila

3. SHINE BAKERY & CAFE

SHINE is a bakery and cafe by celebrity chef couple Rob & Sunshine Pengson, featuring fresh gourmet interpretations and Parisian-inspired desserts via Gourmandise.

Check out SHINE if you are looking for a feel-good place in SM Aura Premier…

VERDICT

Overall, we love the refreshing gourmet interpretations and feel-good ambiance of SHINE.

Order the Umami Fries as a starter, then the Tomato Soup and Apple & Goat Cheese Salad for appetizers, Chorizo Rice & Chashu or the Salcipao & Multigrain Rice for your main course, and lastly, the Eclairs for dessert.

Pricing is a bit expensive at P400-P600 for each main dish. Budget is about P800/head.

So, what’s your favorite dish at SHINE?

SHINE BAKERY & CAFE
3F , SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm
Telephone: +632 553-6566
Facebook: Shine Bakery & Cafe
Twitter: @ShineBakeryCafe
Open Daily 10.00am to 9.00pm

4. GREEKA KOUZINA

GREEKA KOUZINA is a Greek-inspired restaurant known for their lamb dishes, Greek salads, and big servings for sharing with family and friends.

They recently opened their 2nd branch in SM Aura Premier. Here’s what to expect…

VERDICT

Overall, we like the ambiance, the lamp highlights, and the big servings. Order the Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Salad for a healthy start and the Arni Lemonato if you are craving for a good roast lamb. Skip the dessert and go to Pinkberry or Bono Gelato for sweet treats.

Budget is about P700/head. I wish they could serve half portions at more affordable price points.

GREEKA KOUZINA
2F, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm
Telephone: +632 964-3354
Mobile: +63 917 514-0157
Facebook: Greeka Kouzina

5. OGETSU HIME

OGETSU HIME is a Japanese A la Carte Restaurant specializing in Sushi/Sashimi, Teppanyaki, and Table-side Sukiyaki Cooking. Its name literally means “Goddess of Food” and is from the proponents of Saisaki and Sambokojin.

Here’s our Ogetsu Hime experience at the Sky Park in SM Aura Premier…

VERDICT

OGETSU HIME is a recommended place for foodies looking for good Japanese food at SM Aura Premier. We love their Ogetsu Hime Roll, Nabemono Table-Side Sukiyaki Cooking, and Seafood Moriawase Teppanyaki. It’s surprising that they don’t have additional service charge, so make sure to leave a very good tip.

Budget is P500-P1,000/head, depending on whether you are getting the teppanyaki and sukiyaki.

The look of the resto is a bit ordinary, and the tables and chairs aren’t anything special. But we don’t mind as long as it translates to good food and service with affordable pricing.

OGETSU HIME
5F Sky Park, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm

6. LUGANG CAFE

LUGANG CAFE is the best contemporary Taiwanese restaurant in Manila. They were able to beat their rivals in this category and continue to expand with the same yummy consistency in the Metro.

They have a huge menu, and I’ve often asked what the best food to order on the list is. We had one of our mastermind meetings at the SM Aura branch and each one ordered their favorites.

Check out our Lugang Cafe Experience…

VERDICT

LUGANG CAFE continues to be the best Taiwanese Restaurant in Manila.

For starters, order the Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao and Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shiao Mai.

For meat, I recommend the Three-Cup Chicken, Taiwanese Fried Pork Chop, Smoked Cumin Spare Ribs, or the Stewed Beef, Tendon, and Turnip in Clay Pot.

For seafood, go with the Steamed Fresh Clams with Silk Melon and Steamed Fish Fillet with Crispy Taoso.

Make sure to also get one steamed vegetable dish of Kangkong, Kale, or Spinach.

For for carbs, order the Pineapple Fried Rice and Stir-Fried Beef Noodle with Taiwanese Barbecue Sauce.

Skip the dessert but don’t forget to try the Traditional Arabian Coffee or the Traditional Brewed Tea.

Budget is about P800-P1,000/head for a full course meal with drinks and dessert.

LUGANG CAFE
5F Sky Park, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm
Telephone: +63 (2) 570 – 9011
Email Address: lugangcafe88@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.lugangcafe.com.ph/
Facebook: Lugang Cafe

7. TAMARIND

TAMARIND is the SM Aura level-up version of the popular Thai resto Jatujak by Chef Tum and Al Purugganan. It offers the same comfort Thai food at affordable prices with a nice contemporary Thai ambiance.

This is like the “SukhoThai”, the comfort Thai resto of this generation. It’s always fun to be here if you are craving for simple Thai food.

Here’s our Tamarind experience:

VERDICT

Overall, this is the Thai comfort- food place to be when you are in SM Aura. They have a nice location in the Sky Park area. Food is surprisingly affordable, budget about P500/head.

TAMARIND
5th Level (Sky Park level), Unit 523-524 SM Aura
Premier Mckinley Parkway, Brgy. Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig
Telephone: +632 556-1156
Mobile: +63 917 822-5402 (Alfonso Purugganan)

8. YAKITORI ONE @ FOOD ON FOUR

YAKITORI ONE specializes in Yakitori which is skewered grilled meat usually chicken, with a signature Tare (teriyaki-style) glaze. It’s like chicken barbecue on a stick.

They recently opened their first store at SM Aura Premier. This is owned by the same restaurateur couple of Jeroen and lifestyle blogger Cecile of Chuvaness.com that brought the Pepper Lunch franchise to Manila.

We ordered all the yakitori sticks and the side dishes, and here are our favorites:

VERDICT

We like YakitoriONE’s tare glaze sauce which has a balanced sweet and soy taste, and good consistency. It’s good that the yakitori’s are cooked on the spot.

For us, we like Chicken Balls (P45), Chicken Thigh (P50) with Garlic Stick (P20), Yakitori Rice (P48), Shuga soup (P30) and extra goma mayo. Budget less than P200 for a yummy yakitori meal. 🙂

YAKITORI ONE
SM AURA Premiere – The Fort. 4th Level Food on Four
Facebook: Yakitori One Philippines
Website: http://www.yakitorione.com/
Twitter: @YakitoriONE

9. YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU

Initially, there was the Ramen craze. And then came the Katsu craze, which was revived first by Crazy Katsu in Maginhawa Street, followed by different Tonkatsu stalls popping up like mushrooms in the weekend markets.

But it was only with YABU: The House of Katsu that Manila was introduced to the high-end Katsu, and foodies started debating on what’s the best Katsu experience.

Is it all just hype to justify the premium price or does Yabu really deserve all the foodie raves?

Here is our Yabu experience…

VERDICT

Overall, I love the Kurobota Rosu Pork Katsu, the unlimited servings of cabbage and sauces, and the interactive process (particularly for our curious and restless boys). 🙂

I think Yabu deserves the Filipino foodie raves for delivering an engaging, better Katsu dining experience in Manila (despite disagreement from some members of the Japanese community because of its overall taste).

Maybe a mochi-based dessert with exotic Japanese ingredients would be more appropriate to end the meal on a sweet note. Budget around P600/head.

YABU: The House of Katsu
5F Sky Park, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm
Telephone: +632 556-1001
Email: feedback@yabu.ph
Website: http://yabu.ph/
Facebook: Yabu: House of Katsu

10. COCA RESTAURANT

COCA is a Thai Hot Pot place famous for their Thai-style ‘Suki’ steamboat dining, created by Mr. Srichai Phanphensophon and his wife, Mrs. Patama, in 1957 in Soi Dejo, Thailand.

We loved our COCA experience at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, so we were happy when they finally opened a branch here in Manila at SM Aura Premier.

It got mixed reviews from foodies. Sharing with you our own COCA experience…

VERDICT

I liked the Thai-Style Suki Steamboat with Coca’s signature sauce and Khao Tom. For Durian lovers, don’t forget to order the Seafood Durian Springroll. You can skip the dessert.

I don’t like the dark, loungy ambiance of Coca Manila compared to Coca Sentosa Singapore’s, which is brighter, with a Thai TukTuk as a highlight. I wish the Manila branch considers an eat-all-you-can steamboat offer similar to Singapore’s.

Budget is P700/head.

COCA RESTAURANT

5F Sky Park, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway cor. 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating Hours: Daily 10:00am to 10:00pm
Telephone: +632 218-1110
Facebook: COCA Restaurant Philippines
Website: COCA Restaurant since 1957

SM AURA FOOD TRIP SERIES 2013

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com

P.S. Check out THE CHAPEL OF SAN PEDRO CALUNGSOD when you visit SM Aura:

It’s beautiful from the outside with an awesome view of BGC and the Taguig Area.

The Mass Schedule at THE CHAPEL OF SAN PEDRO CALUNGSOD:

SATURDAYS (12:00 NN and 6:00 PM)
SUNDAYS (10:00 AM, 12:00 NN, 5:00 PM, 7:00 PM)
WEEKDAYS (12:15 NN and 6:00 PM)

The access to the 7/F chapel is via Level 5 Elevator/Stairs between Tamarind & Lugang Cafe.

Latest Episode:

1. PAUL BOULANGERIE AND PATISSERIE

2. RAMEN NAGI BUTAO

3. SHINE BAKERY & CAFE

4. GREEKA KOUZINA

5. OGETSU HIME

6. LUGANG CAFE

7. TAMARIND

8. YAKITORI ONE @ FOOD ON FOUR

9. YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU

10. COCA RESTAURANT

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