Everything is Awesome at Todd English Food Hall

My friend Mitch and I have been meaning to pay Todd English Food Hall a visit after hearing so much rave about it after opening a branch in Manila.

Yes, there are only 2 branches of Todd English Food Hall on Earth and one is in Manila (the other is in New York).

We came on a Sunday, in the middle of the stinkin' hot afternoon but the place was packed.

While waiting to be seated, the maitre d' asked us if we were willing to be seated in the bar station to which we politely declined. The bar was okay but we didn't feel like sitting there on our first visit.

I read from the internet that Todd English Food Hall boasts of offering only the finest, freshest, and gourmet foods.

The interior of the food hall was styled to look like an upscale version of European food courts, an exact replica of the one in New York. It was really spacious! Inside are nine food stations to choose from: Pasta, Asian, Pizza, Grill, Salad, Charcutterie, Raw, Carving and Dessert.

Pasta Bar. Where the freshest pasta are made everyday.

This ferris wheel loaded with macarons momentarily steals your attention. The continuous motion is hypnotizing!

By the way, that Stormtrooper alarm clock Mitch is holding is her gift to me. I'm so happy because she unselfishly parted ways with it and have given it to me. I super LOVE it!

On to ordering. We ordered the following:

Asada Steak with Pear Salsa (on soft tacos). Gone in 5 seconds.

Asada Steak with Pear Salsa. Tender strip loin steak, with fresh pear pico de gallo finished with cilantro creme (PhP320)

T.E. Slider. Very tender, tendon-free, bite-size burger. This was absolutely good! I lingered so gone in 5 minutes. 

T.E. Slider. Freshly homemade ground 4 cut meat burger pattie, tomato, iceberg lettuce, mustard relish, T.E. sauce on a toasted home made brioche buns (PhP390)

T.E. Half Chicken. Again, this one's really, really tender it almost melts in your mouth. Chicken on a bed of mango sauce works!

T.E. Half Chicken. 24 hours brined boneless half chicken, with sauteed corn, tomato and edamame served with mango vinaigrette (PhP320)

And for finale, the star of the whole Todd English Food Hall experience - the OMG Chocolate Cake. They weren't kidding when they named this dessert (that wasn't on the menu) OMG Chocolate Cake 'cos that's exactly what you're gonna utter after a bite into it.

OMG Chocolate Cake. Silky pudding, cereal crumble, chocolate gelato (PhP420)

Napa-OMG din kami sa presyo haha. But yes, it's worth it! I suggest though to bring someone you can share it with kasi overkill naman if you finish it all on your own. The Cheese, Mitch and I shared one OMG chocolate cake among us and it was a satisfying experience for us three.

Group photo!

On our way out, I had to take a snap of this ham leg. It's the first thing you will see when you come in. No make that second, I purposely searched for the ferris wheel first pala!

All in all, our first Todd English Food Hall experience did not disappoint. It was one of the best gastronomic experiences I've ever had. Everything was just so good and it's not an exaggeration. Prices are also reasonable especially if you come in group because you get to try various dishes at once.

I/We will certainly be back to try their flatbreads, pastas, and dumplings.

Ramen Nagi at SM Aura Premier

Ramen Nagi is actually the Cheese and I's first ramen date together. Most of the time, my ramen dates are with friends and colleagues which is awful, I know.

Pero naman, our first ramen date is sorta bongga kasi Ramen Nagi agad! Ramen Nagi is hailed as Tokyo's best ramen lang naman kasi for 2 consecutive years (2011 and 2012)! 

We arrived a little before 2 in the afternoon and was surprised with a number of people waiting in line to be seated. Nakakaloka. Alas dos na ang dami pa ring gustong mag-ramen. I took it as a good sign though, lam mo na basta may pila dun ka na!

As it turns out, we didn't have to wait that long. Wala pang 15 minutes our names were called. Hooray! We were seated in a long table along with 2 other pairs of customers. Legit ramen joint!

Then the waiter poured our glasses with their house tea that has a distinct taste to it. It's like a combination of rice and tea. So good!

We were also handed a paper where we would choose our orders. I didn't get to take a photo of it, sayang! But here's the Cheese mulling over what to order.

I ordered a Black King with normal garlic and onion toppings with pork belly as my meat. I also circled 1 on their spicy meter because that is what's recommended in the paper which I later on came to regret haha (not a fan of spicy foodams). Paano pa kaya ang 6-10 spiciness level!?!?

I love the richness of this black butao ramen. They most definitely did not scrimp on the ink because it's (obviously) there and you can taste every bit of it. Also, I'm glad that I opted to have my noodles hard making all the difference from the normal noodles! Medyo nag-alangan pa ko na kunin yung extra-hard (like what every blog recommends) when I had nothing to be afraid of. I like its firmness, no more, no less.

The Cheese ordered the original king butao (which I got to taste as well). It has the milky richness in it just like the ramen I had in Keisuke Tonkotsu King at Singapore (which only has positive reviews as attested by the long lines of customers waiting to try their ramen).

So after about 30 minutes, we came out of Ramen Nagi feeling all satisfied and bundat from all we've eaten. I want to try the Green King next, see if the Japanese/Italian fusion works for me. I hope we can try Yushoken on South as well pero kasi naman sobrang layooo! I really want to try and see/taste for myself if what everyone's raving about is indeed true. As if naman I would know the difference but let's just say I can. lol.

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Ramen Nagi

5/F SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway

McKinley Hill, Taguig