Passionately RED, Mysteriously BLACK, and Independently WHITE

Black dress from American Eagle Outfitters, White Blazer from United Colors of Benetton, Watch from Kenneth Cole Reaction, Necklace from Dubai, Dangling earrings from Landmark, and Black shoes from Staccato by CMG

Tres Cuisine - Feels like Home

(Photo credit to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/TRES-Cuisine/150559088295431)

TRES. This place has always been my to-go place whenever I cannot decide what to eat, meeting my friends, and family get-together. Whenever I dine here, it always feels like home. Not all restaurants and places can make you feel this way.  Maybe it is because of their Filipino-Spanish cuisine which we most Filipinos have grown up to.  Their foods remind me of my childhood, on how my Papa (who already passed away) and my Mama (who is working in Dubai) would cook for us.

I have come to know this restaurant because of my high school teacher / friend Mam Divina. During one of our bonding session, she told me that we should try to dine at this place, which at the moment was barely a year old restaurant at SM North The Block (Their old location. Tres’ current location is at SM City North Edsa, 2nd Floor Annex Building). Since we are both food junkies and adventurous when it comes to trying new foods / restaurants, I did not think twice anymore and just nod as an answer. 

Hell yeah, I was so glad of my first time dining experience at TRES! Not your usual crowded place because of the ample space between each table plus the cozy ambiance that make you feels like home. Their food servants are also accommodating and courteous (Mam Divina and I fondly call three of them James Yap, Derek, and Hayden because of their resemblance to those celebrities. Hehehe! Peace!). 

Of course, their foods are really the main stars of TRES. The fusion of Filipino (usually a combination of sweet, sour, and salty flavors) and Spanish (heavily influenced by seafood) cuisine is really a culinary genius. You can taste different flavors all at once. Literally, you can consume two or more cups of rice with this type of cuisine because of the taste and heaviness of the “sarsa”.

Below are some of the pictures taken with my friends, family, boyfriend, and I during our heavenly dining experience at TRES:

Post Christmas date with my high school friend Lady Lyn

Mam Divina and I

One of our favorite desserts here: Choco Lava

Mango shake, Old fashioned chocolate fudge cake, and Mango Torte

 Various bonding sessions with Mam Divina at TRES

Crispy Pata which we only got for P33.00 as promo

Generous serving of Pandan Rice, Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso, and Lengua con setas

During my Mama's vacation here in the Philippines

Late dinner with boyfie

New location at SM North Edsa Annex Building

Gising-gising

 

 

 

My personal favorite: Kare-kare

My boyfie

 

Personally, if I were to choose, I will opt for the old location of TRES at SM North The Block but maybe, because of the need for a more spacious place, they transferred to the Annex Building. Also, because of their new and big place, prices of the food also got quite high (sad part but not that pricey anyway). Nevertheless, their delicious foods are really worth the price, however pricey it may become.

TRIVIA:

All prices in their menu end with number 3. Servings are also good for 3 persons. Variants of their foods also comes in 3 (like sinigang na salmon sa miso, lechon sinigang, and pork spareribs sinigang).  Lastly, the reason why their restaurant was named TRES: It is because their menu was developed by three chefs.

As long as TRES will be there to stay, I know that I will always come back to where my heart is. Somewhere that makes me feel like home.

To those who wants to feel the same heavenly dining experience I had, feel free to visit to their facebook page, TRES Cuisine

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

(Photo credit to: walkandeat.blogspot.com)

Thank God for the clothing allowance we recently received. We just did not able to buy new clothes but we were also able to dine somewhere serving good and authentic Japanese foods. Ramen to be specific.

Ana and I happen to know this restaurant because Marlon Stockinger (our crush!) posted a picture on his Instagram account dining in this restaurant. We also used to pass by this place whenever we go to Glorietta and SM Makati. Therefore, we agreed that one of these days; we would go and check out this place.

   

So last 9.3.2013, the exact date our clothing allowance was released, I decided to accomplish one of my “to-go lists of restaurants” and invited not only Ana and boyfie but also my office mates Myk, Portia, and my immediate boss, Sir Ben, to have a sumptuous Japanese lunch in this place.

My bad, I forgot to call beforehand to reserve a place for us. With the Ramen hype, it is to be expected that the place be jam-packed. I was right. Actually, when we arrived, there was a still a place that can accommodate us six but we have to occupy different seats.  So we opt for the choice number two, to avail their VIP room in one condition, our bill should not be lower than P3,000.00. With the heat outside and starvation, we did not think twice anymore.

 

Before we entered the VIP room, we had to leave our footwears in a shoe cabinet (sorry though, I was not able to take a picture of it). The interior of their VIP room as shown below:

The menu book:

We were so hungry that we all ordered set meals. Except for Ana because of her strict diet.

 A set meal contains 1 small Ramen, 1 rice bowl, 1 salad, 1 hot tea, 1 chawanmushi (flavored egg custard dish), 1 tsukemono (pickled Japanese preserved vegetables), and a choice of your main dish.

 Small Ramen & Salmon and Prawn Sushi set (P510.00)

Ebi Furai Set (P490.00)

Small Ramen & Fried Salmon & Small rice bowl set (P450.00)

Small Ramen & Pork cutlet & Small rice bowl set (P470.00)

 Small Ramen & Fried chicken & Small rice bowl set (P450.00)

For the soup base of their ramen, you have four options to choose from:

Shio - salt

Shoyu - soy sauce

Miso - soybean paste

Kara-miso - hot soybean paste

Shio based ramen is their specialty. They literally used "salt" to flavor it. However, boyfie chose the Kara-miso based ramen because he likes spicy foods.

 Ana's order:

  Tossed green salad with sesame dressing (P200.00)

Hiya yakko - Japanese tofu (P150.00)

 For dessert, Ana and Myk ordered Mix fruits Purin (cream pudding with fresh fruits) and Mix Fruits Annin (almond tofu with fresh fruits) for P150.00 each.

 

Each of us also ordered their Mochi Cream, courtesy of Ana. I chose their Blueberry Yoghurt (P80.00) as shown below. The rest ordered Black sesame (P75.00), Darjeeling - tea flavor (P80.00), Raspberry Mille Feuille (P90.00), Cafe au lait, and Apple pie (P100.00).

Needless to say, our starvation and craving were really satisfied. Their food tasted authentic Japanese. The prices are also reasonable. Really “sulit” because of their generous serving.

Our only complaint was that the air condition of their VIP room was not that cold enough and our request for another round of house water were not granted. Nevertheless, overall, we had a great authentic Japanese ramen experience.

  

 The Aftermath

 Do I need to say more?

We will definitely go back to try their other dishes!

Their RAMEN is really love ♥♥♥

To know more about about this restaurant, you may visit their Facebook page at Ramen Santouka Philippines.