The Great Trinoma Food Tour as told by him
As Noreen has posted my picture, I will return the favor. Yes, I had a blast. It was actually more of a food tasting tour. I mean, let’s face it, no one in his right mind can eat at 18 or more restaurants in three hours, right?
The tour aimed to show how good a mall Trinoma is, and in my book, it’s going to give the Mall of Asia and the nearby SM North Edsa a head-to-head run for their money. Back in ’86 when I still a college freshman (oh no, was that a dead giveaway of my age?), the SM North was still in its finishing touches. As students, we knew no other mall but SM North. My mother, in her younger years, used to go there everyday. But the Trinoma (or Triangle North of Metro Manila) is the next generation of malls in the area. People living North of Manila now have the chance to enjoy Ayala malling without having to go to Makati, which is a good 12 or 15 kilometers one way. An ingenious convenience is for the mall to be right at the MRT’s doorstep, a feature that SM had failed to provide its customers.
My apologies for having to say this, but here are some ideas why I think Trinoma is better than SM:
- More accessible by MRT, bus or jeep. No need to walk a mile to get to the mall from where you got off the bus or train.
- Service is better. All Ayala malls have a concierge and it’s not just for missing children and foreign exchange.
- Public bathrooms are way cleaner and more available.
- Theaters, though slightly pricier, have better facilities. The IMax of the Mall of Asia HAS YET to show movies in IMax. Ayala cinemas are accessible online, have cleaner interiors, (I just love those cupholders they lend customers when they see you have drinks in your hand) and live up to their promises. (I pay THX rates to see THX movies. Not IMax rates to see overblown 2D movies.)
- Freebies and events! Ayala Malls have these in spades! At SM, no pay no goodies. Not to mention, SM raffles stink.
You’ve already seen Cabalen’s satay pork barbecue. Go there when you can. It’s worth the walk and your family will love you for it.
Pho Hoa’s pomelo salad. There’s something about the sauce that they say is vinaigrette but isn’t quite so. Taste it to know what I mean.
Pho Hoa’s fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce. So what if my gout acts up again? It’s worth the pain.
Marina’s chicken in pandan leaves. Superb!
Love yourself a little with Marina’s fresh oysters.
Shame on me for not knowing the name. This is Mann Hann’s lechon kawali. What you do is, you get a leaf, get a piece of the lechon then add a little of their special sauce, then roll the green and start chewing. Lechon like there is no tomorrow.
Mann Hann’s signature shrimp roll. I hate shrimp but I went gaga over this one. To hell with my allergies. I’ll itch my way to Mann Hann heaven.
Mann Hann’s beef hofan is the best there is, bar none.
Mangan’s seafood platter. Good for large groups!
Superbowl’s fish fillet is so guiltlessly good! Special mention is Superbowl’s chicken in lemon sauce, which I failed to take a picture of. Try these two dishes when you go to Superbowl. You’ll definitely want to thank me afterwards.
The mother of all tofus, Teriyaki Boy’s Tofu Steak aims to please. And pleasing, it is!
Chicken teriyaki at it’s finest. Only at Teriyaki Boy, Trinoma.
My all-time favorite, the Paa of Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Namit gid!
Seriously, the Bacolod Chicken Inasal’s Bangus Sisig had this WOW factor. I seriously recommend that you give this dish a try. It is so flavorful and healthy. My next Bacolod Chicken Inasal bill will definitely headline this dish. The service was also wonderful. I will dine at their Jupiter branch and do a separate post soon.
The La Maison wine mussels. Exquisite flavors in a wonderfully elegant setting. Denim placemats, bag holders (so thoughtful of them) and cheerful staff. I will come back to this place. I swear I will.
La Maison’s Barkada Ribs. So tender they fall off the bone. Very very good!
La Maison’s sole fish fillet. A tight rival of Fish and Co’s fish n chips. But Noreen says this is better. I tend to agree.
Hossein’s kebab is so very very good. It is one of the standouts in the food tour. Wonderful restaurant and the kebab is so tender and juicy. Their service surpasses the standard. No wonder it is the favorite restaurant of many food bloggers.
A kind of eggplant salsa served as a accompaniment to the kebab. Hossein deserves a standing ovation.
Holy Cow’s spaghetti. Far better than the average spaghetti. A must-try.
Jack’s Loft’s caramel cake. Heaven in a slice.
Holy Cow’s chicken fingers. Best served warm.
Jack’s Loft’s blueberry cheese cake. Even the chocoholics love it.
Bubba Gump Shrimp. What else can I say? It’s shrimp!
You can broil it, fry it, grill it, sautee it, bake it, boil it, duh, I guess that’s it. Lt. Dan would be proud.
Fish and Co has mussel too. This is one has all the mussel power there is, sans the after taste.
Fish and Co’s signature fish and chips. For me, it’s a close rival of La Maison’s sole fish fillet. For the younger diners, this is fish without your mom forcing you to eat it. You’d happily take a bite and not worry about the bones.
This one’s a pretty long post, but the standouts just had to be mentioned. I hope you can remember some of these recommended restaurants the next time you come to Trinoma.
January 12, 2008
В· 
Arpee В· 
21 Comments
Tags: dory fish, fish and chips, la maison, ribs, trinoma food tour В· Posted in: events
21 Responses
Looks awesome. Sorry to ahve missed the food tour. Glad you and wifey had a great time Arpee. -ajay
to ajay: we were looking for you there eh. hope to bump into you in the next event. sad to hear about jerry liao’s daughter. thanks for visiting my site!
wow! until now, natatakam ako..hehe
omg…! food, food, glorious food! arps, your recommendations are must-tries! off to trinoma now… thanks!
to edward: after watching a movie, i suggest you eat at one of those restos. la maison remains the top favorite!
to simon:i highly recommend la maison. bring richard there. the fish is delicious and good for his diet.
hello groupmate!!
cant wait for the next event… ahhaha…
hindi ba sumakit ang tiyan mo?
akin kasi sumakit the next day eh
to kingdaddyrich: hindi naman, ok lang ako. industrial strength and tyan ko eh, hehehe. thanks for visiting the site!
will definitely try the cakes at Jack’s loft…great pics..
God, I’m so envious. While you were all eating, I was doing OT work. I really wanted to go pa naman because I’ve never been to Trinoma. Oh well, work talaga, screws up your life!
Hello Sir Arpee! It was great seeing you again! You have very nice pictures! Astig!
May video po pala ako nung event at my blog http://ThisIsCoy.Net .
See you soon, sir!
Coy
to merce: we should all meet their next time! dun naman tayo magkita kita ha?
to kaoko: so khursten has told me. she didn’t go because you weren’t there. anyway, there will be other events pa naman. don’t fret!
to coy: thanks sir for the mentioning your video! will visit your site now. see you in the next event!
you should start creating this kind of resto business, really. i believe you could fireup and click on it. all the pictures are amazing and just perfect, seems like you’re marking your own franchise frankly speaking,.
and i have to admit, it all fits my stomach, talaganggggg nakaka gutom sa tyan at nakakabusog ng mata, at the same time. they could probably beat the looks and taste of those high-priced plate foods from first class hotels!
i always enjoy dropping by once in a while from this spot, my eyes enjoy these postings of yours, from here and there, keep it up!
nice! see you too… food event again?! ha haha
I’d be happy to go out food hopping with you arpee. gosh ang sasarap naman ng mga pagkain dun. napa laway talaga ako. as in literally naglaway ako! more please. naku,as if ba naman na nabubusog din ako dito sa pag babasa lamang. palagay ko mas lalo akong nagutom sa kakatingin sa mga nakakatakam na mga pagkain.
I’m glad that I’ve known the Bacolod Chicken coz there’s a new resto that I and my friends can eat in
I’m a inasal lover and i’ve found out that Ysabella’s is something that everyone should try.
I’m a inasal lover and i’ve found out that Ysabella’ chicken is something that everyone should try.
after trying all the inasal house here in Manila I can say that I’ll go back again at Bacolod Chicken Inasal. The best ever.
I wanna know more about this bacolod chicken inasal.
I am hoping that the Monumento-North Ave. line would link to SM North EDSA. If they could, it’ll be fair, at least. Right?
to digitalmac: actually there is a plan to link trinoma to SM North edsa , just so that customers of sm can have the convenience of going to the MRT station without having to cross the street. one leisurely walk will soon be all that’s needed to get to the shops of SM north edsa and trinoma from the train station. this will probably materialize by christmas 08, so i heard.
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