The Love Shack @ SM Aura

My friend and I were looking for a place to have early dinner while wandering around SM Aura Premiere and “Love Shack” caught our attention. Well, aside from its name—what attracted us was its modern yet simple interiors, giving it a cozy ambiance. Plus, the menu suits everyone—whether burger, pasta or rice meals—they have it.

I don’t really like soups, but their Pumpkin Soup made me crave for more. The pumpkin, onion and fresh herbs are flavorful. Same thing with their Love Shack Salad, I’m not also into vegetables, but this one's a winner! It consists of lettuce, bacon crisp, croutons and caesar dressing. I really enjoyed nibbling on the parmesan crisp that comes with it.

Pumpkin Soup (PhP 150) and Love Shack Salad (PhP 210)
with our drinks

We tried the Chicken Steak (PhP 390)--It is cooked in caramelised onion, shitake, truffle oil, button mushroom and demi-glaze gravy, served with hash brown. We also had Pesto Pasta.

Chicken Steak (PhP 390)

Pesto Pasta

The staff are friendly and accommodating to our requests. It was also not crowded at that time—perfect for enjoying a meal while chatting with friends.

For more details, visit their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/loveshack.SMAura

Balai Ilocos: Na B.I. na ako!

With numerous restaurants thriving inside BF Homes, Paranaque City, having a newly-opened Ilocano-specialty restaurant is a breath of fresh air. Just this March, Balai Ilocos opened along Aguirre Avenue.

As its name suggests, Balai Ilocos serves authentic Ilocano dishes. The place is quite small and exudes a homey ambiance. Plus, the owners and staff are really friendly.

To taste the best of Ilocos, my friend and I tried the Balai Ilocos Platter. It is a medley of igado, longganisa and bagnet. It is served with each dish’ corresponding sidings or sauce. 

Balai Ilocos Platter, PhP 286

All the three dishes are flavorful but I loved the longganisa best! I remember the owner telling us that it is a family original recipe (home-made from Ilocos). Honorable mention goes to the bagnet.

Of course, we also tried the pakbet to compliment the meat dishes. The servings are priced just right.

Pakbet, PhP 125

There are a plenty of other interesting dishes on the menu that we wanted to try--definitely we will come back!

For more details, like their FB page: 

https://www.facebook.com/balaiilocos