Taco Vengo Taco Taqueria Kapitolyo menu photos Archives - Between Bites

Michael Velasco at Mario’s

November 20, 2015 by Janey

One of Manila’s most acclaimed fine dining restaurants, Mario’s has earned an impeccable reputation for great food and professional service. The dining room to the right is bright and intimate with plush banquettes, comfortable chairs, contemporary accents and a touch of class, which is what this place is all about.

Everything is made in-house including the dressing for their Caesar Salad made fresh and tableside. I’ve been visiting Mario’s more frequently lately as I’ve been holding business lunch meetings here every now and then since my office has moved to the ABS-CBN grounds mid this year. Service is always friendly and efficient at Mario’s by their long-standing waitstaff who has been with them for decades.

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Mario’s Celebrates its 40^th Year

Classic Twist of Taste at Mario’s

Mario’s offers fine food in comfortable surroundings where I’m sure to have a great meal and always a good time. Last Wednesday night, during the APEC holiday, I visited Mario’s for an agenda outside the usual. From 10^th of November until the 4^th of December 2015, Michael Velasco’s art will be displayed at the restaurant for their clientele’s appreciation and prospective acquisition.

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Painter, muralist, and portraitist Michael Velasco has long held a strong fascination for the female form. His works – mostly featuring women as embodiments of grace, elegance, and humanity – are improvisations of the Modernist and Classicist idioms. In this series, Michael Velasco further elaborates on his fascination for the female figure finding inspiration in the work of a plethora of past and present masters like Waterhouse, Klimt, Sargeant, Bougereau, Degas, Whistler Stwart, Juan Luna, Jeremy Lipking, Daniel Greene and Scott Burdick.

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Little Bao, Hong Kong

November 11, 2015 by Janey

My first attempt to visit Little Bao was back in June but that liquid dream (excuse my language, I do fantasize about food in increasingly indecent levels) was crushed when we got to the place and it was closed. I’m not certain if that was a Sunday or a Monday but it was surely a sad day for my expecting tummy.

It was just instinct kicking in when I found myself in Hong Kong again 4 months later and my first stop after checking in at the Intercontinental Hotel was Little Bao. It was sort of an expensive cab ride since I had to traverse from Kowloon to Hong Kong side. I guess the heart wants what it wants.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been to Hong Kong as I travel often to the harbor city of lights for business. It never gets uninteresting though as the vibe of this place is always so pulsating and evolving, especially when it comes to this one that I love – FOOD.

Little Bao is a tiny Asian meets American diner along Staunton Road. It can probably only sit 20 folks on a first come, first serve basis only. We were luckily seated by the bar that faces the open kitchen. But whilst the name and the size of the place portray little, expect full-size flavors out of their dishes. Their menu with a slogan that says “fry me to the moon” is simple and only has a few items available. I already expected the buns to be personal size and with my impersonal slash collective appetite, I almost ordered everything on the menu. I’m glad I was eating with two gentlemen, which meant I could camouflage my appetite.

On the Table

LB Fries HK$ 68

Mirin, Thai spice, roasted tomato sambal, kewpie mayo

I love truffle whether it’s black or white or in pasta, fries, salt, oil, essence, ice cream, honey, it’s hard to turn your back on it. Since the LB fries sounded unique, I decided to get it versus the truffle fries. These thinly and freshly cut fries were flawlessly deep fried, and tossed in mirin, Thai spice and roasted sambal, creating ripples of flavor that’s savory, merely spicy, and taking with it a slight sweetness close to caramel.

It tasted closer to a sweet potato, interspersed with varied tease of flavors, quite crispy and nearly irresistible after one pop, I wanted to run outside with the bowl and not share with anyone.

Truffle Fries HK$ 98

Shiitake tempeh, truffle mayo, pickled daikon

James was bent on getting the truffle fries which I didn’t order at first until we saw how it was prepared with the truffle scent wafting across the room almost nudging at the customers to order them. The truffle fries was also quite something else, studded with chopped shiitake, I don’t remember the last I tasted fries this delicious. Oh, roughly 8 minutes ago. But I absolutely have no memory before that.

I still couldn’t stop thinking about the LB fries and wanted a second round.

Fried Chicken HK$ 98

Spicy nam yu or honey soy

It’s almost a sure thing that everyone will rarely get disappointed with fried chicken but it’s also a dish that doesn’t leave much room to impress us remarkably. Little Bao’s fried chicken surely swept me off my feet. Fried chicken at its finest, perfectly fried, it’s so juicy that it’s attention-grabbing.

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Taco Vengo

November 6, 2015 by Janey

You know that traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling? Did you say, “taco?” Vengo! I mean, Bingo. You got it. But you’ll really get it when you head over Taco Vengo.

After “trying” to run at the Fort on a damp windy Monday evening when they called off work a coupla weeks ago, Ace and I headed to Kapitolyo and he suggested to try this newly opened taqueria beside Uncle Moe’s and Longganisa Sorpresa and across Ace Water Spa. Unfortunately, it was closed. I was able to head back that night our team went KTV at Ace Water Spa.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants carry with them a certain charm, even with non-descript signages or very simple, unfinished or sometimes bohemian chic interiors. Taco Vengo dining interiors are simple, clean and mostly muted in white with breaks of brown and gray. I like that it’s not distracting and you can just concentrate on your dinner buddy and the food – straightforward and good. Their menu keeps your options simple with only 8 items to choose from.

On the Table

Nachos for Machos Php 160

Their nachos are pretty uncomplicated. The most organized or neatly prepared nachos I’ve seen in fact. They layer the nacho chips first and then a portion of tomato salsa, sour cream, grounded chorizo, jalapeno and sous vide egg have their own sections. I’ve never had sous vide egg on my nachos before but it’s alright.

Cheese Quesadilla Php

Light and simple

Steak Taco Php 210

I ordered Taco Vengo’s Steak Taco (comes in two pieces) which had strips of carne asada with garlic and onions marinated and sautéed in this brown sauce that tasted peppery, savory and with hints of lime. They served it folded in soft corn tortillas. The meat was tender and the taco was flavorful.

I’m inclined towards flour tortilla than corn because of the difference in texture and taste. Corn tortilla can come off as grainy and too thick sometimes to enjoy the filling. Taco Vengo’s version was almost as soft as a flour tortilla and had a good flavor and texture.

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