THE UNFORGETTABLE KULINARYA KITCHEN - RINAZ

     "Where am I going again?" I probably asked Richie for the Nth time over the weekend. With my Momnesia fully intact and active, I have a hard time keeping up with our calendar. I was to have lunch with some of our friends at a restaurant in Powerplant Mall, Rockwell. Honestly I have never heard of the place we were going to dine in. Not because it's not a good place but plainly because of my lack of knowledge in the restaurant world. That's Richie's forte. I was just expecting it to be a posh place since the restaurants in Rockwell more or less cater to the A class. (Usually, That's my impression hehe)

      Anyway, Tuesday came and I finally found the place where most of my companions were already waiting. Turns out I was right. Kulinarya Kitchen looked like a classy place complete with black chandeliers, with artworks on their classy walls, and bottles of wine by the entrance.

     We got a chance to say a quick "hi" to the owner  of Kulinarya. It was such a pleasure meeting him because he looked so humble and you just know he's a good guy. He mentioned that Kulinarya Kitchen has been in Powerplant Mall ever since it opened 12 years ago. Wait... Did he say twelve years? Has it been that long? My goodness I'm old! I seemed only yesterday when Powerplant was the new mall-to-be. Oh well. Enough reminiscing and revealing my age. Let's get right down to food!

THE FOOD

STARTERS

        For starters, we had the Tomato Bisque (P150), which was the soup of the day . Nothing like a good soup to warm your tummy before getting down to the real thing. I like creamy soups so I knew I would like this one and I was right. The bread that came with it was also really good. Soft and very tasteful. Good for me that Richie can't have this because it's made of tomato. More for me!

        Next appetizer was one that I have never had before.  It's Baked Brie with walnuts and raisins (P595). If there's two things i love, its "baked" and "cheese". They drizzled wallnuts, raisins, and honey on the brie and baked the whole thing to perfection! Slice into the brie and you get creamy cheesy goodness! It's served with crackers and slices of green apple. Its super good! If it wasnt worth P595 I would order two hehe.

Another appetizer we got to try was the Hot Cheese and Chorizo Dip (P395). A jacuzzi of mozzerela dip and smoked chorizo. Brilliant! This is a winner right here. Imagine for 395 php, it already comes with pulled roast beef, nachos, and tortillas (if you want to add more tortillas you add P15 per piece.) I wonder if I can bring my own tortilla next time. No? ... Gardenia bread? .... No? ... Okay fine. 

        The Seafood Salad Maki (P235) is one of the most unique makis i have ever tried. And I'm glad I tried it because it was really good! The center is a crabstick and shrimp salad. It is then rolled in nori and then breaded, and then deep fried. Is your mouth watering yet? Wait i'm not done. It's topped with eniko, and then drizzled with wasabi vinaigrette, soy balsamic reduction, and mango coulis. You can just imagine the burst of amazing flavors once you pop it in your mouth. And for the price, I think this is a steal. 

     This Garlic Shrimps and Pancetta salad (solo P225 / sharing P420) was very refreshing. It's my type of salad because the dressing has subtle touches of sweetness which I really appreciate. Plus, i love shrimps.  Again, when Richie and I come back here I would have this all to myself for sure hehehe. 

MAIN COURSE

        I liked their Wafu Steak Pasta (P250) and I'm sure Richie will love it too! He's a sucker for oil-based-no-tomato pastas and meat. And this pasta is cooked with garlic sesame soy reduction as the pasta's sauce, and then they added big chunks of yakiniku beef.  The beef was savory and salty so I really enjoyed it. 

Mushrooms and Ricotta Ravioli 

       This Mushrooms and Ricotta Ravioli (P350) was the least of my favorite. It was good, but it just didn't stand out as much as the others. For me it lacks salt. But that's coming from me, the girl who loves all salty food. If this was American Idol, this ravioli would make it to Hollywood but will not make it to the top 20. (I think i have been watching too much Idol)

        For those who don't know, Surf and Turf (P895) is a term for a beef and seafood meal served in one platter. And this is one hell of a Surf and Turf! Possibly the best I have ever tasted! Literally everything in the platter tasted really good! The roast beef was soft as butter, the Shrimps thermidore casserole was very creamy and flavorful! And yes even the corn, asparagus, and carrots were buttery and cooked really well. This is big enough to share between three people (but for me and Richie, just two hehehe). When you order this surf and turf, it comes with two sidings. You can choose between the following: 

Some sidings for the Surf and Turf

1. Rustic Mashed Potatoes (P90)

2. Cheesy Potatoes (P95 and was is my favorite among all) 

3. French Fries (P80) 

4. Parsley butter rice (P60) 

5. Spanish rice (P75) 

6. Indian rice (P75) 

7. Mushroom Risotto (P120) 

8. Steamed Rice (P50) 

9. Sesame Noodles (P95) 

10. Buttered Carrots and Corn (P60)

Whew! That's a lot! You'd think after all that scrumptious food that we would be barely breathing by this time. But there's always room for desert!

DESSERT

     The French Apple Tart (P175) dessert wasn't anything special for me. But I must say it looked really beautiful. The effort to make it had to be commended. It's caramelized slices of apples placed on top of a puff pastry served and decorated with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. All the elements on the plate tasted fine, but nothing really remarkable. 

      Now Pistachio Sans Rival (P210) is a different story. THIS, I really liked. It reminds me of the sans rival I had in Cebu that we would buy from a house in Paradise Village (I can't remember the name of the place, sorry!) I'm not usually such a fan of sans rival and I only eat that one from Cebu and now this one from Kulinarya. Its a meringue layer cake coated with butter cream and pistachio nuts. I think its one of their best selling desert. It was light as air! 

         Kulinarya Kitchen's Warm Chocolate Lava Cake (P180) is a flourless chocolate cake served with strawberry compote and vanilla ice cream. I noticed the base of the cake had sort of a pudding texture. It was also just okay for me. This is my opinion because I still think Oz's Choco Molten Lava Cake is still the best. 

        So with a last sip of water, I gathered my stuff and bid my friends good bye, wondering how long it would take me to walk ... wobble my way back to the car. Now I will never forget the name "Kulinarya Kitchen" even if momnesia kicks in. It's just too delicious to forget!

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