First of two parts

 

At SM Aura Premier, we checked out a few must-try dine spots for a good culinary experience.

 

Tamarind

 

The chef at Tamarind is pure Thai but has lived in Manila and Davao for over 20 years. A naturalized Filipino, Dusadee “Sandy” Sudaduang can speak Tagalog like a native. He learned how to cook from his mother who was the one who decided to move the family to Manila in 1991.

 

With Filipino partners, his mom put up a Thai restaurant, Jatujak, where Sandy also worked. A few more years spent learning the ropes in other restaurants and he was ready to open his own.

 

Now, Tamarind serves Royal Modern Cuisine as well as hawker-type dishes. The menu includes familiar fare like Tom Yum Goong (spicy seafood soup), Som Tam (papaya salad) and Pad

Thai (stir-fried noodles).

 

What sets the restaurant apart is that practically everything is made from scratch. “We don’t use premixed pastes or sauces so we are able to perfect the flavors,” Sudaduang said.

 

One tip he shared and that we found quite novel: alternate bites of spicy papaya salad with spoonfuls of sticky rice. The rice takes a bit of the heat off the salad.

 

Love Shack

 

It’s a premium burger hub that also serves your favorite comfort food—Lamb Caldereta (a bit spicy with nice thick tomato sauce) and Osso Buco (slowly braised oxtail served with gremolata and risotto). These are generally strong in flavor, like how you would love your comfort food done.

 

Also making a big buzz among frequent diners is the Porchetta Rice and Beans, tender and juicy pork belly with ultra crispy pork skin that gives off a crazy crackling sound after each bite. You can dip the meat in either salsa verde (blend of mint, capers and basil) or Asian sauce (liver and sweet soy) for a more balanced and enhanced flavor.

 

For quality burgers, there are lots to choose from (beef, seafood, vegetarian) but it’s the Love Shack Burger Creation 2 that has been moving fast on the list. It’s a choice of beef or chicken, fresh mushroom sauce, bacon, parmesan crisps, lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

 

General manager Ronald Ventura notes that all the shop’s burger patties are lightly infused with shiitake mushrooms, garlic and savory seasonings. The buns are freshly baked using

sweet potatoes. The bacon, ham and chorizo are all cured in the kitchen.

 

“We want to create fantastic food that people would walk out of here happy and satisfied because of the unique experience,” says Ventura.

 

Love Shack is conceptualized by the same group that created Café Caribana, Garlic Rose and Le Mecene.

 

Coca

 

Coca might appear to be a new dining concept—a restaurant serving Thai Chinese fare—but it is backed by more than 50 years. It started as a Cantonese restaurant in Thailand in 1957. “Coca” comes from the Mandarin word “kekou,” which means appetizing. It became known for the different types of Thai Suki, a hotpot with vegetables, meat and dumplings.

 

Dip the dish first in a spicy “sukiyaki sauce.”

 

On a recent visit, we sampled a few items from the a la carte menu including an addicting dish of prawns tossed in salted egg. The seafood durian roll could have used chunkier bits of shrimp, squid and crabmeat. The dessert was delicious. Called Galorgee, it reminded one of our traditional palitao but crispier and piled high on a plate.

 

Ramen Nagi

 

There may be only five choices at Ramen Nagi, but it is now one of the most popular restaurants at SM Aura. Customers are given a slip of paper where they indicate their preferences.

 

On top of the list are the five ramen choices: Butao King, Black King, Red King, Green King and Limited King. The original, Butao King, is the most popular item but there are others who like the inky darkness of the Black King. The color comes from a combination of deep-fried garlic, squid ink and black sesame seeds.

 

Other considerations that need to be made include richness of taste, level of oiliness or spiciness, and amount of garlic, pork and vegetables. Additions are limited to egg, part of the pork, seaweed, noodles or vegetables.

 

Greeka Kouzina

 

Anything one orders will take one on a Greek odyssey: from Souvlaki (skewered lamb, beef or chicken) and Gyros (grilled pita wrapped with mixed greens and meat) to Moussaka (grilled eggplant layered with beef tomato sauce and cheesy bechamel) and Greek Caesar Salad (fresh and light using only 100-percent Greek yogurt).

 

If one does not like lamb, one will after having Greeka’s bestseller, Arni Lemonato. It’s a five-hour roast lamb whose meat almost falls off the bone. It’s so juicy and tender with no traces of the musk.

 

For a fresh and cooling starter enough to be your main meal because all salad servings are huge and generous, the Watercress Blue Cheese Salad can pique your taste buds. The sweet pear coupled with the sharp and distinct flavor of blue cheese makes watercress and walnuts fun and playful.

 

Owners Kacy Chua and Allan Chan have done a great job in putting up a delicious lineup of Greek food.

 

“We know there’s not much competition in the market when it comes to Greek food,” says Chua. “Aside from that, it’s one of the healthiest cuisines. Most of the dishes are grilled, nothing really deep-fried except for the fries.”

 

Because of the success of its first branch at P. Guevarra in San Juan City, Greeka Kouzina opened at SM Aura last year. This year, they will open two more outlets: Banaue in Quezon City and Kapitolyo in Pasig City.

 

PHOTOS BY ARNOLD ALMACEN AND KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ