SHANGRI-LA Plaza’s new East Wing is fast turning out to be the new place to be when dining out because it offers so many dining options – in terms of cuisines, budgets and dining styles. On Level 6 alone, the choices are endless: Watami for Japanese food, Italianni’s for comforting pizza and pasta, Arya Persian Restaurant for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fares, Wild West Roadhouse Grill for cowboy cuisine, Woo Galbi for Korean favorites, Johnny Rockets for huge burgers and shakes, Zarzuela for Pinoy heirloom recipes, Serenitea for refreshing milk tea drinks, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s 26th St. Bistro for coffee and sweet café treats, and Gigi’s Coffee and Cupcakes for a unimaginable assortment of cupcakes.
WATAMI
Watami is the Japanese restaurant concept of the Bistro Group of Restaurants, which includes TGI Friday’s, Italianni’s, Fish & Co., Krazy Garlik, Modern Shanghai, Pig Out and Siklab. Watami is a casual restaurant offering diners a range of delicious and original food choices, with best-selling dishes such as Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot, Gyoza on Hot Pan, California Maki, Beef Rice Bowl with Hot Spring Egg Tokyo Style, Crispy Chicken Wings, Watami Salad, Beef Sukiyaki and Self-Grilled Short Ribs.
The restaurant actually originates from Japan, where it is the No. 1 restaurant, and boasts of having over 700 branches in Asia Pacific. It introduces the Ishokuya take on a dining-oriented bar.
ITALIANNI’S
Speaking of Italianni’s, which is another restaurant under the Bistro Group umbrella, everybody already knows this Italian concept resto which specializes in gourmet pizzas and pasta dishes. Targetting families and groups of friends, it offers new menu options by by bringing in additional flavors to its well-known antipasto dishes, salads, flat breads and pizzas, delightful pasta dishes and steaks.
Aside from these Italian classics, the restaurant also serves best-selling main entrées, such as Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet with Caper Cream Sauce, and its desserts are not just huge American portions but they also come in to-die-for flavors.
ARYA PERSIAN RESTAURANT
This family-owned restaurant specializes in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and it’s a favorite among diners who are health-conscious, vegetarians and those who simply love to discover exotic food. First-timers should never miss its Lamb Biryani (tender lamb shank stewed in spicy Biryani sauce) and Koobideh (hot-off-the-grill skewers of beef, seasoned with secret herbs and spices.
Arya Persian Restaurant serves Hot and Cold Mazeh (appetizers like Falafel and Papadam, and dips such as Hummus and Motabal), Soups and Salads, Kababs (Chicken, Beef, lamb, Seafood and Vegetables skewers served with Pita Bread, Basmati/Biryani Rice or Whole Wheat Pita), Chelo Kabab (traditional way of serving kabab with rice and grilled tomato in one place), Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Fish and Seafood, and Vegetable Dishes, as well as Wraps and Sandwiches.
WILD WEST ROADHOUSE GRILL
If you fancy a modern Western saloon dining experience and want to taste what true-blue cowboys love to eat, Wild West Roadhouse Grill is the place to go. It specializes on grills and recommends such best-selling dishes as Crispy Pork Bacon, Mushroom Sirloin Steak, Peppercorn Burger, Smoked Cowboy Chicken Fajita, Southwestern Tuna, Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Chicken with Mushrooms, and its massive 12oz. U.S. rib-eye steak called The Great Rib-eye (which is served with fresh veggies and mashed potato).
WOO GALBI
Everybody, it seems, is going crazy over all things Korean, and Korean food is one of them. For this, Woo Galbi comes into the picture, offering timeless tastes of authentic Korean fares in a refreshingly modern fine dining ambiance – bibimbap, kimbap, japchae, bulgogi and kimchi. Not to be missed are Bulgogi Boneless Shortribs and Mixed Meat Platter.
The restaurant also serves iconic Korean wines that pair well with various Korean dishes. These include yakju, cheonju, goryangju, soju, makgeolli, and even fruit and flower wines.
JOHNNY ROCKETS
Fun, casual comfort food, American style. That’s what Johnny Rockets food is all about. It’s known for its 1/3-pound juicy hamburgers that are made with 100% fresh, never-frozen, all-natural ground beef, seasoned and grilled to order, and served with American Fries. Diners can also substitute the American Fries with Onion Rings for a minimal price, and the hamburger choices are endless.
Johnny Rockets also offers classic sandwiches, such as Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich, Chicken Club Sandwich and Philly Cheese Steak, as well as starters and salads, chicken, hotdogs, rice meals, rich and creamy shakes and floats, and American style deserts.
ZARZUELA
As its name suggests, Zarzuela is a haven for Filipino comfort food. It features local heirloom recipes with a personalized twist. It aims to showcase the true flavors of classic Filipino food and acquaint young generations of diners with it, so it whips up iconic dishes that preserve the integrity of its key ingredients. Take Krispy Pork Binagoongan, Pinangat con Hipon at Buco, Shrimps in Spiced Coco Roasted Sauce, Boneless Krispy Pata, Savor Bagnet, Chicharon Bulaklak, Cowboy (Beef and Pork) Sisig, Batchoy and Rellenong Bangus ala Zarzuela.
SERENITEA
Tea seems to be the new coffee, and showcasing the full range of possibilities that one can whip up with tea is Serenitea, an innovative, healthy and casual milk tea shop that shares its passion for tea via its long list of hot and cold tea concoctions. Customers can select their preferred sugar level and have their choice of sinkers – aloe vera, black bricks, black diamond, crystals, egg pudding, green tea jelly, panna cotta, pearl, perilla, red beans and frost – added into their drink for more texture, color and flavor.
Aside from the wide range of drinks, Serenitea, a Filipino concept, offers snack food, such as Hashbrowns, Pepper Corn, Pepper Tofu, Potato Rounds, Chicken Chops, Pepper Squid, Mochi Buns, Chix on Sticks, Chicken Delight, CP Rice Bowl Combi, CP Dry Noodles, CP Peanut Noodles and Wonders of the Sea Noodles.
CBTL’S 26TH ST. BISTRO
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s 26th St. Bistro takes the usual coffee experience to a whole new level by not just offering delicious hot and cold coffee and tea drinks but also an entire menu of scrumptious meals to enjoy their drinks with. These include Wild Mushroom Soup, Smoked Salmon and Dill Cream Cheese Bagel, Portobello Mushroom Ciabatta, Tiger Prawn and Mango Salad with Wasabi Dressing, and Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin and Marsala.
It also offers a whole range of delightful desserts that are guaranteed to make the sweet tooth happy, including Hand Crafted Macarons, Triple Decker Cheesecake, and Vanilla, Earl Grey and Espresso Panna Cotta.
GIGI’S COFFEE AND CUPCAKES
For more sweet treats to savor, nothing beats Gigi’s Coffee and Cupcakes, which is known for its deliciously decadent specialties. The place offers moist and perfectly baked dessert options with its range of chilled coffee concoctions. Its best-selling cupcakes come in the form of rich Sea Salt Chocolate, indulgent Chocolate Chip Overload, popular Red Velvet, refreshing Peppermint and bittersweet yet flavorful Green Tea.
All these exciting restaurants are located at Level 6 of Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing.
