Stevenson: Another Story

Another Story, EVIA Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Las Pinas City

People share a lot of things to each other - clothes, gadgets, bags, and most frequently, stories. May it be about how their weekend was, or how I lost my way around Ayutthaya while I was on a bike ride last January, and then there's stories close to our hearts like food.

Curated by Ica Manalo Sebastian, also the owner of Tagaytay's Café Viola, this beautiful museum of taste is a delight for partners, families, and in our case, my circle of best friends. One of my friends Ferdie got us here through his eatigo app which entitled us through a reservation of 8 for a 50% off on all their menu at a given timeframe. It became my thrill of the week because I don't just get to try delicious food, I get to do it with them.

Another Story, EVIA Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Las Pinas City

The first thing that you will definitely notice are the interiors. It is something to really mention because personally, I really dig their whimsical themed design which gave me both a feeling of enchantment and a feeling of home. I myself collect a lot of stuff from my trips and travels and they do have little trinkets and fine ornaments on display.

Me, Rjay, Ferdie, Faith, Marvin, Myrcel, and Judy

Me and my friends had an amazing time together. To those who haven't known us yet, we've all shared a classroom since Kindergarten until we graduated High School so we're basically not just friends but a family. We see each other so often but yes, even if we get to meet almost every other week, it will never be enough for all of us.

Forgive our plates because we somehow murdered our meals even before we thought of having a photo taken. And yes, I know you've been waiting for their dishes so let me do a rundown of when we ate and how I personally find it. (You can find their detailed Menu at the end of this post) Of course let's start from their rolls.

Rolls with Tomato Salsa

I'm a sucker for rolls and especially now that I am on a Keto diet (Well I can get to eat a cheat or three on weekends) and yes, these are quite good. Their salsa is a little bit bland though for it is very lightly seasoned so all you can really get to taste is the parmesan cheese. But who says no to freshly baked bread?

Another Story Pizza (Php 495)

We're not really accustomed to rectangular pizzas here in the Philippines but I find this one very cute and a lot easy to share with your group. It was cheesy and I love how strong their olive tastes. This also has salami, pepperoni, bacon, ham, and all those delicious produce which gives a vacation of tastes. For me, one thing you can differentiate pizzas on are their crust and I can tell that this one is good. Not too flaky, not too chewy, just right.

Angus Belly of Beef (Php 595)

This was my sister's order. She got this slow cooked Angus beef which was really delightful. I give this a top prize ribbon because not just because the meat was so tender, they get to cook it for a lonbg time but still maintaining the natural flavor of the beef. Some of us know how hard that is especially if you are slow cooking with so much seasonings that you get to mask out or worse, take out that real natural flavor. But on this dish, it is really the beef that's the star. The gravy even brought in the taste that I was talking about instead of fighting it out.

Another Story Salad (Php 395)

I'm a big fan of salads but to be honest, not much of this one. I know that bringing out the natural flavors of ingredients is very important but salads are really about the dressing, well, when it comes to taste. For this one, I must say it did not really mixed well with the nuts and cheese so, I just took a forkful with all of these little things and gave it a pass. Their salads are also available on 'to share' servings.

Oven Roasted US Prime Beef Brisket w/ BBQ Sauce (Php 595)

If you guessed that this one was my choice, you got that right, even just from that 'BBQ Sauce' part. Really good, this was! I know that good cuts of meat has something to do with marbling but this one has magnified the marbling HAHA thick portions of lean meat and thick portions of fat gives an explosion of flavor to my palette. Not really a fan of their mashed potatoes but screw that, this BBQ Steak took me to Texas at the comfort of my seat!

Seafood Paella (Php 395)

Okay, I know I kept telling a lot of dishes to be so good but I don't care because this Paella, is Another Story. Our family's specialty is the Arroz a la Valenciana which is a brother to the Paella but has chicken and pork instead of these sea creatures. We take pride in it. But yes, I'm not telling that ours lost to this Paella, but theirs is just so perfect! To be honest, I'm not really sure what flavors they used to have this final product but the perfect texture of their rice, the right amount of saltiness and yes, that creaminess that I am not sure if it comes from butter or aligue (if there is aligue or crab eggs on this dish). In the end, I stopped thinking about it and just enjoyed every spoonful of it. I think I had three spoons of rice (Again, I'm still on keto). If there's a big reason I'll come back to Another Story, that's because I'll have another of this Paella :)

Hanger Steak (Php 595)

Just your usual hanger steak cooked medium rare as requested by my friend RJay. Paired with their Mashed Potatoes and Veggies, I know anyone would like this tender goodness.

Vongole Manila Clams Pasta ((Php 395)

Can also be ordered to-share at Php595. This dish features open clams, well, vongole right? Simmered in broth and white wine, this dish is very light. the only heavy part is the linguine pasta itself. I adore the plating on this one.

Braised US Short Ribs (Php 595)

After we tasted every dish (we love to order different things and try each others plates, just like any other barkada) we took a vote on who wins and this was the winner. Cooked in red wine sauce, inspired by The Julia Child as the menu says, The meat was so tender yet so flavorful. Let's be honest. As much as how soft we want beef is, we don't want something that just grates inside our mouth right? We want something we can still munch on and effortlessly chew. And this was it. I guess it won all the votes because of the perfect mix of all the flavors, but my champion is still the Angus Belly.

That Sunday, we had Another Story

It was definitely another story. The staff were nice, the place was magical, and the food was magnificent. As cliché as it may sound, no matter what you eat, whether it's a prime cut of steak or a bag of chicken ramen, as long as with you're having it with amazing people, it will truly be a good meal. Thank you to these amazing people. Special thanks to my best friend RJay who lent me some of his photos to make this post possible and to Ferdie, our food hunter, for taking us to this direction. Cheers to good food, cheers to lifelong friendship!