Hello Sweeties!
I love seafood, but I never prepare them at home because my son is allergic and since I am at an age where I need to watch my cholesterol. Having seafood particularly shrimp or prawns is a rare treat.
When Zomato Philippines organized a Foodie Meet-up at the The Shrimp Bucket I became very excited. Located at the 2nd floor of Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, this branch is the 3rd of the fast growing The Shrimp Bucket chain (one in BGC and the other at UP Town Center). The Il Terrazzo branch is cozy, intimate and elegant, I estimate that the venue can accommodate 40 people comfortably. I also notice they have their fair share of celebrities who frequent the place since is close enough to a popular TV network.
Fair warning for those who have allergies. The menu at The Shrimp Bucket would make you want to live dangerously. (wink-wink).
Before we get to the meal, I would like to mention this wonderful drink they served called Orange Passion Iced Tea. I recommend this for those who would enjoy a refreshing thirst quencher, at the start of the meal, since in the Philippines it is always so warm. The perfect mix of sweet orange and tea really hits the spot.
Want to see what I tried out? Read on!
The Kani & Shrimp Salad, is a great start to a meal or it can be a light meal into itself (if you are on a diet) with generous heaps of mani (crab) and shrimp in a bed of greens.
The Shrimp Bucket served the Zomato Bloggers two dishes that were not even on their menu then.
The Shrimp with Five-Spice Dip, I enjoyed these appetizers with the light sprinkling of lemon since the shrimp was really perfectly cooked, covered in very light breading. although I was not a fan of the five spice dip though.
The Shrimp Sebastian is also part of their new line of appetizers, they offered it for a trial period during Mother`s Day. Shrimp deveined and filleted, coated with sinfully good crab allege (crab roe) plus a secret ingredient. This dish is dangerous because you can`t really stop at one or two pieces, you must have the entire plate with a heaping of steamed white rice. This is my favorite among the dishes we tried.
Now for the main dishes. We got to try them served in a bag by the pound. They also have a selection of six sauces to choose. These two are their best sellers.
Mussels with The Mardi Gras I usually have mussels baked and topped with garlic butter or cheese. This is the first time I have had them served with crunchy spicy Spanish chorizo, that bought ordinary mussels to a whole new level of goodness. When bought in the bag, the scent emanating from the bag made my mouth water!
Shrimps with Salty Eggsperience, Large prawns cooked with a mixture of “itlog na maalat” or the Philippine salty egg. The combination itself is so flavorful, that I was fishing for the sauce to pour over my white rice. The phrase “Sarsa pa lang ulam na!” or the sauce itself could be considered a dish applies to this.
It was suggested that the dish could be better if the prawns were cleaned and deveined then cooked in the salty egg mixture, so the flavors of the salted egg would be marinate in prawns to make it more flavorful. I personally enjoyed this dish as is, I would also like my children to experience eating prawns with their hands and savoring each and every bite as they worked hard to free the prawns from their shell.
The suggested way of eating Bag by the pound dishes is by taking out all the contents of the bag (mussels, shrimp or crab) they are served in and ordering cups of rice to shake inside the bag and let the white rice take in all the sauces` flavors. Brilliant!
For those with really bad seafood allergies, fear not! The Shrimp Bucket has a nice selection of fish, pork, beef and chicken you can choose from. We were served, Dad`s Seared Chicken in Coconut Milk, I enjoyed the tender fillet chicken dish that reminds me a lot of a chicken version of Bicol express. Don`t worry, you can request that they tone down the spice level if you are not into spicy dishes. For me this is flavored just right.
Since it was late evening, I decided to try out The Shrimp Bucket`s Mojito cocktail which was delicious!
We ended the meal with Sollie`s Tapioca in Coconut Milk. In my opinion was the perfect end to the meal. Reminds me of Malaysian-style sago pudding (gula melaka). Cool, refreshing and light.
I really enjoyed my meal at The Shrimp Bucket, although it is a bit pricy and I would probably take my Raffy, my non allergic child who loves all shrimp dishes to dine here soon. I do wish they would give out bibs to the diners who dine here since it`s unavoidable that shrimp, crab or mussels are bound to slip from out oily filled hands, and I for one don`t wanna to go home with soiled clothes.
To learn more about The Shrimp Bucket: https://www.facebook.com/TheShrimpBucket/
The Shrimp Bucket
Second Floor, Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
Tel # 02 2469069 ext:149
Operating Hours: 11AM – 11PM
Until next time!