Wannabi Busog?
It is a weird name for a restaurant, an Asian one at that (unless I am missing something … to those who know, please enlighten me) , but the food was so good!
I was lead to Aquaknox ( a bit out of the way from my usual route of office – home) by a 50% off coupon – a Groupon purchase, only to find out that a reservation was required a day before. My bad because I didn’t read the fine print! But my dad and I were there already, plus the prices looked reasonable, so we stayed.
The place was really nice, but empty .. Probably because of the Holy Week holidays. It gave me the freedom to roam around and check out the whole place - which looked really good. I hope I can hold an event there someday! They had a small private room for 20 people max (Php 10,000 consumable), the mezzanine floor for 30 people max, and you can also rent the whole place for 100 people max (mezzanine and whole place rental fees depend on # of hours needed + menu) 
Aquaknox interior - I love the bold red wall and the huge Vietnamese paintings. The other decors reminded me of the cool knick knacks for sale in Ho Chi Minh City
I like Vietnamese food, because they are a perfect mix of light and explosive tastes. I feel like each dish is assembled so they complement each other. As far as other Vietnamese restaurants are concerned, I like Pho Hoa, Pho Bac is okay, and Pho 24 (Ayala Triangle Gardens) is so-so , although the Pho 24 I tried in HCMC had good food. My usual Vietnamese fare would be spring rolls and a bowl of pho (vietnamese noodle soup).
The displayed news articles about Aquaknox said that they were “more than just pho” , so I decided to deviate from my favorite Pho Ga or chicken noodle soup. We had Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls with shrimps, pork, lettuce, and noodles), Ca Chien Basa (pan-seared cream dory with ginger lime sauce – for dad) , and Ga Roti voi Gao Nep (grilled chicken with sticky rice, scallion oil and crispy shallots – mine, a Vietnamese classmate once cooked this for us and I loved it).
Groupon or no Groupon, I was not disappointed! The spring rolls were great and perfectly rolled , moist, crunchy. The peanut sauce that came with it gave it the perfect flavor. My dad’s cream dory was flavorful too, and came with rice, veggies and an egg (dad: “may itlog? Breakfast?). My sticky rice (they call the sticky rice preparation “xoi”) was really good as well! Couldn’t help utter small “mmms” while eating!
Ca Chien Basa (pan-seared cream dory with ginger lime sauce – for dad) , and Ga Roti voi Gao Nep (grilled chicken with sticky rice, scallion oil and crispy shallots - for me!) Sarap!
For the ambience of the place, and the quality of the food – I think Aquaknox really delivers and well worth the money. I am definitely coming back to try some more stuff ! I can’t wait to try their supposed specialty, “Chef Danny’s Garlicky Crab” next time.
Check them out. They have the Arnaiz Ave (Makati branch) , as well as “Xoi” branches in SM Megamall A and in Alabang Town Center.
Aquaknox Vietnamese Kitchen - Arnaiz Ave, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City
Phone: 894-3380
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