Weekend Eats (Round 5)

October 27

more weekend food finds this time with the family:

after mass, with grumbling tummies but no specific destination in mind, we set forth towards Aguirre Avenue to look for a place to have dinner

I was thinking of Mama Lou's, while Mama was thinking of Shabu-Shabu naman, tapos si Papa wanted something light, while the little sister just wanted Silvanas. period. haha.

somehow though we ended up in Dusadee Thai. 

I first chanced upon this place weeks back, when Jeff and I were in the same situation. unsure about where to eat. but we sped by fast and I only got to see the sign

the place was small lang but it was well-lighted and I liked the ambiance naman kahit open-air sya

I'm quite selective when it comes to Thai food particularly because of some herb/spice used in cooking (which one it is I can't recall lang now); hoping for the best in this one

Mama had an interesting choice in the form of the Tamarind juice (Php 35) which was surprisingly good

we each ordered Bagoong rice which came with mangoes and onions, strips of scrambled egg and our meat of choice: fish, chicken or beef (Php 80 each)

I also ordered a Pad Thai (Php 120) for sharing

I found the Pad Thai a little too saucy and peanuty but it was good naman. it was the first time I tried it with kalamansi, and I have to say I'll take it as is next time

yung Bagoong rice lacked flavor pa. but I did like the sides. yung meat was a tad too sweet for me and medyo I didn't like the chili powder they had in the store.

while service was quite fast, the food wasn't that hot though when it was served to us, so that's an OFI. still sulit naman for the price and while I could never say 'aroi makmak' or sobrang sarap about Dusadee Thai; would be keen to take Jeff here para I can try their Tom Yum soup naman

just before we got to Dusadee Thai, we also chanced upon Marisa's; and since the little girl craved for Silvanas, we made sure to drop by here just before coming home

Marisa's was just across Serenitea, also along Aguirre Avenue. it had a home-y feel because of the front porch area outside + the sofas + paintings inside the shop

neat artwork

and without further ado we went straight to the cashier to get the little girl a box of Silvanas (Php 222); (it was actually Php 18 each. so a box of 12 should just be Php 216 right? hmmm. I just realized that when I was doing this blog. shouldn't it be cheaper when you buy a box. Php 6 for packaging doesn't seem right?)

oh well. it came in 4 flavors: Original, Pandan, Ube and Chocolate

well little girl's verdict was it wasn't the best she's had but pwede na. haha. kasi the one that she likes a lot can be bought pa all the way in Pampanga, so a nearer option is good enough.

I have to say I liked the Pandan flavor a lot. so-so lang ung Ube, but the Chocolate variant naman we did not like at all

still a good option for a dessert fix if within BF area. they also had cakes so should be good to try rin next time

Dusadee Thai

40 Aguirre Avenue

BF Homes, Paranaque City

Marisa's

Silvanas & Sans Rival

67-A Aguirre Avenue

BF Homes, Paranaque City

Weekend Eats (Round 4)

we go north to south with two more food finds for the weekend

October 25

Pino Resto Bar

yes, this was a long time coming. we've gone here numerous times only to end up across the street at Don Day or other nearby restos.

I guess we were just lucky last Friday night. haha. while a lot of cars were parked outside, the resto wasn't as packed as it usually was

cool artpieces

while I've had my share of Kare-Kare na the past week, I still wanted to taste one of their specialities which was the Kare-Kareng Bagnet (Php 265). Jeff naman went for the Ginataang Bopis (Php 185). we also got a pitcher of their iced tea (Php 125)

sobrang sarap parehas haha. I actually wanted to get an extra rice pa dahil ang dami ng serving nung bopis. medyo na-guilty lang ako sa bagnet but it was just so good I could not stop having some more.

next time will be sure to try the binagoongang bagnet naman + their desserts na rin. 'til then I can't wait!


October 26

Ritchie's Diner

sa pauli-ulit naming dumaan sa Aguirre Avenue sa BF, we'd often see Ritchie's diner but never really considered eating there

for one, we weren't too sure what there offering was and we didn't really bother checking it out rin naman.

that night though we just wanted to try something new. Period.

we actually were planning to try Borgo Cafe or the Knuckle Sandwich Station kaya we parked in that side. but we got intrigued since a lot of people were eating at Ritchie's and so we crossed the street to check out the place

the place had a cool vibe. good attempt at an American diner. but not quite yet. haha.  even their servers were dressed up for the part. I did like their choice of music though. 80's.

while American diner ang concept they did serve Pinoy breakfast

being the burger fanatic that I am, I played it safe with the Ritchie's burger which came with a plate of fries. I got a bit worried with the description highlighting how cheezy it was though. but might as well give it a shot.

I was relieved to play it safe, dahil the burger was really good. I loooooved the melted cheese! medyo gnaw-y lang for me ang burger kaya I had to use a knife to cut through it. but undoubtedly it was pure beef naman daw sabi ni Jeff. I think we a little more tenderizing then it would have been great.

Jeff had the beef tapa. which was good naman though a bit on the sweet side, but not something I'd go back for.

this is a good alternative to Gourmet Charbroiled burgers as a snack place :)


Pino Resto Bar
39 Malingap St.
Teacher Village - East, Quezon City

Ritchie's Diner303 Aguirre AvenueBF Homes Paranaque City

Cultural Night at Barbara's

October 22

our HRVP for SEAA, Lennard visited the PH and so as a way to welcome him, the team arranged for dinner at Barbara's

I've long heard about this place since I started in ULP, as they would often take foreign guests here when they come to visit the PH

I would also often see groupons offering lunch buffet and have considered buying it before, so this was a good opportunity to finally try out the place

Barbara's was directly across the San Agustin Church pala

below was a photo taken on a sidestreet beside Barbara's

here's the entrance to Barbara's

when we got there, the show just started and we were situated at a table which was right beside the performance area so we saw performers up close (may be too close, actually)

Rondalla performing

Pastores

Sayaw sa Bangko

Tinikling

the performance was amazing! sayang didn't get to take photos of all the dances, but there was one Mindanao dance that I saw for the first time and which really drew cheers/applause from the crowd

at the end of the show we all had photo-ops with the performers and we even got to sing a happy birthday song for Kary together with the Rondalla

over-all it was a remarkable cultural night. the performances were great, the place itself was amazing. unfortunately I could not say the same for the food :(

while they had a buffet, I only had a plateful and decided not to go back na. I didn't even get to try the dessert!

I would probably go back though, but perhaps just to watch the show and to go around the restaurant

Barbara's Restaurant and Catering
Plaza San Luis Complex
Gen. Luna St, Manila 1002

Rexona Run 2013

October 20

this truly was the biggest rexona run ever. my parents and I have been joining this run since I started working in Unilever in 2010 - so yes this was our 3rd run!

what's different this year was the theme Run to Your Beat. throughout the race there was pulsating live music from guest DJs and bands

actually muntik ko pang hindi maisama ang parents ko. haha. as a ULP employee, we got to sign up for this for free months back. kaso the procrastinator that I am. akala ko kasi they'd have discounted sign up booths again in the office just like last year kaya I held off in signing up at the Riovana stores.

so I think I kind of underestimated the force that the Rexona run had this year. at least 2 weeks before the run there were news that they've closed registration na and had run out of race kits.

that got me worried since my parents would look forward to this run every year.

buti na lang I came across a tweet about extended sign-ups in the Riovana store in BGC. and thankfully nakapag-sign up pa ko for them!

that was a hard lesson learned! haha. I'll be sure to sign up in advance na next year :)

following the theme, the race had to start way earlier than usual. last year we signed up for 5K and the gun start then was at 5:30 am. this year though, 5K started at 3:45 am!

since we signed up na for 10K our gun start was at 3.30 am, so as early as 2 am we were already up to prepare.

when we got to the MoA complex, most of the open air parking slots were already full! sobrang daming tao! we had to park pa in the covered parking slots adjacent to the mall.

when we got to the race area, it was just 10 minutes before the 10K gun start. we made it just in time. haha

pre-run shot of my parents

and after a quick warm-up we were off!!

this truly was one running spectacle!

one thing I looked forward to was the tunnel of lights before the 1K mark

it really got everyone excited when we got there. and you couldn't help but stop and take a quick photo.

I think I had a good start in the race up until the 5K mark. it has been weeks since my last run so I really did not get to prepare well for this.

still I think I ended in an acceptable time naman. haha.

finally caught up with my parents post-race

by this time Rico Blanco was about to perform so after claiming our finisher kits, we headed off inside to the concert area.

this truly was a first of its kind race. it was actually a good refreshing way to end that 10K run.

they were actually giving out ice cream and there was also a mobile bar. and there were a lot of brand booths too. actually when you use the official #: runtoyourbeat and rexonadomore to post photos, you can claim print outs! really cool!

my parents seemed to have a really good time and we ended up staying until the end of the programme!

can't wait for the next Rexona Run! wonder what they will have in store for us next? :)

P.S. our official race results below, haha :)

Tagaytay - Cavite Weekend

October 20, 2013

I never seem to get tired of going to Tagaytay especially when with the family. the last we were here was for a distant relative's wedding and prior to that was our mini-reunion gathering at Bag of Beans.

this time we were meeting up with a family friend from Japan who came to visit. originally I thought we were just dropping by her relative's place in Amadeo. yun pala first on the agenda was an early lunch in Tagaytay.

I've always thought Leslie's was overrated. the last I ate here was with Jeff's former colleagues in DSI. but that was in another branch in Batangas. after that we'd often go to Green ATS na for our bulalo fix. so this was technically my first time at Leslie's Tagaytay

first look

I have to say consistent talaga sila sa ambiance. it had a the woodland type of vibe which was  similar to the one we ate in before.

what's unique about this one though is of course the scenic view of the Taal lake, which is no match for the other bulalo places, I have to say

whenever we get to go to a bulalo place. I only have 2 requests - syempre bulalo and fried tawilis

for a group of 8, we ended up ordering for 10 people. haha. apart from Bulalo and Tawilis, our meal also included Fried Kangkong, Ensaladang Mangga, Inihaw na Liempo, Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw, Fried Chicken and Leche Flan -- that was really a mouthful!

our photo below was a before shot. so you could just imagine how fuller we looked post-meal

by this time the fog had started creeping in. thus the view of the lake now gone

and after what probably was a 3-hour lunch, we then set off for Amadeo to visit Tita Menchie's relatives

here are some shots of the place:

side trip | backyard pineapples
taken from my IG account @jobnacpil

the property was actually within a golf course as they were the ones looking after the place.

it was quite a laughter-filled afternoon sharing stories and making plans about future trips back to Japan. we even ended up taking home bunches of banana, papayas and cooked-ube.

nothing beats a day spent with family and friends :)

Leslie's Tagaytay
Aguinaldo Highway Crossing
Silang West, Tagaytay

Going Japanese

lately Jeff and I have find ourselves wanting to try more Japanese restos. here's to share two of our recent food finds specifically in Mall of Asia

October 17

Oki Oki Japanese Restaurant

we would often pass by this resto but we would not end up eating here since they didn't seem to get a lot of customers. ergo food may not be good. haha.

one time though the other restos we'd usually go to were quite packed + the ones that did have space were not within budget haha. sooo we had might as well try Oki Oki

the place had good ambiance and they also had quite good offerings in their menu

we ordered dishes which we'd normally have in other Japanese restos:

Crazy Maki (Php 285)

the Crazy Maki was made of crabmeat and shrimpmeat roe. we were debating at first if we should choose this maki, kasi for less price the other maki dishes came in 8s, while the Crazy Maki only had 6 pieces. yun pala crazy huge naman ang size ng Crazy Maki nila so it was pretty sulit. 

Gyoza Ramen (Php 215) | Chicken Teriyaki (Php 200)

Jeff had the gyoza ramen which we requested to be served separately and I ordered the Oki Oki Chicken Teriyaki

I mistakenly ordered the a la carte version pala of the Chicken so I had no rice. but considering the size of the Crazy Maki I figured there was no need to have a separate order na. I liked how the chicken skin was fried. it reminded me of the time we were in Japan and my Tito introduced us to a skewer stall by the bus station. the sauce was good too but medyo nalansahan ako sa chicken

I didn't find the gyoza ramen that good though. the soup was a bit Maggi-ish for me (parang Tokyo Tokyo ramen) and the gyoza was not bad but not great either

I would probably come back for the maki and to try the other dishes too--top of my list to try would be the bento sets naman (our adjacent table had this and looked quite good. hehe)

October 20

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

this was another resto na ilang beses din naming dinaan-daanan before trying it. haha. we were pretty conscious about spending so we were pretty careful about choosing which resto to go to.

we had an unplanned trip to MOA after checking out the Off Price show at WTC. since we were there na rin we decided to have an early dinner or 'ban-go-han' as they say in Japanese.

coming in pa lang, I instantly liked the place. it was a fresh, modern take on Japanese style

nothing casual about the place

glad we were given complimentary tea. not a lot of Japanese restos do so. kaya this was a good surprise

browsing through the menu we came to know that Watami pala is a Japanese chain brought in by the Bistro Group.

they sure had a lot of interesting dishes in the menu. but since we weren't that hungry, we each got stone pot dishes

Beef and Kimchee Rice in Stone Pot & Pork Rice with Egg Yolk in Stone Pot (Php 295 each)

Jeff had the Beef and Kimchee and I had the Pork Rice. sayang I gave in to the server's offer to mix it up agad, so I missed taking a better photo of mine. haha

I would have to say this was one of the best meals I've had in awhile. at first glance parang ang onti nung serving. but as you go through the bowl it never seems to run out! haha. the stone pot was quite effective too in keeping the food warm which helped improve the dining experience.

I didn't have much of Jeff's as I wasn't too fond of kimchee, but he did take lots of spoonfuls of mine! it was really good kasi. while it was cooked with pork, the rice was very flavorful and it actually had hints of shrimp taste

we scrimped a bit on ordering this time, so this means there's a lot more we can try when we come back :)

Oki Oki Japanese Restaurant

G/F North Wing

Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

2nd Level, Bayside Veranda

Entertainment Mall

Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Poco Deli

October 8, 2013

Finally Poco Deli!

I've long been hearing about this resto but I don't think I'll ever get to go to Kapitolyo. good thing they now have a Makati branch!

We had a girls' night out as Jeff was away for a business trip in Ilocos. But I'm sure he would have loved to go and am really looking forward to bringing him here.

Here were our choices for the evening:

- German Sausage and Cheese Platter (Php 340)
- Italian Sausage Pizza / Quattro Formaggi Pizza (Php 360)
- Truffle Oil Pasta (Php 350)
- Bacon Slab (Php 320)

I absolutely loved all the dishes. Well, maybe not so much the Truffle Oil pasta pala. haha. I think it was medyo nakaka-umay so just one or two spoonfuls of the dish would have been enough for me.

The sausage + cheese combo was a first for me. I'm never the type to enjoy the more classy/fine dining experiences; but it was a good experience with good friends around.

I particularly liked the bacon slab coupled with the bacon rice. yummmy! It was a friend's order but we couldn't help but ask for cuts of it every so often. haha.

and finally to end the meal, Blackout Chocolate Cake (Php 155)

I think I could have downed the whole thing by myself! hehe.

Sa totoo lang I think I may have gone out of my comfort zone here in terms of dining experiences; though not all the way naman with wine and all. But am glad at least little by little I am enjoying these things more and looking forward to sharing these new experiences naman with others.

Looking forward to bringing Jeff here soon!


Poco Deli
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Ayala Avenue Makati