Maple

January 2, 2014

This was a really nice way to start the year -- a new resto to try + a dinner/mini-reunion with Unilever colleagues, both former and current

Have long been hearing about Maple and seeing it in friends' IG posts, and have always considered it a posh breakfast place kaya I never really made an effort to try it out on my own :p

they have a branch na pala in Shang Mall, and since most of us were from the North area, this was where we opted to meet up

pretty homey--Maple in Shangrila Mall, East Wing

I really liked the vibe of the resto plus it was kid-friendly too! they had a portion allotted for toys and bookshelves for kid guests

since we were there ahead, we had some safe starters muna, while waiting for the rest

Chili Fries (Php 225) and New England Clam Chowder (Php 250)

everyone else enjoyed the fries--I like my fries just plain fried and salted so it was too much for me; the clam chowder was tasty too and was good enough for sharing

Yanpi recommended the Tapa, but we opted to have other dishes

Fish and Chips (Php 480) and Chilean Mussels (Php 375)

both dishes were okay naman pero when we saw the Tapa they ordered we couldn't help but drool over it and ended up ordering one too

Prime Rib Tapa (Php 520)

four of us actually ended up sharing this dish; and we didn't even get to finish everything. it was really good and had thin portions of fat kaya I liked it more; some parts though were quite gnawy lang and the fried rice that came with it was just too oily for me

Sumptuous Salmon Torte (Php 2200)

the name pretty much said it all. it truly a full meal on its own: Salmon fillet + rice + onions and spinach all in a pastry puff as huge as a standard chopping board = sarap :)

considering everything that we ate, there was barely room for anything else; kaya we ended up just ordering one dessert plate for all of us

Red Hot Choco Lava Cake (Php 280)

sure would love to take my family for meal here some time soon!

last customers out!

Maple

G/F East Wing

Shangrila Mall
https://www.facebook.com/MapleRestaurantPH

Clucky's

November 2, 2013


as shared in my other posts, whenever Jeff and I would want to try new food, we'd usually check out SM North Edsa Annex area particularly where Save More used to be

and usually we'd find ourselves a newly-opened resto naman in fairness

this time, our newest food discovery was Clucky's

Clucky's is attempting to compete with the likes of BonChon, Chicken Charlie with its Korean fried chicken

our choices:

1) Parmesan fries (Php 49) [also comes in a bigger size at Php 85]
2) Bulgogi meal with 12 oz drink (Php 149)
3) Kimchi meal with 12 oz drink (Php 149
4) Wings Solo (Php 125) solo

I liked their rice topping meals a lot. they had quite big servings and Jeff and I were able to share pa. yung parmesan fries nothing too extraordinary. the dip I really didn't get the taste so much.

not too happy about the chicken though - at first glance it seemed very artificial particularly yung skin breading. when I ate it, the whole thing practically came off na parang kinabit lang sya when it was fried! taste wise so-so lang din

I think if I were to return here though I would go back for the rice toppings lang. hehe


Clucky's
SM North Edsa, G/F Annex

19 East + Side A

October 29, 2013


I honestly was not too thrilled about this plan at first but since Jeff was away then plus the place was just less than 15 mins away from the house, so might as well. haha

I love OPM a lot and I liked some songs of Side A, but I just thought then na 'lipas' na sila + super 'gasgas' na the songs that made them big then

well naisip ko na lang better Side A than Freestyle which was the group's first option, hehe

as early as 730 pm we were already at 19 East. the show was scheduled at 930 pm which gave us just enough time to have dinner.

this was actually my first time to 19 East considering that I live along Sucat lang. I've always wanted to go especially before Sugarfree disbanded, but just never got the chance to

we went inside the Music Hall to make sure we get the best seats, unfortunately they were still setting up, so we had to go out and have dinner outside at the garden

okay naman yung garden. we opted for a table which was overlooking Laguna de Bay (albeit dark) so it was a breezy and added to a good, relaxed atmosphere

19 East (view of the music hall from the garden)

unfortunately lighting wasn't that good, so I opted not to take photos of the dishes we ordered, but to share:

Pork Sisig (Php 198)
Halaan Soup (Php 179)
Grilled Squid (Php 93/100g)
Sizzling Veggies with Squid (Php 179)
Liempo (Php 179)
Beef Salpicao (Php 235)

haha 179 is the default price ata dito. the food was actually quite good. I especially liked the sisig. medyo medium rare lang ang luto ng salpicao kaya I didn't like it as much, pero malasa. over-all good food na for the price

by 9 pm we made our way inside since a lot of people started coming in na rin while we were having dinner. apparently Radha was there pala together with Jomari Yllana 

IG @jobnacpil tonight! #hrkaladkarins

it was only at around past 10 pm however when the band came in. you could tell they were just firming up their song list when they got there. I guess they also considered the demographics of the audience

iba talaga ang voice ni Joey G. still as good as how it was then. it was interesting to note too that all the band members pala can sing, and it was good that they were also able to showcase this as they took turns singing. I also noticed that they have younger members this time

I particularly liked their other vocalist, Lee Von. he has a deeper voice which helped complement Joey G's higher range; crazy guitar skills + he was kinda cute rin

IG @jobnacpil live music at its finest #SideA

I was actually expecting them to sing their original songs lang or the songs they covered in their albums so I got really thrilled when they started playing the likes of Africa (Toto) and The Man Who Can't Be Moved (The Script)

lalo when they did a cover of Kenny Loggins' Heart to Heart -- classic!

here's a quick video I took pala when they covered the song

during their 2nd set pala they even invited Radha over and she sang a couple of songs too. they started playing some sappy love songs though which I didn't enjoy so much and since it was already past 1 am, I opted to leave before the gig. hehe.

ibang klase talaga 'pag live music. sa totoo lang it has been decades ata since I last went to a legit concert. so I'm really looking forward to being able going to a big one atleast next year!

for now I think I'm gonna monitor that 19 East gig list and watch out for other performers too. but I sure won't mind catching Side A (and Lee Von) again soon!

IG @jobnacpil #Repost from @marijoanne #goodtimes with the #hrkaladkarins #Side A

19 East Bar and Grill

Km 19 East Service Road

Sucat, Muntinlupa City

http://19east.com/index.php

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

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

Buffalo Wings Showdown

October 2 & 4, 2013

Two Buffalo Wing places in a span of 2 days. haha. I think we're trying out too many new restos lately.

First stop: Flaming Wings

We ordered the following:

- Original 5 Wings (Php 245) + Honey Mustard Dressing 
- Garlic Fries (Php 105)
- Penne with Sausage and Peppers (Php 130)

I liked this better than Wingman, though I don't think the honey mustard worked too well as a sauce.

The garlic fries was heavenly. I really enjoyed how buttery it was though I know how unhealthy it could be.

We could have actually managed without the pasta. but again always good to have something to counter the flavor of the wings.

Next that we tried was Buffalo Wings N' Things

All the while I thought this resto was exactly like the one in BF up until we've gone to Flaming Wings.

These were our choices:

- 1 pound Champion Buffalo Wings (Php 279)

(1/2 New York's finest, 1/2 Garlic Parmesan)

- Bleu Cheese dip (29)

- NY Dirty rice (39)

- Basket of fries (99)

At first, I couldn't decide how it ranks compared to Flaming Wings and Wingman. I guess it had to take a few more bites to arrive at a decision.

After downing a whole piece, I would have to rank this first vs. the other stand alone wing places.

I think it may have to do with the bleu cheese that really goes well with the chicken. Or the fact that here we had 2 varieties of flavor vs. Flaming Wings wherein we only got to try the original sauce?

all those greaaase...

I don't think I can decide on the showdown completely just yet. But so far comparing the original sauces, its Buffalo Wings N' Things for me.

P.S. I got a chance to return to Flaming Wings just recently and I think I'm starting not to like buffalo wings na. May be frequency is not such a good thing? I may need to refrain from having this dish muna. haha.


Flaming Wings
Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque


Buffalo Wings N' Things
G/F Annex, SM North Edsa, Quezon City