Food Trip!

So first we go to Katipunan where we find Cravings. Across Ateneo Gate 1 and alongside McDonalds, the building it's housed in has been there since, um,... Before 1987? Oh, you wouldn't get it. I must've eaten there only twice before. My third time- we had dinner there, a month or so ago. Here's their table setting. And the drinks that we ordered: Mango shake, iced tea, and water.
And they have this promo- when you ordered a specific item on the menu, it comes with buffet salad! And there I was, the non-vegetarian.
Last month, friends from the office and I went around the Quiapo, Divisoria, and Binondo areas to look for small give-away trinkets for our Department's Town-hall meeting. For lunch we went to this Chinese restaurant in a two-story apartment building, much like how Aysee's is in Pasig.
The food was quite affordable so we sort of binged. And it was my first time tasting cua-pao! Nobody told me before it was like the siopao bread without any filling!
My companions also ordered chicken feet. Obviously, I didn't try it. Dessert was a Baker's Fair square, warm treat that I forgot the name of. No, it isn't hopia. Aargh! But I know I've tasted it before and I've seen a Baker's Fair at Greenhills too.
On to Metrowalk where a new restaurant has sprung up since I was last there. Carlo's Pizza.
There's the menu cover... And here are a couple of wrapped hotdogs. Unique, huh? :) Tasty too!
Fried Mozzarella.
Lasagna that's in an unconventional round dish.
My drink - mango shake. Gives you an idea of what my favorite drink is...
The wall decor across our table...
Pizza with chicken slices...
And still nearer to where I live, an Ice Cream store! I'll visit again after the recording sessions...
They also serve pizza. No they don't sell the Sto. Nino statuettes.
Different kinds of ice cream... on a stick, in a cup, in a cone, sundaes...
Not called the Ice Cream Store for nothing. Ice Cream store - along P.Tuazon, left side of the road when you're headed east.

Joey vs. Juanita

Joey Pepperoni
Pioneer, Mandaluyong
Here's a shot of the menu. Food is good and affordable. The staff are friendly and accommodating . Some of their items though (rice meals) you'd have to wait a little longer for (well, that time that our project team went there - maybe there was a queue, it was, after all, lunch time).A left-over brown bag doubles as lamp cover...
And wall paintings look like they're watching you eat... (One, two, three, four, five foreheads!)
Carbonara, bread, and chicken fingers...
Meatballs...
And pesto pasta...
We went back on a date and ordered salad, pasta, and pizza, and had a nice time again. Since we were repeat customers and we had this flyer, we were given a free dessert - cherry on vanilla ice cream on a brownie. Yummy!

Cafe Juanita
Kapitolyo, Pasig
Their table setting.
Everywhere are decor upon decor that are also for sale.
Here's a nice spot on the second floor for lovebirds. :)
But our project team came for the food so... here's fried lapu-lapu...
And adobo... They thoroughly enjoyed the cassava cake!
I was content with the free food :) But I just might come back on August 2? :)

Anyway, both restaurants are very nice to take your special someone to. More affordable at Joey's. But if you're after a unique experience, go to Juanita's. Although, after you've been there once, I don't know... unless you got served something you think you'll never get tired of or will never find anywhere else, then treat yourself and your partner. But now that times are a bit rough, with food prices sky-rocketing alongside fuel prices, and with the push to hold back on rice consumption, it may be a good idea to try to save some.

My personal choice- I'd eat at Joey's more than at Juanita's.

Spiral vs. Seven Corners

The dinner was just exquisite! Tons of food to choose from! Food from all around the world! Great setting, great service, and the drinks are free. Well, you pay a hefty sum though. But it's oh so worth it, specially if you're celebrating an anniversary or monthsary or a graduation or a proposal even. This place is highly recommended! Better start saving up for next year's super special date. And you can lay off breakfast and lunch on that day and just binge during dinner. Which isn't very nice to see when you're with someone whom you're not married to (yet). Best behavior first. But seriously, I don't think you'll be able to not control yourself when everyone else around you is properly eating their dinners, and it's not like they'll run out of food. Just note they supposedly close the kitchen up at midnight.

SPIRAL @ SOFITEL PHILIPPINE PLAZA in Manila
Type of cuisine : International
Opening hours : 06:00 - 00:00

Air conditioning
Non smoking area

Head Chef, Mr Christian WERDENBERG

There's not as much food during lunch as during dinner they said. There were at that time a lot of decorations near the 'kitchens' or 'corner' which there are seven, of course where they serve different cuisine until you reach the 7th corner where the desserts are - homemade ice cream that you can opt to have mixed 'japanese style'. I'll just have it in scoops, thank you. There being a minimal selection, this restaurant looked like a spruced up cafeteria minus the trays. And the cost is almost as expensive as in other 5-star hotels/restaurants. Hmm... Oh, there was a band playing though. They were pretty ok.SEVEN CORNERS Restaurant
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel - 3rd Level , Ortigas, Pasig City
Serves: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Type of cuisine : International

Hands-down and get-eating winner: Spiral.

Sanctuario @ Metrowalk

Nice. Nice ambiance. Nice food. All in all nice. Nice place to bring your special someone. Red is nice.Tabla setting.
You could bring your friends too.
Different pasta dishes... Carbonara...
I think this is Bulalo pasta... interesting, huh?
And here's some seafood pasta...
And you got to have meat too... Some chops...
Spicy chicken wings...
And then desserts. The desserts I didn't like so much. It was too fancy and not too tasty to be as nice as everything else in Sanctuario.
Sanctuario at Metrowalk, along the sex toys shop. :)

Postrio Cafe @ One Acacia Place

So across the hotel where I was staying at in Cebu was this bakeshop that had a fantastic cheese and garlic loaf. My co-workers whom I had let in on my find loved the loaf as well.Postrio, its name was. And it served bread and cookies and cakes and coffee and pasta and burgers too.
I only tried their breads and the ones I tried were pretty good. Here's their product display.
And their poster of a humongous burger... But when I asked about it, they said it wasn't really that big-- just for promo purposes, they said. And I suddenly craved for the big Bite Club cheese-y-you-can-feel-your-heart-palpitate-with-just-one-bite burger.

Bigby's @ Ayala Center Cebu

According to the website, they're hiring for a Megamall branch. That's good news because if the prices would be the same to the Cebu restaurant, then this would truly be an affordable TGI-Friday's alternative.Look at the ceiling... amazing! And these hanging lamps-- ok, looks a little grade-five-project-ish.
And their table setting...
And their menu and by-line...
And here's where I apologize for not posting any food pictures because the two chicken pieces I had were big and delicious and it was under two-hundred bucks, I believe, and my officemates who were with me were also engrossed in what they were having that I completely forgot to take pictures. Anyway, I recommend and commend this restaurant. If you know where Bigby's is at at Megamall, leave a comment. :)

Super Bowl @ MOA

Restaurant. Check. Seats available when we went there. Check. Seating a little cramped. Check.Pictures of the ceiling and/or lighting fixtures. Check.
Complimentary cracklings. Check.
Waited a bit to be served our food. Check.
Food was ok. Check. Mmm, maybe an ok place to bring your wife or husband or partner to for a not-so-romantic date or maybe your family for a celebration of a graduation or birthday.
But for a romantic date, some other place. Hmm, maybe it's because it's at the Mall of Asia... or you just do romantic at a place where people have group or family dinners. Could be wrong.
To each his bowl of Chinese food.

Taco Bell @ Gateway Ground Floor

One of our favorite places to eat at. Late night when we don't have anywhere else to go or we couldn't catch a movie screening, we stuff ourselves. Here're wall decor for the restaurant.And nice lighting. The balloons were a little looney though, I think. Was half expecting them in animal shapes.
But the food was "Aight, dawg." Nachos and burritos and tacos of course and cheese-y potato squares and quesadilla too.
For filling meals not too heavy on your budget... I have got to say this: "Think out of the bun!" There, I said it. :)

The Golden Prince

A shot of Golden Prince from my office. It's 7 minutes and 770 steps away.I still have a microwave and a bigger refrigerator. And now, a sink!
My "entertainment center."
And the bed. Two single beds pushed together to make one bigger, un-bouncy bed.

Banapple @ Katipunan

Breakfast before going to the airport, January 6. Free refrigerator magnet, yay!Table top.
Wall racks and some satisfied customers...
Yummy chicken. Oh, and they have great cakes and muffins! I didn't like their cookies though.
Banapple is located along Katipunan Avenue after the "Labor" hospital and before Katips and Biteclub if you're coming from Ateneo.

Mexicali vs. Cyma

Mexicali @ Greenhills Promenade. Nice inviting wall decor...
My first time to eat a burrito. Very nice. Especially since I had the vegetables and any other dressing taken out. Just cheese, the rice, the beef, and the wrap, please. Very nice.
Cyma @ Shangri-la Edsa Plaz's The Ledge. Definitely a special place to have dinner with loved ones, for a special occasion and not just because a co-worker is resigning, or to go on a special date.
Above, a hanging lamp with hanging fish. Yes, I heard those fish are fresh from the morning's catch. Below, flaming cheddar cheese. When the waiter served it, he put something on it to make it burst into flames and he and his co-waiter co-chanted "Oppa!" Something something percent on service charge. Lamb chops. Looked big. The second piece at the bottom was just about the size of what your eyes can see. It's called an illusion.
Salmon. Not very tasty at the beginning. And then half-way through, maybe the sauce had seeped in and it was a little more tastier. And then after I finished the whole thing, um, it was just fish in my stomach. And you know what they say about stomachs... They have no memory.
No one said that. I just made it up. So, the winner for this round... Hmm, Mexicali for snacking. Cyma for impressing whoever.

Mr. Choi vs. Teriyaki Boy

Mr. Choi's Kitchen @ Robinson's Place Pioneer. Dark place. Makes for waiters and waitresses you have to holler at to get their attention.
Crispy pork in lemon sauce.Braised fish.Teriyaki Boy @ Medical City's The Strip. The menu.
The table-top setup.The overhead.The maki.The pork-topped "I should have gotten plain rice because this one has bits of vegetables in it" rice bowl.At Mr. Choi's, you have to be a little more patient. And I think it's more suited for the small "nicer" lunches or dinners, like when a team mate is resigning... With Teriyaki Boy, you get a filling let's-go-out-and-grab-something-to-eat-meal-hey-how-about-Teriyaki-Boy-ok-
what's-this-on-the-menu-hey-waiter-what's-this-ok-i'll-try-that meal. You do get the difference, right?

Steak Plus @ Metrowalk

An alternative dining experience if you're into getting served smoking hot steaks. Steak Plus at Metrowalk is a small corner restaurant that serves meat. Enough said.And before snapshots of the food, here's their hanging ornament that gives the whole place a rustic, western, dim, dusty, and dingy feel.But you forget the surroundings once you're served the meat. If you're really hungry. Ah, meat! The taste is in the eating you. Too bad you're kind of thin... Oh, T-bone stands for thin bone?There's another steak place somewhere in Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City which recently changed its name... another post...

Holiday Inn @ Clark, Pampanga

Attended a conference and more than a hundred of us were booked two in a room at the Holiday Inn at Clark in Pampanga. It was around 2 hours bus ride from Makati. The rooms were small, cozy, and looked exactly like any other double-occupancy room (I only saw the insides of three rooms).From some of the rooms, you can see the pool and poolside. There's a pool table too but it's further to the right of what you see in the picture.
Rooms have cable, standard. And I caught Prime starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep on HBO, while waiting for the dinner call. Funny movie. Funny Meryl Streep reactions whenever Uma relays sex stories with Meryl's son in the film.
The ballroom ceiling.
And since Christmas is near, the hotel has a theme to its decor in the lobby- African Savannah Christmas. O-k. Everywhere you look, there's a lion or lioness resting from a day's worth of hunting Christmas dinner meat. And while the carnivores go idle and pose for tourist photos, the hip huntees wear Santa hats and hang purple balls on branches they eat the leaves from.
Buffet meat for myself.
If you're not staying for at least a weekend to play casino or sight-see volcanic ash somewhere, I suggest the Holiday Inn in Ortigas...

heaven n' eggs @ Tomas Morato

This would be the second time I tried heaven 'n eggs. And if you noticed, how I typed the restaurant name in the entry title above is not exactly the same as the restaurant name on its tissue. Yes, oh you with 20/20 vision, I misplaced the apostrophe. Who cares?So this is their menu on a thick, heavy-stock cardboard.
And on their walls are these wall-pop-outs of famous landmarks from around the world. You have the Pisa tower leaning beside the Eiffel.
And then the windmills from Dutchland.
Straight from Dinerland are these plaid covers. Ooh, separate holders for syrups and sauces!
This time, I had piglets in a blanket (I forgot the exact menu item name)- a sausage wrapped in pancake. The pancake was dusted with some hardly sweet white powder. Definitely not cocaine. And some scrambled eggs for good measure.
And my measure for this restaurant? A consistent average. Oh, and the night guard falls asleep on duty. Bring him a blanket?

Spaghetti Factory @ Megamall

Pretty affordable especially when eating in groups and ordering their samplers (photos below). The staff were friendly, even the owner (I think), who decided to bring out the Christmas decor and begin decorating. :)With samplers, you can choose one type of noodle and three types of sauces. This one has seafood.
This one a mix of spicy tomato-based sauces and a cream-based sauce.
Here's a shot of some of the drinks my companions ordered.
Spaghetti Factory is located at the basement of Megamall building B (the side with the supermarket and not the food court (correct me, if I'm wrong- I still can't memorize which side is which!)) just across Onesimus.

Tender Bob's @ Greenhills

Tender Bob's @ Greenhills Promenade! I remember like it was yesterday... I was still working in Makati and Greenbelt 3 had just opened and they had a Food Court the same level as the Cinema ticket counter...And my officemates and I would go there for lunch and we would, half the time, buy food from Tender Bob's... It had the longest line of people and their meals were affordable, reasonably priced, and you'd get your sizzling hot plate rather quickly, and it was delicious!
Now, this branch at Greenhills is a restaurant with a menu (above) and a table setting (like below)...
And I still order a plain Salisbury steak with egg! What's my problem?!? I like simple things...
And it was indeed simple. It wasn't outstanding, just so-so, like a regular Salisbury steak from any other steak joint. Ok, my fault. I'll try to come back and order something else.

Dinner at Tagaytay

Along a strip of restaurants is a place that's like an outdoor food court, sort of, well, not really... Maybe there were 2 restaurants there and then a couple of small food shops from where you can order burgers and ice cream, and there's Cafe Breton too.The lake can't be seen at night. There are lights far out maybe from towns that line the mountain ridge whose shores kiss the lake. So visitors can marvel at the lighted trees within the compound instead. A bit romantic. But families brought their children and children run around and stumble and keep on noisily running around. Kills romance. Murders. Had chicken parmesan at Massimo's. It was tender enough and you can really taste the cheese. For that alone, it was ok. But you will almost surely despise the rice. They give you a small ball of rice you have to cut with a knife to eat. I told the waitress about it when we asked for the bill. When she came back, she had a plate of 3 scoops of gelatto. And it was on the house! Still...
I think I'm unraveling something about eating in Tagaytay... The prices may be for tourists. And I may not be used to eating out much.

Hawaiian Bar-b-que @ Tagaytay

Late lunch on November 1... Here's their menu...And their viewing deck... great view of the lake and the volcano... It was a nice sunny day too...
Hanging lights and fan...
Onto the food! The baby back ribs were tender and moist. Their fries were too small yet fiery hot.
The verdict: the only thing spectacular was the view; the food was ok but way too pricey in my opinion and speaking as a regular-salaried employee.

Mannang @ Megamall

So guys from my batch at SVI where I used to work and I met again for dinner this time at Megamall. We all met at the Food court but finally decided on Mannang just beside their sister-restaurant, Mann Hann.We ordered sisig.
Their iced tea is delicious and real lemon-y.
We also ordered some squid.
And tofu.
And this bacon-wrapped something (I forgot).
We also ordered some liempo for the late-comer. Fun night reminiscing and talking about where we are now and why {he} didn't continue courting {the girl}. Here's a picture of some of my SVI batch-mates in their ordinary yuppy identities...

Chili's @ Greenhills

Some were in their Halloween-party garb. Teens and their horde abound. Two rich families having dinner together- one family having two sons and the other family having two daughters. Could the parents be talking about pairing off their children to keep their wealths 'intact'?And then there was us, diving into our food. And I kind of agree with the restaurant's tag line.
We enjoyed our meal. We were full afterwards. And the Mucho Mango shake was not bad at all.
Only thing was that it arrived before our main meals. And I thought since it had ice cream, it was a dessert. Apparently not. And the waiter didn't ask me if - slash- I didn't tell the waiter that I wanted the shake after I've had my chicken. Oh well, I put it in the comment card even though I could've been wrong there...
I'll just come back.

Outback Steakhouse @ C5

As a birthday treat to my dad last October 24, me, my mom, and dad had dinner at Outback Steakhouse along C5. First of all, I think their prices are too high, period. But that's not why we only had water to drink.
We ordered calamari, seafood linguini, and chicken breast in mushrooms and cheese. I specifically told the order-taker that I wanted the mushrooms on the side. But when my chicken arrived and I had already cut some of it into pieces and I had already put some in my mouth, I see the mushroom are still on top of the chicken and in the cheese. I pick off the mushrooms- which was a little difficult to do what with the cheese already melted, then proceeded to eat. But when a customer service lady came by to ask how our dinner was, I told her about my issue. She apologized and told us that she'll give us their signature dessert on the house. First I declined but she was insistent.
The calamari wasn't particularly nice too. Dad had a little bit of an allergic reaction to it and part of his cheeks turned red and mildly itchy. And while mom was twirling some noodles on her fork, she sees it- a piece of clear plastic in the linguini!!! We quickly called the customer service girl again and showed it to her. She just as quickly took the plate and examined the plastic, profusely apologized, said they'll get us a new plate, and scurried back to the kitchen with the half-eaten plate of seafood linguini before I could even take a photograph of the plastic. When she came back, she verified that it was plastic and that it could have probably been from the calamari that was cooked. Aha, I thought so the calamari came in plastic bags and wondered how long had it been in stock already. The customer service girl volunteered to give us a discount card on top of the free dessert. Part of me would've wanted to ask that our meal be free but out of pity for whoever might be charged for the meal or might get sacked, I just took what they offered. Another man who looked like an assistant manager came by and also apologized. We had the linguini wrapped for take-out and just ate the dessert before we paid and left.
The 15% discount didn't make a dent on the bill due to Vat and service charges coming up to 22%.

Tenderoast @ Megamall Foodcourt

Whenever I would eat at Megamall Foodcourt, I would usually head to one chicken place- Kipp's with its heart-pumping cholesterol-rich chicken servings. And then I discovered World Chicken with their nice combo-meals. And then, very recently, I chanced upon this wonderful find- Tenderoast!Similar in concept to World Chicken, with Tenderoast you can also choose which components you want in your meal: chicken, beef, or pork-whichever style or flavor; pasta or rice; various side dishes...
On its flyer, Tenderoast boasts of "over 1,000 meal creations". And it all comes at a reasonable and affordable price range.
But primarily, I'll come back because the meal I had was yummy and filling!
Branches:
Araneta Ave; Wynsum Ortigas; SM Fairview Annex; SM Southmall; SM Manila; SM MOA; Rustan's Makati Supermarket; Rustan's Taft Supermarket; Rustan's Shangri-la Supermarket; SM Makati Foodcourt; SM Megamall Foodcourt; Glorietta 4 Food Choices

North Park Kopi Tiam @ Santolan

Midnight. We were hungry. We drove to Santolan near Horseshoe Village and there it was- North Park Kopi Tiam. Except for a couple of tables occupied, the place was all but deserted. It was nearly closing time. So we readily ordered.
Meat, above. Rice, below.
And some calamari.
Plus soup for me- I was still down with a bit of a flu.
So... it was pretty good. Food was filling. It's a restaurant you could bring your parents to. Or if you're craving for something heavy at an unholy hour before 1AM...

Peri Peri Chicken @ Greenhills

It was ok. Comparable to Kenny Roger's. Here's their menu cover... Here's a panorama shot of the place...
Their "signature" sauces beside their table setting...
An overhead lamp and fan...
Their nacho platter... the tomato-based sauce was flavorful. On the upper-left corner is my chicken noodle soup...
And here's my lemon chicken and garlic rice...
Yeah, just ok.

Butter Diner @ Araneta Center

At the heart of Araneta Center lies the old building that used to house Fiesta Carnival. Now, it is home to Shop Wise and along its side are restaurants , one of which is Butter Diner.My second time to eat here, I was excited to re-experience the American Diner-ing experience it touts of.