New Found Love!

Last Friday night, the wind took us all the way to UP Town Center for dinner. Our first choice was Shrimp Bucket, but unfortunately, we were seventh on the waiting list. After being listed, we went around the area and my attention was caught by Tokyo Tonteki's Php499 Meal for Two promo, and of course, because they had bottomless drinks. :)

     

Tokyo Tonteki deviates from the over-hyped katsu craze and specializes in making the best pork loin steak you've ever had! With this, we were very intrigued on trying their specialty. We availed the promo and got their Regular Tonteki (Php 375 per order) and the Stir Fried Japanese Mushrooms (Php 250 ala carte) for our sides. We also added an order of their Chicken Karaage (Php 250) and a bottomless rootbeer (Php 85).

We were first served with their pork miso soup. The flavor of the miso was very light and delightful. The soup was also very meaty, having a lot of pork bits in it. This is probably my favorite miso soup.  The  best part is, it's refillable! I was able to finish three servings, while Kyle had four. Yes, it was that good. :)



Our mouthwatering main dishes: Regular Tonteki, Stir Fried Japanese Mushrooms and Chicken Karaage

      

Their tonteki was heavenly! Premium pork loin slow cooked and simmered in their signature tonteki sauce, topped with toasted garlic chips. The meat was so succulent and really soaked up the delicious sauce, it also had a decent amount of fat on it.

Complementing  our main dish were the stir fried mushrooms and chicken karaage. The mushrooms were divine! It had a very bold buttery flavor. Texture wise, it was both soft and chewy, very enjoyable to eat. The chicken karaage tasted like your usual boneless fried chicken.

The promo comes with refillable soup, rice and cabbage, but we only managed to finish one serving, except for the soup. I think their promo is actually good enough for three people.

Tokyo Tonteki is a definite go-to place for meat lovers! Will definitely be going back here!

TOKYO TONTEKI

Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City (02-9552269, 02-9552270)

The Burgery

Last Thursday night, we waited out traffic by having dinner at The Burgery,

The Burgery is one of the many restaurants along the Tuscany, at Mckinley Hill. It has a nice, bright and homey interior, there's also a second floor and al fresco dining area.



The place is normally packed, so I was a bit surprised when there was barely anyone in the ground floor dining area. We were immediately handed the menu upon being seated. I already had my eye on the Bbq Bacon Rice (Php 140) while Kyle wanted to try the Buttermilk Chicken Chops (Php 198).

The dishes were served after around 15-20 minutes.

    

Both dishes were served with herbed rice. It had a very strong flavor and I could dominantly taste the parsley. The bacon was lovely and very tasty. The burger patty was juicy and cooked medium well, however, it was a bit unseasoned for my taste.

There was also nothing special about the buttermilk chicken. The chicken meat was soft and juicy, but it failed to deliver in flavor. You really need the gravy just for it to have taste.

Well, at least I was able to cross another restaurant off my "must try" list.

Of all the restaurants located in the area, I think that The Burgery offers the most affordable meals.

THE BURGERY

Mckinley Branch - Tuscany, Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill, Taguig City (02-8235805, +63-9062332747)

Paranaque Branch - 231 C Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City

Bobbi Brown's Crazy for Color Promo

Get a chance to win a lippie from Bobbi Brown. Just go to the link below and follow the details of the giveaway.

http://bbrwn.co/LipColorPH



Don't forget to like them on Facebook and on Instagram!

Promo period is from August 15 - 31, 2014.

Best of luck everyone!

AMICI Celebrates Its Anniversary!

From August 19 to 20, 2014, AMICI offers a buy 1 take 1 pizza promo. Available in all of its branches.

The promo is valid for Dine-In and Take-out only. Not valid for foot delivery and City Delivery transactions.

DOVE GIVEAWAY

Hey guys! Dove is having a giveaway wherein you get to try their Ultimate Whitening Deodorant. Just register your details on the link and a sample will be delivered to your doorstep!

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) celebrates National Pizza Day by offering a buy 1 get 1 pizza promo!

 

Here are the terms and conditions of the promo:

"Order a REGULAR PIZZA & get ANOTHER ONE FOR FREE on August 13, 14 & 15, 2014. Promo is available for Dine-in, Takeout & Walk-in only, at all CPK locations in the Philippines. Advance ordering will not be accepted. Items for takeout are subject to 10% packaging charge. Not valid with Thin Crust, Personal and Kids Pizzas, Pick Your Match, existing promos, senior citizen/discounts, privileges, catering, CPK gift certificates and the EAT card."

Still two more days to get your pizza fix! 

Outback Turns 15!!

In celebration of Outback Steakhouse's 15th year anniversary, the Kookaburra Wings are now at a promo price of Php15 (originall Php 299). You can avail of their promo with a Php 500 minimum purchase, and a maximum of two orders per table.

This promo will be for the entire month of August!

Bang for the buck!

A more budget-friendly alternative for rib cravings is RUB ribs.

A full rack of ribs with two sides will cost only Php 370, fact or fiction? FACT! Yes, they are that affordable.

We frequent their Tomas Morato branch since we live near the area. Parking and seating capacity is very limited, so best come early if you want to have a spot.

They have a well-rounded menu and I'm sure there's something for everyone. :)

We got our favorite, the Super Duo, Smoked Pork Belly and Onion Rings.

Their Onion Rings (Php 160) were just a delight to eat. Thin, crispy and flavorful rings that come with their version of ranch dressing. A very good way to whet your appetite.



Super Duo (Php 370)  and Smoked Pork Belly (Php 200)

   

For the Super Duo, we chose the potato salad and buttered vegetables as side dishes. The ribs were meaty,  juicy and very flavorful. The barbecue sauce is just a good compliment, but not really necessary. It was really worth the price!

The  Smoked Pork Belly was charred on the edges. I didn't particularly like it because of the strong charred taste.

RUB is what you would consider a hole-in-the-wall since it is quite hard to find, but it's worth the trip!

RUB Ribs

Tomas Morato Branch - 64 Scout Rallos, Near Tomas Morato Avenue, Sacred Heart, Quezon City (02-5012799)

Pasig Branch- 88 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02-6252939)

Loving Chinese Food

Living near Banawe has a lot of perks. Other than it being car-parts central (perfect for us car addicts!), it is also a foodie haven!

One of the restaurants we frequent when craving for good and affordable Chinese food would be Lam Tin.

I can't exactly say it's a "hole in the wall", since it's located right along Banawe. But if you love Chinese food, this place is really worth a try!

Last night's dinner was Sweet and Sour Pork Rice (Php 110), White Chicken Rice (Php 110), and Pork Siomai (Php 65)

    

Servings are big and you can request for complimentary soup. The Sweet and Sour Pork was just a bang for the buck! The meat was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the way sweet and sour pork should be! The White Chicken Rice is my favorite dish! You get a quarter chicken (leg and thigh) that's generously bathed with ginger and chives, which gives it a whole new world of flavors.

The Pork Siomai was also really good. Each piece had a whole shrimp tucked in inside. The meat was really flavorful.



To end our meal, we got out favorite almond with lychee (Php 45). A substantial amount of almond jelly cubes served with crushed ice and topped with two pieces of canned lychees. Perfect way to end our meal!

For those who are in a tight budget but still want to have a good meal, Lam Tin is for you!

LAM TIN

30-U Banawe Corner M. Cuenco Street, Santo Domingo, Quezon City

Exploring Subic

Last April, we celebrated Kyle's birthday at Subic. Since we wanted to maximize our R&R weekend, and out of my curiosity, we booked an overnight stay at the Lighthouse Marina Resort.

We left the Metro around 8 AM and arrived at Subic before 10 AM. Since it was still early for check in, we decided to have brunch at Meat Plus Cafe.

Meat Plus is a famous steak shop in Subic. It's management is responsible for the operations of Tender Bob's (Yes, Tender Bob's is a local company). Other than the items on their menu, you can also purchase frozen meats and have it cooked to your liking, or just have it for take home. I was actually eyeing their burger patties, but we forgot to bring a cooler to keep it from spoiling, so that will be for next time.

From their menu, we selected the Pumpkin Soup, Tenderloin (Php 260), and Combo Meal 7 (Oven Roasted Beef Belly with Soup and Rice - Php 220). Ordering style is pay as you order. Service is a bit slow, so be prepared to wait for your food.

     

The soup was served after about fifteen minutes. It was served piping hot, but the taste was just ok. Well, It's always nice to start a meal with hot soup.

The meals were served about ten minutes after the soup was served.

     

The Beef Belly was a very pleasant and plentiful dish. The meat was very soft, flavorful and had a decent amount of fat on it. The gravy wasn't really necessary and I also found it too peppery. On the contrary, the Tendeloin steak was just sad. It looked like a small medallion of meat, not even enough to satisfy one hungry person. The meat was a bit overdone, but the flavor was ok.

We'll probably go back to buy their frozen meats.

After brunch, we went around the area and bought some chips and chocolates at Duty Free, before finally checking in.

We were welcomed by very accommodating staff, however, the receptionist was a tad slow while processing our check-in. I think she was just new and had to ask everyone around on what she should do. The lobby was quite spacious, but the furnishings looked old and sad. When check-in procedures were finally done, one of the bellboys assisted us to our room. We used their elevator, and it was tiny! The space was just good enough to fit a maximum of three people with few baggage.

Our room: Aqua Terrace Room (Php 7,800) with a king size bed

     

I found the room to be just normal, nothing really fancy about it. The bed and pillows were nice and very comfortable. The bathroom had the basic amenities, and a normal sized tub. After settling in and resting for a while, we went down to their cafe (Sands Resto Grill) to avail of the complimentary afternoon snacks.

We were served with nachos and cheese sticks. It was just so-so, both the cheese sticks and nachos were already soggy. We browsed over their menu and just ordered desserts. We decided to try their Mango Cheesecake and Mango Crème Brûlée.

     

Somebody took a whack at the cheesecake before I could even grab a picture, hehe. The Mango Cheesecake is probably the best mango cheesecake that I have ever tasted!!! The cheesecake itself was really thick and they did not scrimp on the use of cream cheese (instead of just cream or gelatin). The mango flavor was just right, it was really the perfect cheesecake!

The Mango Crème Brûlée was also heavenly! The custard was done right, not too stiff and not too runny / loose. I love the perfectly caramelized cap, which add that extra sweetness and crunch to it.

After our very satisfying afternoon snacks, we went to the pool area and rested on their pool benches. I also took a short dip in the pool.

     

The pool area is very small and the pool has a maximum depth of five feet.

Dinner was a another story since we headed out to Texas Joe's House of Ribs, but I totally forgot to get decent pictures while we were there.

The Lighthouse serves breakfast, buffet style (again, no pictures). The spread consists of both American and Filipino breakfast dishes. Bacon is not displayed as part of the buffet but you can order it from the Omelet station. The food was just ok, nothing to rave about.

Overall, we had a relaxing weekend. I believe that I was able to satisfy my curiosity on what makes this place special, and all I can say is, there's nothing special about the Lighthouse. Rates are even more expensive than my favorite Le Monet in Baguio. For its rate, I would rather book a villa somewhere else.

MEAT PLUS CAFE

Bldg. 65, Sampson Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Olongapo, Zambales, Philippines

THE LIGHTHOUSE MARINA

Moonbay Marina Complex, Waterfront Road, CBD , Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales, Philippines

Salad and Dessert

After doing our errands last Sunday, we headed to Robinson's Magnolia to watch Guardians of the Galaxy. We arrived around 2:30 PM and I immediately proceeded to the cinema area while Kyle looked for parking.

Lucky! I was able to score our favorite seats for the 7:20 PM screening. Since we had a lot of time to spare, we decided to have some light snacks at Conti's.

Since we were still full, we just ordered the Mango Cheesecake (Php 95), Bananalicious Pie (Php 85), Caesar Salad (Php 165) and bottomless Lemonade.



The Caesar Salad was served with a generous amount of bacon bits and smothered with thick caesar dressing. We loved the salad since they didn't scrimp on the bacon and dressing. My only turn-off was the presentation, it was like a big ball of lettuce was just dumped on the serving dish. But the taste was really a winner for us.

     

The Mango Cheesecake was just ordinary for me and I found the consistency of the cheesecake too thin. It actually felt like I was eating mango ice cream. I've had better at Lighthouse Marina. Kyle liked it, nonetheless. The Bananalicious Pie is their version of banoffee pie. This is probably the most delicious banana pie that I've ever tasted!

I wasn't able to get a picture of the lemonade, but it wasn't anything special.

On a side note, we loved watching Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a very entertaining film. However, if you're a fan of the Marvel comic book, you might have a different opinion on this.

Conti's

New Manila Branch - Ground Floor, Robinsons Magnolia, New Manila, Quezon City

Greenhills Branch - Unit C, Fox Square Building, 53 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City

Greenbelt Branch - Level 1, Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

Trinoma Branch - Ground Floor, Trinoma Mall, North Triangle, Quezon City

Katipunan Branch - 224 Katipunan Avenue, Blue Ridge, Quezon City

Taguig Branch - Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Filinvest Branch - Westgate Center, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City

Paranaque Branch - 61, Commercial Center, Presidents Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City

Yellow Cab Free "Pepperoni My Size Folded Pizza"

As per my earlier conversation with the Yellow Cab CSR, the "grab" promo ended yesterday, August 13, 2014. You could still download their app to earn points and be updated with other upcoming promos.

Yellow Cab is currently having a free pizza promo! Here's how (this promo is currently available for Android users):



1. Download their application (Yellow Cab Digital Store) in Google Play Store

2. Register your details

3. After registering, you'll see a "grab coupon" on the main screen of the app. Click on this icon and the coupon will be placed in your account's "Wallet". It's through here that you can choose to either view or redeem your coupon.

Update: As advised by Grazi Elle, if you can't see the "grab coupon" icon, you might need to click on the FB tab for the icon to appear. Thanks for the info!

4. Redeem the coupon at the Yellow Cab nearest you!

We got our free Pepperoni folded pizza and it was delightful!

     

What are you waiting for? Download the app now! :)

A Taste of Cebu Lechon Belly

We've been really craving for some authentic Cebu Lechon so I did some "Googling" and found out that Cebu's Original Lechon Belly just recently opened a small outlet inside Puregold, E-rodriguez. Since we were planning to do our groceries last Sunday, and being relatively near the store, we decided to dine there for lunch.

The outlet serves boneless lechon belly shipped straight from Cebu! They serve two types of lechon belly, the original and spicy. We just went for a 1/4 kilo original style. For the rice, I wanted to try the "puso", which is basically, rice boiled in coconut fronds. Since the size of the puso was small, we got three of it.

     

The lechon belly and the rice were served on a bamboo-woven plate and was topped with wax paper.

     

I tried the meat first, and it was really flavorful and tender. Unfortunately, the skin wasn't crispy. It was already on the soggy and chewy side. This may have been due to the fact that the belly was just being kept warm by a turbo broiler and it was not freshly made.

The puso had a sticky consistency and despite the small size, it was rather filling.

Our craving for authentic Cebu lechon was satisfied. However, I do wish that they will be able to preserve the crunchiness of the skin.

Cebu's Original Lechon Belly

Please click here for their branches/outlets

Torch, revisited

Last Friday night, we had a late dinner at Torch.

     

We had our usual orders, Buffalo Asian Wings and Beef Short Plate (please see previous review). I wanted to try something new so I got the Bacon Maki while Carla got the Vegetable Soup to soothe her cold.

     

The Vegetable Soup (Php 185.95) was a tomato based soup. It was really thick and looked more like a dip than soup. As for the taste, Carla described it as a sad version of minestrone soup. In my opinion, it tasted like a much sweeter version of Hunt's Pork and Beans.

The Bacon Maki (Php 229.99) was something different. I liked the overall blending of the flavors, specially since I'm a bacon lover. I just found it a bit hard to chew, maybe because the bacon filling wasn't on the crunchy side. Oh, and their wasabi also didn't have any kick.

TORCH

Home Studio Building, 63 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City (02-4773771, 02-5020000)

A Taste of Authentic Ramen

Last night we tried out this ramen place called Ramen Nagi at Robisnon's Magnolia. This place is known to serve authentic Japanese ramen, and I'm pretty curious about how an "authentic" ramen tastes like.

Entering the restaurant gives you a glimpse and feel of Japan. Seats are all for sharing which makes it feel a bit awkward. Also, they have a "no take-out policy", even for left overs.

     

The menu features four types of ramen, we opted to share the Original King or more popularly known as the Butao King Ramen. The ramen broth is made from tonkotsu pork broth with classic Nagi pork chashu. You can choose to customize your ramen through their order sheet. I went with "normal" everything and got the pork belly. In addition to our ramen, we also tried their Chicken Karaage.

The ramen was served within a few minutes. I requested for two additional bowls, but we were given only one bowl. We had to ask for another bowl when the chicken karaage was served.

     

Original King (Php 390) looked really appetizing. We first tried the broth and we were both taken aback. The broth tasted like egg, to be exact, it had the exact taste of the soup of "balut". Balut is a Filipino delicacy,  it's a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. Yes, the broth of the ramen tasted like that of the balut. The pork belly was nice and tender and the noodles were cooked al dente.

The Chicken Karaage (Php 200) had a very strong umami flavor. It was crunchy and juicy and was accompanied by my favorite shredded cabbage with wasabi mayonnaise. The chicken wasn't really anything special.

It was worth a try, just to satisfy our curiosity. But it wouldn't be a restaurant of my choice.

I still can't get over the fact that I felt like drinking loads of balut broth.

RAMEN NAGI

Robinsons Magnolia Branch - Upper Ground Floor, Al fresco Dining Area, Robinsons Magnolia

SM MOA Branch - Ground Floor, South Wing, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City

Bonifacio Global City Branch - Fifth Floor, SM Aura Premier, C5 Road Corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Do-nothing Day

Last Tuesday, we met up with my friend, Stephen. We went to Robinson's Magnolia to spend our do-nothing day there.

We couldn't decide where to have lunch, we just ended up walking towards French Baker.

We got the Steak Sandwich (Php 180), Beef Burgundy in Casserole (Php 265) and the Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa (Php 215).

      

The Steak Sandwich was just ordinary. The meat was a bit firm and the flavor was just ok. The salad was a nice addition.

The Beef Burgundy in Casserole had a very peculiar flavor, maybe because of the red wine. We didn't like it that much since it was too strong and too tangy for us. Indeed it was a very robust dish.

The Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa was Stephen's choice, and was the nicest dish among the three. I sliced a small piece, just enough to taste. It was moist, tender and flavorful. I actually wished that we ordered this instead of the Beef Burgundy.

After having lunch, we strolled around the mall and looked for a cafe where we could just hang out. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a place that still had vacant seats. Funny enough, we ended up going back to French Baker for drinks and snack/dessert.

This time, we ordered the Hot Chocolate, Ham and Cheese Croissant, Almond Croissant, Blueberry Danish, and Eclair. I wasn't able to take a close-up picture of the eclair and almond croissant though...

   

The hot chocolate was very nice. It had a smooth and mild cocoa flavor. The croissants were delightful with the perfect flaky pastry. The blueberry danish is and will always be my personal heaven :) . Stephen also enjoyed his eclair.



It was really nice to get away from all the stress, even if it was just for a day.

FRENCH BAKER

Robinsons Malls

SM Malls