Kido Manga Burger Cafe at Robinson’s Place, Manila

A few months ago, my brother Kien and I went out to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at Robinson’s Place in Manila. When we bought our tickets, we were left with just about an hour to order food we could bring in while we enjoy the movie. So, we decided on just ordering burger and fries.

I was getting desperate quickly deciding where to order that I almost ended up dragging him to McDonald’s. 😀 Good thing we saw Kido Manga Burger Cafe just around the corner, near the cinemas. Kien wanted to try something new so I agreed.

Kido Manga Burger Cafe in Robinson's Place, Manila - CertifiedFoodies.com

When we saw Kido Manga, I was a bit skeptical because there were no people dining at their burger joint. But, the photos on their menu got me interested. I wasn’t feeling adventurous at that time so I only chose items on their menu that I’m familiar with.

Kido Manga's Japanese burgers - Will try their Ebi Katsu Burger next time - CertifiedFoodies.com

Kido Manga's Rice Meals - CertifiedFoodies.com

Kien wanted to try their Takoyaki, but we just didn’t have enough time to wait and eat it before heading out to the cinema. It’ll be a mess if we bring it inside so I said we’ll just save it for next time. Besides, we don’t know yet if we’d be satisfied with the taste of Kido Manga’s burgers.

Kido Manga's other food choices, including Takoyaki - CertifiedFoodies.com

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Wai Ying Fast Food in Binondo, Manila

I am a big fan of Chinese food and I love dimsum A LOT. But, my desire to roam the streets of Binondo in Manila to taste the most authentic Chinese cooking/cuisines was heightened the night my mother brought home the best dimsum soup and siomai I’ve ever tasted.

I’ve asked a couple of my friends who are familiar with the Chinese restaurants in Binondo because my mom forgot the name of the restaurant. When my mom and I were at Divisoria last November, we decided to head over to Binondo and she’ll just try to remember where it was located.

After almost an hour of looking for the restaurant, the pedicab driver finally led us to Wai Ying Fast Food. As soon as my mother saw the front of this Chinese food joint, she immediately exclaimed we’re at the right place. Finally, I thought. I was already hungry. 😀

Wai Ying Restaurant in Chinatown in Binondo, Manila - CertifiedFoodies.com

Wai Ying Fast Food is a two-storey restaurant at Buenavidez Street in Binondo, right across Manila Chinatown Hotel. Wai Ying has been around for over a decade and they are very popular in Chinatown. Front of Wai Ying Restaurant in Binondo - CertifiedFoodies.com

At the very entrance, you’d see ducks and chickens being roasted by the window. They have a mini kitchen at the entrance so you can actually see them preparing food.

If you want a relaxing dining experience, you might not completely enjoy at Wai Ying’s. They’re just a small Chinese fast food restaurant. So, if you’re planning on bringing friends along with you, prepare to wait for tables or head on upstairs for more tables.

Anyway, as soon as we were handed the menu, it was funny to see my mother ordering away. 😛 So, we ended up with around seven (7) different dimsum dishes and other plates of Chinese food. 😀

First, we ordered 2 cold Lemon Tea (Php 50). It was really refreshing, especially after what we went through looking for Wai Ying all over Binondo (sorry, I can’t get over it :D). The lemon slices and the genuine taste of tea made it one of my fave iced lemon teas.

Wai Ying's Lemon Tea - Php 50 - CertifiedFoodies.com

Oh, by the way, while I was taking photos of the menu, the guy who was waiting on our table approached me and gave me a copy of their menu. Nice, eh? They’ve got very accommodating staff, even during that very busy lunch hour.

Front of Wai Ying's menu - CertifiedFoodies.com

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KFC Double Down Sandwich. Yes, I’m Guilty!

KFC's new poster for their Double Down Sandwich - CertifiedFoodies.comAfter weeks of craving for KFC Double Down sandwich, I finally got to try it! I’ve tried ordering at one of their branches a few days after they launched this new item on their menu and as early as 1pm, the KFC branches were usually out of KFC Double Down sandwiches.

I honestly think it was a marketing strategy by KFC to viral market their new product. And, I can tell you it worked ’cause I think the Double Down was one of the most talked about new fast food products since it was launched. It was like they were playing hard-to-get, increasing the curiosity and eagerness of people to finally get to try it.

Anyway, when I called for delivery, it was around 5pm and the agent on the other line told me they are now required to offer their KFC Double Down sandwiches. I guess that means the hype has finally died down. OR, their viral marketing has already ended. What do you think? Hehehe.

About KFC’s Double Down, if you haven’t seen the commercial or poster yet, it’s the “shamelessly meaty” and sinful new sandwich by KFC. It’s filled with bacon, cheese and mayonnaise, sandwiched between two KFC chicken fillets. If that’s not meaty for you yet, you’re crazy!! *LOL*

My KFC Double Down sandwich - bacon, mayonnaise, cheese and 2 chicken fillets - CertifiedFoodies.com

I’ve read about people saying it was too salty for them so I decided to order Garden Salad (Php 49.50) along with it. I ordered two, one for my parents to share, the other for me and my bro.

KFC Garden Salad - helped in making the Double Down less sinful - CertifiedFoodies.com

I ordered a total of 4 KFC Double Down sandwiches, each cost Php 110.00.

My KFC Double Down sandwich - CertifiedFoodies.com

At first, I thought KFC Double Down wasn’t salty. I was enjoying it a lot. It’s really good, especially because of the KFC chicken fillets. I love KFC’s chicken!

Continue reading KFC Double Down Sandwich. Yes, I’m Guilty!

I Miss A&W Root Beer and Float, too!

I remember, everytime we go to SM North Edsa in Quezon City, I never miss going to the A&W store at the Annex. Their root beer float is the best I’ve had and I so love their root beer, too.

Too bad that all the A&W stores here in the Philippines closed 6 years ago, in 2004. I so miss their root beer and their float, served in their heavy mugs, topped with vanilla ice cream scoops that complements A&W’s root beer so well.

Okay, I may be a li’l exaggerating here, but A&W root beer is the BEST I’ve tried. Well, I’ve only tried 4 brands of root beer – Mug, A&W, Zest-o and this other brand we bought from a duty-free shop in Subic, I forgot the name. And if you love root beer, too, you’d completely agree with me that A&W is THE best in making them.

A&W Root Beer Float - CertifiedFoodies.com

It’s been years since I last had a taste of A&W’s root beer. I tried to make my own root beer float at home using Zest-o’s root beer and my favorite vanilla ice cream, but the taste is just not the same. Even the fizz and the froth were different.

Root beer float using Zest-o and Nestle Vanilla Ice Cream - CertifiedFoodies.com

So, I was really glad when I found these A&W root beer in cans the last time we were at SM Hypermarket in Mall of Asia. I was too excited to have a taste of their root beer again that I put one can in the freezer so it’ll be ice-cold quickly.

MY Ice-cold A&W Root Beer in can - CertifiedFoodies.com

And, when I pop-opened the can, the aroma of A&W’s root beer brought back sweet memories when I used to dine at their old store in SM. I really missed those times when I used to meet my friends (or boyfriend) in SM. It’s like whenever I’m near any A&W store, I can’t help but crave for a mug-full of their root beer float.

The A&W root beer in cans though aren’t as good as the ones they had in their stores, coming out of their taps in their serving area. It was different. But, still, I’m just happy I can still enjoy my favorite root beer.

A&W Root Beer in Cans - CertifiedFoodies.com

I remember a couple of my fellow foodie bloggers talking about A&W and why they closed their stores here in the Philippines. Some said they weren’t able to catch on to the Filipinos’ taste. But, I think we’re more mature now as a nation to appreciate A&W’s food. Just look at all the food bloggers and foodies out there who are now into trying out different things. I know a lot of us miss A&W’s root beer. I just wish they’ll open stores here again.

Enjoying my A&W Root Beer - CertifiedFoodies.com

For now, I’m just going to enjoy my A&W root beer in cans. ♥♥♥

 

For the Love of Root Beer…

Written by blankpixels

Our entry this week for:

Image credit for A&W Root Beer float: Allenooi

Yoshinoya’s Yakiniku and Katsudon – More Rants than Raves

Here’s another super overdue post.

Last August, Yoshinoya had this promo Buy 1, Take 1 on their Yakiniku and Katsudon. We haven’t tried anything from Yoshinoya yet so we decided to head to their branch in SM Mall of Asia to take advantage of the promo with our printouts of the coupon.

Yoshinoya - CertifiedFoodies.com

When we got there, the Yoshinoya girl at the counter told us there’s no pork available for the Katsudon. We can only choose between chicken or fish. Since it was Kien who wanted that, we gave him the choice. He opted for the Chicken Katsudon.

Before I even let you know what we think about the Katsudon and Yakiniku, I just wanted to say that I was extremely disappointed with Yoshinoya’s crew in SM MOA. When we got there, most of the tables inside their store were already occupied except for this one almost at the corner, with sofas on both sides. The table still needed to be cleaned and we looked around to ask for assistance. There were 3 crew members just chattering away at the other side of the store, near the comfort room (I guess). We called them out. They looked at our direction, then went on with their chattering, ignoring us. We had to call out the attention of the crew at the counter to ask someone to clean up our table. While Kien was doing this, I already started clearing our table.

Sorry, but it really irritates me when people don’t perform their jobs well. I mean, I’m okay with the chattering, but if a customer calls your attention to request assistance, you should accommodate them! Those 3 crew members (1 woman, 2 men) didn’t even bother to call someone else if they were too freaking busy to assist us. Sheesh. As much as I wanted to talk to their manager because of their behavior, I decided not to ’cause we just started our day. And we thought we were going to enjoy a good meal at Yoshinoya.

Going back to the food, we had 2 separate coupons for the Yakiniku and Katsudon. So, we ended up with 4 bowls to share among us 3.

Yoshinoya's Beef Yakiniku and Chicken Katsudon - CertifiedFoodies.com

First, let me tell you about their Chicken Katsudon. It was just plain Katsudon. Nothing really memorable. Kien makes a better Katsudon actually. Plus, one of the chicken pieces we got had this burnt taste. We didn’t finish them because the chicken was also not tender at all.

Yoshinoya's Chicken Katsudon - CertifiedFoodies.com

Next, the Beef Yakiniku. We enjoyed it more than the Katsudon. Though it was too sweet for Mai, I still enjoyed it a lot. I just wish there’s not much fat there.

Yoshinoya's Beef Yakiniku - CertifiedFoodies.com

I’ve heard of raves about Yoshinoya’s Katsudon and Yakiniku, so I was quite surprised that we were disappointed by what we tasted. Our first dining experience at Yoshinoya left a bad taste in my mouth to the point that I would’ve needed Olay Regenerist or some kind of anti-aging cream to hide the frustration on my face as we left their SM MOA store. My guess is those people who are raving about Yoshinoya dined in their other branches. Or, it could be because they had a buy one, take one promo, they weren’t concerned about the quality of their food.

We really thought we’d have a great meal at Yoshinoya that’s why it was the first thing on our itinerary that day. When we finished our meals, we weren’t full and satisfied. It did affect our day. Now, I don’t know if I’d want to try Yoshinoya’s food again. But, maybe…just maybe… I’ll try their Beef Yakiniku again, their Gyudon and other items on their menu at another branch.