Restaurant Reviews Archives - Page 6 of 7

Succulent Chicken Goodness from World Chicken

Whenever my bro and I see a World Chicken stall, may it be in Trinoma, Gateway Mall or in Glorietta, we can’t help but wrestle with the idea of ordering their oh-so tender grilled chicken. If not for our hunger for something new to feature on this blog, we would’ve eaten there every time (I guess thatâ€™s something weâ€™re actually thankful for :D). In fact, my bro loved them so much that they were the inspiration behind his Creamy Pesto Pasta and Grilled Chicken recipe.

Ken’s pesto pasta is WAY more delicious than World Chicken’s,
but the ingredients are a li’l on the expensive side.

What is it about World Chicken that makes it one of our favorites? That’s a question that’s pretty easy to answer – it’s the tenderness of the flame-grilled boneless chicken they serve that’s very moist, and the wide variety of options for sauces, carbohydrates, and side dishes, PLUS affordability.

We got this flier from their Gateway Mall branch, explaining why a lot of people are flocking their branches in Glorietta and Trinoma.

Fresh tomatoes used on their pasta sauces.
Real potatoes with bacon bits on their potato salad, based on the photo.
9 different sauces to choose from.
Freshly flame-grilled boneless chicken.

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Raku Hokkaido Ramen House at NAIA Terminal 3

When Kenneth flew to Singapore for a â€œvacationâ€ in January, our family decided to have like a goodbye lunch at NAIA Terminal 3. I suggested we do that instead of going to a restaurant weâ€™d pass by on our way to the airport since there are food places in NAIA Terminal 3 that I wanted to check out.

So, there. As soon as Ken checked in his baggage, we went up and saw Raku Hokkaido Ramen House by Ministop.

Photo credit: Katâ€™s Musings

First off, we ordered drinks. I wanted to try their Apple Nectar, but Php 145 is just too expensive for me. So, I decided to order Rakuâ€™s Japanese Ocha for all us, at Php 29 each. At that price, I expected it to be bland. Well, it met my expectations. 😀

Though we wanted to try their Ramen, we opted to order their Bento meals since we havenâ€™t had anything yet for breakfast or lunch.

Before I tell you about what we ordered, I wanted to mention that I was completely disappointed with their service. By the time our orders arrived, we were all very hungry. And they werenâ€™t served like a few minutes after each other or at the same time. We had to wait like 5-10 minutes for each of our orders to arrive. My dadâ€™s order came last while we were already in the middle of finishing off ours. We had to follow up 4 times on our orders. It was that bad. It wasnâ€™t that hectic when we were there. People only started coming in while we were already eating so I donâ€™t understand why it took them that long to serve our food.

First off, my bro ordered their Chicken Teriyaki Bento, Php 145. As you can see, thereâ€™s a generous serving of rice topped with sesame seeds and veggie side dishes on all their bento meals. But, I wouldâ€™ve wanted more pieces of chicken. I got to taste it and the chicken meat were tender. My bro enjoyed it.

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Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, SM City San Lazaro

A few hours after my brother Kien flew back from Singapore, we didnâ€™t waste any time and went out. I was picking up my new babyÂ that day in Manila. Since weâ€™re a few blocks away from SM San Lazaro, we decided to head out and look for a place to hang out or to pass the time and test drive my camera.

I was craving for gelato that day, but we werenâ€™t sure if thereâ€™s a store that sells it in SM San Lazaro. So, we were glad we found Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt as soon as we turned a corner by the entrance. We opted to try their froyo instead.

Iâ€™ve already tried frozen yogurt from 3 places â€“ The White Hat, Red Mango and Yogiberry. So far, I enjoyed all of their own versions of froyo, Yogiberry topping the list, followed by Red Mango at close second. So, I was really curious how Tutti Fruttiâ€™s froyo will compare with them three.

First off, I think I was an (frustrated) interior designer in my past life â€˜cause I enjoy taking photos of interiors of food places I visit. This is the table where me and my bro hung out to enjoy our froyo. I love the fun colors they used inside their store and the dotted design of the chairs.

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt has the same concept as Yogiberry â€“ self-service. They have numerous dispensers with different flavors of frozen yogurt. You can mix flavors if you prefer.

Kien loves vanilla flavored anything so he chose that. I chose coffee â€˜cause, well, I love coffee. Plus, he also wanted to try it.

According to what Iâ€™ve read about Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt store, they have 50 different yogurt flavors. Every week, they change flavors of the froyo they have available at the stores. A fun experience for frozen yogurt lovers indeed.

The other flavors they had available when we were there were Death by Chocolate, Original Tart, Very Berry Raspberry, Lychee, Taro-bly Delicious and Strawberry Banana.

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Dinner at Tokyo Bubble Tea Restaurant at SM The Block

Exactly a month ago (yes, another late post), right after grocery-shopping, my nanay and I were on the lookout for a new restaurant to try out. And, just right outside SM Hypermarket was Bubble Tea, one of the popular places in the Metro where you can enjoy milk teas. I’ve read about them from fellow foodies so I was looking forward to our dinner at Bubble Tea.

We weren’t sure what to order yet ’cause I’m on a low carb diet. But, everything on their menu looked tempting so I said “forget about it” (in Italian mafia accent). I think it took us almost 10 minutes before we finally decided on what to order.

First, we ordered drinks. I chose Bubble Tea’s Taro Milk Tea (large, Php 125). I picked the Passion Fruit Black Tea (Php 95, cold, large) for my mom. After tasting both drinks, she wanted my Taro Milk Tea. She found the passion fruit too citrusy/sour for her taste. I enjoyed it though.

If you look at the photo, the glasses don’t look that tall. But, they were. I still think it’s a bit pricey. 😀

By the way, you are given options of less sugar and the size of tapioca pearls (“bubbles”) you want in your drink. You can go for big pearls, small or a combination of both. We forgot to mention I preferred bigger pearls so we both ended up with the other choice.

Now, on to our main orders. My nanay wanted to have fish for dinner so we ordered this for her – Bubble Tea’s Fish Katsudon (Php 195), breaded fish cutlet with cheese filling, egg and tonkatsu sauce.

It was a bit bland for our taste. I loved the crunch you get from each bite of the Fish cutlet though and that the egg was perfectly cooked sunny side up. 🙂 The serving was big enough for my mom. She, again, preferred the one I ordered.

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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.

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.

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.

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Oh My Gulay Artist Cafe in Baguio City : A Vegetarian Experience

Ever since a friend of mine mentioned Oh My Gulay Artist Cafe in Baguio, I’ve been dying to try their food. Why? No, it’s not because it’s a vegetarian restaurant. But, since Baguio is known as a popular source of fresh vegetables like broccoli and lettuce, and other crops like strawberries, oranges (from Sagada), etc., I know I can only expect the freshest ingredients on anything on their menu. Something I wouldn’t pass up! 🙂

So, during our 5-day vacation last month, Oh My Gulay (O.M.G.) was definitely on our itinerary. We slightly had a hard time finding it ’cause when I did my research, someone said it’s located in “Green Azotea” building. 😀 We hired a taxi for the whole day (we went to Good Shepherd and Strawberry farm, which we’ll post about next!) and the driver didn’t know any building with that name. Turns out, it’s at the La Azotea building and the color of the whole structure is, well, green. 😀

It’s along Session Road so it’s pretty easy to find. It’s right in front of Metrobank. Oh My Gulay is on the 5th floor and there are no elevators. So, you’d have to climb up all the way to their floor. There’s a bookstore, aÂ gym and other food stalls that might entertain you while you take a break from climbing up those stairs. 😀

Now, before I go on about Oh My Gulay’s food, let me just share with you some of the photos we took of their restaurant. The whole eclectic design drew my attention.

Even my bro Ken was fascinated by the intricate structure and decorations, both on the first floor and second floor. He took most of the photos of the restaurant and even went upstairs.

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Emohruo Beach Restobar in Saud Beach, Pagudpud

One of our main destinations during our 5-day North Luzon getaway last week was the beautiful and relaxing beaches of Pagudpud in Ilocos. I’ve been wanting to go there for years now, especially after I saw photos of my brother Ken with his friends during their Pagudpud trip.

We stayed at the Saud Beach Resort hotel because there weren’t too many people staying there so we can enjoy the beach mostly all on our own. They’re one of the more expensive hotels in Pagudpud. Since we were only staying for a day, I thought screw my budget and let’s stay at the lovely Saud Beach Resort. We only paid Php 4,356 for a room good for 5, and I thought that’s already a good deal considering how lovely their resort is. Their resort seemed more relaxing than the other ones next to them.

Anyway, when we finally checked in, it was almost lunch time (they allowed us to check in earlier since there weren’t too many people staying at the resort). Ken said we should check out the other restaurants in the area. So, we immediately headed out to the other restos on the other side of Saud beach. It was a long walk so imagine how hungry we were when we finally arrived at the area where the restaurants in Saud beach were lined up.

Among all the menus we saw, my brother and I liked Emohruo Beach Restobar‘sof Evangeline Resort the best. And, the prices were also very affordable. All I can tell you now is the long walk was so worth it!

Emohruo is actually “Our Home” spelled backwards. Cool, eh? I love the whole vibe at their restobar. People dine al fresco and the rustic design of their area just complements the whole feel of dining near the beach.

Though the sun was really up and shining brightly, we didn’t feel uncomfortable because the wind was cool and fresh. Ahhhhâ€¦ I so miss it! That’s why I so love the photos I took while we were at Emohruo. It reminds me of how relaxing the resort was.

Emohruo Beach Restobar has a wide range of dishes on their menu, mostly Asian dishes with their own twists. They all sounded really good that I wanted to order one of everything! 😀

Everyone with me – my mother, my bro, our aunt Zeny and Beth (my mom’s best friend) – were all supportive of our food blog so we all agreed to order different beverages. 😀

First up, my Banana Mocha Shake (Php 98.00), marked as one of the favorites on their menu. I love, love, love Mocha flavored anything, but I didn’t completely enjoy this one. I guess it’s because of the banana. But, it was still really good and Ken enjoyed it. I guess I was expecting the mocha flavor to be stronger than the banana.

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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 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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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, maybeâ€¦just maybeâ€¦ I’ll try their Beef Yakiniku again, their Gyudon and other items on their menu at another branch.

Gelatissimo : My First Gelato Experience

Yes, it’s my first time enjoying a cup of gelato. And all I can say is I don’t think I’m going back to eating plain ice cream very soon. Thanks to Gelatissimo CafeÂ at Trinoma!

If you’re not yet familiar what gelato is, it’s actually Italy’s variant of ice cream. It’s mostly made up of the same ingredients as other frozen dairy desserts, but the difference is how it’s frozen. Also, gelato is known to have less butterfat and sugar contents. I guess that’s why it became an instant hit here in the Philippines.

Kien and I desperately wanted to try gelato after readingÂ “Eat, Pray, Love”. Since we were scheduled to watch The Social Network at Trinoma, we decided to head out to Gelatissimo.

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