T.G.I. Friday’s in Eastwood City

Most of us look forward to Friday. It’s the end of a busy week and, at the same time, the start of a well-deserved weekend for all those who hustle and bustle at school or at work. It’s the ultimate day for relaxation and enjoyment. But, guess what, we don’t really need to wait for Friday just to have fun. With T.G.I. Friday’s infectious energy and with their excellent food and customer service, everyone would feel like it’s Friday every single day of the week!

T.G.I. Friday's Sign - CertifiedFoodies.com

After more than 15 years since setting up their first in 1994, T.G.I. Friday’s opens a new branch in Eastwood City, Libis. This is their 13th and now considered as their new flagship branch since it’s the location where the brand has decided to implement major changes in architectural and interior design. It is the first free-standing Friday’s branch. All of the other branches, as we all have known, are located in major shopping malls around the Metro.

T.G.I. Friday's Facade - CertifiedFoodies.com

From outside, the facade looks bright and very inviting. They have replaced the old canopies and awnings with movie theater-like sheds, giving the place a more modern feel. Almost everyone who comes to Friday’s has their own camera, and surely they wouldn’t be able to resist having their pictures taken with these life-size models of Superman; the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley; and the iconic, Marilyn Monroe.

T.G.I. Friday's Superman, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley - CertifiedFoodies.com

Friday’s is known for having an “artistic clutter” of memorabilia from decades as early as the ‘30s. Now they have decided to move forward in time by including pieces from later decades like the ‘80s, ‘90s, and even from the new millennium.

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Tupperware Speedy Chopper : Making Home-Cooked Meals Less of a Hassle

I love cooking. Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve loved staying in the kitchen, whether it’s to enjoy a meal or prepare something for myself or my family and friends. But, because of my very hectic schedules online and offline, I’ve left all the cooking to my bro Ken and our nanay. Thank goodness I found out about the all-new Tupperware Speedy Chopper.

Tupperware Speedy Chopper

Over a week ago, Ken and I were invited by Tupperware to take a Kitchen Discovery Class at Center for Culinary Arts Oceana at SM Mall of Asia. Of course, we gladly accepted mainly because Tupperware is a brand we believe in. We have Tupperware dinnerware and containers that have been with us for over 2 decades now. They make reliable and durable products that are made to last. 🙂

So, when we learned that they’re launching a new kitchen tool that should help prepping be less time-consuming, we knew we had to get our hands on it to try how it works.

Melody Yap, the brand manager of Tupperware Philippines, first showed us how it works. It’s so easy to use. Put in the ingredients you want to grind or chop finely in the container. Then, close it with the very sharp blades and start pulling on the cord to spin the three (3) blades inside. These blades, they claim, can equal 288 knife strokes in just 15 seconds. So we were all very excited to give it a try.

These very sharp blades can give you 288 knife strokes in 15 seconds

Tupperware enrolled us in the Kitchen Discovery Class in CCA and it started with 3 renowned female chefs (Yayyy! Girl power!) showing us how great the Speedy Chopper is in making your life easier in the kitchen.  They were all very delightful so we enjoyed watching them prepare these delicious dishes, Oh, and they used other Tupperware kitchen tools during the whole demo. 🙂

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Your All-Time Favorites at Flapjacks

A good restaurant values its customers’ opinions and suggestions. A way of showcasing this is when a certain dish makes a re-appearance on the menu due to popular demand from their avid patrons. And this is exactly what Flapjacks is doing now, by re-introducing four (4) of their signature dishes with Back…Better…Best!

You can start your meal by experiencing a nice play of textures and flavors with a plate of Mango Exotica. It’s a light but quite filling meal with a delightful mix of Romaine lettuce, sweet bites of California raisins, croutons, succulent grilled chicken slices, with almond slivers for that extra crunch, all tossed in a tangy and sweet mango vinaigrette.

Mango Exotica - Flapjacks - CertifiedFoodies

Mango Exotica (Lunch Php 195 | Dinner Php 325)

Another dish that is making a comeback is the Chicken Stuffed Parmigiana. It’s a plate of tender chicken breasts, stuffed with fresh cheddar cheese which are breaded then fried and topped on a bed of linguine pasta and marinara sauce.

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Chicken Stuffed Parmigiana (Php 325)

This one is a personal favorite. The Lemon-Pepper Pan Seared White Fish is a plate of heavenly flavors with its mildly seasoned white fish with freshly squeezed lemon and pepper, pan fried in olive oil. It is served with herb rice and chef’s veggies.

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Lemon-Pepper Pan Seared White Fish (Php 295)

The Original Hashbrown Burger closes the list of dishes for Flapjack’s “Back…Better…Best.” This huge burger is made up of mouth-watering pan-seared all-beef patty with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, topped with golden fried hash brown and American cheese, served with potato fries on the side.

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Original Hashbrown Burger (Php 350)

And of course, aside from the “Back…Better…Best” selection, there are lots of other dishes, desserts and beverages you can try at Flapjacks.

For our beverages, I ordered the Ginger’s Lemonade, which was an amazing discovery. I’m a huge fan of lemonades, but this interpretation was surprisingly good and very refreshing. And come on, I used to hate ginger, but now with this drink, I don’t think I’ll ever want my lemonade without it.

My sister Mhel opted for the Granny’s Favorite probably because she’s ancient and all that. 😀 Kidding. I pushed her on ordering this because I was very intrigued how a combination of apples, oranges, and grapes would taste like. And again, the drink was such a revelation. You would think it’s a smoothie of a single fruit if you don’t stop and really taste what’s in it.

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(Left) Ginger’s Lemonade – Php 75   |   (Right) Granny’s Favorite – Php 125

And to feed my obsession with hot wings, we ordered their Traditional Buffalo Wings. These are chicken wings lightly breaded, cooked to perfection, and served with bleu cheese dressing. Just the way I like it, the wings were very spicy and tangy because of the cayenne pepper hot sauce. And I loved how spooning out some bleu cheese dressing helped lessen the spiciness on my tongue.

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Traditional Buffalo Wings (Php 295)

We also ordered the New Orleans Seafood Gumbo, which is a plate of  sautéed cajun spiced shrimps, calamari, and dory fish, served with garlic rice. And a little running tip for those who would like to try this dish: Don’t forget to squeeze the lemon. If not, the dish would come off as too salty.

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New Orleans Seafood Gumbo (Php 265)

My sister and I really hope that this Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions will never leave Flapjacks’ menu. It was so good that my sister can’t stop raving about that Tex-Mex (Texan-Mexican) rice giving a nice complement to those moist and tender pork medallions.

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Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions (Php 345)

Lastly for dessert, though I was really craving for some cheesecake, we ordered a plate of Bread Pudding. This dessert was just of the right sweetness. And it would have been better if the bread pudding was warmer than it was to provide a nice contrast in temperature with the vanilla ice cream. Not Flapjacks’ fault though. It took me over 10 minutes to get the shot that I want, so it went cold.

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Bread Pudding (Php 195)

We dined at Flapjacks’ in Robinsons Place Manila Midtown. I loved the look and feel of the interiors, especially those light fixtures on the ceiling.

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And this is me drinking Granny’s Favorite. It was my sister who took the shot. I was busy thinking of what to say about the drink, hence the serious face. 😀

Me seriously thinking about what to say about Granny's Favorite

Flapjacks made our wishes come true by bringing back our all-time favorite dishes with “Back…Better…Best,” and now it’s our time to drop them a visit and indulge.

Flapjacks restaurants are located in Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center; Theater Mall, Greenhills; Al Fresco, Midtown; and UP Ayala Technohub. To receive special news and deals from Flapjacks, sign up at mybistro.com.ph or visit their website at flapjacks.com.ph.

Very Easy Homemade Quesadilla with Salsa Recipe

I am a big fan of Mexican food. I remember back in college, my friend and I would usually have lunch at this small Mexican food joint near our school in Quezon City. I forgot the name of the place (I’ll update this post when I remember / Update: The name of the place is Miggy’s! Thanks to my college lunch buddy Garet for remembering) , but I so love their Churros and Quesadilla.

The owner makes a really mean salsa that complements their chicken quesadilla. I never forgot how it tasted. And since then, I was always open for an any-day meal at any Mexican restaurant I can find.

I’ve already tried Mexicali and Taco Bell. But, I’m going to try them again just so I can write something fresh about them. I remember Taco Bell’s Quesadilla and salsa being too bland for my taste, especially when I compare it to that Mexican joint I used to frequent in college.

A few weeks ago, I was really craving for some Mexican food and I wanted to try to make quesadillas at home. So, we scoured the Landmark supermarket in Trinoma to find the ingredients I need. Unfortunately, though, not all that I wanted were available but I made sure that the salsa ingredients were complete. For me, that’s the most important part of the whole quesadilla experience – the slightly bitter-sweet and spicy flavors of the salsa mixed with the bit of saltiness of the chicken and the cheese in the quesadilla.

Here’s my own recipe of the chicken quesadilla. It’s so simple, anyone can make it at home. I’m proud to say that I got the right flavors on my salsa that my brother and I forgot all about our limits. It was THAT good… well, for us. And I know you’re going to enjoy this, too.

Some may prefer guacamole or sour cream for their quesadilla. I love salsa though, but I’m going to try these other dips/sauces next time.

For the salsa, you can take out the cumin or garlic powder if you’re making this for your kids since they might not like these strong flavors. You can also click site here if you’d like to read reviews of the best quesadilla makers if you want to get a more authentic quesadilla look and feel.

Chicken Quesadilla with salsa - CertifiedFoodies.com

Chicken Quesadilla and Salsa Recipe

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