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Author: Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

  • 2nd Philippine King of Lion Dance Championship

    2nd Philippine King of Lion Dance Championship

    Lion dance is a sports activity integrated with martial arts, dancing and music. It is commonly exhibited in the streets during Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival. But it is not only during these times that lion dancing is performed. Most Chinese (and Filipino) business owners also invite lion dance troupes to sashay in the opening of their new stores and establishments for blessings and for scaring the evil spirits away. Usually, there is only a single lion dance group that can be seen performing in one event; rarely do we witness several ensembles in one.

    Yesterday we didn’t have to look far for more, as we attended the 2nd Philippine King of Lion Dance championship 第二屆菲律賓舞獅之王錦標賽. The event was held at the ground floor of Robinsons Otis, Manila from 2PM to 5PM. Admission was for free.

    Sponsors comprised of Robinsons Otis, Ariel Javelosa Photography and Video, IBC 13 Chinatown TV, Mr. Mario Tan 陳德通 King Bee Chinese Food, Deutsche Motogerate Inc., Manila Divisoria Lions Club, Shine Gaz, Coach Shirt and Jeans and 菲律濱延陵吳氏宗親總會.

    So another record in the world of lion dancing was made in history. Now I just feel compelled to write about it. Actually, I was one of the participants… Me, a lion?

    Not quite; I was one of the emcees. ☺

    The Judges and the Rules

    As always, in any competition, perspective is tricky player. So, strict rules were implemented for every judge to follow.

    Chief judge was the president of Philippine Dragon and Lion Union himself, Shifu Arnold Buenviaje, who happens to also be my shifu in wushu.

    Timer judges were Shifu Jeffrey Lock and Shifu Manuel Sy, who had to oversee the duration of every performance. Time limit was set at a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 13 minutes. Deductions were given for any fraction of a minute that was over or under the time limit.

    The panel of scoring judges was composed of Shifu Victor Mapa, Shifu Gilbert Tan, Shifu Christian Sheldon Buenviaje, Shifu Benjamin Villaran, Shifu Leo Cheng, and Shifu Kenneth Sy. They had to base their judgment on the five aspects, which total to 10 points:
    1. The outer look of the lion, the costume, the etiquette, the design of the props, the arrangement of routine (low and high) ~ 1 point
    2. The coordination of the head and tail, stance, and footwork ~ 1 point
    3. Lion and Music coordination ~ 2 points
    4. Shape performance ~ 3 points; and
    5. Difficulty ~ 3 points.

    The total score was deducted from 0.1 to 1, depending on the number of mistakes the lion will committed during the routine.

    In charge of tabulating the scores from the judges were Cheri Ladd Lu, Anne Tan, and Abigail dela Paz. Their role was to compute for the final net score, disregarding the highest and the lowest scores and only taking the average of the remaining three scores.

    Special Guests

    Special guests were also present. Just to name-drop a dash, they included Mr. Tan She Ling 黃福清先生, President of Wushu Federation Philippines 菲律賓武術協會理事長; Mr. Julian Camacho 吳華彬先生, Treasurer of Philippine Olympic Committee 菲律賓奧林匹克委員會財政主任; Mr. Mario Tan 陳德通先生, Chairman of Ming Sheng Wushu Association 明勝武術會董事長; and Mr. Alfred Fernandez, Executive Director of Chi Ching Wushu Association 菲華志清學會武術社.

    The King of Lion Dance Competition Proper

    After the contestants had gone oath-swearing, the audience broke into cheers and applause as Mr. Julan Camacho banged the gong to officiate the start of the competition.

    First team to compete was Mantis Wushu Philippines 明忠螳螂武術會 (light yellow lion) with members:
    Team Leader: Anne Tan
    Head: Psylyx Paras
    Tail: Alfon Ang
    Drummer: Scott So
    Cymbals: Ashlyn Mae Tanojera
    Cymbals: Leslie Guerrera
    Gong: Jesse Yap

    Second team was Chi Ching Wushu Association 菲華志清學會武術社 (violet lion) with members:
    Team Leader: Alfred Fernandez
    Head: Erwin Loo
    Tail: Mark Co Reyes
    Drummer: Matthew Laurenaria
    Cymbal: Jo Danielle Advincula
    Cymbal: Erica Chua
    Gong: Reylwin Ngan-Oy Cana

    Third team was Pagoda Philippines Athletic Association Team A 菲律濱寶塔體育會A 隊 (orange lion) with members:
    Team Leader: Benjamin Villaran
    Head: Ervin Zerna
    Tail: Nino Jorge Amarille
    Drummer: Johannes Cirilo
    Cymbal: Jackylyn Laurence Medina
    Cymbal: Felix Salvador
    Gong: Kimbelyn Joy Palisoc

    Fourth team was Sukuang Wushu Center  曙光武術中心 (green lion) which was made of up members:
    Team Leader: Christian Sheldon Buenviaje
    Head: Reylwin Ngan-Oy Cana
    Tail: Alvin Thompson Tan
    Drummer: Matthew Laurenaria
    Cymbal: Marigold Go
    Cymbal: Jo Danielle Mei Advincula
    Gong: Devin Tan

    Fifth team was the Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe (pink lion) which had the following members:
    Team Leader: Cheri Evangelista
    Head: Joseph Dal Jr.
    Tail: Rhyan Ang Sy
    Drummer: Jackylyn Laurence Medina
    Cymbal: Johannes Cirilo
    Cymbal: Felix Salvador
    Gong: Kimberlyn Joy Palisoc

    And last but not least was the sixth team, Ming Sheng Wushu Association 明勝武術隊 (yellow gold lion), with members:
    Team Leader: Mario Tan
    Head: Scott So
    Tail: Charles Ivan Po
    Drummer: Derwin Tan
    Cymbal: Leslie Guerrera
    Cymbal: Jessa Aparejedo
    Gong: Jesse Yap

    As you may have noticed, there were some members who took part in more than one group and joined in the musical accompaniment. This is because there had been recent manpower problems pertaining to the pullout of teams. Hence, the organizer allowed the borrowing of troupe members to ensure the continuity of the competition.

    Visually Striking Lion Dance

    “Wow” is that one word that sums up the performances of all contenders. Made up of two people forming the head and the tail, each of the lions jumped up the chairs and tables and did wonderful stunts and stances to please the judges and audiences.

    Being cloaked inside a heavy garment while shivering in cold out of nervousness was a challenge in itself. Working their way from the initial signaling (four clacks) of the drums to the end and dancing without falling to the ground was another feat. Each team must complete their routine and remain in sync with the rhythm of the drum, cymbals and gong.

    Each lion performed creative and original choreography, with each starting off with a highly dynamic performance embarking on a journey to find the cheng (a flower). For spending two months to train for this competition, it must have taken them sheer determination and strong passion to showcase the art of lion dancing.

    Thankfully, no one got badly injured, although there was one team which accidentally fell from the platforms. Still, the show must go on; they continued and finished their presentation despite knowing that they’ve lost significant marks already. The addiction to the thrill of the challenge may have also contributed a lot to power up their persistence and confidence. Thanks to Soler First Aid team volunteers, their injuries had properly been taken care of afterwards.

    In essence, regardless of how complicated the sequences of kick after high kick after high kick went, they had to put everything under control. Rightfully, I commend them for managing to master this juggling act. My heart was pounding in every performance, as I could feel both their stress and pressure throughout. This was apart from me together with my co-emcee, Janet Tiu—thinking what ad-libs we’d throw in our next lines.

    Granting of Certificates and Awarding Ceremony

    While waiting for the score of the final team to be out, Mr. Mario Tan gave out the certificates to participants of the competition. I was surprised to also have one.

    The awarding ceremony followed suit. Third-runner up was Chi Ching Wushu Association; second-runner up was Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe; first-runner up was Sukuang Wushu Center; and the [returning] champion was Ming Sheng Wushu Association.

     

    Photo credit: Camille Po

    Congratulations to all winners!

    Bravo to the participants, for the entertainment and inspiration you have given to the next year’s competition ahead.

  • Slimming Treatment at Marie France Bodyline (Part 2)

    Slimming Treatment at Marie France Bodyline (Part 2)

    I had shared my experience with Marie France slimming treatments back in October 29, 2011 when I was in Singapore. Since then, organic searches landing on my post to date came up to 695. Whoa. I was surprised to find out that there’s this much people searching for testimonies about Marie France.

    Keywords they use tell me that people are interested with how much the treatments of Marie France are along with testimonies of their slimming treatments and packages.

    But I think the most critical question to ask here is “How effective are they?”

    From forum discussions, I picked up that there are tremendously many negative comments written about MF. Personally, I wanted to try their service; that’s why I acquired a few and asked some scientific backgrounds on their quick-fix treatments.

    Nothing technical or logical was explained thoroughly ~ but the steps of their procedures. MF is fond of using cold body wraps and electronic machines that will massage your “fatty” body parts until they perspire.

    Because of the dehydration, your body part will appear thinner. In your mind, you’ll think that you have accomplished something ideal because of the sweat (that you won’t produce sans exercise). Before you know it, the “fatty” body parts will just balloon back to the original.

    Contrary to what their friendly staffs are saying, losing 1 cm in a body wrap session is impossible. In reality, you have to purchase about dozens of sessions, and these will have to continue for years. Their packages will be addicting, and you will be more encouraged to extend the plan with their promotional offers.

    Price range of their packages goes around PHp 20,000 to PHp 300,000. So if you’re eyeing on any of their shining-shimmering-splendid options, be prepared to shell out this amount of cash. Consultations, advice and some trial sessions are for free though, to welcome you to the party.

    Marie France’s treatments must be somehow effective, else their business won’t be running for years in the industry. Or maybe, they have the best known and implemented strategy which is to hire the best marketers and train them effectively to pull off the best sales pitches in convincing people to attend to their services.

    As mentioned before, nothing beats good exercise and diet. The human body burns calories from within. This means that we burn calories in the form of fat via adrenaline and not by having complicated machines and slimming gels activate our sweat glands.

    Despite all these said, if you’re like me who’s an adventurer and still would want to try MF, no one can stop you.

    Be a bold witness and write your own commentary.

    Expect one good thing: Like spa treatments, MF treatments are relaxing. Theirs can be a diversion from the monotonous drone of daily chores, a way out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, an oasis in a desert of tedious work.

  • Thank God in Advance, as Inspired by Joel

    Since last year, I have been listening to Joel Osteen’s podcasts. It is his voice that makes my heart tingle. The moment when his words move me does not choose its location. I give a slight nod of agreement and appreciation and even shed a tear. One of his invaluable messages is to thank God in advance. He suggests that we don’t ask God for what we need but instead praise and thank Him for it.

    Joel provides a good example when he promised his daughter that he’ll buy her a car when she reaches a certain age. Rather than ask repeatedly when her father is going to give her the car key, she thanked him every time (in advance) and praises him for being a kind and loving dad.

    Now, if you’re the dad, wouldn’t you want to hear these sweet sentiments instead of the constant reminding and begging in a form of nagging to buy her the car? In normal pretenses, I know that most of us would agree.

    In the same way, God assures that He’ll give us what we thank Him for at the right time. We just have to take one day at a time and trust Him each step of the way as He performs magic to grant our wish. While waiting, put in mind that He’s busy conforming us continually as He’s not done yet with any of us.

    This week has been so much stressful I’m thankful that I had made all work done successfully. I lived through an endless frenetic hustle. Even if I could choose to rest instead of finishing more analysis papers and articles, and even if there was like something facing me at my desk urging to make some excuse to get out of the responsibility, I did a conscious decision to continue forth. I suppose this is because I want to invest my time and efforts to the best of my capacity instead of regretting of not working harder to pay all due duties.

    Yes, I don’t have any slight disagreement with the quote “Life is too short to be busy.” But in every hour of these demanding days, I thought that life would only make sense when I finish everything and attain good rewards after. No one has ever guaranteed that this makes sense. I’ll try to make it so.

    I have my heart on my sleeve. I can hear each beat. Because of the pressure, every pulse is quickly followed by another one; therefore, I know I’m alive.

    I thank God in advance for: MORE QUIET TIMES, THE CAR I WANT TO BUY, SWEET FAMILY VACATIONS, GOOD HEALTH THAT WILL NEVER FAIL ME, MORE PROJECTS UPCOMING and PATIENCE TO WITHSTAND MY CLOCKWORK ROUTINES.

    I’m praising God in advance for what is to come and what I know He is able to do.

  • Review of Little Asia (Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo)

    Review of Little Asia (Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo)

    Two Fridays ago, Mom sent me an SMS telling that they were at Lucky Chinatown Mall and I should come over after work for dinner. Since they had stayed there long enough, I thought they have settled for a restaurant where we would be “pigging out.” But they didn’t.

    Where oh where should we eat? is forevermore a challenging question to answer.

    Chinese restos were aplenty, of course; we were in Chinatown. Mom favored King Chef. At 9PM-12AM, they offer 50% discount on all dimsum. Another choice was Tao Yuan as featured by ChinoyTV in one of their past episodes.

    However, we were fagged in seeing the same food staples on the menu of almost every restaurant. The last things I want to order are: fried rice, noodles and dimsum. Though they may taste a little different from one another—with prices varying according to the plating or food presentation and the prestige of the restaurant, they are still one and the same thing.

    My sister and I kept going and located Little Asia at the ground floor of the mall. We read the menu and found extensive “new-to-us” food items of Asian fusion: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Filipino, Malaysian and Indian ~ all in! I asked the waiter if they also have peso-vegetarian/vegan-friendly dishes. He pointed them out—we counted  

    ♩♪♫♬ 1 [Little] 2 [Little] 3 [Little Asia], 4 [Little]… ♩♪♫♬

    Okay, they had enough. (Here’s the link to their menu, for reference.) And here’s my unbiased take on Little Asia:

    Review of Little Asia (Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    The strip mall location was funky and fun. Little Asia has two doors—one opening from inside the mall and one outside. The outside arena was designed like the one in Bugis Junction, Singapore. I just missed that feeling of being able to visit there during free weekends. Everything in sight was picture-perfect.

    Adjacent to Chatime, Little Asia shined with gigantic chandeliers lit on the ceiling. The nondescript beige wallpapers complemented the bold and intricately-designed red cushioned chairs. Tables were tightly packed, with other Chinese families having dinner. The restaurant was pleasantly decorated, making the ambiance classy, intimate and alluring.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    The waiter graciously sat us. He recommended the best sellers on the menu. When he learned that we’re not exactly meat-eaters, he proposed the idea of taking away poultry and meat from the originally “carnivorous” viands and replacing them with vegetables they had in stock. For the rest of their service, I can’t think of any critical thing to say.

    Food: ★★★★★

    First in our order list was the Japanese Tofu Steak which arrived hot with pan-fried tofu, shredded chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and kuchay. The sauce was delicious with rice. The tofu was soft and tender. Writing about this makes me hungry. Vegetable substitutes did not compromise the integrity of the dish.

    The second a la carte we had was Little Asia’s specialty: sautéed prawns with melted cheese and cream sauce, better known as “Cantonese Prawns.” It’s considered as a classic dish of marinated prawns tasting salty contrasted with a little bit of sweetness. I wasn’t planning on having dairy on a night like this. But small proportion did not do any harm.

    Next up was the Mandarin Orange Chicken, another dish that’s well-celebrated in Little Asia. I have long been restricting my diet to zero portions of chicken because of allergies, but this one came out as an exemption. It’s composed of diced crispy chicken coated in fresh bittersweet orange sauce ~ nothing you will hate. Little Asia’s version of the Mandarin Orange Chicken is a lip-smacking delicacy. Other reviews posted on the net tell likewise.

    Last for the night was a neat plate of steamed fish fillets wrapped in bacon coated with teriyaki glaze. This food should exceed your expectations. It took 20 minutes to cook, but it was worth the wait! The texture, flavor, and aroma of everything in this dish were immaculate.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    I can’t believe anyone would give this establishment any less than five stars for food. The only downside maybe is the price. Quite costly leh…I guess this just proves that dining experience of this pretty high caliber comes with a hefty price tag.

  • My Top 12 Car Picks

    My Top 12 Car Picks

    One of the topics I hate to deal with is cars, despite that our family business works with different companies providing automobile parts.

    I gained interest only since last month. I know how to drive but I don’t have the driver’s license yet. We had a car which was sold because of Daddy’s accident. Without a driver in our family and a car to drive, I’d want to fulfill both the position and the vehicle. And that’s for next year!

    My target is June 2013. I have a budget set for it already. My confidence level in driving manual transmission cars is okay. People around me say that driving automatic transmission cars would be pretty easier. The stop and go (gas) pedals are all I need to press on and manage. I am excited for the new experience — I’d be at the back of the steering wheel taking control after over 20 years of being a public commuter in the passenger’s seat.

    Problem is, I don’t know how to appreciate and even distinguish car brands, models and categories apart from one another. I did not know which to aim for, until last night. Haha.

    When we were not allowed to enter our rooms because the wood parquet (floor) has been newly painted, I did not have anything else to do. My laptop and everything I need were inside. So after dinner, I asked Mom for a mother-and-daughter bonding time. We went to the second floor, upper and lower ground floors of our condominium to hunt for cars.

    The parking lot was huge, filled with top of the line models of automobiles. We treated it as a showroom instantly available for our access with a free pass. Here are the top 12 cars, in no particular order, that seem promising — promising enough that I’d choose one of them for my own (or if I had the money and liberty to get them all, I sure will!).

    1. Honda City 1.5 E AT

    2. Honda CRV 2.0

    3. Honda Civic 1.8 S AT

    4. Honda Accord 2.4S

    5. Toyota Innova 2.0 E VVT-i AT

    6. Toyota RAV4 4×2

    7. Hyundai Sonata GLS

    8. Hyundai Grand Starex

    9. Hyundai Tucson 2L Theta

    10. Hyundai Accent GL 1.4L AT

    hyundai accent

    11. Hyundai Elantra 1.6 GL AT

    12. Kia Sportage DLX D-CVVT 4×4

    Deciding factors are:

    • Design
    • Seating Capacity
    • Price
    • Resale Value
    • Safety Standards
    • Maintenance
    • Gas Mileage
    • Fuel Efficiency

    As this will be my most expensive purchase ever, like a million others, I’d want this car to be perfect for me. Ah, perfect. That word is a hot one.

    Pictures are from AutoIndustriya.com.

     

  • Review of The Burger Project (Taft Avenue, Manila)

    Review of The Burger Project (Taft Avenue, Manila)

    Yesterday I hanged out with two of my best girl friends since college, Gianne and Henshel, who I call by the first letter of their names, G and H, respectively. We always have conflicting and busy schedules. Thank goodness I did not have work this Saturday, hence our wonderful meetup came to pass.

    H recommended The Burger Project. When I learned that it’s a vegan-friendly restaurant and it has a branch near our alma mater, I was really very excited to give it a try.

    After graduation, we had visited DLSU at most only five times. So we are not familiar with new restaurants and buildings in the area anymore. In fact, we were not sure how to get to Grand Towers where The Burger Project (BRGR) is, despite the handy guidelines advised by people on the web and access to online maps. So the three of us said we’d first meet at the South Gate before walking to the venue.

    While waiting for my two girlies, I entered the school with my sister and reminisced sweet memories around every hall and corner in the LS building, the Marian quadrangle, SJ walk and the main library. Oh, everything is still sublime, indeed. This place (in the picture) used to be my sanctuary whenever Planet Gox stresses me out. big grin

    I stayed at the cyber nook and went to the DLSU Alumni Association office to inquire about the renewal of my alumni card. Gosh, the card costs PHp 500 for a year and PHp 3,900 for a lifetime. Benefits include entrance to the school, free use of swimming pool in the Sports Complex, discounts at some affiliate stores and subscription to the Rektikano magazine. I thought I won’t have the luxury of time to visit often so I’d rather spend PHp 500 on other more important stuff.

    Finally at lunch time, we made it to The Burger Project easily!

     

    Review of The Burger Project (Taft Avenue, Manila)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    There are many burger joints in Manila. The Burger Project is one among the many that stands out, as it offers customers personalization — the freedom to choose ingredients to add into the burger. The atmosphere was friendly to youngsters, with colorful walls and accents, big, helpful signages and creatively decorated menu on the wall behind the counter.

    Nice tunes, perfectly dim lights and the sense of modernity added to its all-embracing appeal. Yet what took the rating one star down was the lack of optimal air conditioning in some areas of the restaurant.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    To order food, we had to fill out an order form where items to complete the burger are written already with prices.

    The cashier only had to take the sum of all the ingredients, mention them to the one preparing the food, stack the form to the “finished” pile and take the payment. Food was served to our table after a few minutes. The waiter was friendly and accommodating to take our pictures.

    Food: ★★★★★

    Yay! I can now vouch for a vegan burger in the world — to be specific, this one at The Burger Project. Originally, I ordered the concoction of: tofu BRGR, oatmeal bun, garlic cream cheese with pesto sauce. But the oatmeal bun was unavailable, so I chose the potato bun as its substitute. Did it taste like potato? No. That was sad. On the bright side, the put-together ROCH burger (yup, I had to name the burger after me) was immensely satisfying! It tasted beyond the regular vegan-style burger. It’s not fake meat made of gluten but made of tofu with spices and sauce.

    I’m not any bit of a burger harlot, but I have tried burger hither and tither. So far, The Burger Project’s tofu BRGR is first in my list that has actually stood up to its acclaim. I purposely did not choose to add many frills because I wanted to test the tofu, pesto with garlic cream cheese only. This burger, in taste and texture, uniqueness, and presentation, turned out to step up from other fast food type burgers. I bet G and H’s burgers were as fantabuulous! Sizes were big, too, especially G’s.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    Nicely proportioned, perfectly charred, juicy, the right bun, and everything else A+. There’s no more questioning to it; burgers here are the best for the cost. I shelled out PHp 140 in exchange for a great burger, great experience and great catching up with my best pals.

  • Review of Marina Seafood Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)

    Review of Marina Seafood Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)

    Thanks to Ensogo.ph, we had a reason to wake up super early last Thursday. Mom bought us a voucher that saved us 50% off the actual bill from Marina Seafood Grill. For this promotion, Marina is open to customers from Monday to Thursday, 7AM to 10AM.

    Joined by two long-time family friends, Auntie Chit and Uncle George, we filled our tummies with a heavy authentic Filipino breakfast that was more than enough to have us pass food for lunch and afternoon snack. And for the record, we had experienced eating breakfast buffet on a work day, together!

    Review of Marina Seafood Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    Because it rained the other day, the breeze outside was more inviting than the cool air-conditioning inside. Apart from us, there were more diners who preferred to eat outside facing the bay. The restaurant was clean both in and out.

    Service: ★★☆☆☆

    We arrived with a reservation. Welcoming was quite informal. I handed the printed voucher and immediately we stood by the buffet table and began our food adventure.

    Marina Seafood Grill earns 2/5 stars from me not because of the self-service. Self-service is usually the case for buffet meals anyway. This means that we had to clear plates, get food and silverware and refill drinks on our own. What’s disheartening was that replenishment of every food in the buffet wares took so long. Waiters were not particularly attentive enough to monitor the depletion of food outside; they had to be called before taking action! Perhaps there was no motivation to provide better service since diners (well, most) had already paid in advance through Ensogo as well.

    Another cause of our dismay was that creamer for coffee became out of stock. This indicates that there’s poor restaurant management; they were not able to forecast the right inventory for everyday customers. Their coffee was too thick. Without the creamer, nobody intended to even get coffee anymore.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    Replete with light food with all kinds, the buffet table was a feast for the eyes. Especially for breakfast, at this time they served garlic rice, plain rice, DIY salad with dressing, fresh fruits (watermelon, mango and papaya), corn soup, beef-base soup with hor fun, scrambled eggs, hotdogs, pork sausages, chicken, pancit, mirliton pear (sayote), bread (pan de sal), pancakes with strawberry jam, butter and honey, dried salted fish (tuyo), pineapple juice, orange juice and DIY coffee.

    On a neutral note, food was mediocre and some were even sub par. There was nothing downright wrong. But there was nothing impressive either. With every chomp, they were all as familiar as our typical home-cooked breakfast dishes. Two words: Just average.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    Marina Seafood Grill is worth a try to any buffet lovers or mouths in search of good home-cooked breakie. Original price is PHp 169 per person but because of the deal, each of us paid only half of that. There’s no added service charge. Overall, we certainly got a whole lot of good food from our buck here.

    Word of warning though: Don’t come here for breakfast without a discounted meal pass. Price is definitely not worth it. The food isn’t anything to write home about. Most of them are also not worth the calories.

    Marina Seafood Grill has a different menu for regular meals. Maybe that’s where they can be more proud of their Ilonggo dishes.

    Marina Seafood Grill
    SM MOA Branch, 116-117 Veranda North Wing Entertainment Building, SM Mall of Asia JW Diokno Boulevard, Pasay City (near Gerry’s Grill)

  • Review of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (One E-Com Center, Pasay City)

    Review of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (One E-Com Center, Pasay City)

    I must confess I’m not into pizzas and pastas. They taste pretty much all the same, in all the restaurants. I mean for pizzas, the universal base would be mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and the crust. They only differ in the proportions and types of toppings and condiments you can add. When combined, assuming the cheese has not gone beyond its expiration date, the crust is not stale and the tomatoes are not rotten, they don’t taste bad. At least, they are acceptably palatable; that’s why pizzas are one of the best chosen comfort food in the world.

    On the other hand, pastas would always consist in either tomato sauce (red), white sauce (milky and creamy) or pesto (green) and the pasta noodles. Regardless the type of pasta noodles, they taste all taste also the same!

    My amalgamated taste buds are in search of fresh and mixed flavors. Not many pizza-and-pasta restaurants receive good score from me. And certainly, Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria is one of those which failed the test.

    Menu: Review of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (One E-Com Center, Pasay City)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    The place seemed laid-back. The couch was comfortable to sit on. The printed walls were dainty. There’s plenty of room for everyone. It can house large groups. Tables can be merged and chairs can be adjoined. The TV was left hanging but not turned on. There was no music playing on the backgound either. So it can be a good hangout place for friends to chit-chat for hours.

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    Service staff was quick but not friendly.  The service was three-star worthy — the attendant was able to give our food, drinks, napkins, toothpicks, and bill easily without a hassle.

    Food: ★☆☆☆☆

    Everything on the menu, as you can see above in the pictures, looked decent. We ordered three types of pastas: pesto, pasta al tonno (tuna) and carbonara. The pesto pasta did not taste like pesto at all. It came with beans and potatoes, which like the pesto, were very bland and absolutely had no flavor. Maybe the chef was inebriated? Maybe he forgot to add in salt and other spices? I’d like to think that way, but another reason could be that they just want to be enlisted as the restaurant which serves the top worst pesto pasta ever. Our own cooking is 10 times, if not more, better!

    If my descriptions are not enough, try following these instructions to sample the dish yourself: Buy pasta and cook it according to package directions to al dente. Drain and set aside the pasta water after about 15 minutes. Add boiled sliced beans and potatoes and transfer them onto individual serving plates together with the pasta. Serve and eat. Can you expect to taste pesto in there? Of course not, because there was none. That’s okay. But in Joey Pepperoni, we could actually see the pesto bits. Unfortunately, it tasted as if there weren’t. I didn’t bother to finish this almost inedible food.

    If I’d give the pesto pasta a rating of 0/10, the tuna pasta can take one point higher. The hint of tuna was more evident, but it was lacking some seasoning. Although, I must say that their pasta al tonno can be perfect as hospital food to suit patients whose appetite is impaired.

    The carbonara was thick in traditional creamy alfredo sauce, topped bacon bits and parmesan cheese. Among the three, this was the most comestible. Still, it was ordinary and there was nothing to be really happy about.

    Thinking that their signature dish is the Joey pepperoni pizza, we got it as a safe bet — big mistake! Joey Pepperoni’s overloaded pepperoni favorite was soggy and uninspiring; it was nothing like we’re used to. Like a microwaved day old pizza, it was doughy and also greasy. If the Joey pepperoni pizza has to be the indication of how good the rest of their offerings are, then I have to remind myself (and in part, all of you) to avoid going to this pizzeria and meet disappointment.

    Price for Value: ★☆☆☆☆

    The portion sizes were very generous. Not judging the taste of the food, prices were okay. But what’s the use of having plenty and huge servings of dishes priced at affordable rates when they are not any scrumptious? …None.

    So this is the end of my review. You may check in another day and tell me how it fared for you. When you share the same judgment as me, the best you can do is drink more iced tea or grab anything from the drinks section. 🙂

    Have you tried dining in Joey Pepperoni before? If yes, what do you think of their food and how do you rate the restaurant overall? If no, what pizza and pasta restaurant can you best recommend?

    Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (near McDonald’s)
    Ground Level, One E-Com Center Harbor Drv. cor. Sunset Avenue, Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City, Philippines

    UPDATE on December 9, 2012: This branch of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria has closed down, after I wrote this post. 😯