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Category: Pasay

  • Review of Swensen’s Strawberry In Love (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Review of Swensen’s Strawberry In Love (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    In the past weeks, I swear I can already feel that summer has come. Yay! It’s my favorite season of the year and I hope it stays for long. Summer can lead us to imagine usual summery things such as having fun in the beach, sunbathing, wearing skimpy outfits, spending vacation, tripping with family and friends, and of course, eating cold and sweet treats like ICE CREAM!

    [With Ann Purificacion]

    Before the coming of so many tea shops, coffee shops and frozen yogurt joints in the country, ice cream parlors had been our go-to place to hang out and enjoy conversations with friends. From the usual ice cream in cone and in bread, we now have all sorts of variations like ice cream on soda, ice cream mixed with other desserts, ice cream sandwiches, etc.

    Just in time, Swensen’s from San Francisco, California has brought two other variations for your palates: Strawberry Crepe and Strawberry Chocolate Lava. C’est magnifique!

    With two blogger friends, I came to Swensen’s (MOA) to have a first taste of both these ice cream viands. Swensen’s Philippines Marketing Manager Ace Azarraga offered a handshake and introduced himself, upon my entrance. He welcomed us as part of the event and told us about Swensen’s formidable team headed by Lizzie Guerrero (owner and general manager).

    [With Aldous Calubad]

    Review of Swensen’s Strawberry In Love (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Can you believe that this restaurant/ice parlor has been established 65 years ago? Whoa, I couldn’t! Yes, Swensen’s has been serving over 180 flavors of ice cream since 1948.

    I first caught a glimpse of Swensen’s and dined in this restaurant in Singapore with my work mates. I must say that they have consistent interior designs in all their branches, including this one in Mall of Asia, Philippines. The light background music, cool temperature, and the modern layout of the area helped to convince customers to stay and feel satisfied throughout.

    Service: ★★★★★

    While waiting, the staff asked me if I wanted to have pasta and pizza. Since I already had lunch, I didn’t want to stuff my stomach with heavy red or white sauce pasta anymore. Instead, I went for 1.5 slices of super thin crust Hawaiian pizza. It was nothing commendable, so let’s drop it from the topic. I appreciate the good customer service, though.

    Before long, we rushed to the counter to see how Swensen’s staff prepare the featured ice cream sundaes. Oh boy, they had me at “Hello.” 😛

    Food: ★★★★★

    The Strawberry Crepe can make you feel in love, with the food under your nose. The cream had decent frothy goodness and surprisingly, the crepe was so soft and smooth that it can catch you off guard. It was not fried and it was not hot. The taste of chocolate syrup blended with the vanilla and strawberry ice creams well.

    Secondly, the Strawberry Chocolate Lava was presented neatly with a small rounded chocolate fudge, swirly whipped cream, bits of frozen strawberries and strawberry ice cream. When I combined all these ingredients in each bite, what I found was a revelation. Whew!

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    Crepes, ice creams and sundaes aren’t anything new, but Swensen’s most endearing feature is that it offers classy ice creams and treats with a static meniscus of tasteful loveliness.

    Price does not come cheap. These beauties cost PHp 250 each. Well, I guess you can pamper yourself once this time, as the Strawberry Crepe and Strawberry Chocolate Lava are exclusively offered only from February to April this year in two branches: SM Mall of Asia and Eastwood Mall. Hurry now and grab yourself one or more of them! ‘Strawberry in Love’ can be an effective pick-me-upper or hangover cure. 😀

    Swensen’s Philippines
    G/F SM Mall of Asia, South Wing, Seaside Drive Manila Bay Reclamation Area, Pasay
    For inquiries, contact (02) 804-0046; (02) 565-4655

  • Review of The LaB Gastropub Oceana (SM By the Bay, Pasay City)

    Review of The LaB Gastropub Oceana (SM By the Bay, Pasay City)

    Last week, we ate in a restaurant where foodies can probably endure hours of long waits. It’s a neat space located near Vikings by the bay in the MOA compound. Recommended by my work teammates, LAB Gastropub Oceana was where we celebrated the baby shower of Wendy (also one of my teammates) who will be delivering a baby girl two weeks from now. It was supposed to be a surprise party for her, prepared by all of us together with her husband.

    The plan was that her husband would pick her up after work and invite her to take a stroll inside the mall and have dinner afterwards. Wendy admitted that she quite felt that something fishy was going on when the hubby said they were going to the LAB, as he did not know a lot of places in SM Mall of Asia (Pasay City), especially this restaurant. Anyway, they called a taxi to get to the location only to find out that some of our colleagues were already set in a long table having their first few bites of the food.

    Yet she still didn’t feel so convinced that we were all meeting up for a “special occasion.” She only came up to the realization when the table was much filled with everyone she knows (including two past colleagues). To cut the story short, we dined, talked about our excitement to welcome their baby to the world and joined Wendy while she happily opened the gifts.

    Review of The LaB Gastropub Oceana (SM By the Bay, Pasay City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    As you can see in the following pictures, this pub looks clean and friendly to customers. There were no stools along the bar’s counter, but there chairs and tables were aplenty in the dining area.

    The walls were of glass and unvarnished brick. The kitchen had a transparent window, so we could see the chefs (who I heard are students from Center for Culinary Arts, Manila) from our seats and watch them operate pans and ovens, like we were lucky guests in their home.

    The place has an extended room, which is now still being fixed and decorated. Soon, it will be open for bigger events and gatherings.

    I guess it makes perfect sense when the restaurant is named The Lab, as liquors in different bottles and sexy glasses (not in test tubes) were all over.

    The crowd was just laid back and low key. No one was dressed up, talking loudly on cell phones (or talking loudly with everyone else), and the only jerk snapping photos of food and each portion in the pub busily was me. 😛 While the other bars around the same area feature loud music, LAB Gastropub offers a cool ambiance where you can be relaxed.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    In my opinion, service barely matters when it comes to buffet settings. Customers had to take their own plates and place whatever food to their liking. The only thing that should be considered for the gauge in customer service was if the staff were fast in refilling food in the food warmers. I must commend the few waiters walking around as they were attentive enough to fulfill this role.

    They also moved around tables to ask for drink options, as the buffet includes not only food but also water, juices and cocktails. We felt taken care of by the servers who tended to everyone.

    Food and Drinks: ★★★☆☆

    LAB Gastropub offers Western dishes with a Filipino twist. What’s weird (in a good way, maybe) is that they have different dishes every day. I also noticed that they do not refill the same food variety when one has been eaten all up. So you can be surprised what food they would next place in the buffet table in your next round of visit. You can dine in there every day consecutively in a week without getting tired of eating the same food!

    For the beverages, we had the following selection of cocktails: they have caipirinha (PHp 155), pina colada (PHp 120), spritzer (PHp 195), AMF (PHp 145), mojito (PHp 140), polynesian punch (PHp 145), ChiChi (Php 120), French connection (PHp 160), rhumtini (Php 120), screwdriver (PHp 105), michelada (Php 165), tequila sunrise PHp 120), gimlet (PHp 105), martini royale (PHp 175), blue frost (PHp 105), black mamba (PHp 145), long islad iced tea (PHp 145) and red frost (PHp 145).

    Note that these prices are the selling prices when you are to order them individually outside the happy hour. Also available in the buffet were: pineapple juice (PHp 70), mango juice (PHp 80), orange juice (PHp 70), and four seasons (PHp 80).

    Moving on, I closely watched the bartender mix the liquids in the drink and tried to take a sip of the Caribbean temptation and blue frost.

    The Caribbean temptation was made up of orange concentrated syrup, tequila and grenadine. I asked why there must be salt and the reason provided was that in a world of citrusy, sugary drinks that can all taste alike, the taste of salt will make the difference. It added a complementing taste to the punch which made it more pleasant.

    The tequila sunrise was a concoction of orange, mango and pineapple. Originally, the color is red but when mixed, the drink turns to a gradient orange like a real sunrise. Amazing! The blue frost consisted of the blue curacao, sprite, pineapple and vodka. This latter one had a stronger liquor taste which I didn’t like. 😯


    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    We went for the eat-and-drink all-you-can ~ happiest hour by the bay. This promotion is available from 6PM to 10PM every day, if I’m not mistaken. With all these food and drinks plus the unique experience, the price is pretty much affordable and worth the value.

    LAB Gastropub Oceana (San Miguel by the Bay)
    SM Mall of Asia, San Miguel by the Bay, Seaside Blvd
    Manila Bay Reclamation Area, Pasay
    For inquiries, call (02) 556-3195

  • Review of Manos Greek Taverna (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Review of Manos Greek Taverna (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    One mention of my office mate that there’s a newly opened Greek restaurant in MOA last month and I was thrilled to go in and try. It has been over a year since I had Greek cuisine on my plate, so I went with my girl friends from DLSU to hang out a bit and have lunch at Manos Greek Taverna or Manos Greek Tavern (just beside Sbarro).

    Bit of Insight: Upon hearing “Taverna,” I thought of Anthony Taberna (a.k.a. “Ka Tunying”), a broadcast journalist in ABS-CBN. Then I researched what the word actually means: taverna is a a small, unpretentious café or restaurant in Greece. Now we know!

    The idea of building up this restaurant materialized when Manos Sapountzakis and his Filipino wife, Estrella, thought of opening an eatery where both Filipino and Greek people can enjoy Greek cuisine.

    Esterella was a great cook back in Greece where they lived for 20 years, so she’s not a newbie in terms of cooking delicious Greek food. Supporting her was Manos as the host who greeted and served customers in their dining experience.

    The first branch of Manos Greek Taverna in the Philippines was founded in 2005. It is located at Calamba Road in the greater Tagaytay area. Now we don’t have to go road-tripping and travel that far. If you’re in the city, find yourself a spot in Manos Greek Taverna, MOA and you can go shopping afterwards!

    Review of Manos Greek Taverna (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    Call me killjoy but I really did not sense the “Greek-ness” of Manos Greek Taverna as the interior walls were painted only in white and fixtures were covered with white and blue sheets as any other ordinary restaurant could have.

    Yes, the rustic atmosphere was there but I thought it was only the Greek instrumental music that helped in reinforcing the tradition. Lights were badly dimmed reflecting blue shades, making me feel sleepier than excited to eat.

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    Service was okay but staff were not so service-oriented. There were only two active tables at that time so I could not have a better judgement.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    As an appetizer, we had tzatziki dip (PHp 150) with three pieces of heated pita bread. If you’re not familiar, tzatziki is a Greek and Turkish meze that is made of strained yoghurt, mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt and olive oil.

    Wraps are my favorite version of “fast food or snack.” So when I read that Manos has vegetarian shawarmas on their menu, I felt excited to have a platter full of different ingredients which I can wrap with the pita bread. Actually the vegetable shawarma came in two variants. I went for Vegetable Shawarma 2 (PHp 195), following the waitress’ recommendation. It costs the same as the shawarma#1 and even have more ingredients such as cauliflowers, lettuce (which tasted somewhat like basil), potato fries, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese, and tzatziki.

    With all these savory classics, this vegetarian dish is not one that will make you feel so stuffed that you can’t walk straight to the front door. As it contained no MSG and preservatives, it will just leave you feeling refreshed after having a fairly healthy meal. Every ingredient had its distinct taste that was not overpowering the other. I do recommend this dish for those who desire detoxification in their diet. But expect it not to be any tastier than your regular food.

    Price for Value: ★★☆☆☆

    Admittedly, I am a very picky eater and I look at the ingredients and setting of the place foremost to rate the price for value. This meal has its good points but it does not deserve to be a total winner. My friends ordered pasticcio (baked macaroni, minced beef, bechamel sauce with Parmesan cheese) (PHp 255) and Kototpoulou Fournou (oven-baked chicken legs with potato fournou) (PHp 385).

    I tasted a bit of both and felt that more content and specialty in taste should be added, else a reduction in price is definitely needed.

    Menu:

  • Review of Mongolian Rice Bowls (SM Mall of Asia)

    Review of Mongolian Rice Bowls (SM Mall of Asia)

    Much to your liking, you can’t really go on a diet and not eat in the holidays. This is the time when indulging is acceptable. Nobody wants to count the calories, fats and carbohydrates when everybody else’s plates are filled with sumptuous food and hands are holding bottles of wine. Do expect tasty treats that would make you loosen your belt and leave your heart stent.

    Thanks to our senior manager who treated us girls last Friday, we had met another one of those tasty treats for free. 🙂 Lunch was spent at Mongolian Rice Bowls, which is located beside Yakimix, at the Ground Floor Veranda of Entertainment Mall (by the bay), SM Mall of Asia. This branch has celebrated its second year anniversary last December 15. *Way to go!*

    Mongolian Rice Bowls is an eat-all-you-can Asian-focused restaurant where you can make interesting mixtures of taste and texture with a wide range of ingredients to choose from to come up with the best stir-fried combo. Although this concept is nothing new to me, as I’ve had my fair sampling of Mongolian rice bowls in the past, dining here at this restaurant was a first.

    Review of Mongolian Rice Bowls (SM Mall of Asia)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Orange may not be color I like to see people wearing, but it’s definitely one that is perfect for walls as it brightens up a room and the mood of people inside it. Mongolian Rice Bowls’ interior design was rich with this motif. Its walls were painted in different shades of orange, accented with light brown bricks and large mirrors that reflect the skillful craftsmanship of its sourced artisans.

    The ceiling was draped with chandeliers and spotlights, contributing to the modern hype of the seating area. Soundtrack playing in the background was a very nice mix of instrumental Christmas songs, which added more class to the atmosphere. The buffet table was situated near the counter where orders and requests for food cooking were being placed. Deelish!

    Service: ★★★★★

    How it works at Mongolian Rice Bowls: get a bowl, fill it with spoonfuls of whatever food you desire, hand it to the waiter, get a number and wait for 5-10 minutes until the food is cooked. Waiters go on tables to serve the cooked food in a bowl in exchange of your number and pour unlimited iced tea and/or water included in the buffet package. Staff were friendly, fast and responsive, totally commendable for five stars.

    Food: ★★★★★

    In going for this Mongolian eat-all-you-can adventure, we highly anticipated on hitting the right fusion of sauces, spices, and toppings such as beef, pork, chicken, squid, fish, chopped squid balls, vegetables and oils.

    Four ensembles were suggested by the posters to follow: ‘sweet,’ ‘sweet and spicy,’ ‘hot and spicy,’ and ‘sweet and sour.’ While it was tempting to add anything according to the heart’s command, the surprising end result may not turn out well. So both for the two bowls I concocted, I just followed the instructions for ‘sweet and sour’ and ‘sweet and spicy’ with noodles, rice and seafood. Everything was fresh and cooked just right.

    Desserts at the other table were overwhelming as well. Too bad I could not have as plenty as I wanted because I had a sore throat, fever and runny nose at that time.

    Price for Value: ★★★★★

    If you want to satisfy your cravings for delectable and affordable food, this place can be a safe bet. Let your imagination run free and experiment with fabulous choices of your favorite ingredients and indulge in Mongolian food only for PHp 280 (during week days, 10AM-3PM). Regular rate for weekends is also reasonable at PHp 380 per head. Service is free of charge. Tips are welcome.

    Plus, if you are game to pose as a kid for a day, place your knees on your shoes and walk to their door, cross your fingers and say a little prayer that they won’t notice your real age and height, and you might get a 50% discount. Haha! Kidding aside, only children below four feet can have that privilege.

    If you want to know more about Mongolian Rice Bowls, click here to view their website.

  • 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. 😯

  • Review of Xin Wang Hongkong Café (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Review of Xin Wang Hongkong Café (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Last time we were in MOA food hunting, we were ensnared by the design and colors of Xin Wang Hongkong Café. Apparently, it’s now Manila’s finest Hong Kong-style café. While I thought that Xin Wang originally came from Hong Kong as hinted by its name, I was wrong. It gained its roots from Singapore! Here is the link to its branch locations in Singapore.

    I have been around all these places. But how come I have not noticed this super nice café-restaurant before when I was living there? I guess I was too busy looking for pure vegetarian restaurants or those serving local dishes…

    Anyway, moving on, I have learned this branch in SM Mall of Asia is its first in the Philippines. Website reviews say that if you can’t fly all the way to the different Asian countries, “Xin Wang is the next best thing to take a food trip down to Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Singapore.”

    Review of Xin Wang Hongkong Café (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    The walls, decorations, lights, fixtures and everything else were feisty. When we were inside, we somewhat felt like we were really dining in Hongkong, Macau, Shanghai or Singapore. Every table was filled with guest diners, and waiters were literally running their way to serve customers with satisfaction. Xin Wang is a busy restaurant with minimalist, friendly and alluring ambiance, far from the ones we frequent in Chinatown.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    The security guard and not the waiter opened for us, and he also was the one who asked for the count of each group diners. As said, waiters were too busy attending to hunger calls of everyone that their job of receiving guests fell to the guard’s post instead. This is okay, as long as we were entertained well. The displeasing factor was when Mom ordered a glass of house water three to four times before it was given.

    Food: ★★★★☆

    Because we are authentic Chinese, we go to Chinese restaurants almost all the time since we were little. Mom and the rest of the clan cooks Chinese food, and the same Chinese food is devoured whenever we have family celebrations and gatherings. So unless there’s really something special to the restaurant dishing up oriental-inspired food, we’d be too tired to give Chinese cuisine a try.

    Xin Wang Hongkong Café proudly showcases the flavors of Hong Kong’s diverse cuisine. Its pictures on the menu are so nice and vibrant that we can’t just let the food pass without sampling them. There are Asian culinary delights, of course, such as dimsum, traditional curries, stews and succulent viands with rice. But there are also Western cravings with plates of sizzling chicken and pork chops slathered with gravy some French Fries and fried egg, as well as thick pillow-soft French toasts.

    We ordered cheese baked rice with fish fillet, prawn and egg with hor fun, HK steamed mushroom chicken bamboo rice, and one plain rice. The crispy fish fillet came together as one with the mozzarella cheese and the baked rice tasted great. However, I prefer Swensen’s version of the same dish. The prawn and egg hor fun is a wet noodle dish that tasted just the same as the familiar seafood hor fun we have in our palates. The difference was that it was overflowing too much in a delectable sauce that comes nowhere close to the usual wet stir-fry rice noodles we have.

    Next was the steamed mushroom chicken bamboo rice, one of their house specialties. I saw many other customers order the same. It contained only little bits of chicken and more of mushrooms and vegetables. I did not taste the bamboo flavor as I expected, but every morsel was overall okay. Mom mixed the sauce from the hor fun dish to the bamboo rice and it became even more fantastic.

    For the drinks, we had iced HK ying yong (combination of coffee and milk tea) and iced grass jelly with lychee and nata de coco. Mom had especially researched on the ratings of these two drinks on the web. Ying yong is a signature drink that café regulars are raving about. I have to say that it’s REALLY good! The other one was also a likeable treat, but it has nothing unique taste-wise. The glass was just nice to hold because it was in the shape of a vase.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    Prices of our ordered dishes ranged from PHp 195 to PHp 225. Drink was PHp 75 each. Total food bill amounted to PHp 417 only when original price without the discount was PHp 817. (Mommy bought us a voucher from Ensogo that gave us a discount of PHp 200.)

    Without the Ensogo voucher, I would have to rate this three over five stars because clearly the dishes are relatively expensive considering the serving size. Still, Xin Wang Hongkong Café is a commendable and recommendable restaurant for hanging out with friends and family for any meal and any occasion. There are still more unique dishes to try out so we’ll have to give it another visit next time. :-p

  • Review of Yanagi Japanese Restaurant (Midas Hotel, Pasay)

    Review of Yanagi Japanese Restaurant (Midas Hotel, Pasay)

    Months ago, I bought three coupons through MetroDeal that got us dining into this cosmopolitan Japanese restaurant inside Midas Hotel at the heart of Pasay along Roxas Boulevard. Mom, my sister and I met at SM Mall of Asia, then we took one quick jeep ride and arrived on time at 8PM. Mom was actually the one who saw the online deal. Very fond of buffets and Japanese food, she wanted us to try Yanagi Japanese Restaurant to satisfy all her extraordinary cravings in one swoop. Had the buffet hunter in her found a good catch? Let’s find out in this review.

    Pictures of the interiors of the newly renovated Midas Hotel:

    Review of Yanagi Japanese Restaurant (Midas Hotel, Pasay)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    Located at the Mezzanine floor of the hotel, Yanagi has a conservative vibe with its dim lights, soothing wall colors and ornaments, organized plate set designs, etc. One thing that turned me off though was the loudness of the volume and bass of the live bands’ performing onstage in the lower ground. Moreover, it was as if we were in a speaking contest as everybody could hear everybody’s rambled words. Hence, I got a furrowed brow and had to repeat what I said with a louder voice for the sake of my sister and mom’s reduced hearing capacity. The place was confined with many people (both waiters and customers) walking around.

    Service: ★★★★★

    We got most of the food on our own from the buffet table, but we had to order tempura, tea and miso soup from the waiters and the waitresses. Their responses were fast in action. Everything was just orderly. Enough said.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    It was not gourmet heaven and there was also not a lot of choices. We were LIMITED to the following: kurage (jellyfish) salad, sushi, prawn tempura, potato and sweet potato tempura, miso soup, beef sukiyaki, wakame tofu and assorted fruits for desserts. Simply, they were common Japanese food with common taste. Still, Mom’s love for Japanese food hasn’t left her off.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    We were drowned in fullness as we stayed there for two hours. I paid PHp 399 per person instead of the normal price, PHp 999. The experience can fairly be worth the price, considering that we were dining in a five-star hotel-restaurant, but the food certainly couldn’t convince me any further to come back for a second round.