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  • Review of Fariñas Ilocos Empanada (Visayas Avenue, Quezon City)

    Review of Fariñas Ilocos Empanada (Visayas Avenue, Quezon City)

    Two years ago, husband and wife Brian and Hazel Fariñas launched the first “branch” of Fariñas Ilocos Empanada along Visayas Avenue, Quezon City adjacent to the South Star Drug. It started as a five-square-meter booth where passersby snack on their “authentic empanadas” made with ingredients from Ilocos. What was tad surprising was that their children (still in high school) were the ones who posted the idea of opening up this small venture for a tryout. Little did they know that pursuing this business would open them the door to success…and more success to come.

    I got an invite here last week and came to visit their restaurant to get an idea of what many of their customers and the media now are raving about. I mean, empanadas are already ubiquitous, thanks to the food carts that have been spreading everywhere in the MRT stations, malls and establishments like a disease. So I wondered what Fariñas Ilocos Empanada’s empanadas can offer more to differentiate from others. Whatever makes their food outstanding? Let’s find out. 🙂

    Review of Fariñas Ilocos Empanada (Visayas Avenue, Quezon City)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    Out of 10 branches, this is one of the two branches of Fariñas Ilocos Empanada that’s open-air. We were lucky that we came at dinnertime and it was raining so the wind was cold, else I could already imagine the heat. To keep the air ventilated, this restaurant has a fan and a wide entrance that are enough to provide cool environment.

    Chairs and tables were neatly positioned. Printed on the wall was Fariñas Ilocos Empanada’s logo and opposite it was a landscape image showing an overview of naimas (simply delicious) empanadas and other food cooked with “zero cholesterol.”

    There’s no menu passed on to dining customers but like other fast food chains, their menu is posted behind the counter. It’s a “pay as you order” restaurant and you get to see the empanadas being prepared and fried in front quickly before they are served.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    The staff were eloquent and they appeared friendly much like the owners who entertained our questions and delivered answers that demonstrated care for both their line of business and their customers. Serve time was quite fast considering that food is cooked upon order.

    Food: ★★★★☆

    Fariñas Ilocos Empanada’s empanadas are said to be an improved version of the authentic empanadas from Ilocos. The Fariñas family is from that region in the country and they have spent much time and effort in researching and concocting for a more flavorful Pinoy pie based on its original savor. Finally, they came up with five types, each with varied taste:
    1. Regular Empanada (PHp 40) – consists of one egg and veggies
    2. Special Empanada (PHp 50) – consists of one egg, one longganisa and veggies
    3. Extra Special Empanada (PHp 65) – consists of one egg, two longganisas and veggies
    4. Super Special Empanada (PHp 80) – consists of two eggs, two longganisas, and veggies
    5. Ultimate Empanada (PHp 99) – consists of bagnet, two eggs, longganisa and veggies

    I can’t get enough of all these adjectives that are incorporated as part of the names of their specialty empanadas. I thought that it was rather hard to remember that the Super Special has this and this, the Extra Special has this and this, etc. All that’s being changed is the number of eggs and longganisas included to form the finished product. Hahaha. 😛

    Eggs can be requested to be either cooked as “malasado” (half-cooked or soft-boiled) or well done. The veggies comprise of balatong (mongo) and grated papaya, and the outer orange shell of the empanada is made from rice powder with achuete (roucou).

    We were served with the Extra Special Empanada, and I supposed it’s best eaten with their homemade native chilli with garlic sauce. This empanada can be a meal in itself and there wasn’t anything not to love in all of the finest ingredients used. The crust was crisp and wasn’t as flaky and greasy as other fried food. The flavors of everything in the filling blended as sweet and savory into one complete bite.

    After finishing the pocketed treat, next came jostling for our attention was the Pancit Bagnet (PHp 125), a unique bagnet recipe from the north of the Philippines. The pancit was topped with bagnet slices, eggs and vegetables. It was a fine dish that’s been introduced proudly to my taste buds.

    Then I learned the difference between bagnet and lechon kawali: While bagnet is boiled and deep-fried pork belly with a well-browned, drier and crispier exterior portion of the meat, lechon kawali is deep-fried at a very high temperature only until the skin is blistered and the meat is lightly browned.

    Thirdly, we sampled another dish with a bagnet-y twist: the Ilocos Miki (PHp 115), which was cooked in chicken soup with eggs, bagnet and toasted garlic. It came out delicious yet adding drops of their Sukang Iloko proved to enhance its taste further. If Singaporeans and Malaysians boast their laksa, then we can match it with this soup.

    Fariñas Ilocos Empanada does not have desserts available, however you can have a pack of camote chips (PHp 75) or garlic chichacorn (PHp 105) to snack on. Between the two, I liked the sweet potato chips more as they were firm, thin and light. 😀

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    In sum, the empanadas are definitely the star here. I have yet to visit a Fariñas branch that’s closer to home to make a better judgment on their food. At this point, I guess I can say that the best thing about these succulent hand-held food is their diversity, something Ilocos can offer to Manileños. 😀

    [schema type=”review” name=”Fariñas Original Ilocos Empanada – Visayas Avenue” description=”56 Visayas Avenue Project 6, Quezon City” rev_name=”For inquiries, contact 0917 817-3146″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-09-16″ user_review=”15″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

    Branches:

    56 Visayas Ave., Project 6, Quezon City (12noon to 10pm)
    140 Kalayaan Ave. cor Mayaman St., Diliman (10am to 8pm)
    Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City (11am to 10pm)
    Lansbergh Condominium, Tomas Morato (11am to 10pm )
    Short horn corner road 20, project 8, Quezon City (11am to 10pm)
    77 Stotsenburg, 10th Ave. Caloocan City
    58 Katipunan Road, White Plains (12noon to 11PM)
    West Avenue
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  • Review of L’Opera Ristorante Italiano (The Fort Strip, BGC, Taguig)

    Review of L’Opera Ristorante Italiano (The Fort Strip, BGC, Taguig)

    Thanks to Zomato for choosing me as the winner of their Write for a Bite Contest the second time around, I earned a PHp 1000 voucher in this chic restaurant in The Fort Strip, Taguig (or shall I say Makati City now?) last Saturday.

    For four, please. I was glad that my dad and my sister agreed to join us for dinner at L’Opera Ristorante Italiano or my mom and I would be forced to finish everything ourselves!

    Having a pleasant family dinner always puts a smile on my face. Dining into an all-star restaurant offering a great selection of vegetarian dishes makes this smile even wider. 😀 Too often vegetarian-friendly restaurants tend to over-complicate and over-compensate, but L’Opera Ristorante Italiano by L’Opera Holdings, Inc. is not afraid to let their ingredients shine with a daring simplicity and a passion for flavor.

    Review of L’Opera Ristorante Italiano (The Fort Strip, BGC, Taguig)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    I have seen one or two reviews about this place so I know I could expect the ambiance to be elegant and quite classy. True enough, the interior design was grand and well above and beyond expectations. Wine bottles were displayed on the walls. The chandeliers and lighting, thick curtains, heavy golden chairs and tables, and rustic flooring all provided an enchanting vibe. Background music was soothing to the ears. We felt like dining in some royal event in this “two-storey palace.”

    Service: ★★★★★

    Servers were friendly and interactive. They gave good recommendations and answered our questions on food kindly. We appreciated their good service from automatic refilling of water, positioning the plates to fit well on the table to taking our pictures and following our requests quickly.

    Food: ★★★★★

    Our server warned us that cooking time of the food we ordered requires patience. To satisfy us while waiting, she served a basket of complimentary appetizers onto our table. It consisted of their homemade focaccia bread (four pizza-shaped ones and four regular-shaped bread), a flat oven-baked Italian bread that’s a wonderful alternative to garlic bread, which we topped and flavored with patie liver spread, black olives purée, sliced tomatoes in olive oil and butter.

    The combination of these tasted surprisingly awesome. What’s good is that you can order unlimited refills of the focaccia bread but of course, don’t be too greedy or you’d be too full to appreciate the main entrées.

    After like 30 minutes, the four dishes we ordered came almost simultaneously one after the other. First was the Pizza con verdure grigliate (PHp 460). The name was too hard to pronounce and we were also left speechless after finishing a slice. There were eight slices of this pizza filled with tomatoes, mozarella cheese, grilled eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers.

    The mozzarella was super oozy, the sauce perfectly tomato-y. We added a touch of salt and pepper to make the pizza more appetizing. The crust and bottom were crispy and thin. It was comforting and hearty and felt really light. For sure, it’s a pie to beat.

    Second came our Pasta Vegetarianas: Penne all’ Arrabbiata con Porcini (PHp 360) and Trofie Al Pesto Alla Genovese (PHp 380). Why two pastas in one meal? you ask. Well, my mom’s pasta addiction certainly knows no bounds. We were entranced by the tastes of these pastas.

    The Penne all’ Arrabbiata con Porcini was cooked with garlic, basilico, chili and porcini mushrooms in fresh spicy pomodoro sauce. I accidentally ate the chili together with the penne and thought the spiciness was tolerable. Porcini mushrooms are no picnic to find. In fact I haven’t seen them sold in our local supermarkets. The care taken in bringing out every bit of flavor from the tomatoes also was a prime example of what vegetable-centric cooking should be.

    We gave another “thumbs up” to the Genova-style pasta with freshly made basil pesto sauce – Trofie Al Pesto Alla Genovese. I mean, there’s nothing like green pasta to brighten up a meal. The taste of pesto was very evident, punctuating the whole dish. To add savory bites, I thought toasted pine nuts would allow for that missing extra crunch and nuttiness. Nevertheless, this meat-free pasta was extravagant, authentic, and just may be the best if you want to impress your non-vegetarian friends. 🙂

    Lastly we had the Ravioli Ai Funghi Porcini (PHp 390) which was recommended by the staff under the “Pasta Fresca” category. It comprised of seven mushroom-filled ravioli in their porcini mushroom cream sauce. The earthy punch of porcini mushrooms was DIVINE. The hook is in. Inside the ravioli was cheese. Immediately once you taste heavenly find, you might not want to go back down to earth. 😛

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    As a complete Italian fine dining restaurant, L’Opera Ristorante Italiano is a keeper! You’d walk out of this venue with a tab that’s lower than what you’d rack up by sharing at a small-plates eatery and those restaurants where you have to nibble. Here, you gorge. Portions of food were bigger than we expected. Essentially, it had was one of the best renditions of pastas and pizzas I’ve come by. Prices of food may be at the high end. Ultimately though, the money-to-happiness ratio was truly a steal. 😀

    Click here to view the list of food on their menu.

    [schema type=”review” name=”L’Opera Ristorante Italiano” description=” 26th Street Corner 7th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City (The Fort Entertainment Complex)” rev_name=” For inquiries/reservations, please contact (02) 8893963″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-09-09″ user_review=”19″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]
    Operating hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM; 6:30PM-10PM – daily

  • Review of Chez Karine Bakery (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    Review of Chez Karine Bakery (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    Unlike donuts which are now practically everywhere (think Dunkin’ Donut and Mister Donut hubs), French macarons are, weight by weight, one of the most hard-to-find and expensive food yet people are still going for them! Each piece costs PHp 50++ and you only get to have a max of 3-4 bites until finishing off the entire thin, flavorful meringue cookie sandwiched with some kind of filling.

    So why the macaron craze? Bakeries put so much effort in packaging and designing macarons that these beauties come out as utterly gorgeous and delicious displayed in shops and in boxes. As a result, love on both the visual and palatable elements about these confections has been developed.

    I’ve tried macarons by TWG Tea Salon and Boutique in Greenbelt 5, Makati, Tous Les Jours in Mall of Asia, Pasay and The French Baker before and undoubtedly, I thought TWG macarons are the best! Another contending macaron maker is Chez Karine Bakery, which my friends all over Instagram go gaga over. They promote it with pictures and captions saying that this bakery’s macarons have a chewier bite than other regular crispy French biscuits in Manila.

    Last Saturday, out from lunch with my friends, we decided to continue our girl talk in Chez Karine Bakery located in the same aisle as Fez Gastrobar in Serendra area and find out if Chez Karine’s macarons would seal the deal, break the record and indeed win over my love for TWG’s.

    Aside from macarons, Chez Karine patisserie offers high quality, specialty coffee and tea and other pastries like cakes, royal pudding, panna cotta, cookies and honey toast all inspired by Asian and American flavors with fresh and natural ingredients.

    Review of Chez Karine Bakery (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    The space is limited with less than 10 chairs available for the long table across the counter. Everything on display was appetizing, particularly if you have a sweet tooth. Interior design was minimalistic and there were no frills on the backsplash other than the list of prices and items on the menu. Outside, three tables with four chairs each can be occupied by guests who want to chill out and stay longer. But most of Chez Karine’s customers choose to leave after getting boxes of orders here.

    Service: ★★★★★

    Staffs were always inside the counter, so I can’t say more about service on this one. Anyway, I would give an all-star perfect rating as they provided good assistance in suggesting preferences and preparing orders. They were quick on their feet, too, so long lines are manageable.

    Food: ★★★★☆

    Chez Karine’s macarons come in many flavors, each at PHp 50. Since we couldn’t try every one, we chose six we thought were sufficient to represent:

    • Salted Caramel – When asked, the staff said that salted caramel is one of their best-sellers. So without question, we added it to our order and were not disappointed. There’s a tiny hint of salt mixed with caramel resulting to a bittersweet divine taste.
    • Mint Chocolate – With back-to-back fillings of mint and chocolate, this was the one I enjoyed most! Mint and chocolate must be in my blood, so naturally when I put these together I thought they were amazing. 😀
    • Earl Grey – Filled with earl grey milk chocolate ganache, this macaron was among the best we had. It was so good that it should be able to get anyone to come out of hiding.
    • Speculoos – Speculoos was a name that’s quite hard to remember but the taste was really unforgettable. It was buttery and tasted like a vanilla-based gingerbread cookie.
    • Matcha Green Tea – This can be the ultimate macaron that would ruin my diet. I can eat ’em all day! This green tea flavored macaron tasted somewhat like Starbucks’ green tea latte. ♡
    • Maple Bacon – Though it was okay, this was the flavor we all least liked. It tasted like a breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup and bacon.

    All in all, the cookie surface was smooth, without bumps and bubbles (as you can see in the picture below). There were no large air bubbles or irregular empty pockets either. Although the shell of the macaron was thin, it did not easily shatter. The macarons were not as super chewy as expected but just fine. One bite gave way to a tender and moist (not soggy or wet) interior. Eating was clean; the filling did not squish out and didn’t leave any residue on the teeth (yes, I’m concerned and conscious of this because of my braces).

    In terms of flavor, Chez Karine’s macarons were sweet but not to the point where the original flavor is already masked; they didn’t coy sweetness forming a lump in the back of your throat. They were true to whatever the name of the flavor literally spell.

    After gaining fuzzy happiness from eating macarons, we tried the Muscovado Royal Pudding (PHp 100), a soft set custard pudding with dark caramel at the bottom. This royal pudding had a smooth texture, almost the “melt-in-your-mouth” type, but it was just a bit disheartening that the taste was not anything spectacular. If you’re familiar with leche flan, then you’d know exactly how this pudding tastes. Only key takeaway was this cute bottle that can be reused at home! 😀

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    The reason why these are costly may be that they are notoriously difficult to make and to perfect. I understand that there’s a lot of patience required, as well as planning and precision. Almost, the presentation must be as good as the flavor.

    Even so, paying PHp 50 for one macaron is, I think, too much. Same goes for PHp 100 for a tiny jar of pudding of ordinary caliber that doesn’t make enough justice to the price tag. In the end, I wasn’t that convinced that Chez Karine’s macarons are better than TWG Tea’s. I guess I’m still sticking to my first love.

    [schema type=”review” url=”https://www.facebook.com/chezkarinebakery” name=”Chez Karine Bakery” description=”Serendra 2 Loading Bay McKinley Pkwy, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig” rev_name=” For inquiries, call (02) 804 1889″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-08-23″ user_review=”16″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

    Operating Hours:
    Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
    Friday to Saturday: 10:00 am to 11:00 pm

  • Review of Fez Restaurant and Bar (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    Review of Fez Restaurant and Bar (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    The “rice and chicken” tandem seems to be a default choice for anyone who’s looking for accessible comfort food. Why? You can be stuffed with goodness and you can be full without feeling much guilty out of consuming too much fats and unhealthy ingredients.

    So my girl friends and I stopped on a rainy Saturday at Fez Gastrobar in Serendra Piazza Branch, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig as we’ve planned to have the “rice and chicken” entree offered as promotion at CashCashPinoy: Mum’s Roasted Chicken, a “healthy alternative to the usual fried chicken.”

    Side dishes offered in the advertisement were: rice pilaf, grilled veggies, sautéed marble potatoes, or baby asparagus. The meal is paired with a glass of iced tea. Original price? PHp 440. Discounted price? PHp 190! Definitely, it was a good buy. 😀 If not only for the price, read why else:

    Review of Fez Restaurant and Bar (Serendra, BGC, Taguig City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Rare is the restaurant where we dine in from start to end and not have any “co-diners” who split the attention of servers to half or maybe more. I’m not sure why there was not a single one customer who dared to eat here when we were in. So it looked like we reserved the entire space for ourselves! 😛

    Ambiance is good on both European-style indoor and outdoor (al fresco) settings. Wooden chairs and tables contributed to the homey, minimalist and clean atmosphere. Background music is Moroccan and so I couldn’t understand a word. Anyway, that’s fine—for as long as the songs were soothing to the ears.

    On the whole, I recommend Fez Restobar as an ideal spot for hanging out with friends, dating for couples and just having casual meals alone. You won’t feel intimidated because the place is quiet, very different from the busy and lively street outside.

    Service: ★★★★★

    Ordering was simple. Since there were no other open tables, we got quick service from the two staff who treated us with a genuine sense of lighthearted pleasure.

    Food: ★★★★★

    Fez Restaurant and Bar’s menu merits considerable exploration, as there seemed a lot of interesting entrees. This is because Moroccan (North African) cuisine is a mix of Mediterranean and Arabic as well. Must-tries are Cous-cous Salad, Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Pita Platter, Crunchy Pork Belly, and Lamb Shank Tagine, among others.

    From the poster, Mum’s Roasted Chicken looked downright tasty. I thought there were supposed to be two side dishes but we were served with only one, and that was sauteed broccoli chopped to bite-size pieces, a solid addition to any grilled food.

    Mum’s Roasted Chicken was better executed than expected. The taste had a little semblance with Kenny Roger Roasters’ roasted chicken but with creamier gravy and more tender texture. Portion was generous, with two pieces of chicken, a cup of java rice, and an unlimited refill of the gravy. After chomping, we all realized that an order is too big to handle alone.

    Nonetheless, we ordered Pita Pockets (PHp 260) only to immerse ourselves with another Moroccan dish a little further. 😀 The Pita Pockets consisted of fresh pita bread packed with chunks of chicken tandoori, tomatoes, caramelized onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and mixed cheese.

    It was a challenge to pause and appreciate each bite as I was overwhelmed with the rich flavor mostly oozing from tomatoes, chicken chunks, and cheese, especially when I added the accompanying sauce. Yummy!

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    The prices of food are just right; the taste is enough to forget about soggy toes and leaky umbrellas. In spite of the scarcity of restaurants offering Moroccan cuisine in the metro, the food here felt familiar. It can leave adventurous foodies a good smile after receiving punches of satisfaction on both the stomach and the senses. We’re looking forward to another dine-in here on warmer days! 😀

    [schema type=”review” url=”https://www.facebook.com/FezGastroBar” name=”Fez Restobar (Moroccan Grub You’ll Love)” description=”1C07A Serendra Commercial Strip, 26th St. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig” rev_name=”For inquiries, call (02) 9011840 / +63916 2504532″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-08-19″ user_review=”19″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

  • Review of Hainanese Delights (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Review of Hainanese Delights (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Almost no matter where you are on the globe, you’ll find some sort of “chicken and rice” dish. Singaporeans perform their version with delicious justice. After all, chicken rice as a Singaporean staple is hands down one of the most popular food in Asia. One reason could be that it’s just soothing—exactly what you should order when you want to take a break from the usual fiery dishes. Almost every chicken rice I’ve ever sampled in their local hawkers was good. I have also come across a vegetarian chicken rice made from veggie meat which was equally good.

    In the Philippines, one casual joint serving Hainanese chicken rice is Hainanese Delights. This fast food chain has several branches now all over the country. Hainanese Delights was opened by Chinese owners who already have other successful chains of restaurants under their belt. This time around, they have established Hainanese Delights which specializes in Singaporean cuisine. To invite more Pinoy foodies, they have this all-you-can-eat rice scheme offered to diners (just like Tokyo Tokyo, Mang Inasal, etc.) because Filipinos are known to love eating unlimited rice. ♥

    After watching Monsters University on a Sunday, Louie and I passed by Hainanese Delights in Robinsons Place, Manila and decided to give their signature dish, chicken rice, a try and see if it matches the authenticity of the “original” Hainanese flavor as expected from its name.

    Review of Hainanese Delights (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    Simple and straightforward, the ambiance here is very fast-food-restaurant-like. With nice contrasting colors, the tables are black and the chairs are white. This branch has spacious area (both indoor and outdoor). Inside got minimalistic designs with pictures of food all on the walls. Spotlights on the ceiling made the place extra classy and quite elegant. Generally, it’s a good venue for hangouts with a bunch of friends.

    Service: ★★★★★

    Paying before you eat is a thing at Hainanese Delights. You can either sit down and be handed a copy of their menu before ordering and paying at the counter or proceed directly to the counter. In either way, wait staff would serve food on trays promptly and courteously.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    When compared to the authentic chicken rice from Singapore (or Malaysia), Hainanese Delights’ chicken rice (PHp 130) is not very close. It tasted like ordinary steamed white chicken that was not too dry but rather supple and delicate.

    The chicken pieces were not really seasoned well so you have to put a lot of ginger purée, dark soy sauce and chili sauce for it to taste strong enough and for your buds to accept and realize that it’s chicken rice you’re eating.

    Of course, the “chicken rice” dish would not be complete when there’s no chicken rice which typically is cooked from the flavorful stock made from the oily fat of the chicken. Hainanese Delights’ rice, on the contrary, was not aptly gratifying; it failed to be a beautiful accompaniment to the chicken. In my humble opinion, I thought it was only spiced with salt and colored with light yellow to appear like the usual serving of chicken rice. Hmph. 🙁 The texture though was lovely as each grain was easily separated.

    In addition to the supposedly “highlight” of our dinner, we had the [EAT THE HEAT] Spicy Fried Squid (PHp 190) that tasted decent. It was salty and spicy so we put lots of vinegar to enhance the taste even more. I could say it was worthy of our calories and thus made the night! 😀

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    A plate of chicken with rice, in average, costs S$3-4 in Singapore. So in conversion, the price is likely the same here. Basing on the prices alone, food in this restaurant are affordable. Budget per person is less than PHp 200.

    Note: If you’re expecting to find authentic tastes then resorting to other restaurants like Wee Nam Kee, Makan Makan and Old Penang for chicken rice may most probably be a better idea.

    [schema type=”review” url=”https://www.facebook.com/HainaneseDelightsPhilippines” name=”Hainanese Delights” description=”G/F Robinsons Place Manila, Padre Faura corner M. Adriatico Streets, Ermita, City of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines” rev_name=” For inquiries, call (02) 5255583″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-08-05″ user_review=”16″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

  • Review of Super Duck Modern Tea 超級達可時尚茶飲 (Ortigas, Pasig City)

    Review of Super Duck Modern Tea 超級達可時尚茶飲 (Ortigas, Pasig City)

    For days when you need a simultaneous pick-me-up, a cool-me-down or a chill-me-out, Super Duck Modern Tea is a tea shop that would best claim your sanity back.

    I actually had to attend two consecutive events last Saturday, but I later chose to stay in Super Duck because I suspect I’d be arriving very late at the second destination. I felt sorry but glad at the same time for I had a pretty good time drinking and learning about teas from owners of Super Duck: Steve, Dennis, Ellen and Olivia.

    A totally fabulous modern take on tea…

    In 2011, the first and only branch of Super Duck in Metro Manila, Philippines has been brought within reach to Filipinos and most especially to those who are near Robinsons Galleria. The brand is originally from 鹿港 Lukang, Taiwan. Super Duck Modern Tea Shop’s fresh approach to tea appeals more to those who are into drinking healthy tea stuff. Showcasing only the best, this cafe serves more than 50 different flavors of teas brewed with loose tea leaves and key ingredients imported from Taiwan that had soothing aroma.

    The response has already been outstanding ever since, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only does Super Duck provide customers with a funky, modern tea lounge experience, but it also delivers on innovation, quality and taste — quite different from the usual milk tea and coffee shops that penetrate the local market.

    Review of Super Duck Modern Tea 超級達可時尚茶飲 (Ortigas, Pasig City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Super Duck is a casual restaurant where you can put your bags down, sip a specialty tea, have a meal and relax. Customers can stay in the air-conditioned area or the outside area. Seats are limited to about 20.

    Serenity is embraced all throughout the space, with a muted green color scheme combined with white. The decor is clean and modern without having pretensions. Attention to detail is evident, from the Super Duck dolls, Chinese figurines that bring luck, and tea bags and leaves inside small containers on the counter.

    Service: ★★★★★

    What I like most about Super Duck is that customers are not being rushed. Why do I say so? Nice and friendly, staff are more than willing to make sure that customers get the most definite order they want to get.

    Here, customers are asked what level of sugar, level of ice, size of the drink, and whether they want large or small straws to sip drinks from and whether they want the drink hot or hold as all these would affect their experience and judgment of the taste of the “mighty beverage,” aside from the sinkers: pearls (big/small), perilla seeds, fig jelly, coco jelly (marinated with pineapple juice), aloe vera, grass jelly, pudding, coffee jelly and beans (red/green).

    The menu is posted on the wall, just beside the counter, and a list of sassed-up “best-sellers” is on the counter itself to aid customers in making up their minds and selecting from the long list of drinks available. If you’re still not sure which to buy, Super Duck staffs allow free tastes of the drinks for you to come out truly satisfied!

    It’s also worth mentioning that the team of Super Duck is in constant research and development of new items that would click after receiving accolades and suggestions from people. Their menu is still expanding, in adherence to providing the best quality stylish tea that can be enjoyed alone or with companions.

    Food/Drinks: ★★★★★

    So, what did we slurp? For the taste-testing event, we sampled almost every drink they have on the menu! We kicked off with their five classic Super Duck teas 原味好茶: (1) Ceylon Black Tea, (2) Jasmine Green Tea, (3) White or Clear Tea, (4) Oolong Tea and (5) Tie Guan Yin Tea.

    These can be ordered as they are (either hot or cold) or as bases of the other succeeding flavors as follows: (1) Black Fruit Chestnut Tea, (2) Golden Oolong Tea, (3) Standard Pearl Milk Tea (4) Classic Tea with Pearl, (5) Blend of Black and Green Tea, (6) Clear Tea with Coffee Jelly, (7) Te Guan Yin Tea with Coco Jelly, and (9) Longgan Red Dates Fruit Tea.

    Drinks that are not tea-based are: (1) Hot Coffee – from 2-in-1 coffee powder from Taiwan, available in mild, regular and strong taste with one tablespoon of sugar, (2) Mango Milk Smoothie – mango concentrate and condensed milk, and (3) Mixed Fruit Juice – refreshing orange, calamansi, grape fruit, passion fruit and lemon with sliced apples.

    Moving on, we also gave the following a whirl and we were not disappointed: (1) Mixed Oolong Three Jelly – grass jelly, coco jelly, red bean and nata containing standard sugar, (2) Longgan Honey Green Tea – first Super Duck drink tasted by Steve, (3) Rose Petal with Lemon, (4) Peach Green Tea (5) Orange Grapefruit with perilla – good for digestion, (6) Rossel Fig Jelly with Plum – taste like kiam-moy, good for lowering high blood and cholesterol, (7) Strawberry Yakult – strawberry jam (not syrup flavoring) plus Yakult, (8) Lychee Tea – the newest addition clear tea-based with lychee jelly, (9) Almond milk with pudding,(10) Heineken Green Tea – with real Heineken beer (half can for a large cup), (11) Roasted Macha – homemade brown rice and black beans with grass jelly, (12) Chocolate Nai Kai – chocolate “milk cover” with rock salt and cream cheese, and (13) French Rose – green tea with French rose and non-dairy milk.

    Finally, the pièce de résistance: the Quackers, namely: (1) Vegetarian Nuggets, (2) Tofu Bites with Pepper and Basil Seasoning, (3) Tofu Bites – taste like tofu with fish balls, dash of salt and pepper (Dips are plum and catsup but for purposes of tasting, we were not advised to eat with any condiments.), (4) Vegetarian Fish and Fries – vegetarian codfish and Belgian fries and (5) Shrooms – fried bite-size mushrooms.

    I could dedicate this whole review to these vegetarian delights but I won’t. 😀 Safe to say, if there was only one reason to visit Super Duck for its uniqueness, these, my friends, would be it. I’ve grown up with these veggie meat so eating them made me feel at home. I’m sure my family would love them, too. ♥

    Bits of Trivia:

    • Super Duck uses fructose (high quality sweetness) and not refined white sugar.
    • Super Duck serves both fresh milk (with roasted and creamy taste) and non-dairy for those who are lactose-intolerant.
    • Super Duck has the biggest pearls in the Philippines with the diameter of 2.5mm, while the smallest they have is 1.5mm.
    • Big pearls are cooked in an hour, while small ones are cooked in 25 minutes. So staff has to arrive in the store an hour earlier opening time to get prepared. Super Duck cooks pearls about four times in a day.
    • Super Duck maintains a strict quality check form storage until handing each drink to their customers. They dispose unused tea every day.

    Price for Value: ★★★★★

    When what I need peaceful, calming, almost spa-like environment without any chatter or clatter, Super Duck fits the bill. Prices are agreeable. 😀

    I would wholeheartedly recommend an afternoon visit to the Super Duck Modern Tea to witness and experience its charming style and ambiance enhanced by the help of friendly staff yet again. For those of you that might prefer to start your day off with more of a swing, try any of their teas with unusual names and don’t just stick with the classic Wintermelon Milk Tea every time. 😛 Peruse the menu for yourselves here and I encourage you to take full advantage:

    [schema type=”review” name=”Super Duck Modern Tea 超級達可時尚茶飲 (Ortigas, Pasig City)” description=”Unit 111 A and B, AIC BURGUNDY Empire Tower, Garnet Street, corner ADB avenue, Ortigas, Pasig” rev_name=”Contact numbers: (02) 5702292 / 0917 8910697 / 0933 7203188 or email superduckphil@gmail.com” author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-07-31″ user_review=”20″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

    Operating Hours:
    Mon – Fri: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
    Sat: 2:00 pm – 11:00 pm
    Sun: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

  • Review of Tramway Bayview Buffet (Pasay City)

    Review of Tramway Bayview Buffet (Pasay City)

    Looking for a cheap but good buffet restaurant in Manila? There’s no doubt about it – Tramway Bayview Buffet just might end your long search. Tramway reigns king when it comes to presentable, super affordable buffet-style Chinese, Japanese and Filipino food choices in the city.

    Last Thursday, my mom who’s a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets was craving to dine in at Tramway’s branch along Roxas Boulevard since she was too tired (and dramatically “lonely”) to cook. So we slipped into the venue at about 8:30PM just in time.

    Review of Tramway Bayview Buffet (Pasay City)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    With so many great restaurants in Pasay City saturating the foodie market, this buffet restaurant may be easy to overlook – unless of course, you’re one of those working or residing in one of the establishments and office buildings nearby.

    Tramway’s interior design is quite simple. All the chairs and red linen-topped tables are placed on the rectangular area without divisions. So this place is not a pretty good one to chair and hold private meetings. Also, because of the loud/noisy RnB music playing on the background, you could hardly hear anyone unless you opt to go to their function rooms, or wait until one song is finally over.

    Rates of function rooms are as follows:
    Restaurant Exclusive (good for 950-1050pax)
    4 Open Dining Exclusive (good for 350-850 pax)
    4 Big Function Rooms (good for 100-150 pax each)
    4 Medium Function Rooms (good for 50 pax each)
    4 Small Function Rooms (good for 12 pax each)

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    This is a self-service restaurant. Upon entering through their glass doors, we were not accompanied or helped by any of their staff to find clean and empty tables. We walked through the aisles, found one by ourselves and started to get food. The only things the server did were leaving a pitcher of water when we were seated and giving the bill out as it was called for.

    Food: ★★☆☆☆

    What do Steamed Fish, Sweet & Sour Pork, Vegetable w/ garlic, Fried Chicken and Tofu have in common? Not much, except they were all served in Tramway for both lunch and dinner. Other staple dishes are Yang Chow Fried Rice, Pancit Canton Guisado, Pasta (Spaghetti and Linguini with White and Red Sauces), Dices of Raddish Cake, Clams and Chicken Feet.

    We ate to our heart’s content but still spared some space in our stomachs for the side dishes: California Maki, Century Egg, Chinese Dimsum, Vegetable Salad, Tossed Lettuce, Carrots, Cucumbers and Onions (with Salad Dressing: Thousand Island Sauce) and Macaroni Salad.

    For desserts, we had Fresh Fruits (Watermelon, Papaya and Pineapple), Assorted Gelatin (coffee and pandan) and Assorted Puto.

    Food quality and taste were on the lower scale of average. Sigh. I don’t count myself any satisfied. The taste test here failed pathetically.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    All the food above were for PHp 248 (no drinks included) per head. Senior citizens even have 20% discount, and rate for children who stand below four feet is at PHp 181 per head.

    True, the price is considerably cheap for buffet; judging based on the food though, value is low. Exerting her utmost disappointment, my mom said the price should be only at PHp 150 pax. 😀

    [schema type=”review” name=”Tramway Bayview Buffet” description=” 1600 Roxas Boulevard, Corlayug Street, San Jose, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines” rev_name=” Contact number: (02) 5360402″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-07-27″ user_review=”11″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

    Operating hours:
    Lunch Time:
    1st Batch – 11:00am to 1:00pm
    2nd Batch – 1:00pm to 3:00pm
    Dinner Time:
    1st Batch – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
    2nd Batch – 8:00pm to 10:00pm

    Other Branches:
    1. Tramway Buffet Plaza
    Lower Ground Floor, Worldwide Corporate Center, Shaw Boulevard, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
    Contact numbers: (02) 8617129, (02) 7066351
    2. Tramway Garden Buffet
    65 Timog Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City
    Contact number: (02) 4152005
    3. Tramway Tea House
    Alcaraz Street, Santo Domingo, Quezon City
    Contact number: (02) 4111565

  • Review of MARU Korean Restaurant (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Review of MARU Korean Restaurant (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Last Sunday was one of those fine days when we just wanted to explore and indulge in Korean cuisine some more while not traveling far. MARU Korean Restaurant happened to be the perfect spot as it’s very accessible from our place — outside through the exit of Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place, Manila.

    A treat for your senses awaits at this restaurant specializing in both authentic and inventive lick-the-plate-delicious and mostly spicy food. In Maru, Korean food staples are done expertly. Customers are given the option to sit on the floor and dine the “Korean-way,” essentially just how Maru stands by its name; in Korean, it means “living room floor” and the literal translation pretty much sums up the experience.

    Review of Maru Korean Restaurant (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    The Korean ambiance was definitely felt through the theme, with minimal accents and monochromatic design. Half of the restaurant had grills on the tables for BBQ. So if you want to grill meat, be sure to tell the staff that you have to get the BBQ table.

    Service: ★★★★★

    Staff composed of the guard, waitresses and waiters and the restaurant manager were exceptionally courteous, responsive and helpful. All the names of dishes on the menu were in Korean and we couldn’t understand any of them except for the common ones like bulgogi and japchae. The wait staff gave us ample time to decide which to order according to the pictures, and they gave their recommendations off of the menu when asked.

    Maru has this cute button that functions like a “nurse call button” that allows patients customers to alert nurses waiters of their requests. I pressed it three times in our entire stay and the wait staff came quickly each time upon hearing the buzz. Cool! 😀

    Food: ★★★★★

    Before the arrival of the actual entrees, we were served with banchan that included Korean potato marbles, fried banana balls, slices of eggplant, diced tofu, kimchi, picked vegetables, etc. Since these side dishes can be refilled until our stomachs tell us to stop, Mom joked that we can dine in here one day, order only their premium sticky rice and be satisfied with as much banchans as we can have. 😛

    Amidst the laughter, Doinjang Jjige (PHp 250), a hot pot stone of traditional Korean dish—soy bean soup boiled with clams, vegetables and other extraordinary spices came gushing next through our delight. The soup tasted so salty and spicy that I couldn’t take it without galloping water and adding rice to each mouthful.

    Next we had the Doenjang Jjigae (PHp 250), regarded as one of the representative dishes of food in Korea. This fermented soybean paste stew was super concentrated, flavorful, and pretty salty (expect to drink lots of water or eat spoonfuls of rice in between). As much as it was salty, the soup was numbing and screaming hot (pain = yum). I’m guessing primary ingredients used were: braised beef, tofu and kimchi. We should not have ordered this because it tasted almost the same as the Doinjang Jjige but less sour.

    Chadolbaegi or simply grilled beef brisket helped to tame the spiciness of the previous two. This entree came with thin slices of premium fat beef similar to that of a bacon, a bowl of lettuce, special sauce and sesame oil. Normally I hate to eat meat because of the chewy texture and just because I find it eww. But this one I had to try and I had no regrets! 🙂 We liked it a lot and we even have plans now of going back to Maru just to have our second round of chadolbaegi.

    Served hot, Jabchae Bab (Korean glassy noodles) (PHp 200) is a must-try in any Korean restaurant. It consisted of stir fried noodles in sesame oil, various garnished vegetables, cooked with flavored soy sauce and sweetened with sugar. A bed of rice and side dishes accompanied the sweet potato noodles and completed the feast.

    Finally, we had the Bulgogi Kimbab (PHp 120) which was fresh and succulent. Of good quality, each slice in the seaweed and rice roll was crave-inducing.

    This is not the meal to have if you’re in a rush. Korean meals, I suggest, have to be taken in a leisurely, social affair. There are unlimited refills of side dishes anyway. So you can take your time appreciating the different flavors infused to your taste buds and enjoy.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    We were truly happy with everything in MARU! With generous servings and wonderful standards, the price for value is spot on reasonable. We’ll definitely continue to come to Maru and keep this restaurant in our rotation.

    ❗ Maru Korean Restaurant is also able to cater to customized private parties and gatherings for more than 30 people. No need to worry about balloon decors and photo booths for your events. For your catering needs, please contact Merchant directly. They now have an ongoing deal (via Ensogo), a treat for 2 or 4 people which you can view here.

    [schema type=”review” name=”MARU Korean Restaurant” description=”G/F Adriatico Street, Ermita, Manila” rev_name=” For inquiries, call (02) 385 7192, (02) 353 9854 / 0917 5569854″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2013-07-17″ user_review=”19″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”20″ ]

    Other branches:

    A. Venue, Makati Branch
    A Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Poblacion, Makati
    Contact nos. (02) 4039140 / 0917 8064172

    HK Sun Plaza, Macapagal, San Jose, Pasay City
    Contact nos. (02) 8360404 / 0917 5283034