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  • 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 Piadina Italiana (Robinson’s Place, Manila)

    Review of Piadina Italiana (Robinson’s Place, Manila)

    This was the nth time we were dining in a restaurant in Robinson’s Place, and we made sure we tried another one we have not been to before. After one round of evaluation, Louie decided to go Italian for dinner: Piadina Italiana. According to its website, “Piadina serves the best kinds of Italian cuisine.”

    “Piadina” sounds weird to me and a quick reference from Wikipedia revealed that it is a type of flat, round and unleavened bread that traces its history back to the 4th Century. While Filipinos favor rice, Italians choose piadina as one of the staple food in homes and in restaurants, regardless of their social class.

    I was not specially hungry that time but I get a hankering for something savory. Too bad, Piadina was not the one to match the cacophony of flavors I was aiming to have. Nevertheless, here’s my review of the food and establishment.

    Review of Piadina Italiana (Robinson’s Place, Manila)

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    After stepping inside Piadina, it became apparent that this restaurant, contrary to how its website promoted it, is not as hot as it’s supposed to be. We were the only customers. But maybe because the time at the clock read a little past 6:30PM, it was too early to judge. At the strike of 7PM, people came gushing to eat there. And yes, it was some sort of a gathering place for them.

    The interior’s theme was all red. The couches were comfortable to sit on. The lack of decor might be their way of reinforcing diners to concentrate on their food.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    There were two chefs and one service crew taking orders and bills. They were quite fast and efficient.

    Food: ★☆☆☆☆

    As a starter, we had Grilled Mozzarella with Anchovies Sauce (PHp 140) which was like French toast with chewy mozzarella in between. The taste was subtle and it stood out only when I added a drop of chili sauce.

    Next was Rimini Mare (PHp 380), a classic tomato-based pasta dish, served with piadina, a thin Italian flatbread made with white flour. I’ve shared before in this blog that I don’t like pastas with white sauce. Now I say that pasta with red tomato sauce that is not sweet does not also appeal to me either. Probably I have grown so much familiarity with Filipino’s version of spaghetti which is sweet that I detest anything that is not closely like it. The texture was okay though.

    Another dish which saddened me was the piadina caponata with bell peppers, celery, eggplant, tomatoes, raisins, mozzarella and lettuce (PHp 170). This order came with cream of celery soup which also did not help to convince me that Piadina’s food and other offerings are any good. As someone who is a fan of cream of “some vegetable” soup and purees, I knew that Piadina’s version of the cream of celery soup was particularly a disappointment. It missed the mark by the widest margin, as it was too oily. The taste did not do good justice to the original celery.

    Exclusive to those who are willing to risk their appetite to enter a relatively barren, personality-less restaurant with almost tasteless food, Piadina is the place to beat.

    Price for Value: ★★☆☆☆

    There’s no shortage of places to eat in Robinson’s Place. I think that my experience is enough testimony that you should not risk going to Piadina if you don’t want to waste money. Prices of food are not that affordable compared to the value of ingredients used, the presentation and the taste.

    Piadina Italiana
    2/F Robinsons Place Manila, Padre Faura Wing, Adriatico Street, Ermita, Manila
    For inquiries, call (02) 567-6527

    Update: This branch was already closed a few weeks after I published this post. 😐

    Other branches:

    2/F EDSA cor. Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City.
    637-5809

    Megastip, Bldg. A, Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City
    687-7345

    4/F Food Park, 6766 The Enterprise Center, Paseo de Roxas cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati City
    752-5019

    G/F Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi Street, Ayala Center Makati City
    752-5019

  • Review of Bagoong Club (Quezon City)

    Review of Bagoong Club (Quezon City)

    Filipinos like eating bagoong, a special sautéed shrimp paste. While most would mix their bagoong with green mangoes, pinakbet, kare-kare, lechon kawali and rice, others can eat it straight out from the jar! Whoa. 💡

    How say you when you learn that a family has built a restaurant with “bagoong” as its main focus and huge inspiration? In this post, Aldous Calubad talks about his experience together with other foodies at the Bagoong Club, where people’s love shown for bagoong is nothing short of an understatement. ♥

    Out of all the food tasting events I have ever attended, I was looking forward to this one the most and it did not disappoint one bit. Bagoong Club opened last January of 2008 to workers repairing the streets of Scout Lazcano. Because of that, the owners gave food to the workers so they would work faster on their part because they would lose customers that way.

    The restaurant is owned by the Sevilla Siblings which consisted of 3 boys and 1 girl. The 3 brothers are the ones managing the restaurant, while the sister is their pastry chef. They decided to go with the bagoong theme because it was their childhood favorite and they are from Bulacan. Their mission is to bring Filipino cuisines globally just like what is happening now with Chinese and Japanese.

    The trophies and pictures at Bagoong Club would tell you just how popular this restaurant is. The list of celebrities that come here to eat just keeps on getting longer as each day passes by. Their Sinigang na Bangus even won a So Pinoy award.

    Do you want to franchise them? Good luck with that. Someone tried to do it but the branch closed down after 6 months because of the conduct shown by the franchisee.

    Review of Bagoong Club (Quezon City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Whenever you decide to dine at this restaurant, you will feel like you are in the comforts of your own home. That is exactly what they want to make you feel: Right at home.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    I was impressed with the service crew at Bagoong restaurant.  When we arrived, someone was there to accompany us to our table. After that, they gave us the menu. After we ordered, they gave us the list of drinks and they even told us what their best sellers are.

    Food: ★★★★★

    First, we were given a sample of the 7 types of Bagoong: Pag-ibig (sweet), Umaga (spicy), Buhay (with coconut milk), Asya (with pandan), Europa (with Basil), Special (with Crab Fat) and the basic one which is Lipunan. I must say my favorite one among them is Europa, but all of them are very good because I just love bagoong.

    As usual, we found ourselves waiting for the latecomers but I kept on insisting that we stop waiting because we agreed on a certain time. They served appetizer first and they were Ubod, Pinakbet Pate with Talong Chips and Chicharon Bulaklak. I have to say that I adored all those appetizers but I was careful not to make my stomach full for the main course.

    The soup dish came and it was one of their best sellers, Bulalo sa Mongo. You have to be missing half of your life if you have yet to try this soup! It was a Bagoong Club original, just like most of their dishes.

    The main dishes arrived and all of them were great. They were Mula sa Puso, Binagoongang Baboy Mismo, Lumpiang Ubod sa Talong, Garlic Chicken Inasal and Ensaladang Cilantro Sa Ginulat Na Tilapia. The dishes are healthy, especially the Mula sa Puso. It was named that way because it is basically the heart of a banana. It actually tastes like pork sisig and we all thought it was, but it is actually not.

    With every great story comes a happy ending and that is what we got with two lovely cakes namely Pastillas de Leche and Mango Cheesecake.  We all had a hard time dividing the cakes into small pieces because all of us wanted a piece.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    My favorites Bulalo sa Monggo (P350), Chicharon Bulaklak (P250) and Bagoong Club Chicken Inasal (P350) can be expensive at first glance.  However, you will find out all these dishes can satisfy the tummies of 2-3 people.

    Bagoong Club (Tomas Morato area)
    122 Scout Dr. Lazcano, Sacred Heart, Quezon City, Philippines
    For inquiries call (02) 929-5450

  • Review of Lola Café and Bar (Tomas Morato, Quezon City) – A Valentine’s Day Special

    Review of Lola Café and Bar (Tomas Morato, Quezon City) – A Valentine’s Day Special

    In observance of Valentine’s day this year, Louie and I reserved the weekend (rest day) to celebrate as we are one of those couples who are super busy every working day from day till night (yeah, even past actual office working hours). So while the rest of the world spent the much awaited, anticipated heart’s day on the dot, Cupid’s arrow was targeted at us three days after.

    We did celebrate the day in a traditional fashion, nonetheless — giving flowers, greeting cards,  exchanging gifts to each other and dining in an exquisite restaurant.

    The part where we spent hours of intimate conversations discussing about businesses, work, money, new goals and perspectives and other updates on learning set us apart from typical dating folks. (These stories, and not romance, are what keep us together, I suppose. Har Har.) 🙂

    Underneath the starless sky, we dined in Lola Café and Bar in Tomas Morato, QC, along a slew of remarkable restaurants waiting to be unraveled for all occasions. We were both first-time diners in Lola and when asked why he decided to choose this restaurant, Louie replied that he has just heard good recommendations from his relatives and friends. And right, they are!

    Review of Lola Café and Bar (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    Lola in Spanish means “strong woman”; in Sanskrit, it means “goddess,” specifically, Lakshmi. When translated from Filipino to English, it means “grandmother.” I just could not find anything in the ambiance of the restaurant that illustrated any of these meanings and translations. I didn’t find any valid reason on the web either.

    Why Lola? I simply could not be at peace with the question running in my mind, so I managed to get a convincing answer myself somehow: Lola Café + Bar is modeled like a bungalow type of old house. The design and structure of its exterior probably dates back to the early times which straightforwardly imply its “lola-ness” or oldness. The theme of the interior as well communicates traces of history with projected eccentricity through the framed artworks on the wall and the lights hanging from the ceiling.


    Lola Café and Bar has three dining areas: a garden-like setting outside where amigas can chat and gossip about the latest trends in fashion and the like holding their fans, the first floor where the closed kitchen, bar counter and three tables stand, and the second floor area featuring a wider space for bigger groups. In sum, I liked the minimalistic design and cozy vibe of this restaurant which made me feel at home.


    I should have given this five stars for this review. However, when it was about time for us to leave, I saw a cockroach which climbed from the edge of the ground to the main entrance. The staff barely even noticed and we had to call their attention to put it away. One of them trapped the insect to a bottle of wine and left it there by the door—lifeless.

    Service: ★★★★★

    The wait staff promptly provided us with everything we asked and needed. They had good accommodation and respect to customers.

    Food: ★★★★☆

    The menu was not packed with so many items. There were only an average of 8 or less choices per section beginning from the appetizers, salads and soups, sandwiches, varied entrees and pastas to desserts. But the dishes all looked pleasing and satisfying, worth the trouble you might get finding the place.

    We started the lovely dinner with Louie’s preference: an order of Two Sausages (PHp 200). Sausages are part of most people’s top comfort food list and are great eats regardless of the time of the day. Lola’s version of Two Sausages comprised of chopped chicken sausages on one end and sliced Hungarian sausages on the other with sauteed onions in between. I think these are best to be paired with garlic rice or toasted bread for either brunch or breakfast.


    Next thing served was the Tartufo Pasta (PHp 260) which consisted of cream sauce, portabella mushrooms and truffle oil. The pasta was slick and soft, but still al dente, and that sauce was divine in taste — simplicity at its best. We requested the waiter to cut the whole proportion of the actual order into two for us to eat in our own plates.

    Last main entree was the Baked Dory (PHp 200). The menu noted that customers would have to expect 30 minutes for this to be cooked. We didn’t mind. What resulted was a beyond-good hot-plated baked fish with crusted parmesan. I tried to eat it mindfully and thought hard on what was going on my head. The dory was seasoned well; the saltiness of the cheese complemented the flavor; and the texture of the parmesan flakes surrounding the fish prettily resembled that of breadcrumbs used to fry crisp fish fillets.

    We could not leave the place without having desserts as we could not stand the strong taste of the last dish lingering on our taste buds (not that it wasn’t good). Out of the three choices, we had the Banofee Pie (PHp 150). It was vanilla-like custard ice cream layered with frozen bananas in the middle and Graham crust at the bottom, with sprinkles of strawberry, cherry or raspberry and chocolate syrup on the sides. Their banofee pie was a nice concoction of sweet (yet not so sweet) elements, grown-up style.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    We had four courses without spending more than PHp 1000. When put to isolation though, each dish was notably overpriced. Okay, to be fair, their food aren’t all haute cuisine but were great, so there’s little wonder Lola Cafe and Bar racks up a consistent flow of customers nightly.

    Lola Café + Bar
    99 Scout Lozano Street, Tomas Morato,
    Quezon City, Metro Manila
    For inquiries, call (02) 501-2620

    Operating Hours:
    Tuesday to Thursday 3:00pm – 11:00pm
    Friday to Saturday 3:00 pm – 1:00 am
    Sunday 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

  • 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 C2 Classic Cuisine Philippines (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Review of C2 Classic Cuisine Philippines (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    If you’re curious about what constitutes redesigned and refreshing Filipino cuisine, you can check out C2 Classic Cuisine Philippines. Taking its literal name, this restaurant offers everyday classic Filipino comfort food, operated by the Cravings Food Services Inc. You can celebrate anything here with your family and friends (especially foreigners) who want an innovated taste of the Filipino culture.

    We often do pass by one of its branches every time we go to Robinsons Place, Manila. Last Sunday, when Louie bought us tickets to the Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013 movie), he received a C2 Classic Cuisine voucher (free Sotanghon Guisado worth PHp 265) over the counter as well as a Red Mango coupon (buy one take one promotion). 😉

    So before the movie, we had dinner at C2 Classic Cuisine. Let’s see how it fared on my test here.

    Review of C2 Classic Cuisine Philippines (Robinsons Place, Manila)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    The ambiance did not represent the customary Filipino restaurants such as those of Cabalen and Kamayan, but I liked the interior design and the orderliness of the space. The ceiling was designed with swirls of lights and spotlights that brought an orange glow on the orange-and-brown theme.

    Service:★☆☆☆☆

    For customer service, I give only one star for the waiter who served us free appetizers while waiting for our orders.

    Beyond that though, the waiting staffs were not awesome. They missed our calling every time we raised our hands up high and every time we called “Miss” or “Mister” out loud. (Maybe it was Piolo Pascual’s fault as he was singing live on the background and people were screaming at the top of their lungs for him.)

    But that should not be an excuse for them to ignore dining customers! Apparently, they were having dinner at that time, in one table, altogether. How sweet. 😯 They should have found a way to get a door (since the restaurant had no door) or gate to close when they are not free to entertain guests. When it was time to request for the bill, Louie just stood up to approach them. (They all turned their backs on customers.) What if we just walked out without paying on purpose for them to learn their lesson?

    In sum, I am not exaggerating when I say they had a lack of attentiveness. Their minds were in their own little micro-bubble within a bubble within an even tinier bubble.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    Beautifully presented, in a tidy square plate that’s almost too pretty to touch, the Sweet and Sour Fish (PHp 385) featured a generous helping of fish fillet smothered with sweet and sour sauce with bell peppers and thinly sliced carrots. The fish fillet was slightly crisp on the outside and succulent on the inside. The flavors of the vegetables meddled together nicely.

    Another appealing dish was the free one we got from the voucher as mentioned: Sotanghon Guisado. I thought it would be dry but it turned out to be soft and smooth. It was made of rice noodles cooked in soy sauce and chicken stock with chicken strips, local vegetables, peanuts and topped with scrambled eggs.

    C2 had us licking the plates clean. Not literally, though—because that would be a frigging embarrassing act! Also, we got super full after finishing almost 3/4 of the food.

    Price for Value: ★★☆☆☆

    Prices of the dishes on the menu range from PHp 300-500 in average. I thought I can eat more palatable food in other restaurants offering similar dishes. Simply put, these two stars mean: Go if you’re in the mood. It’s good, but there’s nothing special.

    C2 Classic Cuisine Robinsons Place, Manila
    G/F Robinsons Place Manila, Midtown Wing,
    Adriatico St cor Pedro Gil Ermita, Manila
    Contact Number: (02) 567-2402

    Other branches:
    Summit Ridge Hotel Tagaytay
    Cravings Center Katipunan: 426-6681 to 87
    18 Missouri St. Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City: (632) 723-2347
    Shangri-La Mall: 636-1510
    SM Megamall: 470-1149
    Robinsons Midtown: 567-2402

  • Review of Paris Delice (Makati Avenue)

    Review of Paris Delice (Makati Avenue)

    Every day busy, busy every day.

    That’s probably the line I’ll tag to myself since I have not gotten enough rest recently. When I have free time for myself, I would rather spend it relaxing over a quiet meal with friends, chill out in a library (or bookstore), or sleep than indulge in hours partying for freedom and screaming with loud company. And I think Aldous had just spent this perfect time to chill with a great company of bloggers last Thursday.

    They went to Paris Delice for an event that got them focused only on food, drinks and conversation. Me: envious. 🙄 I personally have not been to Paris Delice in Makati, but judging from their dining experience, I think their dishes must have met the lunchtime standard served promptly with care to customers.

    The following is a guest post by Aldous Calubad, my co-blogger and writer at SEO Hacker and When in Manila, sharing his review of Paris Delice:

    Paris Delice offers freshly baked bread, getting daily deliveries from France. Their bread is half-baked there, then it is baked again here in the Philippines for total satisfaction. 😉

    Event host Chef Al Laine De Leon is the head chef of the restaurant and also the manager at the same time. Mr. Thibault Daniel, one of the restaurant owners, greeted us and served us with grace—always asking if we needed anything and how the food was.

    Review of Paris Delice (Makati Avenue)

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    The restaurant has the ambiance of a coffee shop and it provides high speed Internet access for those looking to spend time here.  A lot of people don’t know it is actually a French fast food restaurant because customers can drop by and buy only bread.

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    The servers failed to ask us if we needed anything.  They just did their job in serving the food to us.  Perhaps, they are not used to seeing customers who drop by and order a lot of food so I can forgive them for that.

    Food: ★★★★★

    First, we were served two kinds of soup: Cream of Tomato Soup and French Onion Soup.  One of the bloggers found her French onion soup a bit salty, so she didn’t finish it. Anyway, I think that is quite normal for that soup.

    Next, we were given salads including French Salad, Pinoy Salad, Roma Salad and Tagaytay Salad.  I had the Tagaytay Salad and chose the classic Caesar dressing. The other salad dressings available were Raspberry, Balsamic and Asian.

    Two long sandwiches headed our way, namely: L’Europeen (ham & cheese) and L’Atlantic (salmon). I have to say their specialty really is their bread which made all the sandwiches delicious.

     Then came four big plates of pastas: Chicken Curry Pasta, Poulet Au Pistou, Bolognaise and Aragula-Chevre. I chose the Chicken Curry pasta and I noticed it was not spicy which was good. All other bloggers enjoyed their picks likewise.

    The final serving contained breads and pastries but the other bloggers were too full to even notice that.  I noticed the croissant though and I just could not resist tasting that because I love croissants.  I must say their croissant is a must try.

    I also got to try their Nutella Beignet and it is like a cream puff with nutella inside. That was one bread I enjoyed and it is perfect for dessert.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    The store closes at 7:30 in the evening and they have a 40% sale on their breads starting at 7PM.  That is such a huge giveaway given the fact that it is not yet that late to be giving away their breads at such a handsome price.

    I highly recommend this French themed restaurant if you are a big fan of bread. I would love to come back because I saw they also have quiches that we did not get to taste.

    Paris Delice
    1 Juno Street, corner Makati Avenue, Makati City
    For inquiries, call 09173157667

  • Review of Mangan (SM North EDSA)

    Review of Mangan (SM North EDSA)

    Mangan is a Pampangan restaurant, related to Cabalen. In Ilocos, Pampanga and Pangasinan, “mangan” means “eat.” For Cantonese like us, “mangan” or 眼盲 means “blind.” That’s why when I first learned of this restaurant years back, I wondered why the owner branded the restaurant with such a negative connotation.

    Current branches of Mangan are in Robinsons Place, Manila; Robinsons Galleria; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; and SM North EDSA.

    Review of Mangan (SM North EDSA)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    Though Mangan offers traditional home-cooked meals, it projects such a modern ambiance. When we stepped inside, we were rapt with the white plates displayed on the opposite walls as design, while the longer wall imitated a shelf filled with mock violet books.

    Elegant chandeliers provided the bright blaze of light valued by diners. The entire rectangular area of the restaurant can have room for about 70 people (yes, we counted the chairs).

    Service: ★★☆☆☆

    Except for giving us free fritters, the rest of Mangan’s customer service was devastating.

    Mangan partnered with BDO credit card for BDO credit card users to avail of Mangan’s promo: buy the bistig bangus belly and get another dish worth PHp 220 or lower for free. You can also buy a dish with a higher price tag but you need to pay for the excess amount (more than pHp 220) later.

    Mom inquired about the deal, and the waitress at the entrance corrected us with her own version. She said we needed to dine in and purchase at least PHp 1000 worth of food from them before we can have the free dish worth of PHp 220 or lower. My mother insisted on what she knew (according to what’s written on the voucher) and asked the girl to confirm the thing with her superior. After a few minutes, the waitress returned and admitted that her belief was according the old promotion they had and not this ongoing one we were referring to.

    Second encounter was the wrong order the waiter served, which I could probably blame on the name of the restaurant. Mangan, right? Does this actually mean the waiter was not able to clearly see what he wrote on the paper where he listed our orders? Instead of placing the lengua caldereta on our table, he mistakenly gave us lengua with button mushrooms (sauteed slices soft boiled ox tongue with lavish creamy mushroom sauce and hefty mushroom).

    I thought they just had a different kind of caldereta (brown, not orange) and even turned to Mom to argue my point. 😛 However, when Mom tried it, she immediately knew it really wasn’t what she wanted to have. So the apologetic staff couldn’t do anything but change it to the right one.

    Third fault was another wrong order served by another waiter. He gave us the glass of regular halo-halo instead of our actual order, the special kind. Whoa! What’s happening here? They were all careless. Not to mention customers were not that many for us to tolerate their sloppiness.

    After giving us the right desserts, my sister asked for two extra spoons for my mom and me (since we would share the halo-halo). The waiter gave us only one and walked away! ‘哇佬耶!

    So this branch should not only stick with the name “Mangan” or blind but should also affix “Jilung” or 耳聾 which means deaf. 哎喲! 🙄

    Food: ★★★★☆

    Filipinos of any province or region are typically known to be good cooks. And Kapampangans are no exception. Their cooking prowess made them win the reputation for being creative at the forefront of culinary wizardry. That’s why when we learned that Mangan is Kapampangan, we really set our expectations up high.

    Mangan did not fail to meet that level of expectation. As much as it offers a variety of meaty dishes, it also has plenty of selections for vegetarians and seafood-lovers. So we ordered: jasmine rice (PHp 31), tofu sisig (PHp 100), bistig bangus belly (PHp 220), lengua caldereta (PHp 220) and special halo-halo (PHp 128).

    Absolutely free of meat, the tofu sisig was well served without burnt portions stuck on the hot plate. We just pinched one calamansi for it to taste better and mixed it with rice.

    The second course was lengua caldereta, made of soft-boiled ox tongue, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, potatoes, red and green bell peppers. I can’t believe I ate a piece of lengua! 😯 (Huhu, eww…) Texture was soft and not spongy as I imagined. The potatoes in the caldereta were too solid and hard to chew on. There was not enough time to boil them, perhaps.

    The pictures below show the wronged lengua order…

    Next we had the fish fare. Because there’s a stable supply of milk fish in Pampangga rivers, locals have tons of resources to experiment cooking with inventiveness and versatility. Mangan reflected on this and included several variants of fish on their menu. Aside from the item we had, there are the likes of sinigang na bangus sa bayabas, kinilaw na bangus, bangus a la pobre and bangus salpicao.

    Anyway, the bistig bangus belly was just one among the many results of their intrinsic talent. The central part had the belly fat which was sinful and delicious. The accompanying sauce was flavorful, both salty and sweet.

    Finally, we punctuated our meal with dessert. The special halo-halo contained a mix of all the following: a dollop of ube ice cream, leche flan, macapuno, banana and mongo beans with smoothly shaved ice. Every spoonful made us experience one to two seconds of brain freeze. Its sweetness was acceptable though we can add more syrup if we wanted to.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    All dishes were almost drool-worthy and they had affordable prices to match. Once tasted, twice satisfied!

    Menu: