a bite of brownie

Situated near the outskirts of ayala cebu's active zone, Pepper Steak is the Cebu equivalent of Pepper Lunch from Manila. We visited this diner for a meal one sunny afternoon, with hopes that we woulnt be ignored for the third time since we visited the place. Our hopes were answered once we entered the establishment and had been guided towards our seat. We had two orders of beef pepper steak and an order of beef curry steak with accompanying bottomless iced tea.

The ambiance was a bit off despite being in order, not to mention that several waitresses spent their idle time with gossip and chatter. The redeeming factor of this restaurant was that our brief stay there was never without having to request for a drink refill (the women behind the counter energetically filled our glasses non stop. Maybe because their manager was nearby?)

The food was satisfying enough, I had the lingering scent of curry on my finger tips for the next hour.

Pepper Steak
Ayala center Cebu

Verdict:
A: 3/5

I still haven't forgotten about the last two times they didn't attend to us. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Pepper lunch is a popular Japanese sizzling place in glorietta 5. You can see a slightly long line outside the restaurant between 11 am until 1 pm for their food. Just at the entrance, anyone can take in the scrumptious smell of meat and fish and hear the sizzles of prepared dishes.

We had beef yakiniku with mixed pepper rice while our cousin had salmon teriyaki while brother had beef teriyaki. Each order can be upgraded so that it can include a complimentary drink as well as soup or a siding or a dessert. Our order came minutes later, and after one bite, we knew why pepper lunch have so many people lining up during break. The beef was soft and delicious, not to mention the sauce perfectly complimenting the dish itself. Eventually after the meal, we claimed our Ice cream from the counter. We shared scoops of caramel, black sesame and chocolate with nuts much to our satisfaction.


Pepper lunch
Glorietta 5, Makati

Verdict:
A: I was greatly amused by the presentation of step by step video instructions of how to cook some of the meals. The restaurant wasn't too hot either, and the air conditioning was well planned and maintained. Service time can be a bit long due to the restaurant's popularity, so the place is not recommended if you have work in 30 minutes.

4/5

Chicken bonchon

Chicken Bonchon
Ayala Triangle Makati



Verdict:
A: 2.5/5

Price is definitely outrageous. If it werent for the sidings I wouldn't be thrilled at all. There are other local and cheaper priced chicken stores out there (in Cebu and makati) and this store isnt one of them. The clerks promised steak cut fries but was given thin ones. Kudos for the kimchi coleslaws and fermented radish though!

After pigging out yesterday at saisaki's all you can eat buffet in glorietta with four days left before my graduation, I was asked to pick from the short list of the best burgers in town. Interestingly, army navy ranked second in my list, and so our rendezvous was decided.

This small burger joint was located within minutes frm the vicinity of our hotel. I was a little surprised that they had a short menu list of burgers, burritos, tortillas and shakes as well as a few more sidings. Of course, I don't want to judge a restaurant by it's menu list since I know several eateries with a specialized menu of very few items for sale.

Army navy burger take pride in their quarter pound patties. Their burritos are top notch as well. Unlike popular choices like jollibee and Mickey d's, they have pure beef patties that will be remembered by anyone who tastes them. Each burger comes with tomato slices, lettuce, mayo and ketchup. Of course, hot sauce depends on the diner's discretion

Army navy
Glorietta 5

Verdict
A: 4/5

After so many weeks of dreaming of their deep dish pizza and eggplant parmigiana, we finally decided to eat at Sbarro's. The restaurant is well cared for and clean to the dot. Regardless of the fact that the diner itself wouldn't compare to the branch at SM, it was above my expectations.

For lunch, we had the Chicago deep dish pizza with white sauce and extra cheese, Meat delight pizza slice and Meat lasagna that comes with small piece of garlic bread.

The meat delight pizza is topped with bacon and pepperoni over a thick layer of melted cheese. The Chicago deep dish was ok and is better off eaten while hot because the cheese hardens and eventually making it less appetizing and less delicious to munch on. The meat lasagna however, isn't even close to getting recommended. It was slightly dry and had very minimal cheese in it (mostly tomatoes and tomato sauce!)


Sbarro
Ayala Center Cebu


Verdict:
A: 3/5

Last night while we were at SM, we discovered that our favorite Korean restaurant closed down for good. Granted it was late and mom was hungry, we settled for the next best thing: Royal Krua Thai. The place improved since my last visit here, particularly the ambiance of the restaurant.

Verdict:
A: 3.8/5

I'm not satisfied with how authentic their dishes are. After tasting their Pad Thai before, I am confident I can cook better than them. Also, their portions are small and expensive.

After serious efforts of looking for an empty parking lot during the 2011 Chinese New year, my sister and I decided to join the festivities by celebrating at Korean restaurant. As I've been told, Korean New Year and Chinese New Year happens on the same day. It was a pleasant evening with the wind blowing gently and beautiful fireworks above that makes it a night to be remember indeed.



Ziburo is a casual modernized korean restaurant that serves some of the country's authentic food. Several of its customers are natives who enjoy unwinding after a day's work with friends that comes with a bottle of beer all the while munching on their favorite dishes. The restaurant's ambiance is very pleasant and easy to the ears.



The waiters were too preoccupied making the foreigners happy while a few were caught gossiping. During our short stay there, we had been served complementary kimchi and pica pica Korean cold noodles and a seafood pancake. Of course, everything was delicious and well worth the wait.




The noodles was scrumptuous, as it combined the sauce's sweetness as well as the spiciness of the chili and chili paste that came with it. The seafood pancake is looked like an but upon close inspection, it is an omelet with lots and lots of vegetables and seafood.



Ziburo
IT Park Cebu


Verdict:
A = 3/5
To justify the prices of the menu, each dish can cater for two.

One sunny afternoon in IT park, my sister and I had this strong craving to try the new Thai restaurant in The Walk to break free from the usual food we eat. From the outside, Blue elephant seems to be a casual dining place amidst the rows of local hang outs in the area. The ambiance itself wasn't bad, in fact, I thought it was cute to have a metal elephant head hanging by the wall.