Portos Diner and Grille

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 While waiting for mom to finish with her Church meeting, we decided to cruise around the Escario area for a place to chill and pass by time. It was until later that my sister remembered several restaurants were located near the Capitol, just neighbors with Zubuchon.



Portos is situated in a a cozy corner beside a small bakeshop with a scenic view of an empty but spacious parking lot with several trees planted on the side.



What's interesting about this restaurant are the items in their menu. Uniquely named dishes like "Big Mama" and "Bangers and Mash" are certain to grab your attention. If that wasn't enough, their wide array of main course is sure to bring in the crowd with so much food to choose from.



The ambiance of the place feels like you've been thrown back into the 90s, with several of the popular songs from way back playing in the background. The backdrop is minimalistic in design and is without a doubt simplistic and functional. There is little space in this restaurant, however, that only a few tables could fit inside (give or take 6-7 tables, excluding the ones outside).



For refreshments, we had a whole pitcher of Citrus Cooler to stave off our thirst. Our appetizer was a plate of Fire Wings, which had more spice than usual, as requested.



It was good.



And really spicy.



 Within minutes, our individual orders arrived; O'Neil's Baby Back Ribs for brother, one plate of Big Mama for my sister, and a Southern Style Grilled Pork Chop.



 I was really impressed with the food here. Each individual dish had their unique flavor that lingers on your mouth. The meat is tender and cooked just right. The ribs were cooked tender that it could easily be torn into pieces with your spoon and fork. The beef cut for the Big Mama was tender enough too, with a hint of spice that leaves you hanging for more. It even comes with its own gravy on a shot glass as it lies on top of a moderate pile of fries. My Pork Chop was done fine too, with a serve of buttery gravy to go with it and a morsels of fresh vegetables on top.


It's a great place to hang out and chill while listening to the vibes on the in-house speakers. The food is good and affordable too.





 Portos Diner and Grille
Escario




Verdict:
A: Definitely a 4/5.
Nice view and decent food are what makes a good restaurant. Not a place to check your emails because there's no wi-fi. Also bring cash. Credit card is not available for this establishment. 

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Majestic

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My sister and mother decided to visit the newly renovated Majestic here at SM City Cebu one rainy day to taste their tried and tested Chinese recipes.



It's nice how Majestic has undergone so many renovations that they now finally settled with a new and refreshing look for their latest opening as opposed to their previously gloomy appeal.

 
 But wait a minute. I didn't come here in my little corner of the interwebs to talk about that, no sir. I'm here to talk about how good their food are and if they still got it. 


When I arrived from my errands for the day, the food were already served, steaming hot from the kitchen. Two plates of cabbage rolls and a serving of chicken feet dimsum for starters. 


A plate of Crispy Noodles and a large bowl of Hot and Sour soup followed soon after. 


For the main dish, they ordered a regular sized Patatim, the Chinese equivalent for pork roast, that comes with a freshly baked loaf of Cuapao, or sweet bread.


The meal was pleasant enough in my opinion and the sauces to complement the food were really nice. I think they were a bit stingy in giving them to their customers because we were given these small saucers with small amounts of spice in them.


    The crispy noodles were indeed crispy enough when it was served. I think there's too much sauce on top of it that it lost its crisp almost immediately as soon as we mixed the toppings together.


The hot and sour soup was somewhat a disappointment. It wasn't sour in the least, but it generated enough heat in our mouths. This dish also had a plentiful amount of shiitake mushrooms in it, which is a good thing. 


Dessert came and we had for ourselves a serve of buchi, a small circle of Leche Flan and a chilled cup of Mandarin Orange in lychee syrup. 

I'm pleased that they were able to perfect the recipe for buchi, not too greasy, but crispy while not sacrificing the filling. The orange cup tasted like medicine, from the artificial syrup in it. And for the leche flan, I'll be 50-50 with this. The flan itself is perfect, however the sauce is what destroys the dish altogether thanks to its bitterness.



Majestic
SM City Cebu



Verdict:

A: 3.5/5
There needs to be a few improvements here and there, but I can safely say that they still got it.







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Dooger's Seafood & Grill

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one good way to find the best restaurants in a place is to ask the locals their favorite and recommended places. the hotel receptionist recommended this for good seafood options. this place is located at the center of seaside downtown. the sun has set and lights were coming from the shops and restaurants, it was very nice and quaint picture.

 


the restaurant was busy when i came but it is big and has lots of tables. i waited for only five minutes.

candle light was on the table with a fresh rose. their menu had a lot of items from pasta, seafood to steaks. i chose surf & turf with lobster and rib-eye steak. it comes with shrimp garden salad, toasted bread and baked potato with sour cream and butter.

it's a fine-dining place which is a good place to celebrate an occasion or to impress someone.
 


the salad came and it was too big for one person! it's good for two persons. i guess the salad compensates for the wait on the entree.

the lobster was perfectly cooked, it was not gummy nor over-cooked. the lobster meat was conveniently pulled-out already from the shell but was sitting on top of the shell for nice presentation. the steak was a little bland for me though. the baked potato with sour cream and butter was a perfect side. i didn't bother tasting the toasted bread.

Verdict: 4/5 (-1 for the bland steak)

Dooger's Seafood & Grill
505 Broadway St
Seaside, OR 97138

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Pho Wagon and Nothing Bundt Cakes

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after picking up a package from the post office, i took a look at available food restos next door and found this place but I was a few minutes early. three other parties were also waiting for the restaurant to open so i thought this must be a good sign that this resto is good. I checked the other stores close by. there's Starbucks and nothing bundt cakes. I stepped in the latter and I was greeted with a friendly crew saying if I would be interested in trying their raspberry chiffon cake. it was delicious and not so sweet so I thought I can't leave that bakery without getting something. my eyes were set on buying the chocolate-chocolate chip bundtlet. I asked the cashier what's their best seller and guess what? it's the same as my choice!

I proceeded back to pho wagon and by the time I came back, they turned the closed sign to open. their daily special is grilled pork or chicken sandwich with chips and Thai iced tea. I asked the waitress if I could change the sandwich to meat with rice. she thinks no so I opted to get the special combo pho, an unexpected order from me since I don't like noodles or pasta. surprisingly, I enjoyed it! the broth was tasty. the rice noodles were perfectly cooked, not over cooked nor soggy. special combo pho has steak, well-done flank, brisket, tendon and tripe. I like best the latter three. small order was still too much for much. I wasn't able to finish the noodles but drank all the soup.

 

there are not many options for rice plates though. this place seemed popular considering almost 10 parties came within thirty minutes after the resto opened.

the chocolate-chocolate chip bundlet was delicious! the sweetness was just right, not so sweet and not so bland.

Verdict for Pho Wagon: 3/5 (-2 for few rice plate options)
Verdict for Nothing Bundt Cakes: 4/5 (it's a little expensive)

Pho Wagon
1712 Meridian Ave
San Jose, CA 95125

Nothing Bundt Cakes
1702 Meridian Avenue Suite B.
San Jose, CA 95125

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Azabu

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Located within walking distance from our house, Azabu is a fairly recent contender in the Japanese restaurant business here in Cebu. At first I thought it was one of those overpriced places that tried hard to be called a Japanese restaurant, but upon our visit, I was once again proven wrong.


I guess you can't call a restaurant bad and pretentious from just the looks.


It was a small place that can hold at least two dozen pairs of people in its fold. Fairly decent, if I may say so myself. The ambiance reeked of class and fine dining, and it was a good thing I was dressed for the occasion. I mean, look at the menu.



What I liked most about this place is that this is the first place I've been to that sells ikura, or salmon roe. And also one of the few places that sell Uni, or Sea Urchin.



Those two are probably my favorites when we talk about sashimi. Yum!



Moving on, my mom had for herself a sushi-sashimi bento that had an array of fresh fish in it. My sister had a bowl of mixed sashimi while I had myself a bento plate of beef teriyaki.


To add to our already plentiful dishes, we had this Sashimi platter served in a wooden boat. There was octopi slices, squid with ikura, fresh uni served in a seaweed cup, salmon, and other white fishes.


They didn't have Japanese Tuna at that time so they changed that for Ikura.


 


To down the meal, there was free flowing house tea. I had the liberty to sample their sake though, since my companions didn't want to drink at all. It tasted nice while it was served hot, definitely steamy and alcoholic. The heat brings out the alcohol content in the sake, it seems. But I think I prefer cold sake.

Dessert time came soon, and we ordered a plate of Japanese cake and a cup of Macha Ice Cream. The staff were kind enough to give us a chilled sample of refreshing coffee jelly.



 It was very delicious!


And did I mention that they were also very generous when it comes to grapes? Almost all of our dishes came with several globes of seedless grapes!




Azabu
Lahug




Verdict:

A: 5/5

I liked this place a lot. It was a very enjoyable experience. I could say it is a complete opposite of Banri, whose ambiance felt homey and familiar whereas Azabu is somewhat formal and classy. This restaurant is probably in my top Japanese restaurants here in Cebu.





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Mayflower cafe

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We were looking for a parking slot within Capitol area today when we passed by this place. I remember the early years where we'd buy food from this place. It looked different from back then. What used to be an old dingy pension house was transformed into a less gloomy environment friendly place that emphasizes caring for the environment that we live in.




Table napkins were substituted with cloth napkins and they even have a mini garden with a small pond for decorative fish and turtles to live in. What makes it very interesting is that they even have a small areas for children now and several shelves of books and magazines for public reading.




The food on their menu isn't a lot. If you're expecting a large meal after your journey to get to this place, prepare to be disappointed. Mayflower cafe have shrunk the food they prepare to only a few select easy to prepare dishes for their customers. In fact, my sister had herself a meal of fried dilis and rice that comes with a side of egg. My mother ordered for herself a serving of sisig, while I had a plate of pork liempo to go with my mug of hot chocolate. As a side, we also ordered a plate of eggplant relleno.

 

The food was okay, if you're asking. Sister liked her dilis so much. Mom did like the sisig we ordered for her. The pork liempo that I had had very little meat (5-6 pieces of sliced pork? ha-ha).




Mayflower Cafe
Capitol area



Verdict:

A: I'll give them a 3/5 for effort and concept. The food could be presented a little bit better to make up for the very little serving size.

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Serenitea

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Fairly fresh on the bubble tea race, Serenitea's branch at IT Park Lahug offers an wide range of delicious freshly brewed tea mixed to perfection. There were no gimmicks, no fancy labels and names, no blatantly annoying bright lights. It was a drink presented in its barest form. For those looking for a stronger caffeine hit, patrons can get coffee based beverages at an affordable price.

There were several flavors to choose from, and a variety of tastes one could sample. Personally, I prefer drinks that have a subtle hint of caffeine but big on other flavors.

I also like experiencing new tastes and discovering new things that excite the taste buds.

We've been visiting this place for the umpteenth time, and frankly, of all the other bubble tea places, this has got my vote.



Serenitea
It Park



Verdict
A: 4/5

This place had a lot of flavors, with additions and sinkers you can add into your drink. You can also have the option to reduce the sugar level that they use upon your request. Also, their drinks are always made everyday with the freshest ingredients to make sure your needs are met with the highest quality.


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