a bite of brownie

I don’t remember when I last went to Shangri-La Plaza at Shaw Boulevard. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I ever did. One reason that I can think of is I always thought of it as a high end mall that I would really not want to spend time in haha because I won’t be happy afterwards if I splurge on anything I bought from there. LOL gee, was I wrong this entire time. While looking for new restaurants to try (I was on mid-shift for a month then so I was able to pass by this place), Café Dome grabbed the spot. It’s an Australian franchise originally serving world class coffee (which I didn’t really know until I read the menu!) but evolved to something more to catch the Filipino market.

The parking in the mall was a little tricky, I think I got to level 7! Fortunately, when I got off the lift, the restaurant was directly on my right. So I found myself seated in an old European interior, nice, comfy seats, and they even have rooms for large groups. Looking around, there aren’t a lot of diners, whoever was there though, all looked important and all the while busy. The server was quick to hand me the menu and I asked for their Roast Beef Belly and their Café Mocha.

The warm coffee came first on a tall cup with sweetener on the side and a bonus of a small cookie! The coffee was ok but it’s not really out of this world. After a few minutes, my lunch plate arrived. Roast beef belly, check, it was rather a small cut though. Rice, check, but I don’t think this was the best option to accompany the star of the dish. Green salad, check, I wanted more though. I liked the mustard vinaigrette dressing. Gravy, check, nothing spectacular here. So after my meal, I had a lot of leftover fat slices, it hasn’t been rendered enough to my liking, like you’re swallowing oil. The rice was barely touched, maybe they have a better chance of nailing this dish if they replaced the carbs.

Verdict: 1.5/5
Well, this is a coffee shop after all, but it didn’t do it justice. The .5 came from the tiny cookie haha! My food was a little underwhelming too, there’s just too much I didn’t like. Pity because the meaty part was nice and soft. I just wasn’t able to enjoy the entirety of it. So better luck next time? If there is one.

Ever heard of that fancy restaurant that serves premium steak cuts for as much as a whopping 6500Php per dinner plate? That high end steak house in Makati, Elbert’s Steak Room? Yeah, that one! This is NOT a review for that, mind you, but for its spin off, Elbert’s Sandwiches. Formerly located in Powerplant Mall, it has graced the south (raise the roof!) at Commerce Center, Alabang. Moving away from its mother restaurant, Elbert’s Sandwiches serves traditional American cuisine specializing in cheesesteaks and, seriously, need I say more?!

When I entered the joint, I was greeted by the staff hiding behind the counter. Almost jumped at being greeted because the place was virtually empty. I knew what I wanted, their Classic American Cheesesteak!!!! And I added provolone for good measure. And it certainly did not disappoint. It was served warm and wrapped in a clean, white paper. All it’s 8inches bun trying to hold all those steak goodness, topped with melted cheese (more like oozing), and caramelized onions. Ugh. Typing all that and looking at the picture makes my mouth all watery again! I think I took several photos with it, yes, even selfies, like it was some sort of a celebrity, check my IG haha! I mean, just look at it!

And not trying so hard on its own, I also ordered their superb Onion Rings. It didn’t take away anything from the cheesesteak experience, just accentuated it. It came with mayo and ketchup, so yeah, whichever rocks your boat. I tried them both, and they’re good either way.

Verdict: 4.5/5
I mean WOW! I Can I give them a 5?! Seriously I would, but I just tried their 2 dishes so far haha! And I wish I had a larger stomach to eat the entirety of it, but no. I had half of it to go haha! This is definitely, DEFINITELY worth another visit. If this humble joint serves food on this quality, I’m really intrigued with their mother restaurant. Someday soon I hope!

I’ve (not) recently reviewed a similar restaurant before that served bingsu, page here. And just that we’re clear, I am rating this restaurant against that one. So here goes. Welcome to Ice Flower!

Apart from a family of 4 near the snow machine (yes, they have this makeshift playground that has a snow machine where children can play, just children, boo!), I was the only customer inside the restaurant. There was a very serious looking Korean guy sitting on one of the tables where his laptop and phone were on display. Later on, I would determine he’s the owner because he inspected my bingsu before I was called (they have that buzzer thing) and reprimanded the employees when I had gone back to my table.

The chairs and tables were of mismatched colors and forms while the walls were just smoothened cement perhaps to accentuate the seats and tables to full effect? But honestly, the vibe was quite sad, unlike other bingsu shops you might have visited. Maybe it just looked a little unfinished. Or I didn’t get the concept haha!

Going back to my dessert, I realized I ordered the wrong size because when I looked up at their menu, right after the Mango Cheesecake, the prices for S M L sizes were written neatly, and at the very end, came the cheapest price and it read Cup. I ordered the small bingsu but found it really huge for someone who recently had a heavy lunch. Anyway, that’s a note for future visits. The bingsu came with the standard shaved milk ice, a little on the sour side mango bits, melt in your mouth cheesecake cubes, sliced almonds, and the mango sauce drizzle of course. It tasted just right and they gave me an extra small cup of milk for my perusal in case I needed it to be more milky or sweeter.

Verdict: 2/5
Presentation was so-so, I had better! My favorite part was the cheesecake, it was so yummy, I had to stop myself from asking more of that instead of the milk LOL the ambience of the shop could be improved, that goes without saying, and maybe have the owner smile a little, to attract more customers, no?

It’s a nice feeling when you start your day doing all your errands and then finishing it off with a nice trip to a new restaurant you haven’t tried before. At a new mall along Daang Hari, stands the Evia Lifestyle Center, which gives off the European vibe here in the south. It’s a new mall, still lots of empty stalls, very limited parking (but I think they’re doing something about it already), and they have this huge activity grounds inside and at the very heart of the mall. It’s surrounded by stores in a circular fashion, glass ceiling for natural light which is very cool since they have this enormous Christmas tree as the main attraction. So why was I here? To visit Bagoong ni Sisa and hoard goodies haha. Mission accomplished on that one!


After roaming around the mall, my mom, sister, and I decided to eat lunch somewhere, some place new, as I’m trying to tear them away those fastfood joints they so love. And after searching online, I found this restaurant: Teppanya. A Japanese joint that has a tagline of “It’s not just dinner. It’s entertainment!” And they weren’t kidding. Customers are seated on a bar-like setting surrounding the iron griddle where the chef will cook your meal. In our case, since there were just 3 of us, we were grouped with a family of 5. The host gave us the menu and suggested items to order for first timers like us. So I ordered the set meal (came with salad, soup, and stir-fry veggies) for mom and sis, beef, chicken, and pork for protein, and I ordered salmon and uni nigiri for myself.

The chef then proceeded in cooking our food in front of us, staring with the fried rice. Interestingly, that took the most time to cook, as there was an assortment of ingredients in it. Eggs, carrots, sauces.. enter the eggs show. Chef did a number of tricks with the raw egg in shell, throwing it in the air with his ladles, catching it with his toque blanche, AND not breaking it (imagine if it broke on his head haha!). He also made some cutesy heart forms on the griddle, maybe that would be amusing if his audience were all couples (at this point, I was really thinking he’s just playing with our food, see I called us his audience already!). Then came the cooking of the proteins. First the pork, drizzled with a medley of sauces, making it sweet and tangy. It was cooked nicely, it wasn’t tough nor under-seasoned. The chicken came next, cooking it to perfection with what I reckon the same sauce as the pork. It wasn’t overcooked, still juicy. He cut both in cubes and continued cooking it for a few more seconds before serving. And the beef came last, before going any further he asked us what temperature should he cook our beef, I told him medium rare, and the father from the other group said well done and I winced in pain at that, even giving him a quick glance which initially I thought he didn’t see. I mean, I wanted to ask "did you not see how he cooked the other meat or do you really just want to eat rubber?" LOL and not 5mins after, just before the chef starts cooking their portion, he changes his mind and made it medium rare, too. Haha! That felt like that was a small victory for the steak gods.

Verdict: 3/5 
Considering the live show and the flavor and cook on our meat, this restaurant would have good marks. The crew were informative, helpful, and courteous. But I have to pull it down a little because I just didn’t like the narrow aisles inside the restaurant, customers were more or less bumping on each other. They also lacked proper ventilation, we pretty much came out the restaurant smelling like the food we ate haha! Lastly, I thought they could do something about the wait time before the service began. Maybe give it another go next time when they’re more accustomed to serving multiple groups of diners.

We haven’t gone out as a family to eat out on luxurious buffets at all. I mean, sure, we very occasionally dine at Yakimix, but since we’d rather go to other fastfood restos for price, Café D’Asie sure is an improvement in all levels. Located at the 2nd floor of The Bellevue Hotel in Alabang, we had our family dinner here to kick off the Christmas season. And of course, everyone was dolled up! We went on a Saturday night to accommodate everyone’s schedule. We didn’t tell Mamang where we were going so she kept asking, even our parents.. just told them to dress up nicely.

Arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by a floor to ceiling mirror just outside the lifts and we had to snap a few pictures that will be posted later on our parents’ Facebook accounts LOL we arrived at around 630PM, not much guests yet, which is perfect. Oh and did I mention their grand chandelier? It was so big it filled the hole they made on the 2nd floor overlooking the ground floor. We took some pictures of that too before heading on our table. Priorities, I know!


We were seated on a table for 7 reserved by yours truly, and behind the ice cream section! Destiny, haha! We were able to navigate through the food aisles with ease and pick the best parts. After going through the aisles, I went to my favorite section: Japanese. Initially, I was disappointed in not seeing the sashimi I wanted, but fresh from all the customer rights fiasco with our internet provider, of course I had to do something. I asked the chef there if they didn’t have sashimi anywhere, and was overjoyed when she said they do. She then asked for how many people, and I said 7. I think she managed to involuntarily swallow there haha poor chef. And I pointed to our table, and not 10mins later, at least 50 salmon slices were given to our table. I’d basically be happy just eating this that my father and I basically ate half of the plate before my sisters had a go with it haha!


My other plates were a medley of what I had to pick through the rest of the dishes. Some maki, ebi tempura, mixed veggies, and cajun shrimp first. They were all a little basic, nothing jumping out of me and the cajun shrimp was overcooked so I didn’t go seconds for that. The roast beef and roast pork were superb! They can be eaten without the sauce but I like to smother mine with peppercorn and mushroom gravy. I requested for a plate of that too with great ease, so I really have to give it to the servers/chefs here. They’re eager to please and fatten up all their customers, just ask. Haha! The dessert section was enormous too, but just picked some blueberry cheesecake, profiteroles, marshmallow on chocolate, and truffles. Stay away from the truffles, they’re too sweet! The ice cream corner was just behind us, easy access. I like how they had someone stationed there to serve you, you don’t have to work your biceps for a much needed scoop. And they had a cotton candy maker, too! Too bad the colored sugar turned up a little bitter from all the coloring.



Verdict: 3/5
Rating it this way for ease of going through the aisles, ambience, service, and food quality. Of course the food selection could be improved by adding more dishes, like steak! All in all, family enjoyed the time here, photos, laughter, and sharing everywhere. Crew also informed us of discounted price for senior citizen and free parking for the car that brought Mamang in! Definitely worth another visit. Happy holidays, guys!

Missing Red Fish Blue Fish from Victoria and as a challenge to make the lightest beer batter, I tried to make my very own version of fish and chips at home. Since we don’t like frying (yeah, we’d rather bake anything), I decided to fry the fish one side at a time. It did crisp up nicely and like the commercially prepared version, you have to eat it right away. Else, it would turn out like a soggy, sad (and did I say soggy and sad yet) dish. Luckily, there’s a place where I can get something close to RFBF here in Manila: Red Kitchen + Bar.

 Nestled along Festival Mall’s Riverpark, it’s the 1st restaurant you’ll see from Corporate Ave, and that’s probably why I don’t “really see” it LOL I remember reading signs for customer parking in front of it but I don’t really understand it as I’m driving by and looking out for pedestrians that might just decide to cross the street. Well, I’m glad I finally get to try dining here. Ordered the Seafood Chowder to start and it was yummy and creamy. Did get lots of seafood like clams and the likes, but had to slow down a bit on that for my main of England Fish and Chips. The beer batter was super light and crispy, obviously just got out of the deep fryer, almost killed my tastebuds there! Fish was lightly seasoned with chili powder before being dipped in the batter. Batter was golden brown and crisp, fish wasn’t overcooked. It was accompanied with wasabi-mayo dipping sauce. Try to hold a little bit there so as not to overpower the fish so much. The fries were ok, had better, and came with ketchup.

Verdict: 3/5
If you’re needing a quick fish and chips fix, this wouldn’t be so bad. I kinda didn’t look at the whole menu, so I can’t comment on the rest. The restaurant was cozy with couches along their whole wall, red cups (matching the name), and looks very spacious since they have a 2nd floor. Good decoration and it feels very homey. Hmm, but it is a bar.. so I don’t know. Haha! Maybe it’s a little confused at that part.

Continuing our quest to take down all restos in SM Megamall (we’re running almost half a year now!), here’s another 1 we’ve slain: Mighty Quinn’s. Born and raised in NYC, it found its way here in Manila, doing what they do best, slow cookin’ on fire and wood. Oh yeah, even painted it all over their wall to brag about it!

I ordered the Beef Brisket with Dirty Rice and sat closest to the entrance, unfortunately, cell reception is so bad inside their resto. I came in early as usual to avoid the crowd. Maybe too early as I saw some people (I think they’re the owners of the franchise) measuring something on the floor and walls, maybe they plan on doing some redecorations? But the whole place seem quite new to me. When my plate came, it was what I expected it to be. No fuss, just plain good old (3 maybe 4 slices of) beef drizzled with just the right amount of their fantastic bbq sauce (I recommend not to add any more), a cup of dirty rice (basically fried rice with a little sauce and bits and pieces of beef), and a variety of pickles (cucumber, onion, and cabbage, yes, cabbage!). The brisket was of course the star of the dish, I can’t take away my eyes from them! Very nice rub that charred from the cooking nicely. Meat was tender and oh so delectable. And I’m just all new to this beef-lovin’ thing! The pickles did its job of balancing the flavor out, help you slow down on the flavorful meat when you need it the most. The rice, you could do without, but hey, this is Manila!

Verdict: 4/5
This resto deserves another trip just to make sure it isn’t a 1-hit wonder haha! I’d love to see them offer this plate with other side dishes, maybe potato mash? Or more veggies? Or yeah pickles haha! The crew were very friendly, too. Definitely going back here.

SM Southmall is a 7km drive from our house, you might think that it’s just a more or less 10min drive, but no, due to traffic congestion, and the recent ASEAN meetings being held here, it became a 1hr drive. Yes, for 7km. So when I arrived, I quickly went on with what I had set out to do. Baking supplies store for kitchen stuff, grocery for pasalubong, and department store for clothes. After those, I went on to the food strip at the back. Almost all of the restaurants, we’ve been to already, save this one: Eduardo’s Peri Peri Chicken.

It was a little late for lunch so there were not a lot of diners and I was able to get a seat right away. They had wooden chairs and tables that went up to the back, opening to the al fresco side of the restaurant. It looked like a low key fast food chain whose best sellers were their burger and of course, chicken. I ordered the combo meal of a quarter peri peri chicken, rice (which I asked not to serve), side of corn and carrots, and iced tea.

The chicken was so-so, the rub on the chicken was not too spicy and needing that oomph. They did have 2 bottles of sauces on the table, one is bbq and the other is spicy. The spicy sauce didn’t do the trick no matter how much I smothered it on my chicken. The meat was not fall off the bone, but at least it wasn’t too dry as well. For the price, I guess it was good enough. My total bill was 160Php. 

Verdict: 2/5 
The meal was a little plain and could be improved. They could develop their sauces more to bring the chicken on a different level. The crew was attentive and catered to all your needs even if you didn’t ask for it, which I think is a sign of goof customer service.

Earlier this year, construction of some new building started in front our office. One sunny Wednesday, as I was walking along ADB Avenue-Doña Julia Vargas, I noticed a new opening to the right of Podium, along ADB, confused as I knew there was a couple cafés at its place, but I kept walking. And then I saw a similar looking entrance along DJV, and I thought, they might be connected or something. And when I went back to the office, I decided to try and pass through and I was right haha! That, ladies and gentlemen, was how I discovered Nikkei, a restaurant offering Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine. And the day came to finally try it!

Looking at the appies, I decided to try the Scallop Mozzarella, because you know.. scallops and mozzarella? The cheese was grated and served aburi-style, with chopped onion leeks on top. These babies were served on 2 white soup spoons sitting on top of contrasting black stone plate. Looks nice, no? Disappeared fast, too!

For sushi, I ordered a medley of Uni and Salmon Nigiri. The uni was local, frozen day-old, but still fresh (yes, I asked the server all these details, because I don’t want to suffer through another disappointing sushi!). What I liked about this pair was they topped it with Salmon Ikura! Do you know how expensive that is here?! Haha! I also ordered Salmon Nigiri.. fish color was ok and tasted fresh which is great.


After all that, of course I still wanted more. Or maybe I was just super hungry then? LOL anyway I asked the server what maki roll they recommend and she said the Crispy Salmon Skin Maki, so I ordered that. Yeah, it was extra crispy, which the chef assured (I was sitting at the bar haha). They had some sauce (bbq?) drizzled on it, sweet and tangy.


Verdict: 2.5/5 
I’m giving this score because I liked the ones I ordered, but yeah I know I said earlier that it’s a fusion restaurant, and I didn’t try anything from the other side. LOL Sushi is good, quality is there, but of course you could get that from other restos, too. I like that the crew here are very attentive to your needs and questions, even made good recommendations. I’m leaving the other half of their menu unrated for now. Reason to go back, yeah?