a bite of brownie

Mismukuno

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: bites , cebu , japanese

There are things you can't do when you're sick with shingles. One of them is not being there when the Mismukuno branch in Ayala opened where the staff danced to the tune of Voltes V.

Soon after i recovered though, my sister and i visited the place and had ourselves seated by the prep area where a train set carrying food makes its trip from the kitchen and back to the customer's area.

The ambiance of the place felt fine, with the large wall to the side painted with several Japanese anime characters ranging from the pioneers like Astroboy, Mazinger Z, and Voltes V to conteporaries such as Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.

The food that they serve are mostly short orders, with the exception of their maki rolls. To start the meal we were given a bowl of miso soup to be followed by beef teppanyaki, a plate of sunrise roll, salmon sashimi, ika sashimi, hibachi tofu, kakiage, and a bowl of beef gyudon. To end the meal, we shared scoops of matcha ice cream.

The dishes are fairly cheap with the exception of their short rib and angus beef orders.

Mismukuno

Ayala Cebu

Verdict:
A: 3.25/5

The food itself is delicious and the beef is tender enough. The restaurant's appeal is to show you your food while it is being cooked.

Not to mention the revolving train moving around the center work area. They happen to have unlimited miso soup, perfect for those who like their hot soups.

The hibachi tofu is to die for, as you can taste the sweet butter sauce on top of the tofu fried in, yes, you guessed it, butter. The sashimi were served in little saucers with ice to keep the temperature of the fish fresh. Overall, i think they did a good job.

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Boosog

Posted by ReiMart ,

As you can tell from the food we ordered, we weren't really too hungry when we dined at Boosog (which is a pun on the Tagalog term for busog which literally means full from food).

The menu here is reasonably priced and their fare consists of traditional Filipino food. We ordered a variety of meat and seafood and we actually still had room for dessert!

This restaurant is worth coming back to but the parking is such a hassle that if you want the same type of dishes, you might as well go to Chika-an at Ayala although you will be paying for a premium.

Verdict: 3/5

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Yum Yum Tree

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: bites , cebu , filipino

After placing our order at Alejo's lechon, we took a short ride towards Rustan's Labangon to visit this little hole in the wall inside the establishment.

For a small diner that has very little space, this hub never runs out of customers every hour, likely from the the neighboring BPO center a few steps away.

I found out that they serve meals that are typical pinoy favorites such as batchoy, arroz caldo, pancit palabok.

For starters, we ordered arroz caldo and fresh lumpia, to be followed by binagoongang baboy, caldereta, salpicao, pancit puti and pancit palabok.

We also had additional orders of inihaw na bangus and sisig.

The service was pleasant enough, and the server was polite and let us buy a bottle of water in the supermarket for our consumption while we eat at their space.

Yum Yum Tree

Labangon

Verdict:

A: 2/5

Most of the dishes were salty, as if sprinkled with Knorr seasonings. The sisig had very minimal meat and was served with a big heap of pork rind.

There was no semblance of ambiance, as it just shares a space in Rustan's.

The pancit puti looks like a weird combination of rice noodles and vegetables with thin slices of chicken meat while the palabok was swimming in sauce.

The bagoong in the bibagoongan screams of food coloring.

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Black iron

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: bites , burger joint , cebu , steak

Rather than eat out and partake in Max's chicken all you can celebration, we attended my sister's monthly eat out with her officemates. Black Iron is located within Ginza compound, a few ways off before you reach Gaisano Country Mall. The compound is semi secluded, with very few vehicles passing by and also houses Ginza and Patio Isabel, among other things.

The ambiance of this place feels very cafeteria-like, which reminds me somewhat of Big Tom's with all the chalkboards at the sides. Several restaurant memorabilia are also plastered on the sides. The menu is limited to a few items that fit at most two sheets of paper, presented on a clipboard for our inspection.

My sister got a serve of Angus beef sliders with additional cheddar cheese, smoked bacon and sautéed mushrooms. We also got a bowl of fries topped with mozarella cheese. I had a large plate pork chops the size three quarters of the sizzling plate. To down it, i had a can of root beer with chunks of cubed ice.

Black Iron

Ginza compound, J. Panis St.

Verdict:

A: 3.5/5

The pork chop is definitely the best order here, with that size and despite being well done, you won't be disappointed. They added steamed corn, peas and carrot on the side. The Urban fries order was okay, could use more cheese though.

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The Ranch

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: american , bites , cebu

While browsing around the internet, my sister found this restaurant one time when she was looking for a place to eat with her co-workers. She managed to find this restaurant and then we decided to treat our uncle here for dinner.

Situated directly in front of banilad elementary school, this restaurant appears as a cozy home converted into a wild west inspired restaurant complete with cowboy memorabilia and staff dressed to look the part. There weren't any customers beside us, so it does feel like we have the place to ourselves. The dining area is spacious, so is the recreation area where their patrons can play cards against each other and hit the dart board in a friendly duel.

We were given individual menus as soon as we settle in. There wasn't much to choose from, since most of the items there are currently out of stock. For starters, we had quesadilla with a small serve of pureed tomatoes and herbs. For entrees, I had a large plate of pork chop with mashed potatoes and salad on the side, our uncle had to pick the chicken fried beef steak, my mom ordered a large pot of pot roast for her and my sister. Finally, for dessert, we had two slices of pecan pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Ranch

Banilad

Verdict:

A: 2.75/5

Most of the food we got were served bland and needed seasoning. The pot roast was dry and bland. My pork chop was okay and the mashed potato side was above par. I think the only entree that had flavor is uncle's chicken fried beef steak.

I'm not sure if pecan pie was that sweet, but it was sweet without even adding the ice cream. But in fairness, it did taste good.

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Yakimix

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: asian , bites , cebu , chinese , japanese , korean

Supposedly one of the best self grill restaurants in manila, Yakimix has caused quite a stir in Escario street where it is strategically located. This restaurant is basically just like any grill your own food on your table with rows and rows of cooked and raw food for their patrons to enjoy. We were asked to come early, and boy did we (after the disgruntling notice i received on my inbox when i check my phone right before sleeping). The line waiting to be seated was several feet long with ribbons of people sitting down on the offered chairs outside the establishment. To think that we arrived three minutes shy of 11 am,

It took 30 minutes for the staff to open the doors of the restaurant to us. We were greeted with the usual Japanese greeting (irasshaimase!) by the door when my name was called and ushered us right to our seat. The restaurant was huge, ample enough for at least 30 or 40 tables. Within minutes the restaurant was bustling with activity and people were walking here and there to inspect whatever's on the buffet table.

There is a great number of cuisines served here in Yakimix, ranging from Korean, Chinese, Japanese, American, and Mexican. They also have marinated meat ready for grilling. I admit i was a bit impressed by the arrangement of their dishes; a table each of exclusively area specific fare as well as a separation of solid and liquid food.

Yakimix

Escario, Cebu

Verdict:

A: 3/5

The ambiance was pleasant enough to begin with. Although their service is inadequate here and there. We had to call several times to request for service and get the bill. I have also noticed that there are waitresses busily chatting on the sidelines, which may have contributed to poor service.

What boggles me is that they could have done better to accommodate the people before opening hours aside from the text prompt you'd get if you reserved a table for yourself. There is also the issue of flies inside the establishment, flying dangerously close to the food near the sushi area. The washroom is probably given very little thought which shouldn't be the case given the floor area of the place (very little space, cramped and suffocating).

I am also quite concerned of some food located near places where they shouldn't be; sukiyaki in front of the aircon, condensed milk in the dimsum area.

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30 Kitchen+Bar

Posted by ReiMart , Labels: american , bites , cebu , steak

This restaurant is located just beside one of our favorite weekly specials joint in The Gallery and has been there since i could remember. Our unannounced arrival right before opening time was attended properly, and were promptly handed individual menus for our inspection.

There were several items that were not available in the menu at the time of our arrival, a few of which were the ribs and their homemade potato chips. Contrary to this at the back of their menu, was a long list of alcoholic beverages that dwarfs the list of food items sold in the diner.

My mom ordered pork steak for herself, my sister, their 30 angus steak, and belly crunch for myself. For appetizers, we had a 6 piece Wing Thing immersed in what they call asian sauce (which is gochujang, i believe) and a serve of Angus tenderloin tips.

The ambiance of the place didn't look appealing with all the cracks on the walls and were bare. On the plus side, the food was cheap. I'm guessing their target market is people looking to hang out on the weekends.

30 Kitchen+Bar
The Gallery, Mabolo

Verdict:
A: 2.75/5
The mashed potato tasted great, but most of their food are hit and miss. The tenderloin tips tasted much of canned mushroom and Worcestershire. The pork steak was bland and the angus steak was way overcooked. Their belly crunch is true to their taste though, but i wish they wouldn't recycle the sauce they used for one dish.