This week’s theme is “Room“. I decided to feature one of my favorite local diners… a great place to hang out, view new pieces of artwork from various local artists, read a book and of course, eat good food. 🙂
Tag Archives: restaurants
Tagged L / Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime Day 6: Ox Tail and more ^^
I’m now on my Day 6 entry for this cool iPhoneography challenge ^^ I’m obviously loving it. Yesterday, Frizz ( and L is also for Lunch ^^ ) made a comment on my Ox tongue post about a recipe for Ox tail. That seriously made me crave for one!! So I went to one of the must-visit local restaurants. It offers a wide variety of Filipino and international dishes… and cakes, they have cakes! ^^ Anyway, one of my favorite native dishes ever is the Kare Kare — a stew made of beef, ox tail and ox tripe and vegetables in peanut sauce. For the love of blogging, and because I’m really a glutton, I decided to go all out.lol We also ordered a couple of sandwiches: beef burger and a beef steak sub. There’s grilled squid and for dessert, a mango crepe and an apple muffin. But if there’s one dish that I keep coming back for, it’s the Crispy Beef Riblets. That’s exactly how beef is supposed to be cooked, plain and simple, and you can really taste all the yumminess oozing from the beef fat! It’s served with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I also love their chicken potato salad but we skipped that ^^
Kare Kare – dish of ox tail and ox tripe
Crispy Beef Riblets
I have a feeling this week’s theme just made me fat. Hope you had a fabulous lunch! xo ^^
*for day 7, I went back to the local diner an took some actual food photos ^^ view my posts here
Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime Day 5: Comebacks
There’s a new restaurant in town… Well, sort of. ^^ Its actually an old local restaurant, one of my fave restaurants disappeared for awhile, opened up a few more branches in the country and this March, it came back home. Happy it did ^^ The restaurant brings back plenty of memories… I’m just sooo crazy about their Jurassic Ribs and their Paella Valenciana. Now I noticed they have a whole new menu and some old favorites like the Paella are no longer available 😦 but I’m so glad that my ultimate fave ribs is still on the menu ^^ So I ordered that, and boyfie had the Korean Beef Stew, new item on the list. Both were served with rice and both were pretty damn good.
Boyfie got this gift certificate from Starbucks so we decided we should use it. Our dessert, strawberry cheesecake and a chocolate eclair. I didn’t wanna order coffee coz there was only one drink I was craving for and that’s boyfie’s homemade Mexican hot chocolate, which we had afterwards. ^^
I may live in a small town but you’ll certainly never run out of great places to dine in here. What’d I tell ya? Perfect blend of rustic and modern ^^ Gawd I love it here. That’s my day 5 of Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime ^^ xo
Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime Day 3 & 7: Local Diner
I’m taking the Weekly Photo Challenge pretty seriously lol ^^ Today I had lunch with my brother at a local diner. This place has been around since I was a kid. Other kids grew up eating Jolibee or McDonalds – I grew up eating at this diner. ^^ I was FAMISHED so an empty plate is what you get LOL Sorry. I had a classic cheeseburger, creamy macaroni salad and rock ‘n’ roll iced tea. My brother had Salisbury steak with java rice and mashed potatoes. Took my iPhone out a little too late so I decided to take some photos of the place instead. It’s pretty nice. You’ll see James Dean, Elvis and Marilyn and Audrey EVERYWHERE even on their ketchup bottles ^^ there are vintage telephones, cars, Coca-Cola bottles.. etc
extreme burger
Update! For Day 7 of my posts for this week’s theme, I went back to the diner and took some actual food photos ^^
creamy macaroni salad
cookie monster moist choco cake
rock ‘n’ roll iced tea
brick oven pizza
Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime Day 2: Craving Thai
I feel really inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge in iPhoneography ^^ And I haven’t been living up to the “Foodie” part of my blog. So this week, I’ve decided to feature at least 3 restaurants that I love dining in. Today, we’re having Thai and if you happen to be in Manila, there’s no better place to get it than at People’s Palace at Greenbelt 3, Makati. Their food and service has been consistently good and you can see by how the place is jammed during lunchtime!
Thom Yum Goong, Prawn, Pomelo and Coconut Salad Chicken, Mixed Vegetables, Larp Gai, Aromatic Chicken Curry, Phad Thai, Red Curry of Prawn and Roast Pumpkin
Of course, that last photo right there is dessert. Serious question, have you ever tried J.Co donuts? Well you have to! They’re so damn good. It’s not so shocking that the queue on their stalls is usually sooooo long! KK has nothing on these donuts! Sorry Krispy Kreme lovers — I used to be one too ^^ lol
PS not affiliated with any of these places. lol just another glutton :p Have a hearty lunch! ^^
Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime
The theme for Weekly Photo Challenge is great coz it’s been a while since I posted about food or restaurants. ^^ Yup, I happen to be one of those people who sometimes takes photos of their food before even touching it 🙂 lol When I’m at home, I try to eat only grass-fed beef but when dining out, it’s really not that easy. ^^ Here’s what I’d always call a “once-in-a-while” thing ^^
RACKS can be found at GF Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia
Of course, lunch won’t be complete without dessert. ^^ Also at the ground floor of MOA, you’ll find this cool kiosk that sells Japanese Mochi. They’re really yummy! I had the red bean mochi which is my fave and boyfie had durian flavored mochi -ewww…I’m not a fan of durian but he likes it ><
Serendra Piazza: A Food Trip ^^
Serendra Piazza, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Yey! haha i actually only wanted to do this challenge coz it’s my first time to use the maps. hahaha normally, these things confuse me,lol ^^
Lately I haven’t really been living up to the “foodie” part of my blog — I’ve been focusing much on writing poetry and fiction and sharing photos of travel and nature. So, I’ve decided to use this prompt as a way to make it up to you (those who follow my blog for restaurant reviews/ food porn) ^^
Our destination: only the ultimate foodie paradise in Metro Manila — Bonifacio Global City ; Serendra Piazza, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Let’s go on a little food trip, shall we? ^^ We’re doin’ it my way: DESSERT IS SERVED FIRST. ^^
1) First stop: Cupcakes!
I’ve already made a post about cupcakes by sonja, click the link for more cupcakes. ^^
pistachio berries and cream
This is just one of my favorites! We’ll also have Berries and Cream, Red Velvet Vixen and Bunny Hugger Carrot Cupcake cos they’re awesome.
Ok, that’s it, enough! Quit stuffing your face with cupcakes coz our next stop is just fantabulous!
2) French Macarons and Royal Pudding at Chez Karine
So we have dark chocolate, pistachio, lemon, earl grey, choco mint, strawberry and my favorite: salted caramel! ^^
Muscovado Royal Pudding.. ahh the soft set custard pudding with dark caramel at the bottom.. pretty little jars too. And yes, you can take the jar home.. ^^
So it’s time for lunch but the sweetness doesn’t end here! I bet you never had a sweet burger before 😉
3) Lunch: Murray and D’vine — burgers, sliders, and damn good wine
If you happen to be in Manila and somehow specifically craving a heart-shaped burger, lol, then now you know where to get it. ^^
Murray and D’vine is what I’d call a win-win situation. Why? Well, for starters, their slogan says: “Burgers, Sliders and Damn Good Wine” so you know it’s the perfect dating place when you’re in the mood for something not too fancy but not too low-cost either. Yeah, their gourmet burgers are pretty pricey compared to other burger chains here in the Philippines but IMHO the price is still pretty decent. After all where else can you find a place where the equation: [(girl gets wine + heart shaped burger) + (boy gets beer + sports channel + burgers) = everybody happy] exists. ^^ — It’s ok, math confuses me too. ^^
in case you’re wondering, yeah, I believe all of their burgers are heart shaped, except for the sliders and yeah, they tasted good too ^^
4) Dessert — again! : Gelatissimo
chocolate truffle and forest berries are my fave flavors… a definite must-try ^^
I bet you’re tummy’s pretty damn full by now so let’s spend the rest of the afternoon walkin’ around and doin’ my favorite past time. I WILL SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP . ^^
I’m bettin’ you’re hungry again.. And that your arms are aching from carrying my shopping bags.lol ^^ How about we sit for a while and grab a slice of pizza
5) Sbarro @ Bonifacio Global City
My fave Chicago White Deep Dish Pizza ^^
So I know this place with the best cheese rolls and ensaymada in town…
6) Mary Grace Cafe
More bread? ^^ Don’t worry, I got it covered.
7) Le Petit Artisan
bamboo charcoal bread
well, i’d have to say though, i prefer the macarons at chez karine!
Oh no, don’t you dare tell me you’re full now ^^ We haven’t even gotten to dinner yet!
8) Filipino Cuisine — Sentro 1771
On the menu: Dried fish spring rolls, glazed ribs, Beef tapa with bagoong rice, Green Mango Salad and Sinigang na Corned Beef
Don’t worry, no more desserts ^^ promise. But how bout some pica pica and mojitos instead? ^^
9) Shots: New Orleans Bar & Resto
Sizzlers and nachos and some mojitos ^^
And of course, you can’t leave without bringin’ a little sumthin sumthin home with you ^^
10) Krispy Kreme
Let’s go all out and get some donuts ^^ Wherever you are in the world, you gotta love your original glazed
I hope you enjoyed spending your day with me.^^ Glutton! ^^
xo, kz
Cupcakes by Sonja : Where to get cupcakes in Manila
I miss making a post that’s not for a challenge or prompt! So I’ve decided to make a quick one. At the end of a stressful day, nothing picks me up like good cupcakes — along with chocolate, ice cream and macarons, they’re the addictions that I just can’t seem to kick. ^^ It’s not such a bad thing though to reward yourself every once in a while… ^^ If you ever find yourself in Manila and craving good cupcakes, I suggest you check out Cupcakes by Sonja in Serendra Piaza, Taguig. It’s where I ran off to after taking my recent Japanese exam in DLSU. ^^ and what comfort the pretty little things gave me ^^ Their store, with its vintage theme, is very charming too. ^^ My favorites are Berries and Cream, Red Velvet Vixen and Bunny Hugger Carrot Cupcake. ^^
Pistachio Berries and Cream- brown butter pistachio cupcake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream icing
my favorites on display — red velvet vixen and bunny hugger carrot cupcake
Red Velvet Vixen – traditional southern red velvet cupcake made with belgian cocoa and topped with cream cheese icing
Bunny Hugger Carrot Cupcake – very moist classic carrot cupcake spiced with cinnamon and covered with cream cheese icing
Obviously, I’m crazy about cream cheese frosting! ^^
so good, you just can’t help but take home a couple ^^
I’m not affiliated with them! lol be sure to check out their website though coz it’s soooo cute ^^ like, one of the cutest I’ve ever seen. ^^ cupcakesbysonja.com warning: the site plays a really jolly supersweet tune ^^
A Vegetarian Cafe
in my city, there are more restaurants and food stalls than there are clothing stores. Sucks for me but prolly good news to people who love to eat and apparently, that’s majority of the people here. My favorite restaurant, however, isn’t located inside the mall or at Centro (where more businesses, establishments and the city market are located) or Magsaysay (where the hottest night spots are). In fact, going there means driving towards the opposite direction. The place is not as well-known, totally underrated, and nestled inside a subdivision. Loyal patrons like us, however, would drive all the way there for a quick bite or a takeout and at times, purchase some of their products like bread, lettuce, herbs, fruits and vegetables.
This place is a vegetarian restaurant that offers healthy, freshly prepared meals that contains no meat, poultry, eggs, milk, fish or shellfish, artificial ingredients or sweeteners and preservatives. It’s the real deal. The place isn’t only for vegetarians but also for those who want to eat healthier, those on a reducing diet, and those who are simply looking for some good food. Their menu ranges from Chinese to Filipino to Italian to Mexican and so on… If you’re anything like my grandma, you’re probably making a face right now. ^^ But you’ll be shocked to find out that the food here actually tastes great! Even my crazy carnivore of a friend loved it when I took her there for some ice cream and pizza. Yup, you read it right; ice cream, pizza, nachos, burritos, enchiladas, pasta, noodles, burgers, muffins, smoothies – they have it. So you can chill coz you can expect not to come across any weird-sounding or intimidating names on the menu. 😉 they have a variety of salads, of course, i have recipes here and here . 🙂 They also have Filipino viands that use tofu instead of meat, paired with organic brown rice. Though they also taste ok, I refrain from ordering stuff like these coz I really don’t get why people fool themselves with meat substitutes ^^ I mean, if I want it, I’ll get the real thing—preferably grass fed beef. Besides, it’s only gonna make me crave for the real thing. Ok, back to earth. The interiors of the café is quite simple, sort of homey and definitely very cozy; they play soft background music when there are guests and the staff are very friendly. It’s a wholesome place for families and friends to dine together; one time we even saw a couple having a romantic candle-lit dinner. Awwww… then I turned to boyfie asked him why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. ^^ If you ever find yourself in my city, be sure to drop by this place; you just might love it too.
vegan pad thai
healing salad
fresh garden salad
vegan burger
spaghetti
nan masala
pako salad
banana mango ice cream
rolled oats muffin
*I just remembered to add that they also hosts cooking classes for those who are dedicated in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Also, don’t bother going there on Fridays and Saturdays coz they are likely to be closed. We sometimes forget this and drive all the way there only to laugh about how stupid we are :p
The Eclectic Eccentric 