serenitea

being a tea lover, i have always been interested with serenitea which i've read a lot of reviews of. so during my last vacay, i made sure i tried it.

i was so intrigued that you can choose the sugar percentage and the sinkers. i got myself a 75% sugar drink which is not sweet enough for me and my favorite pearls.

i got myself the hokkaido, which is supposed to have this caramel flavor....not! i can taste the flavoring...i dunno how to describe it but in my mind it's like gata. it's this certain flavor i taste whenever i try food/drinks that have artificial flavoring. this is how my tea tasted like it didn't taste like milk tea with real caramel, i was so disappointed.

aside from the teas, they also have snacks. basically all peppered items which i deem is very taiwanese. taiwanese snacks/dishes are usually fried and then dusted with a powder flavoring. we got the corn, tofu and chicken. the chicken was really tender. all of them i enjoyed but would have hoped that they are evenly seasoned. because the items were just dusted, some parts are too salty while some parts are bland.

my verdict? well i will not go out of my way just to get a drink from this place...maybe if i get an insatiable craving for any of the peppered stuff i'll go there but really i don't understand what the hype is all about.

serenitea

n. roxas cor banawe

(coming from quezon ave, it's on the right)

quezon city.

mamou-mia!!!

i have read so many great reviews about mamou's steak. one day i saw a post and can't help myself but salivate over the enticing piece of red meat glistening with fat and olive oil.

i knew that it is a must for me as soon as i get home. finally got a chance to go with t who volunteered over fb that she will go with me. so here's our glorious lunch.

freebie bread - i only tried the brown one. it was soft, dense and has that molasses flavor which made it a perfect starter for this meal.

steak!!! i believe this was ribeye, oh i totally forgot what we ordered i was such on a high that time. you can see the juices of the freshly cut steak and the salt and pepper on top. plain and simple but really good.

for the sides, we chose creamed spinach nothing spectacular felt like eating laing but has a different flavor hehe. steak rice, has small cubes of steak and most probably cooked in the pan of steak with all the drippings.

well i've read good reviews of the truffle pasta, very simple and yet flavorful.

it was a wonderful lunch. i wouldn't mind going back and eating the same stuff again, well maybe different sides next time. on top of this we had mimosas for drinks...definitely a guilty pleasure. the entire meal set us back 3000PHP but i guess that's because of the mimosas which shot the bill up but i have no regrets with this meal.

mamou

serendra

bgc, taguig

a taste of little asia

my friend is obsessed with this place, he's a regular - i reckon a very important patron of this establishment hehe. i forgot the specific names of these dishes i also don't have the prices but all affordable within the 200-300PHP price range. and i'm making this short and simple...everything tasted great...a lovely dinner indeed.

lengua con champignon - nah that's not the name but it's lengua with mushroom sauce so technically the name i wrote is correct. tender lengua...one of my favorite pinoy dishes

hot prawn salad - one of little asia's signature dishes...yummy huge prawns

spicy squid in coconut milk - my friends loved this, totally obsessed with it...for me it's ok. good but not something i'll crave for.

fried rice - forgot what type but it's good!

crispy chicken??? half of the original serving since we already took a dive on this traditional chinese fried chicken

cheesy fish fillet??? yummy too...we also got free chamae??? basically stir fried noodles it was also good but i forgot to take a picture. thanks to jolman for this lovely dinner =).

little asia

the piazza

mckinley hill

trying out cafe juanita

the longer i've been living away from manila, the more i lean towards filipino food fare when i'm home. so when h and i decided to meet up for lunch, we just had to try cafe juanita. opted for the pasig branch because it's the "original" but it's not the original spot anymore since they relocated a couple of meters away.

knowing h, i knew that we'll be getting this.

just straight forward chicharon bulaklak on a bed of crispy vermicelli.

was craving for sisig and because we love tofu we ordered this. two types of sisig on a block of tofu...uhhhm forgettable!

two-way pork adobo? something like that. supposed to be a bestseller i've read a couple of reviews of this dish. but it didn't impress me as well. i don't know what's the crispy thingy on top is made out of...you have any thoughts? i really want a garlicky and well browned adobo.

in an attempt to be healthy we ordered this, crispy catfish with ampalaya. it was good except for the saltiness, it was salty for both of us i dunno if it's just because we've been used to MY/SG seasonings that tend to lean towards the bland side but this one was salty. other than that, it was good. the catfish may look like the adobo garnish...not sure though if they're the same but the adobo garnish has black specks of some sort.

thankfully, dessert was a saving grace to this meal.

gooey and warm cassava cake topped with grated cheese...it was love!!!

of course nothing beats my favorite pinoy dessert, leche flan is love. this was smooth and simply perfect. loved it.

if not for the desserts, it would have been a disappointing meal. i don't know if we just ordered the wrong dishes but at 1800PHP for all of the above plus 2 rice and 2 drinks i wasn't completely sold.

cafe juanita

19 west capitol drive

bo. capitolyo, pasig

lunch at restaurant 101

since c works at enderun, we decided to have lunch there. it's a proper restaurant because the students "work" there as well. i guess to prep them for the real resto world.


table napkins are embroidered.


i like the flowers...are these paper roses or carnations?

they have a lunch prix fixe which is 3-4 course meal that costs around 500-600PHP, i forgot already. but i didn't fancy the entree for the day so i opted for the ala carte.

we got freebie bread. freshly baked i reckon, it was really warm and toasty. but it's not readily served though, if you want second helpings you'd have to ask the wait staff for it. but they have a variety of breads too, they don't serve the same thing over and over again.

i was still in my watercress high since i've tried those yummy watercress fritters in cameron highlands so i ordered watercress soup. light, very flavorful i liked it. (200++ PHP)

for my main, i ordered duck breast with plum jus? (800++ PHP) i forgot what the sauce was. well cooked, tender duck meat without any gamey taste. the duck came with a potato gratin which i wasn't really a fan of, the cheese yielded too much oil. i imagined a simple gratin of thin potatoes with minimal cream/eggs/cheese just to bind everything together.

c, on the other hand ordered porkchop (600++PHP) i was like staring at her because i wouldn't order pork chops and pay that much. the australian pork chop was a double porkchop, though you can just see one bone it was as thick as a double pork chop. and can i just say this, it was soooooo good! the pork was done well, only a tinge of pink color and yet it was so tender. the mashed potato was smooth and creamy and yet it doesn't have the rich flavor from butter or cream which was perfect so you'll not get umay and the apricot sauce was nice.

i'd have to say that the food was great. i'm not sure if it's considered fine dining, but it's a good restaurant in terms of price, you'd get value for your money. except for the miss in the breads, i like the food and service. i'd probably come back to visit c when i'm in manila and try out the other dishes.

restaurant 101

enderun college

mckinley hill, fort bonifaciao

sonya's garden

i'd like to think that sonya's is a tagaytay institution of some sort. it's one of those tagaytay destinations that i have never been to. so it was really a must for me during my last tagaytay trip.

sonya's doesn't really have a menu, by default you are served with a bottomless full course meal. if i'm not mistaken it's now pegged at PHP680 610 per person.

first you are served with a do it yourself salad.

sonya's creamy dressing and other condiments. a "vinaigrette" is also available. i deem it's a balsamic based dressing but also has a thick consistency not similar to the vinegar-olive oil dressings i'm used to.

a bowl of greens, egg, cucumber, jicama, mangoes, melon, nuts and pineapple. all refillable upon request.

my creation.

freshly baked bread - soft and warm. several spreads - tomato, basil and olive oil (checca?); pesto; kesong puti (white cheese); an olive tapanade of some sort and an anchovy based spread. i only liked the checca, pesto and cheese. again all refillable.

pasta with all the condiments, refillable as well. linguine with 2 sauces one is creamy chicken mango? i forgot if it has mangoes and the other one is sundried tomato based sauce. condiments include mushrooms, capers, ratatouille and fried salmon belly.

thought the tomato based sauce and the salmon belly were a perfect match. the sauce was sweet...it was like eating sarciado well my family's version of sarciado is a tad sweet. there was no tart or salty hints from the "sundried tomato" based sauce. the salmon belly was overcooked and tasteless as well.

the creamy chicken pasta was no winner as well. it was just normal pasta nothing special.

they served several desserts.

a moist chocolate cake that is not too sweet. it's good but i am not really a choco fan to begin with.

turon!!! my favorite filipino snack. spring rolls stuffed with bananas and has caramelized sugar as a coating. i like the small serving sizes would have been perfect if it had jackfruit inside too.

sweetened sweet potato...kinda redundant. wouldn't have noticed this until this lady i am not sure if she's sonya or a supervisor advised us to eat it with the mint leaves. and yes, they were really good....surprisingly good. desserts were served with tarragon tea, while the rest of the meal was served with dalandan juice.

was it worth it? it's difficult to answer. i honestly wanted to be impressed and be blown out of my mind with the dishes since it always get great reviews. but i was really disappointed especially with the pasta. i think the pasta broke the deal. but the ambiance and the entire dining experience was really pleasurable. i liked the dining area...i dunno how to describe it...indoor garden dining with a kitschy feel of some sort. the dining experience i guess is what you pay for. it is still a must for me.

sonya's garden

buck estate

alfonso cavite

www.sonyasgarden.com

a trip to old manila

my first dinner as soon as i arrived in manila. it felt like the amazing race...naia to qc to makati and talk about brain rewiring for left hand drive since it's right hand drive in kl.

anyway, here's the food me and my friends shared in old manila. the service was great but the food was really not something to rave about. our bill was around 8k for all these dishes (1 serving for each only) and we didn't even have any drinks.

freebie bread

complimentary amuse bouche - foie gras terrine of some sort to tickle the tastebuds

a salad - i forgot the name and it was forgettable as well.

lobster bisque with chopped fresh salmon - it tasted like the sea...too seafoody (i know it's not a word) it was huge probably enough for 2-3 persons.

a bitter and sour calamansi sorbet to cleanse the palate (freebie too)

pan fried seabass - it was like frying my own seabass at home...b and i were disappointed

surf and turf - c and g's favorite dish to order. the filet mignon was cooked right - medium well as i prefer it. it was moist and tender.

rack of lamb - also cooked perfectly. tender without the gamey after taste.

the quality of the dishes were good but there really was no wow factor...oops there was one thing i really loved though the fries that came with the surf and turf. crispy handcut fries, but that's about it. i was really sad to part ways with my moolah because of this dinner.

old manila

manila peninsula hotel

ayala ave. cor. makati ave.