Mang Inasal at SM Mall of Asia

This could be one of the very few places in the Philippines where there is no rice shortage. You won’t find mile-long lines of people waiting for their NFA rice portion but hungry mouths to feed. And the good news is you get extra rice servings once you dine in. I am referring to Mang Inasal, one of the fast growing chicken inasal restaurants today.

Chicken Inasal at P89

It was my first time to eat at Mang Inasal courtesy of The Friend who has more gift certificates than cash in her wallet. (Pretty good life, no?) We visited a Mang Inasal branch in SM Mall of Asia. This is just right beside an establishment where I used to do marketing. (I think this is too much of a giveaway already hehe…)

Crispy kangkong at P18

We weren’t there as mystery diners. Thank God we were able to enjoy the food and stories minus scrutinizing eyes and spiel recorders. We ordered crispy kangkong, pecho with rice, sinigang na bangus, and gulaman at sago for lunch. All for only less than P350. It’s very affordable like your friendly carinderia only that the food is a lot better and the facilities doesn’t look they serve free rice there.

There’s no rice shortage here

I do not suggest you bring someone here on your first date. Walk an extra mile and you’ll find near the bay a steakhouse.

Seafood galore

This is basically a long overdue post. I have unearthed in those pile of pictures photos I took during a trip to Batangas City. Rico, our kind and generous host, treated us out to lunch in Dampa Restaurant just right across the street that would take you to the main highway.

Excellent place to dine in with friends

It was noontime already when we reached Dampa Restaurant and we had the place all by ourselves. The place was really nice and spacious. It was basically a new establishment, judging from their restaurant’s new nipa hut structure. I can’t remember what the street was called but you’d find the restaurant just right across a night club. I don’t want jump into conclusions but I bet the restaurant is packed with people at night.

Individual huts were scattered all over the compound.

We ordered seafood, the restaurant’s main specialty. Our orders arrived in half an hour. We agonized over the fact that we’re the first one to get there and the orders took too long to be served. Dampa’s food was delicious so that was their saving grace. In a couple of minutes, guests started walking in.

Ai Quattro Formaggi at P270

Vanessa celebrated her 30th birthday last July 4 at Amici in Tomas Morato. It wasn’t totally a supergirls night out as Jude also came with us. Van brought her car and she took us to her favorite Italian pizzeria. Braving the wild Friday traffic in EDSA, we arrived there half past eight. Roughly an hour trip from Ortigas.

Spinach Fusili Montanara at P180

We ordered three types of pasta and two pizza varieties, and later on, gelato (ice cream) in 5 different flavors. Our orders did not take long to be served. In less than 15 minutes, the food was on the table. Nerissa, Ces and I started taking photos before our hungry companions could get their hands on the food. As usual, I left my camera so I used my camera phone to take shots.

Gelato for dessert at P50 per cup

Amici’s take on Italian pizza is not something that made me say “wow” although it did not taste bad either. Some of their pasta dishes tasted bland. I think it was the lack of herbs and other fresh ingredients that make a pasta dish shine above the ordinary. Their gelato was fairly good, but I would still prefer Selecta’s flavors if we would talk about having an ice cream fix of P50 a cup. I think their ice cream dessert is overrated.

Penne Al Arrabbiata at P160

Regular menu prices at Amici are good though especially when you’re in a budget. But if you’re after food quality, there are better options out there. Just be willing to pay few extra bucks for a superb dining experience. The price difference actually is not really that much. Believe me.

Jack’s Loft in Eastwood City

I can’t remember the last time I ate at Jack’s Loft. It was a couple of years back when my friends and I would occasionally hang out at Compass Internet, their neighbor in Robinsons Galleria basement level. I think I ordered one of their sandwiches. And if it is something that did not register in my mind and tastebuds, it’s deemed forgettable.

Jack’s Chicken Salad Panini at P165

Mom and I went to Eastwood this afternoon. It’s basically an official assignment and the only way I saw it done nicely is to really drop by. It has been raining the whole day and I had not taken lunch yet so I thought a pasta dish would be a lovely treat to a growling tummy. We chose Jack’s Loft over Fazoli’s. I ordered Classic Carbonara and Mom had her Jack’s Chicken Salad Panini. We drank Nawasa juice.

Classic Carbonara at P180

My impression upon entering Jack’s Loft is they only serve dessert. Their glass doors were labeled “dessert bar” and there were cakes displayed in the chiller. A crew named Annalyn greeted us and I asked if they also serve meals. She pulled a menu book from the counter and I started placing my orders.

These cakes look yummy

It didn’t take 10 minutes for our food to be served. We’re the lone souls that time at their ground floor level while there were about 8 persons at their second floor smoking area. It’s a dead hour for Eastwood, add more the rains. But wait until dark sets in.

Misty windows

While eating, mom complained to me about their pricey food and Jack’s Loft dusty pillars and floors. Mom can be such a harsh critic sometimes but I think she’s right about those dusty pillars and floors. I am not sure if it’s just fading paint or smoke got trapped in their ceiling, but nevertheless, just do something. Scrub it off.

Their food portions are big and tasted fairly delicious. We took home the other slice of panini and kept it frozen in the fridge for anyone who might just have the urge to eat a sandwich tonight.

Mr. Choi in microwave

I have not been to Mr. Choi Kitchen in Robinsons Galleria. Their mall restaurant beside Gold’s Gym is normally crowded every time I pass by it during lunch hours. That makes their menu reasonably priced and palatable enough to draw a hungry lunch crowd. Just an opinion from a distant observer. So when I learned about Mr. Choi Kitchen food line invading Mini-Stop, it surprised me. It simply reminded me of Ratatouille’s story of Gusteau’s microwaveable line (popcorn, burritos, you name it) and Kenny Roger’s confused brand identity from roasted chicken to Marc Nelson’s abs. There is something about menu line expansion that is very dangerous. It destroys the brand and confuses the public.

Sweet and sour pork with vegetable rice

Mr Choi Kitchen microwave food tasted so bland I really did regret buying it. There was neither sweet nor sour and I can’t understand why the rice tasted that way. I am not a good cook, but judging from what I have just eaten makes me a chef already (ha ha!).

Thank you, everyone.

Cyma in English means “to flourish”

Kleng-Kleng has but nice things to say about dining at Cyma. She is a loyal customer and a certified foodie who has recently abandoned her faith in rice and fatty meat to eating green leaves. A server reserved a spot for us near the glass railings. We felt the vastness of the mall’s atrium was inviting us to jump off the 6th floor so we begged the server for a place inside the restaurant.

A solo order of Roka Salata is P295

I haven’t been to Greece but I feel the Cyma ambience did talk Greek to us. Wall canopy, the menu book fonts that looked Herculean to me, the sounds, the language…All the time I was thinking about the movies Troy, the animated Hercules, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and yes, even the bloody 300. Kleng-Kleng ordered Roka Salata, a Mediterranean-inspired green salad with Romaine lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, parmesan strips and Greek Vinaigrette. It was one of the best salad I’ve ever tasted.

Chicken Souvlati introduces a unique way of eating kebabs with panini

Next in line was Chicken Souvlati. It was a two-stick chicken kebabs with whole wheat panini bread and white herb sauce. Just apply a generous portion of white sauce on the panini bread, put in some slices of white chicken, fold it and you’re in for a feast. One solo order of the Chicken Souvlati can actually be shared by two persons with average stomachs.

Cyma is crowded at lunch time

The best thing about this Greek restaurant are food quality and big portions at reasonable prices. I think a person averages here at P350 per dine. Most of their individual food portions are meant to be shared. It saves you a lot of money and makes your tummy twice as happy.

Visit Cyma Greek Taverna at the 6th level of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. Go experience Greek cuisine once in a while.

Honey-glazed and caramel-filled donuts

You’ll find Manila’s weather in PMS mode these days – extremely hot at noontime and all of a sudden, stormy in the afternoon. And for some obvious reason, I found myself taking shed at the nearest Krispy Kreme twice already until the tempest was over. Everyone at home knows I never bring umbrella with me not because I don’t own one. I’m just plain lazy. I had my feet swimming in my shoes in two occasions already – last weekend at Robinsons Galleria and then yesterday at Bonifacio High Street.

Original Kreme with Vanilla

Krispy Kreme at Robinsons Galleria

It’s very rare you’ll find me lounging inside a donut slash coffee shop unless circumstances brought forth by my inane laziness forced me to. That’s why it took me long to decide which to order at Krispy Kreme because having a variety of donuts to choose from does confuse me. On my first visit at their Galleria branch, I ordered their Original Kreme with Vanilla minus the coffee beans for P92. Yesterday at their Bonifacio High Street branch, I had the honey-glazed and caramel-filled donuts all for P68. In these two outings, I think I have just fed into my bloodstream half kilo of sugar and a glass of fat without an ounce of guilt.

Heavy rains and lightning tore up the gray skies at Bonifacio High Street

Serendra was packed with people. Everyone was out having dinner. We ran out of a quiet place where we could chatter together until the wee hours of the morning. Our eyes were gravitated towards people wearing grass skirts from Polu Kai Grill.

Polu Kai Grill’s interior was defined by this pillar

Polu Kai Grill is a Hawaiian-themed restaurant that has an aquarium inside with Dory in it. It literally means Blue Ocean. The store’s interior is a true blue Hawaiian and the restaurant staff were in their Hawaiian outfits as well.

With Van and Joanne

Photo of the night

They offer all sorts of Hawaiian-inspired food choices from grilled specialities to rice toppings. After carefully studying the menu and the prices, we started ordering. I had Crispy Cream Fish and a glass of pineapple juice with cherries. The rest ordered Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Giant Squid Steak, Aloha Rib Chicken and Grilled Porkchop.

Greasy Crispy Cream Fish at P330

And we waited 25 to 30 minutes long for our food to arrive. I could hear the sound of my stomach talking to me already.

Giant Grilled Steak at P330

I was thankful there’s still rice but I found my Crispy Cream Fish hundred times more greasy than a quarter pounder. I think it was the butter, the stale oil they used and their yellow rice. The lemon wedges they served with the dish did not help either. It did look appetizing but it wasn’t delicious enough for a P330 price. I wasn’t able to finish it and I tried getting slices of Jude’s grilled squid and had it swim in soy sauce just to get rid of that loud greasy aftertaste.

Grilled Pork Chop at P340

Will I come back to Polu Kai Grill? Maybe not in a long time until they do something about their recipes.

Store Background

Tempura Japanese Grill is located at the ground floor of SM Southmall in Las Pinas. It is near the entrance where Starbucks is and just right across Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria. The restaurant space is small and can accomodate more or less 80 persons. It is a casual dining Japanese restaurant similar to Teriyaki Boy.

What’s On My Menu

We came in hungry from an hour trip from Cainta to Alabang. We ordered a variety of Japanese dishes: an appetizer called Chawan Mushi; Tofu Steak (P107), Tori Teriyaki (P157), Buta (163), and Tempura for main course and Green Tea Sherbet for dessert.

Tofu Steak at P107

Tori Teriyaki at P157

Buta at P163

Chawan Mushi at P45

Service Factor

There was a host present who greeted us at the entrance. We were seated immediately at the side and a waiter-trainee named Andrew took our orders. The waiter knows their menu well and often suggested food and dessert during order-taking. In less than 20, minutes we received our orders in proper sequence except for the appetizer that came 35 minutes late. Their management trainee apologized for the delay. But overall, the entire restaurant staff was attentive, made sure that the guests got their orders and anticipated every customer’s needs.

Yummy Meter

Food is delicious! I can’t say anything more. Just delicious, particularly the Tofu Steak and Buta.

Facilities Check

The restaurant was kept clean even there were around 40 people who came in to dine. The tables were immediately bussed and set for the next guest. There were no cracks on the floor that might trap stilettos and give every victim a broken nose for souvenir.