Christmas is probably the biggest holiday in our country. Filipinos have our own traditions and ways of celebrating this season. Some spend it at home, while others go out of town or out of the country. We on the other hand, had a wonderful Christmas celebration at I'm Hotel's Antidote Bar.
It has been two years since my last visit to a Tong Yang branch, and that was the one in Megamall. I couldn't really remember much from that visit. I most likely didn't have a wonderful time, because if I did, I would definitely recall how it went and would have had a second or third visit by now.
If there's a common notion about Christmas, it's that it's the time of the year when everyone gains weight from all the gatherings, reunions, and dinners we attend to celebrate the holidays. I am not exempted from this popular opinion, as my boyfriend and I indulge in the spread of dishes Cafe 1228 has to offer.
Another year is about to end. It's been one heck of a bountiful year, and to recognize the restaurants that made my belly so happy this 2017, here's my Hall of Craves.
I've only been to one food park since it became a hit in the recent years. I find it hard to visit food parks since their operating hours doesn't jive with my pigging mood (which is usually lunch time), and a bit inaccessible due to parking concerns. However, the very main reason why I stopped wanting to go to food parks doesn't have anything to do with all of these, but rather their value for money.
Food reviews are very subjective. One's rating of a restaurant depends on their own preferences and several other factors like pricing, service, and such. This is why I give restaurants a visit even after reading negative reviews. But this time, I made a terrible experience after putting my trust in a restaurant I haven't heard nice things about.
Bonifacio Global City is full of restaurants and bars that make it known not only as a rising business district, but also as a destination for food and social gatherings. It is also on a corner of this busy city that a simple restobar serving great American comfort food lies.
Providore is one of the busiest restaurants in SM Aura. This restaurant and cafe from The Raintree group serves a variety of dishes from the Italian cuisine, plus a few more dishes taken from the Filipino cook book. They also have cakes and pastries, and alcoholic drinks that seem perfect to have on their patio after the sun comes down.
Famry is the newest addition to the line up of restaurants at Hole in the Wall. This restaurant offers only 6 items on the menu including drinks, but not really dishes that are too generic.
It was team Kaladkarin's 2nd anniversary (and my first as a member), and to celebrate, we had a nice, quiet dinner at TWG, where we enjoyed food at 55% off. After this dinner, we decided to walk around High Street to look for place to have some more conversations over a cup of coffee and some pastries. We found ourselves at St. Louis House of Fine Ice Cream and Dessert.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! And while we're all so excited about the celebrations here and there, most of us also carry the burden of thinking about what to bring to the table.
Megawatt is a small American/ Mexican stop near Quezon City. It hasn't caught my attention since it first existed, until my sister asked me to accompany her on a foodventure.
Mazendo is a newly opened noodle and dumpling restaurant in S Maison, Pasay. I didn't get the chance to visit when it first opened, and got further delayed after reading so many negative reviews about the restaurant. The day came when I wasn't craving for anything usual for lunch, so we decided to head to Mazendo once and for all.
My sister has been craving a lot of cuisines recently. This time, she asked me to take her to Taqueria 101, a small Mexican joint along Better Living in Paranaque. I promised to take her there on a Sunday afternoon, where we had our early dinner with my brother.
Elote P180 |
Grilled corn on the cob, Chipotle mayo, Katsuboshi, Parmesan. They serve the elote on the cob, but they will ask you if you want it shredded instead. Since we didn't want an added struggle to eating the corn (plus so we can share it without being laway conscious), we just had it served shredded. I've had a lot of elote since it became popular in Manila, and this isn't the best by far. It lacked the spice, plus the chipotle mayo sauce can do better.
Nacho Spam Fries P280 |
Spam fries coated in crushed, colorful nacho chips, served with a dip. It took time for me to decide on how I really felt about Taqueria 101's Spam fries. It's not something you'll like or hate on the first bite. Same goes on whether I liked it with the dip or not. The nacho chips tasted a bit weird around the Spam, which made me decide that dipping it on the sauce is a must. Other than that, I found this to be an okay dish.
Taco Promo P250 |
5 flavors of soft tacos in one plate. The flavors include shawarma, ox tail, fish, lengua, and chicken. My favorite, and probably the one thing I'd like to come back for, is the ox tail soft taco. The flavors of the meat plus the sauce, cilantro and lime combined goes so well together.
Spicy Tuna Hard Taco P170 |
I didn't get a taste of this, but for the sake of documenting the whole experience, I'm including the photo on this post. It tasted okay according to my sister.
We all found the food in Taqueria 101 to be okay. Some of the dishes were good, but we did not experience anything with a wow factor. However, since I loved the oxtail soft taco from Taqueria 101, I'm planning on trying out their oxtail burrito on my next visit, since this is also a highly recommended dish. While I'm at it, I'll probably try their churros as well.
My Scores:
Pricing - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 3.5/5
Hungry for more,
Address: 101 Doña Soledad Ave, Better Living, Parañaque City
Contact Number: (02) 807-7358
Restaurant Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 4pm-12mn; Sunday 3pm-11pm; Closed on Sundays
Budget: P400 per person
Parking: Private Parking (2 cars) + Street Parking
Facebook: @taqueria101
I arrived early for an eat up at Ayala Malls the 30th, but just in time for lunch, so I decided to try a food stall that can only be found at this mall. Upon checking the options available, I ended up at Lucky Chick.
We often think of prawns when we hear the word "tempura", but did you know that anything you can batter and fry can actually be called a tempura?
It's been a long time since me and my siblings got together for a meal outside our home. It just so happens that we were all free to have dinner last Wednesday night, so we reserved a table for four at Hogs and Cattle.
It's my first time in Hong Kong, and there's nothing more I would want to do or try other than their oldest, most popular restaurants.
Masungi Georeserve is a conservation area located at Baras, Rizal. Its name is derived from the word "Masungki", describing the huge rock formations found in the area that are similar to the ones in Palawan. This georeserve is a symbolic trophy of the years long battle to win the area back from illegal loggers, quarries, and several others destroying its glory.
It's a bummer that I don't drink alcohol, because I just found the perfect spot to feel glamorous and sophisticated while sipping some champagne on a Friday night.
Cafe Voi La is one beautiful restaurant I've been trying to cross off my list since last year. It's been awhile since I last thought about this place, until my boyfriend decided to bring me to Tagaytay for lunch.
Hotel Jen is one of the more familiar hotels along Roxas Blvd. Formerly known as Traders Hotel, this hotel is actually under the Shangri-La management, which pretty much gives you a grasp of what could be behind the doors of their rooms.
I love how the most loved dessert perfect for all ages just keeps getting better and better as I grow old. We are now more open to the many different kinds there are, from the Filipino sorbetes, to the Italian gelato, and now the rolled ice cream.
If you're heading for the movies, what is it that you always initially think of, aside from which movie to watch? Snacks!!! And what do you normally have during the movies? Popcorn? Fries? Well, the Caravan Food Group has dropped a bomb that'll forever change the way we snack.
It's amazing how restaurants think of new, clever ways to lure customers in. It's all so common now. We see so many promos these days. There are unlimited offers, buy-one-take-ones, discounts and coupons, but one restaurant tops all of these off by simply offering the best service.
These past few weeks haven't been easy on me. I was torn between eating for nourishment and eating for pleasure. During this time, visions about me eating juicy burgers keep getting into my head, but I just brushed them off. I wasn't really able to address that craving until Team Kaladkarin's visit to Gilt Burger.
After our culinary class in CCA, me and my friends decided to hang out for a little while in this cool boardgame cafe around the area. Gameover in Xavierville is conveniently located near Katipunan, with parking spaces and security to guard your most precious vehicles while you loosen up with some food, drinks, and games with your friends.
Manam is one of the most recognized names when it comes to classic Filipino comfort food. My visits to this restaurant can only be counted with one hand, but although few, these visits have been significant in my standards for the cuisine.
Marikina is slowly emerging as a new destination for foodies, with restaurants and food park popping out in every corner of the city. I have a lot of those on my must-try list, which makes deciding on what to visit first extremely tedious each time we are around the area. It took me a lot of thinking before finally landing on Balestier.
Wasabi ice cream? Well, this has Dojo Dairy written all over it. It prides itself with extra creamy ice cream made from Hokkaido milk, plus uniquely Japanese flavors that will make you question how you've been living your life.
Last Christmas, I made a pretty thorough research about the best lechon available in the metro, and came up with a list with all the prices, contact details, and location. After our office Christmas party, I never saw that list again. I thought it won't be of use to me again, until my mom decided to wish for one to be served at her birthday party.
Bistro Remedios is one of the first ever restaurants built by the LJC group. It has been through a lot over the past years, undergone some major changes, but the beautiful history and inspiring story of passion inscribed within its walls remains. It's also one of the first restaurants to show the founder's formula for a pleasurable dining experience that has proven to be loved by its patrons. To put it simply, LJC Group customers can expect the full satisfaction of all their senses on every visit. On September of each year, LJC celebrates the LJC month, and one exciting event to look out for is the Festival of Flavors.
The Pig Pen is a restaurant located at Legaspi Village, Makati City. My first impression of it is that it only offers or prides itself with dishes made of pork, given its name, but I was terribly wrong. The Pig Pen offers a wide range of food selections, and we were able to try a bunch of them as we embarked in a gastronomic eatsperience in this restaurant.
In this day and age full of fast, instant, processed food, keeping healthy just keeps getting more difficult, unless you have a lot of time and money to spare. Good thing there are still a few shops that want to make the world a better place by providing better food options, including the famous submarine sandwich shop, Subway.
Potluck parties? I know, we're all scrambling to find the perfect and convenient food service provider in the metro, especially when all the other universal potluck dishes have already been picked, and you have no other choice. You have to go the extra mile to be able to bring something out of the ordinary.
Overdoughs is a new kiosk located at Century City Mall. They offer 3 kinds of doughs (mini donuts) to choose from to be paired with a choice from 6 dips available for P120. The loukoumades is coated with sugar before fried. The donut holes is a typical donut we are used to eating, except it is bite-sized. Lastly, the beignets are coated with powdered sugar.
Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory has been raved about by the foodie community for so long because of their precious cheesecakes and cheese biscuits. Now that almost everyone has experienced one of Tokyo's finest, I must admit that all the buzz has toned down, but no for long as this franchise from Japan unleashes their own devilish cheese ice cream.
Lava has stormed its way into the hearts of many food fanatics, even those who aren't die hard cheese lovers like me, with their cheese tarts. Lava has once again thrilled us as they unveil their own version of a soft serve cheese. For P85, you can get a cone of their soft serve. For P130, you can add 3 toppings of your choice to your soft serve.