Choi Garden Feast at 50% Off

Choi Garden is one of the best Chinese restaurants in town. Known for its superb roast duck and pork, scrumptious abalone and fresh seafood, its Annapolis branch is often packed with hungry guests. And it gets even busier when it partners with banks for bang for the buck deals. For this September, your favorites are at 50% off!

Hello, Choi Garden. 

We dropped by Choi Garden last Thursday to grab a few dishes for dinner. But we were surprised to know that we can't order roast pork to go. 

First Sip: Sap Juicery

I have been pigging out like crazy for the past weeks and not working out helps keep the fats stored in undesirable places. And now that I now work closer to several malls, it'll be even harder not to eat out. Thanks to some stores that specialize in healthy and detox treats, I might be able to avoid a few pounds. *crosses fingers*

I have read about Sap these past months and it caught my interest as I have a thing for juices. (R makes fun of it though as he could not understand why I spend so much when I could just buy a fresh fruit and eat it as is.) I actually saw the Sap kiosk at SM Aura last year when I tried Yakitori One but I was in a hurry because I wasn't feeling well then. But I couldn't let it pass twice so when I had lunch at the kinda pricey food court, I got myself a bottle. 

The server suggested that I get G1 (PHP185) which is a combination of pineapple, apple, kale, cucumber, spinach and organic cane. Since I'm a Sap newbie, I gave in. 

After paying and getting my bottle, I noticed that there are cheaper drinks such as the organic cane and smoothies! Price difference was around PHP25-65! Some are even less than half the price of what I got. It made me feel a bit of regret not seeing it (and my wallet uttered "ouchie") but I just hoped that it tastes good and worth the price I paid. 

Good news, it's actually a good drink. It was sweet and went well with my meal. Bad news, it was a bit too sweet (and it made me wonder if I'm really drinking something healthy). It is not an ideal drink when having desserts. 

Overall, it was still an a-okay beverage. I'll probably try the other more affordable drinks next time. 

Sap is located at Food on Four, 4th Floor, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Sap also has a branch opening soon in NAIA Terminal 3 across Wendy's.

Restaurant Discovery: Corner Tree Café

A has been telling me that there’s this good vegetarian restaurant along Jupiter street in Makati. I never really bothered to visit the place right away as I’m not vegetarian and I was going crazy with the number of restaurants popping here and there in Kapitolyo. But I guess I was fated to visit the said vegetarian restaurant when I went to Mystery Manila the second time around.

Hello, Corner Tree Café.

The quaint café is located at a corner hence its name. The place is pretty small too and could accommodate perhaps 20 people maximum.

J and her friends were already there when I arrived. I then hurriedly ordered as we only have less than an hour to go to Mystery Manila. I went with Vegetable Dumpling (PHP150), Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna (PHP445), Chocolate Mousse with Dark Toblerone (PHP220) and a glass of Organic Lemongrass Iced Tea (PHP99).

Service was slow. I waited for over 20 minutes before my first dish arrived.

Restaurant Love: Galileo Enoteca Deli

I’ve heard of Galileo Enoteca from my good friend D and she kept on praising its food. I believed her as the place has been recognized by several food magazines and it is also part of the top 10 Italian restaurants in the Metro. It was rather funny though that my visit to this place was not planned at all.

V and I were supposed to visit this Italian restaurant in San Rafael, Kapitolyo but I just can’t find it. I kept asking V if he was sure and after searching in vain, we finally agreed to eat somewhere else. And V recommended Galileo Enoteca Deli. 

The place is in a rather dark street but once inside, the restaurant is charming. It somehow reminded me of C’ Italian Restaurant and Poco Deli combined.

After much thought on which salmon dish to order, we finally went with Tutta Carne (PHP480) and Panfried Salmon (PHP450). 

While waiting, we munched on the complimentary bread.  

Soon, the pizza and salmon were served. 

Restaurant Discovery: Tim Ho Wan

When there’s a hype, I get curious. When there’s a line, my curiosity disappears (unless I really, really want to try it). Tim Ho Wan has been one of the most anticipated restaurants this year. The line seems to be longer than when you process your NBI clearance. As much as I would love to try its famous pork buns, I always think of the long line and I’m not confident my tummy will like the wait as I am always hungry when I pass by Tim Ho Wan. I thought that the line would eventually disappear after a few weeks but it’s a totally different case for this place. Luckily though, grumpy W was in a good mood and lined up while I was busy looking for a paper bag to pack his late birthday gift. So…

Hello, Tim Ho Wan.

It was almost our turn when I arrived so I didn’t have to do the Trip to Jerusalem game (where you move seats every time someone gets a table) that long.

The menu is very straightforward. There are the famous pork buns, dumplings, a few rice toppings, and congee. They also have barley which happens to be one of my favorite drinks (thanks to Toastbox). W pretty much chose what we’ll eat. I just added two. We ended up with the following dishes: Pork Buns (PHP145/ 3 pieces), Rice with Beef and Fried Egg (PHP180), Pork Dumplings (PHP150), Prawn Dumplings (PHP160), Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp (PHP120), Steamed Egg Cake (PHP85), Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp (PHP190), and Mango Pomelo Sago (PHP90)

First to arrive was the plate of Pork Buns. It was served warm and I had pretty high expectations as people line up and wait to order this.

It was good. Not great but good. It tasted like your typical asado though this one had a stronger flavor. I also enjoyed the baked bun. I just find it slightly messy to eat. 

Next served was the Rice with Beef and Fried Egg which was rather soupy. It was also a bit bland for me.

First Bite: Edgy Veggy

It was yet another T2 dinner and since I have this it-has-to-be-near-me-or-else-I-will-not-show-up rule, J and I decided to have dinner somewhere near my place. One place that caught my interest was Edgy Veggy. They joined Yummy Eats before but I never had the chance to try their food simply because I was too busy... not eating. (Can you believe that?!) Since we have not tried the restaurant's dishes before, we opted to have our 14th of the month dinner there instead.

Hello, Edgy Veggy!

It took me a long while before paying the place a visit simply because it sounded so healthy and I have never been a fan of healthy (tasting) food. But since I was feeling A LOT heavier these past months, I finally convinced myself and J to have dinner here.

The place is pretty small and could only accommodate around 10-15 people maximum at a time. (Well, they do deliver though.) The menu is also very simple and doesn't offer a wide selection of dishes but good enough to cover the basics. 

J went for the Moroccan Rice Meal (PHP230) while I ordered the Spinach Pasta (PHP175), Fried Risotto Balls (PHP160) and Pineapple Shake (PHP100).

The risotto balls were served first and it was surprisingly delightful. Béchamel infused risotto balls with three kinds of mushroom wrapped in crispy panko crust and paired with marinara sauce was a winning combination. The flavors were light and it sure worked as a great appetizer.