Café Ilang-Ilang, the place where you won’t get “ilang”

First off, I would like to apologize about the lame title for I feel that this place deserves a classier name… but I just can’t help it. (For those who are not that familiar with the Filipino language, ilang means to be uneasy.) Moving on…

I was so glad that my boss tagged me along to the launch of the all-new Café Ilang-Ilang. At first, I didn’t know that it was a buffet restaurant thus I had a heavy breakfast. When I got in, I felt remorse over not skipping breakfast. And who wouldn’t when one is faced with NINE COOKING STATIONS?

               

               

The host of the launch was Issa Litton and she felt that we were all drooling and eager to visit all nine stations. The stations were: Pan-Asian (Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, and Filipino dishes), Churrasco (Western), Japanese, Italian, Spa (healthy food station) and Dessert. After the short talk of the president of Manila Hotel (yes, Café Ilang-Ilang is inside the Manila Hotel), people from the press all “charged” to the different stations.

              

              

              
              
              

              

              

              

Being a frustrated Japanese that I am, I went to the Japanese station first. It was sushi, sashimi, and maki galore! I took a lot of salmon sashimi which is my ultimate love. I also took some other tuna sashimi, eel sushi, and this interesting pomelo with shrimp salad in a martini glass. All I can say was, it was LOVE! The seafood was fresh. The salmon was so soft and the shrimp is still firm and not the powdery type some restaurants serve. The dish that has several colors (I can’t remember the name), was also good. :)

Next stop was the Chinese, Filipino and Korean Stations. For the Filipino station, I took some grilled pork (and I forgot to get some sauce, no wonder it was so dry), steamed fish, and of course, lechon! For the Chinese station, I took some dumplings (pork, chicken and shark’s fin). Lastly, for the Korean station, I got chapche, kimbap and my favorite, bulgogi. 

The lechon’s best part is the skin and I was really excited to munch on it but I guess that was the one dish you have to try first. My lechon’s skin was no longer crispy. :( The steamed fish on the other hand was your typical steamed fish. A bit on the bland side but that was cooked just the way I love it!

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. IT WAS THE LECHON!

The Chinese dumplings were also not that great to rave about but it was still quite good. But, the Korean dishes were a disappointment to me. I was actually quite excited because I was hoping that (at the very least) the bulgogi will be good, especially since the chef handling that station is a Korean. Unfortunately, the dishes were quite dry and bland. True, Korean dishes are not very rich in terms of flavor but I had better bulgogi, kimbap, and chapche in other restaurants here and in Korea.

Since I was already full and my tummy was already asking for mercy, I decided to skip all other stations, EXCEPT the desserts station. I left that I was in Willy Wonka’s factory when I visited the desserts station. There were lots of pastries, chocolates, fruits, ice cream, and much much more. I had a hard time choosing which ones to try. Just staring at the chocolate fountain brings tears to my eyes. 

Anyway, enough being so sentimental over desserts, I had marshmallow covered with chocolate, tiramisu, chocolate brownie, strawberry pudding, and that heavenly chocolate pudding (which I forgot to take picture of—was too excited). The tiramisu was a bit bland and same goes for the chocolate brownie and strawberry pudding (though it was not the pudding’s fault since I got it from the sugar-free section). BUT the chocolate on the marshmallow was so good. In fact, I savored every drop left on my plate (and no, I did not lick my plate clean. I was still aware that I was in a hotel and that I have to act properly.)  

Verdict: A must visit place!

Ambiance:  The place was quite cozy. At first, I thought that the place was small; but after checking all 9 stations, I realized that the interior designer was witty to segment the place in such a way that all kinds of people, from couples to families to colleagues will all feel at home. Also, they were witty at placing the desserts station near the entrance. As mentioned by Issa, it was purposely done so as to remind people to “make room for dessert” since there are 8 other stations.

Price: Given that it is in a hotel, expect that it will be pricey. The range goes as low as P1372.77 (net) and as high as P1647.32 (net).

Let's do the ROBOT dance

Who would have thought that behind the glass door on the corner of Makati Ave. lies a cool and futuristic restaurant called Robot?

I am sure that this restaurant already received a lot of reviews from food bloggers for this restaurant has been around for quite some time now but since I am quite a laggard (before!) and since I loved the food, I will still review it. J

Thanks to Unilever, I got the chance to discover the very cool Robot restaurant. At first, we thought that we went to the wrong place because the entrance is something you would not rave about. We were greeted by green glass doors and white walls. What was funny was we thought that the door has sensors and that it was an automatic door. Apparently, the guard was very attentive and has mastered to slide the door like a machine.

When we entered, we can't help but say... WOW!

Cute way to display liquor bottles

Glass ceiling

        

Ceiling full of light bulbs--and no, not all bulbs work

Anyway, while waiting, they offered a glass of iced tea and some smoked tuna maki. I still remember the taste of the iced tea. It tasted quite “orangy” if there is such a term. It was a tad bit on the sweet side but it was refreshing nonetheless. As for the smoked tuna maki, IT IS ONE OF THE BEST I tasted. It was a bit crispy which was interesting for a maki. It was also tasty enough thus there is no need to look for soy sauce. But what was most interesting about it is that there were petals on top of it and we all asked the server if the petals were edible. Well, the tuna flavor was a lot stronger than the petal that I hardly tasted it.

Smoked Tuna Maki with petals--Sorry for the terrible picture T.T

As the program progressed, Chef Niño Laus (co- owner of Robot) introduced the different dishes they prepared for us but we only got to taste one L BUT, we got one superb dish. We got the chicken teriyaki with wasabi mashed potato. A huwaaaat? on the wasabi mashed potato. Since we were very hungry that day, I find the serving a bit small. BUT THE WASABI MASHED POTATO WAS SO GOOD THAT I COULD NOT HELP HAVE THIS SENTENCE IN ALL CAPS. It was not the spicy wasabi that I know but every spoonful gives a minty cool feel.

Chicken Teriyaki with Wasabi Mashed Potato

Next time I visit, I want to try the desserts. Robot, see you soon!

A 50-cent worth of candy please!

I feel so old every time convenience stores and pharmacies do not give me the right change. It is always missing 25 or 50 cents. This happens to me a lot and I just cannot find the energy to demand for my 25 or 50 cents since people perceive 50 cents to be something insignificant and that you could not buy anything with it.

Just this afternoon, I bought some snacks at a convenience store and my total purchases cost P71.50. The cashier asked for P2 and I gladly obliged thinking that I will get P30.50. Alas, I only got P30. Oh well.

On my way back to the office, I realized something. If I buy something from the convenience store or pharmacy every day, and my change is always short by 50 cents, I lose P182.5 in a year, P3650 in 20 years, and P5475 in 30 years. Well, I do not think that these numbers are still insignificant.

What I am trying to say here is that we as consumers should demand for the right change and for the sellers to make sure that you have coins (yes, centavos and not candies) to give your customers.

All about expensive coffee and overpriced iced tea

We always clamor for higher wages because we can no longer afford to buy “basic” necessities. But here we are addicted to expensive coffee and overpriced iced tea during Christmas season or whenever these coffee shops and tea houses have promos. I.wonder.why.

Let’s try to analyze a typical person’s mindset when buying coffee.

“I need it to make me feel warm.”

“I will buy one so that I won’t feel uneasy hanging out with my friends who love coffee shops.”

“I’m sleepy!”

“I admit it, I am a coffee addict.”

“I need one after one big meal.”

These are the basic excuses to buy coffee. But do we really have to buy the expensive ones? Can’t Nescafe or some brewed coffee from McDo (which [by the way] is quite decent…. In fact, good) suffice your caffeine need? I think the real reason behind buying expensive coffee is…

“I want to feel elite.” a.k.a. “I want to feel sosyal.” (I know, it is quite Kris Aquino-ish).

How about iced tea? I’m sure the reasons are

“I’m thirsty and I need a drink now.” Or “I’m parched.”

“I want to drink something while walking.”

“I want to hang out at (place name of coffee shop here) but I can only afford the cheapest drink”

Well, I think the real reason is… the same as the real excuse in buying coffee.

I really have nothing about the coffee stores or tea houses here. I just find it weird why we spend so much to buy coffee and iced tea when there are [way] cheaper options. I admit that I am a sucker for those expensive teas when I was still in college until I discovered the wonders of the bottled green tea. Just think, if you buy at least one cup of coffee or iced tea in a week at an average price of P100, you are spending P4800 in a year. Assuming that it will be your buying pattern for let’s say 30 years (in the corporate world), you will be spending P144,000!!!

Again, I am not against these establishments for I am a tea addict myself. But what I would like to share is that we should learn how to control ourselves. I am not stopping anyone to buy these expensive drinks for I am sure that you deserve every drop of it. Let's just not make this a daily or weekly habit for there are other ways to get your caffeine fix. Let us all be smart consumers. :)

Ferrero Quadruplet!

I was so surprised when I found out that there is actually a dark chocolate Ferrero. I hurriedly emailed my mom (who was in the States then) to buy me a box (or two). I decided to check the net to read reviews about the dark chocolate version as to make realistic expectations (huh?). To my surprise (again!), there are actually more flavors!!! Aside from the hazelnut and dark chocolate, there are also coconut and pistachio flavors! And since I was too excited to try all those flavors and could not wait for my mom, I decided to check supermarkets and all other possible places that sell Ferrero. Alas, I was unsuccessful. Even the two Duty Free in Cebu do not carry it. (Sad T.T)

Finally, OCTOBER 26, 2010, my mom arrived with Ferrero boxes (less the pistachio variant). I munched on the dark chocolates and I was… disappointed. I was expecting something a bit bitter… what dark chocolates were supposed to be. It was on the sweet side and my initial reaction was “THIS IS TOO SWEET TO BE CONSIDERED DARK CHOCOLATE” but I loved it nonetheless. There was no nut though so the crunch factor was lesser L Its inner chocolate is very velvety though. YUM!

As for the coconut, a lot of people DO NOT like it at all. And I… am not one of them. It was rather interesting. It reminded me of macaroons with the tidbits of coconut. The coconut gave this Ferrero a different texture. It also complements the white chocolate. I am not so sure though if the market for this is huge.

The pistachio on the other hand is something I would not crave that much. It also does not have a nut inside (like the dark chocolate and the coconut) but the outer “shell” is covered by bits of pistachio thus the flavor. I guess, I am just not fond of pistachio. It has this strong vanilla taste which I find a bit odd.

I do not think that I have to describe hazelnut since this is the most popular flavor.

<3

 Pictures of the WHOLE DARK CHOCOLATE, COCONUT and PISTACHIO FERRERO :)

Johnny Rockets: A trip back to the past

I was so excited to have dinner at Johnny Rockets since some of my friends told me that it was a good (and cool) restaurant/diner. True enough, the first thing I noticed was the interior design. The restaurant has that diner feel to it with the help of the jukebox and old pictures. It reminds me of the Choclit Shoppe of Pop Tate (from Archie Comics) and Grease (or Hairspray).

My mom told me that the servings are huge so we decided to just order one order of chicken sandwich and Garden salad (I wanted to order the Chicken salad but since our sandwich already has chicken on it, we opted to have a plain salad instead). As for drinks, my sister chose vanilla malt and I wanted to play safe and ordered root beer float.

While waiting for our orders, I can’t help but be irritated with the group of kids (I assume they are around 14 to 17 years old) who are giggling and being all “OMG you are kiddin’ meeh right?” and to top it all off, there is this loud music every 5-10 minutes where all the crew members dance with all their might. (This made me realize that I am getting oooold). Anyway, let’s go back to the food.

My sister’s drink was served first and it was… good! It was really tasty but I can’t help but feel guilty with every gulp. My root beer float was served next and it tasted like… a typical root beer float. I guess all root beer floats taste the same.

Now, for the food (the type one has to chew). The salad was served next and it looked like… a salad one can buy in a supermarket. Actually, when I had a bite, the salad I bought in the supermarket tasted better… a lot better than that of JR’s. I was so disappointed because I am a salad addict. I guess P200+ was not enough to get a decent salad in that diner.

As for the chicken sandwich all I could say is… I love the fries. The bacon was too toasted and the chicken was too thick on one side and is practically nonexistent on the other side (note that we had the sandwich split into 4 since we were sharing).

Overall, I wouldn’t mind going to Johnny Rockets again for a drink (if I am not on a diet). But I will definitely not go back there to hang out with friends because 1.) food is overpriced 2.) it is too noisy 3.) when we asked for our bill (and we were rushing then since we still have to go to Podium to check the Baker’s Fair—which was not really a fair by the way) THEY JUST HAVE TO DANCE AGAIN and note that when they dance, you can’t stop them. So, to all my friends who are in a hurry, please ask for your bill right away after ordering to avoid “extra” delay (yes, even the cooks dance).

Happy Lemon for a Happy Tummy

Since a lot of people were raving about Happy Lemon and we were only a few steps away from its first store, we (Alexis [the Happy Lemon addict], Fritz [the dessert expert], and I) decided to pay the cute yellow store a visit.

First observation, the line was long… or not.

We were a bit hesitant to enter because we saw a lot of people inside. Apparently, most were just waiting for their orders. That already gave me an impression that Happy Lemon has 1) really good drinks that people do not mind waiting for it or 2) the service… well, is slow.

Since Fritz and I were Happy Lemon virgins, we wanted to try several drinks. I decided to play safe and chose milk tea (Crispy Cocoa Matcha with Brown Sugar Jelly + pearls—I am a pearl addict). Alexis ordered the same drink less the extra pearls. Fritz on the other hand was mesmerized by ROCK SALT CHEESE and decided to order Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese.

Alexis and I loved ours but poor Fritz hated his because it tasted like… SAMPAGUITA. Is sampaguita also tea???

But since my drink was oh-so-good, I will definitely go back and try the other drinks… EXCEPT Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. 

<3

Little Asia

As recommended by Alexis, we decided to have lunch at Little Asia (instead of Freska because Lestra finds it a bit blah—but I will still try Freska soon). Anyway, back to The Little Asia J

We ordered Salt and Pepper Squid, Beef Broccoli, Crispy Chicken, and some noodles with sausage (forgot the name!) and of course, rice.

The Salt and Pepper Squid was nothing spectacular. It is a typical squid covered with flour. The squid though is quite fresh and not “gummy” so it is toothless people friendly. It has to be dipped in vinegar though since it is a bit on the bland side.

Next is the Crispy Chicken. It was really good. The sauce made it even more savory. It is a must-order-again on my next visit. It goes really well with the fried rice.

The noodle dish on the other hand is a bit dry. I got confused if it’s supposed to be crispy noodles or something like that. But eating it with the chicken makes it taste better (or maybe I just love that chicken so much).

As for the Beef Broccoli, I cannot comment on the beef because when the plate reached me, there was no beef left. L The broccoli though was fresh and the sauce was quite tasty. But it tasted like the typical beef broccoli you could order anywhere.

Finally, service, price and ambiance.

For the service, the servers were friendly and quite prompt with our requests and orders. But I guess it was because there were only very few customers that time.

Ala carte dishes are affordable. I do not know though how we managed to spend P2000++ for a few dishes.

Last, the restaurant has a very Oriental feel. It was quite good. A little Asia indeed.

<3

Finally... a trip to YAKIMIX

I was really excited when I found out that Yakimix will open another branch in Greenbelt since I find the MOA and Tomas Morato branches too far from my place. But alas, my plans to visit the place always get canceled for several reasons—stomach ache, flu, friends on diet, etc.

Anyway, I finally had the chance to eat at Yakimix (yey!) and I was not really surprised when I saw some people waiting to be seated. We waited for an hour before we could get a table (and yes to those evil minded readers, with chairs). I first took the salmon sashimi since that’s my favorite followed by kani sticks and several kinds of maki such as veggie maki, kani maki, and kappa maki.

*Off to the REAL food area* I also took some chapche (Korean stir fried noodles with vegetables), kimchi, lechon macau, fried rice, broccoli with shrimp, mushrooms, and samgyeopsal. I had a hard time finishing my plate (and I had to if I want to avail the Php. 499 no left over price). I was not able to go back for another plate but I can’t help get another serving of salmon sashimi.  I still made sure though that I get to try the desserts. I tried the macaroon, chocolate crinkle, coffee jelly, and blueberry cheesecake, and this chocolate covered pastry (I do not know what it is called). 

VERDICT: The main dishes, sashimi, and maki are good. It was well cooked and the sashimi is fresh unlike other restaurants. The dessert was a bit of a disappointment. It was on the bland side. The cheesecake lacked the tangy taste I was looking for. In fact, it tasted like warm whipped cream. 

For Php. 499 (plus Php. 65 for bottomless drink) it was a good deal. Just make sure you stuff yourself with lots of sashimi and maki since those are the dishes I find most expensive.  Do not bother going to the pastries area. Ice cream will do to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Service was quite terrible though. Servers were not smiling and they were quite rude when serving us drinks. They must remember that even though the restaurant is always packed with people, it does not mean that EVERYONE will go back. Service is part of the total restaurant experience. It might take me a while before I consider going back just because of the bad service.

All about KFC Double Down

Since I have been hearing so many people clamoring for this so-called KFC Double Down, I’ve decided to buy one on my way home. Well, the rage is dying a bit now since it has been weeks (or was it more than a month already)? Anyway, I bought one Double Down with coleslaw and cola.

My first impression: THE DOUBLE DOWN IS JUST A SMALL CHICKEN BURGER. I had this notion that it is a burger for real fast food eaters. I guess I was wrong.

It tasted like one big chicken strip from the KFC Gogo sandwich… only it had bacon and cheese on it. I find it a bit too salty and it also has this umay or sawa factor.

I still prefer Burger King’s Chicken Sandwich. It is bigger and more filling for me. J

KFC Double Down

Another reason why National Bookstore is the best!

I dropped by National Bookstore this afternoon to buy something for work. When I was about to pay for my purchases, the cashier asked me if I want to donate a book. I immediately thought of donating OLD books so I asked her where the box was and until when we could donate since I just cleaned my room. She then went to another counter and took a book near the registrar. Apparently, for you to donate a book, you have to buy a book, a brand new one. 
 

I am not against the idea. In fact, I find it a great idea! We are so used to the idea of donating old things we no longer need. We hardly buy new things and donate it to charities and other institutions. In fact, even if we do not really need something, as long as it is brand new, it is quite hard to let that thing go. (Guilty? >:D)

So, if you want to be a gift to others (naks!), do drop by National Bookstore and buy a book. According to http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=527228, books are as low as P30. The one offered to me though was P65 (hmmmm…). As a treat, you could have your name on the book (“donated by___”) and have your name as well on an ornament (well, it’s actually just paper) for the NBS Christmas tree.

*proud*

One feel good moment. ^^