Friday Love: T.G.I. Friday's

It has been almost two years in the making but finally—I’m getting married! Not. My friends and I have been planning to have an overnight get together for years now as the last time we did that was when we graduated a few years back. We decided to stay at Eastwood Richmonde Hotel but had no plans to dine there for dinner as we were still on a non-executive salary. *gloom*

It was almost 9 p.m. and most of us came from work or elsewhere without food in our tummies except for K. Just like a group of tweens, we waited for everyone before deciding where to have dinner.

After putting our bags inside our “unlocked” room (scary!), we decided to have dinner at T.G.I. Friday’s. The place was quite packed so the server who served us suggested that we go al fresco dining but we hesitated as 1) none of my friends smoke; 2) it was hot that day. We then requested for the corner table available at the second floor.

Starved, we quickly ordered something. I ordered the Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta (PHP415 regular; PHP625 for sharing) and Strawberry Lemonade Slush (PHP165). B ordered Chicken Club Sandwich (PHP395), while N settled for Jack Daniel’s Burger (PHP465). K, M, and L were still full so they just ordered Oreo Madness (PHP205 for one piece and PHP345 for two pieces). I still remember how hyper our server, Rentin, was. It was his second day if I remember it correctly and he even apologized about sweating too much as he was just eager to serve us. (Funny fellow.)

They quickly served my drink and it was delightful! Sweet yet still refreshing!

Revisiting Tender Bob's

I just love celebrating my birthday. But what makes me love celebrating birthday more is when I get to share it with people I cherish. Thus, this year, I decided to message one of my closest friends (we’ve been friends for 19 years and hoping for it to reach 60!) and invited her to dinner with my mom and sister.

I actually wanted to eat at Cyma but since I was with my sister, I had to give way and we decided to have dinner at a restaurant a few steps away from the Greek restaurant I simply adore. Hello again, Tender Bob’s!

The homey American restaurant’s server quickly guided us to our seats and handed the menus. I was still full from the ribs I ate for lunch while A was not very hungry and I (her boyfriend) is on a strict diet. We then decided to order food for sharing instead.

We then decided to try the Meat Platter (PHP990). We also ordered Mussel Pasta (PHP388) and my sister’s all-time favorite, Chicken Tenders Original Recipe (PHP220).

 

The chicken tenders arrived first and the fries never fail to tempt me and eat a lot of it. I just love fries made from REAL potatoes. I also love the honey mustard sauce. For more of the chicken tenders, click here.

A Pre-Valentine's dinner with Mr. Kurosawa

My colleagues T1 and T2 (just so we could differentiate their names and believe me, they actually have the same sounding name as they were just a few letters off) planned a pre-Valentine’s dinner at Eastwood and I gamely joined them (and let me stop myself before I start to over share).

I hardly frequent Eastwood as I find it a bit far from my place and I’m pretty happy to stroll around Rockwell or Shangri-la as these malls have some of my favorite restaurants and retail stores. But for some reason, I end up wandering around for two consecutive Fridays (excluding this pre-Valentine’s).

 

Anyway, I was getting off topic. Let’s go back to the pre-Valentine’s dinner. T1, T2, and I agreed to have dinner at Mr. Kurosawa. I, as a foodie who hardly visits Eastwood, got excited as I have never dined there and it caught my eye the last time I went there with a fellow foodie. Finally, I will get to taste Mr. Kurosawa’s cooking. Sort of.

 

Moshi moshi, Kurosawa-san!

My First Bite: Ye Dang

For some weird reason, I remember Ye Dang to be on the second floor of a building across the Union Bank head office. Thus it was a surprise to me when I saw it beside Metrowalk. What surprised me even more is when my balikbayan friend N wanted to eat there instead of a Filipino restaurant. Oh well.

Annyeong haseyo, Ye Dang!

 

It took us a bit longer to go to this rather popular Korean restaurant because of the rush hour. Luckily, the place was not crowded at all and we managed to get seats right away.

Sale Alert! SuperSale Bazaar this March 2-4, 2012

Something very exciting is happening this weekend and I can’t wait for Saturday to come!

For the past few weeks, all I have been doing was eat, eat, and eat. Then I realized, I did not shop last month (and to think it was my birth month), except for those occasional food shopping and gift buying trips. I am not a shopaholic but I usually buy a new top or whatnot every month. I guess I prioritized my tummy last month (oh, how time flies) more than my desire to wear something new to work. (Yes, wearing something new, even if it’s just a clip, makes me feel, well, excited to go to work. *blush*)

 

I know that there’s a SuperSale Bazaar every March of the year but I was not expecting it to be early this year. I was so surprised when my officemate B handed me a flyer of my favorite bazaar stating that it is slated to happen this MARCH 2-4, 2012. That’s this weekend!

Drunk with Ramen Bar

I’m drunk… and I’m using a spoon to get drunk… with ramen that is.

 

I’ve always wanted to try Ramen Bar ever since two of my friends told me to meet them there. To make the story short, I got stuck at work, was late, and they were already done eating when I arrived thus we had to move to the next restaurant for snacks instead. *sniff sniff*

However, the food gods really love me as an opportunity came and soon, I found myself inside Ramen Bar waiting for my friends.

The staff was pretty friendly and alert for as soon as I stepped inside, they led me to my seat. (I like that!)

The place seemed spacious too and the lighting made the place quite relaxing.

Healthy 2012: Pipino Vegetarian Food by Pino

Pork. Lots of pork and fried too! What more can make one feel so guilty, especially after undergoing a rather expensive cleansing diet? Thank goodness for the owners of Pino though for making healthy living accessible right after devouring its famous Kare-Kareng Bagnet.

Right above Pino Resto Bar is its healthier counterpart, Pipino.

 

Stuffed and heavy, we braved the stairs (well, it was just one flight from Pino but it looked like a mountain for us with pork-filled tummies).

My First Bite: Sancho Churreria Manila

Ever since I saw a post claiming that a quaint restaurant along Maginhawa serves the best churros in town, I’ve been itching to go back to Maginhawa to try it myself. I’ve always been in love with Dulcinea’s churros and I wondered if I’ll have an affair with a new one.

 

We were still in our “Invade Maginhawa” mode but it was almost 5PM then. We didn’t care if our tummies were about to explode. We just have to check this place out.

Home of Kare-Kareng Bagnet: Pino Resto Bar

Our second food stop during our first Maginhawa food trip this 2012 was Pino Resto Bar as I have been eying its Choco Turon for some time now.

Hello, Pino!

 

I can’t help notice the cute doodles on the wall of Pino upon entering. It definitely gave the restaurant an artistic vibe.

Charmed By A Girl Named Maria

I missed doing all-day food trips thus I decided to organize another one last February 4 and target stops were Gayuma Ni Maria, Pino, Pipino, and Sancho. Yes, we’re back at Maginhawa for another Quezon City food trip. (And to help me accomplish one of my goals this 2012.)

My friend H and I met early as we both live a bit far from Quezon City. We were expecting that it will take us an hour before we reach Maginhawa. Wrong! We arrived around 10:30 am and not a single FOOD establishment was open. (I just had to emphasize food as Ricky Reyes opens early.)

We decided to roam around instead and I got to see other restaurants I was not aware of. There was this vague sounding restaurant that I have to try next, a cute café called Zombie Café and I heard that there’s this place offering pizza all you can. (The phrase “eat all you can” never fails to entice me!)

Soon, restaurants started to open and we met up with our tour guide, yet another foodie who lives a few steps away from Pino. Lucky guy!

 

Our first stop was Gayuma Ni Maria as we planned on eating something heavy as it was almost lunch time.

A Healthier 2012: Juju Cleanse

As a food lover, I would have never thought that I would last more than a day not eating anything that requires chewing.

Start the year right. Cleanse. Detox. Get rid of the bad habits. Don’t you just love the first quarter of the year? For hard core junk food lovers [like me], we’re pretty much apathetic.

Yet, being addicted to challenging myself and just about the most random dares, I immediately said “ME!” to a colleague when she asked who’s game to try the Juju Cleanse.

Juju what?

Juju Cleanse, according to its website is a “no fuss, all benefits approach to juice fasting.”  Basically, you will be under detox where the only thing you will eat, rather, drink, will be juice.