I'M IN LOVE: Minions of Despicable Me

It has been a while since I last bought a Happy Meal. I believe they were giving out Rise of the Guardians toys then (and I got an elf). I never thought of wanting to complete a collection again till…

 

BA BA BA BABANANA BA BA BA BABANANA NA NA NA AHH POTATO NA AH AH BANANA…

Yes, that song! Those cute yellow minions captured my heart ever since I saw them on the big screen helping out Gru to be the best villain ever.

Restaurant Discovery: Lombardi's

There are times when I wake up and crave for something real bad. The thing is, I won’t stop thinking about it till I get to eat it. And last Saturday, I woke up with the thought of… Pizza. N though wasn’t in the mood for pizza that day. Luckily, N was running late and I thought to myself… pizza time! And just when I was about to have a solo date, I saw my mom and sister and M (my sister) was in the mood for pizza too. High pizza five! (Hmm… that sounds nerdy.)

I’ve been eying Lombardi’s ever since I saw it while eating at Corazon during Mother’s Day. I thought of checking the place out as soon as my tummy said “PIZZA”.

 

The menu wasn’t very extensive but it’s perfect for those who think so long before ordering.

Since it was past 1 p.m. that time, I decided to do the ordering as my mom and sister take longer when we try out a new restaurant. 

 

I planned on ordering the Parmigiana Di Melanzane (roasted eggplant with stewed tomato and mozzarella) but it was not available. The server suggested another bestseller, Mozzarella in Carrozza with Arrabbiata Sauce (PHP230) and as a sucker for anything recommended, I said, “We’ll have that!” We also ordered chef’s recommended Ravioli Di Carne (PHP480) and Pizza Gambaretti (PHP480). For desserts, we ordered Tiramisu (PHP210) and Pannacotta Del Piemonte (PHP160).

 

We were given complimentary snacks to calm our angry tummies. We finished it in less than 3 minutes.

A pitcher of brewed iced tea is PHP150. Ask for more ice as it tends to have a very strong flavor.

The dishes were served fast though. First, the appetizer.

An English Afternoon: TWG Tea Salon and Boutique

Tea, just like ramen and katsu, has been available in the market for a long time but it was just recently when it became a craze… a big craze. Taking photos with that cute cup with a mustache to the reflection on a shiny gold teapot, these are just a few of many posts  we commonly see on our social media news feeds. Yes, compared to those tea bags available in your favorite supermarket, these raved ones are pretty pricey. But I guess you pay for the ambiance and rather English experience. 

I’m in love with that classy tea place. Yes, it was love at first sight. I enjoyed munching those wonderful brunch dishes while sipping my Pink Garden tea. I just have to go back for more. And I did with T last time.

Since we just came from lunch then, we opted to just try TWG’s pastries. There are two kinds—Tea and French. After a bit of thinking, we chose to try Financiers with Matcha Tea (PHP150 for 2 pieces).

Restaurant Discovery: Saboten

Japanese food seems to be extremely popular these days with ramen and katsu places popping left and right. Every time I pass by The Fort or walk around Shangri-La, I see a lot of new Japanese places I just have to try. And yes, Saboten is in the list.

It has been a while since I last saw M so I set a date with her to catch up. We were supposed to have lunch with T but T suddenly backed out as he had to meet his friend. *sad*

We met up a bit past 2 p.m. and I was surrounded by food as early as 11 a.m. so I was tortured for over 3 hours! >.<

 

Anyway, when we arrived at Saboten, the place was still full and we were on the wait list. But since we’re second, we decided to wait. It wasn’t long till we got a table.

I got mesmerized by the Grated Radish Katsu so I ordered the Loin Set (PHP395). But since ordering just one viand isn’t my thing, I convinced M that we order Saboten Special Set (PHP525) too. The Special set includes one deep-fried shrimp, 65g loin cutlet, 30g tenderloin cutlet, and one crab cream croquette. For dessert, we ordered one Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cake (PHP195).

 

Service was quick given that the place was packed.

 

First served was a huge bowl of cabbage and some pickled cucumber and radish.

M and I enjoyed it so much that when the first dish arrived, we were a bit full. But the dressing was just too addicting!!!

 

Now for the moment of truth, the Grated Radish Katsu…

Grocery Find: M&M's Snack Mix

I’m the type of girl who shrieks over a new grocery find instead of a new Armani… uh… belt. I’ve never been the type who gushes over fashion pages. I mean I appreciate good clothes but I prefer reading food or kids magazines (because of the simple yet straight to the point movie reviews and comics… who doesn’t love comics?!) over fashion magazines.

After my last driving class, I decided to pass time at the grocery. Determined not to spend a lot, I took a basket instead of a push cart. And after getting some vegetables (as I was trying to lead a healthier lifestyle), I found myself staring at chocolates. Darn!

I spent a good 20 minutes reading over every single packaging that caught my fancy. There were a lot of new chocolates, new flavors, new packaging (that tricked me to thinking it’s a new brand)… I just have to check each and every one! In short, I was in chocolate heaven.

I started to fill my basket with a few sweet goodies then I saw…

 

M&M’s Snack Mix Sweet and Salty? Yeah~<3

There are different kinds. There’s one with short bread partnered with peanut M&M’s, one with dark chocolate with raisins, and one with cookies. Since the cookies seem more appetizing, I took a pack (with milk chocolate M&M's). It was a bit pricy for PHP185 but my I-just-have-to-try-it-because-it-might-be-oh-so-good mentality got the best of me. Good thing I brought with me a few GCs to lessen my cash out. Yes, I’m a stingy glutton.

Restaurant Love: Lazy Dog Café

I miss California. I miss those humongous portions, oh-so-yummy food, gigantic supermarkets, friendly people saying hello to just about anyone, everything. While browsing my phone, I saw some photos from my last trip and a few were from my lunch date with N at the Lazy Dog Café. 

I remember that it was a bit past 12 noon when N picked me up and we were famished. As soon as we got to park the car, we checked a few restaurants outside the mall (in record time) and eventually decided to have lunch at the Lazy Dog Café. 

 

The interiors are rather cute. It has a western feel as place is predominantly wooden brown. I love the cute accent on the table… a paw print. 

N and I didn’t thoroughly browsed the menu and just ordered the lunch specials—Chicken Parmesan ($7.45) and Sundried Tomato Pesto Penne ($7.95). They also serve these for dinner but plus $5.

Restaurant Love: Balboa

Chicken. I really do not know what made you so charming but most Filipinos love chicken. Tinola, Adobo, Fried Chicken. There’s Max’s, Jollibee, Mang Inasal, Baliwag, Andok’s and much more. And because of our love for it, Max’s and Jollibee are now in other countries too!

It’s funny how we always think that whenever we have a balikbayan friend or relative around, we assume that they want to eat Filipino food. You’d be surprised that most of them are more Filipino than we are and they get to eat Filipino food more frequent than us who are here. 

 

We were thrilled when M and D are both here in Manila. We immediately planned a reunion as we just have to. Last time I saw M was way back in 2009 and it was over a year since I last saw D. However, D’s oh so cute baby got sick so she had to back out. But we still pushed through with the plan and met up with M.

 

Thinking that most of us are near Ortigas (except for K), we decided to have dinner at Shangri-La. We were all late except for T. (Sorry!!!)

 

Since we were all famished and because T was at the 4^th floor of the East Wing, we decided to have dinner at Balboa. I got so excited when we all agreed to eat there as I will get to eat my favorite roasted chicken!

 

The place was pretty packed when we arrived and it was around 8:45 p.m. already that time. We got a table though but it was farthest from the counter so the servers can’t really see us right away. Lucky though that there were a lot of people eating outside so there were servers who pass by every 5 minutes.

Weekend (Endless) Eating: Eastwood Cafe's Weekend Family Buffet

Stay-cation is becoming a trend nowadays. With the intense heat, hardly anyone has the energy to roam around under the scorching heat. Things to do with the family have been limited to the comforts of the home but let’s give mom a break and head to Eastwood Richmonde Hotel for a family buffet. 

 

Eastwood Café of Eastwood Richmonde Hotel started to offer Weekend Family Buffet for a friendly price of PHP880 for adults, PHP440 for children age 6 to 12 years old, and FREE for kids 5 years old and below. With that price alone, it’s already pretty tempting but here’s a nice touch to it, they have a special nook for kids to play after eating. 

There’s also a very charming sweets station that is very eye catching. 

I started my buffet adventure with the salad station. They had a good mix of Filipino-style salads and the usual lettuce, carrot, tomato over Thousand Island dressing salad. 

 

Restaurant Love: Mesa Filipino Moderne

We hate Tuesdays. It’s the day our car is coding meaning we have to leave the house past 7 if we want to eat out. But my mom just got a surprise birthday gift, our car went *kapoot* while it was parked in a mall. In the end, my grandma, sister and I have to take a cab to meet the birthday girl. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and very famished.

As the foodie in the family, I was tasked to look for a place to eat in SM Megamall. (I wanted to go to Shangri-La hoping to see another new restaurant but my mom insisted we dine at Megamall. The birthday girl wins!) I suggested Kichitora since they have never tried dining there before but my grandmother wasn’t in the mood for ramen (actually, is never in the mood for ramen as she only eats tempura and chicken teriyaki, two dishes not available there). So we moved a little bit and ended up at Mesa.

 

The place was a bit crowded given it was a Tuesday night. We were lucky though to get one of those tables with couches. Yeah! <3

I was slightly grumpy around this time as I was really really hungry and one thing I do not like is feeling hungry. So I immediately ordered the following: Talong Salad (PHP80), Sisig in a Pouch (PHP190), Inihaw Sampler (PHP725), and Crispy Leche Flan (PHP70).

Sunday Lunch: Chef's Quarter

I just love celebrating all kinds of occasions—from Halloween to Christmas, from Valentine’s Day to Black Day. Last month, T and I celebrated Children’s Day and that means be a bit kiddie.

 

Okay, admittedly, we didn’t really do much that day as it was scorching hot outside and playing, biking, or even walking anywhere al fresco style was deadly. I repeat, deadly! 

Anyway, after a crazy 4D ride, T and I decided to have lunch at Chef’s Quarter (now named as Uncle Cheffy). It didn’t take us long to decide what to order. After 5 minutes, we ordered the following: Tessie Tomas Salad (PHP250, solo), Seafood Lovers Panizza (PHP280), and Spaghetti Putanesca (PHP220). 

Service was quite quick as well. In less than 15 minutes, our salad was served.

 

Restaurant Discovery: Matgalne

Korea has stolen the hearts of many Filipinos—from dramas to music to food. I’d say, I have this long-term serious relationship with samgyeopsal. Throw in the word “unlimited” and I am yours!

Eat-all-you-can samgyeopsal for only PHP299 for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and PHP399 for dinner (5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.), then throw in more than 20 side dishes, not a bad deal right? I was lucky to receive an email from A about this place called Matgalne that serves Korean dishes at friendly prices. Since curiosity got the best of me, I decided to pay Matgalne a visit during elections.  

It was rather hard to find the place if you’re not familiar with going around Makati but one landmark to remember is St. Giles Hotel and you’re almost there. I was lucky that I could read Korean as we totally didn’t notice the hotel’s signage. But for easier reference, here’s a photo of the façade. :)

When we arrived, I was surprised that the place was quite packed. Yes, the restaurant was slightly small, similar to how most hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Seoul are but this one could easily seat around 30 people and almost every seat is occupied by a hungry customer. Again, I was lucky as I instantly got a seat as I was in touch with A.

My only shot of the spread as I got too excited to eat right away!

Soon, I started to fill my plate with side dishes. First one I took was the Chapchae (or jabchae), one of my favorite dishes! I love that the sweet potato noodles (Korean 101: Sweet potato noodles is called dangmyeon in Korean) are not as oily and the vegetables included were fresh and quite crunchy. I just love it.

I also got some Jumeok Bap (Korean 101: Bap means rice). It was really yummy! I love the sticky texture and the saltiness of the seaweed.

See that little ball covered in nori? Yes, that’s Jumeok Bap!

There were also a lot of “jeon” available such as ham jeon, mushroom (Korean 101: Mushroom is called beoseot in Korean) jeon, and zucchini jeon. The key ingredients namely ham, mushroom and zucchini were [separately] batted in eggs and flour. If you adore fried oreos, pancakes or anything batted in eggs and flour, you’d like these.

I have mentioned several times that I do not like spicy dishes but some manage to be my “exemptions” and one of which is Matgalne’s Dak Kang Jung (Korean 101: Dak means chicken), sweet and spicy chicken. It was flavorful and it wasn’t very spicy at all. It was just right, and an instant love!