Restaurant Favorite: Boqueria

If I love the food and the service, I'll be back. It's that simple. If one's missing, it'll take me forever to go back. But everything was pleasant with Boqueria when I had lunch there last month so I visited it again with my good friend of 21 years (yes, I'm proud of how long we have been friends). 

Hello again, Boqueria!

I gave A the decision on where to eat as long as it's not X1 or X2 restaurants.(Oooh, blind items!) But she was okay with any as well as long as it's not a Filipino restaurant so I recommended Boqueria. Plus we were too famished to explore further. 

When we got the menu, I noticed that there were price changes. Some of the dishes became more expensive. The staff, however, clarified that the serving got bigger to justify the price changes. (There was an average of PHP200 jump from last month's.

Since we will bowl and drop by Cafe Juanita after lunch, we decided to keep it "light" with the following dishes: Albondigas con Foie Gras (PHP288), Pollo con Salsa Mango (PHP298), Paella Marinera (PHP368), and two glasses of Mint Iced Tea.

Restaurant Love: Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant

I have been pretty inactive with Couchsurfing for a few years now. The only way to lure me to reply to posts or appear in gatherings would be food. My friends know that. Alcohol, parties, or whatnot are not appealing to a cat-lady-without-a-cat me. And living near Kapitolyo has been a blessing for me to guide fellow foodies where to eat. However, there's this one place I always miss whenever I eat there. Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant! It opened last year but I never had the chance to eat there. But finally, someone was game to try it with me.

Haru, Haru! (Hello, Hello! Okay, I killed the joke.)

I was pretty impressed with the interiors. It is so... Japanese. There are umbrellas and little bridges, and even musical instruments all over the place. Good job there!

I find the way to call the server really charming. We just have to ring the bell that's stringed to the ceiling. The server was very attentive too but failed to give much recommendations. But we managed and settled for the following: Salmon Sashimi (PHP308), Tuna Sashimi (PHP198), Tori Kuwayaki (PHP258), and U.S. Beef Rib Eye Teppanyaki (PHP598). 

 

The service was pretty quick as I would give it an estimate of 15 minutes before they served the first dishes.

After one bite of the salmon sashimi, I went to sashimi heaven! At that moment, I was the ideal customer of restaurateurs as I was so giddy munching on my food. The salmon was fresh and it was milky as well. Oh salmooooon~

Sporty Saturday: SM Megamall Bowling Alley

Despite my healthy appetite for food, I also enjoy doing sporty things. (Most of my friends don't believe me though.) I love biking, table tennis, laser tag (if you consider that as a sport), and bowling. I am also game to try other things like paintball and hiking. Anyway, I was thrilled when SM Megamall revived its bowling alley. Oh yeah, the gutter queen is back!

My friend A and I decided to be a bit sporty one Saturday and we thought of giving the new bowling alley at SM Megamall a try. My sister wanted to join as she needs to do something active as plus points for her P.E. class.

I arrived early so that we could get a parking spot and we decided to have a quick brunch at Figaro. BIG MISTAKE. When A finally arrived, we have to wait for a spot. It didn't take long though. I'd say our wait was roughly 20 minutes maximum. 

As soon as we heard our names, we approached the cashier, paid the PHP175 per head fee (shoe rental included) and collected two balls each. 

I felt bad for my sister as she had a hard time lifting the balls.

When the game started, my sister had a good lead and A and I were noobs. But as the game progressed, my sister ended up being last with A as first and me as second. But the thing is, our average as a group was still terrible. 

An English Lunch for Two: TWG Tea Salon and Boutique

When I was younger, I love to play “tea party” with my toys as my guests. (Go blame my sister who was born 6 years later!) I do recall though that I had fun and served real food and air as tea. I guess that pretty much explains why I was a ball when I was a toddler. I never liked real tea though growing up as I found it too Chinese and I hated Chinese food when I was young. (Note: past tense.) But as I transformed to become a foodie I am now, I got so addicted to tea that every time a tea place opens up or when I pass by TWG, my heart skips a beat. Yes, I have a weird attachment to food.

Summer is here and it’s sizzling hot outside! Yet, all I want last Saturday was hot tea. So off I go to TWG to try another brunch set.

When I arrived, no one was there so I was slightly lonesome. I took my time reading the menu and read the inclusions per set. I went for the Governor set (PHP900) which includes a pot of Tea (I got Private Hour simply because I was alone), a glass of orange or apple juice, Chicken en Brochette, scones or muffins, and a choice of TWG Tea patisserie from the trolley (I chose the strawberry tart).

My tea and main course arrived when A messaged me that she was near. She went for the NY Breakfast Tea, Garden Lasagna (PHP350) and a plate of steak that we both forgot its name.

Restaurant Discovery: Tipsy Pig

It has been a while since I saw a photo of the frequently Instagrammed Beer Can Chicken. Ever since I saw it, I thought to myself, “I have to try that ASAP.” Yes, that’s pretty much how my brain works when I see interesting food. Luckily, J was free and interested to try it too so off we go! (And we both failed to realize it was White/Pi/Pie Day!)

It was a long day for me as I tried to finish my pre-employment requirements. (I managed to make a friend while in line for NBI clearance and he thought I was born and raised in China and he asked if there’s such thing as NBI clearance there.) Luckily, I finished before 5 p.m. and got to Capitol Commons just in time for dinner.

The place was still pretty empty when we got there but most tables were reserved. So we were forced to dine al fresco. But after finding out that we could dine inside but leave at 9 p.m. as every single table was reserved, we took the chance as the summer heat and smoke was too much. 

 

J has his heart and tummy set on the Belly Good Sisig Tacos (PHP280) while I chose the Zuppa Di Tomate (PHP150) and Beer Can Chicken (PHP750). The server said that the chicken is good for three people and since J and I love to eat, it wasn’t a problem to finish it. We also ordered a few drinks, beers for J (which were not really to his liking) and I had one of the house cocktails called Quite a Patty (PHP225/glass).

The service was rather quick but not in order. The first one to arrive was the Beer Can Chicken, which to our surprise was a tad too small for it to be good for three people. After taking pictures of the star of the night, they asked if we would like to have them chop the chicken for us. 

Restaurant Discovery: Poetry & Prose Patisserie

I just love tea. (Okay, I love coffee more but I chose to give that up this lent.) Combine it with a new tea place and I'm practically someone you could easily drag. Add a bit of movie talk and I'll definitely be there. And that's the reason why I got to try Poetry & Prose Patisserie.

Why hello there, Poetry & Prose Patisserie.

F was already inside when I arrived and I felt so guilty for being 30 minutes late (but I had a good reason, I swear!). The place was pretty small and could sit around 15 to 20 people max. The server was pretty attentive as she gave me a menu as soon as I sat down. 

I haven't had lunch yet when I arrived so I went for something filling.  I got the Eggs Benedict (PHP355) and a pot of Jasmine Tea (PHP125). F ordered a salad with honey mustard dressing. (Yes, that made me feel a tad guilty ordering something heavier.)

Since there were only a few customers, service was pretty quick. I got my tea in less than 10 minutes (well, it was just a tea bag and water) and my dish arrived in less than 15 minutes. F's salad arrived at the same time as my Eggs Benedict.

Restaurant Discovery: Boqueria

When you get older, it's so hard to schedule a regular lunch date with your friends. There will always be someone who would be busy, someone who has to cancel last minute, and someone who's too in love to meet the friends. But when we do meet, we talk like there's no tomorrow with a few breaks to chew our food. I'm usually the resident PRO so I schedule the meet ups and this time, we decided to block March 8 and explore the Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.

Since we didn't decide on where to eat, I took the liberty to decide for us. I've been targeting Boqueria for quite some time but my mom wanted burger (thus a trip to 8 Cuts) during my first trip to the new hall and I saw a new Japanese place (Osaka Ohsho) the second time I went. So, third time's the charm I guess. ;)

The place wasn't packed when I arrived and managed to get a table right away. They seem to have a shortage with menus though as the server asked if he could borrow my menu for a while. He returned it in less than 5 minutes though. 

I browsed the menu long enough to make me look less of a loner and decided to get the following: Pulpo a la Gallega (PHP280), Salpicon de Mariscon (PHP198), Cocido de Madrilena (I forgot to take note of the price), and a glass of Apple Iced Tea.

Since I was already hungry, I started getting a few bites off the appetizers but I try to spread the food to make it less obvious. The baby octopus was delicious! It wasn't as chewy as squid and I just love munching it. One order is good for two but I can finish it myself. (It's the glutton me talking here.)