Taco Bell Celebrates National Taco Day

Love tacos? Then Christmas came in early for you with Taco Bell's awesome promo this week! 

Hello, Taco Bell.

The well-loved taco joint is celebrating National Taco Day in high holiday spirit with its fun-loving promos. 

First Bite: City Garden Hotel's Encima Roofdeck Restaurant

Dining in hotels could be intimidating especially for the wallet. But I've noticed that a lot of well-known posh establishments have developed reasonably priced menu for those who are dining on a budget. And one new discovery of mine is Encima Roofdeck Restaurant's Everything Bottomless promo. 

Hello, City Garden Hotel.

City Garden is no new name in the hospitality industry but it was my first time to visit City Garden Hotel. I blame Makati due to crazy traffic and confusing one-way streets. But last weekend, I finally made it!

Gastro Park Kapitolyo Find #7: The Masala Bar

Our desire to stuff ourselves till we burst brought us to our last Gastro Park Kapitolyo food discovery, The Masala Bar. This stall didn’t have a long line when we spotted it. (The ones with long wait are the milkshake stall and SurFries!!!.) It didn’t cross my mind that the store might offer mediocre dishes hence the lack of foodies lingering in front of its store. I just wanted to maximize my Kapitolyo visit. 

Hello, The Masala Bar!

We got the Chicken Tikka Quesadilla (PHP120) as it is easy to be shared and it sounded light, giving us room for drinks or dessert. An order comes with pico de gallo and garlic dip.

The server told us that they will just serve the quesadilla to us. We just have to inform them of where we’re seated. 

Our order arrived in about 10 minutes and it was served warm. 

I dipped my slice in the garlic dip and topped it with pico de gallo and… it was still bland. I had to sparingly drizzle more garlic dip as I was sharing it with my friends. 

I am not sure if we ordered pita with a hint of cheese or Chicken Tikka Quesadilla. I could not taste the chicken or any of the other ingredients. Perhaps they were almost out of ingredients when we placed our order? I have no idea but I’ll buy from the other stalls next time. 

The Masala Bar is located at Gastro Park Kapitolyo, 1st Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

First Bite: Taco Vengo!

Ever since my office moved to Fort, I hardly get to visit Kapitolyo, my favorite foodie haven. But thanks to the long weekend, I got to visit this lovely area again and managed to visit not just one but three stops. Our first stop was the raved taco place named Taco Vengo!

Hello, Taco Vengo!

I have been looking forward to visit this place after reading all those positive reviews and seeing mouthwatering photos of tacos. And the place being Instagram-worthy makes it even more irresistible. 

The place is part of the small compound where Nav and Longganisa Sorpresa are located. Though the restaurant does not have frontage, you could easily spot it thanks to its signage alongside the more established food stops. 

Taco Vengo!'s menu is not that extensive but since I'm a newbie, I asked for recommendations and I was told that their best seller is the Shrimp Taco (PHP110 for 1 taco; PHP210 for 2 tacos). I ordered two of that and one Steak Taco (PHP110) and Cheese Quesadillas (PHP120). I was tempted to make my steak taco into a rice bowl but the server said that their fillings are best served with soft tacos. The place has the word "taco" in its name after all. I also got a glass of house blend iced tea while my sister went with a can of soda. 

First served was the saddest looking quesadilla I have ever seen. It was so flat and it looked like it was just a piece of folded thick tortilla. 

And it tasted just like pita. The cheese filling was too mild and there was a very, very faint taste of cheese. The sour cream helped give a bit more flavor though. 

My iced tea arrived next and it tasted...weird. It had a strong herb-y taste which I didn't like at all.

Next served were the shrimp and steak taco. 

They only served one shrimp taco instead of two and I didn't bother to correct it anyway thinking that the server just got the quantity wrong. But after tasting it, I sort of regretted not calling the server's attention. 

First Bite: Tagaytay Highlands Sports Center Veranda

I have lost count on how many times I visited Tagaytay last year. R and I head there whenever we need a quick getaway from the busy Manila life. Though it is sometimes traffic in Tagaytay, at least we get to enjoy the slightly cooler and fresher breeze. And last Christmas, my family opted to head there too and we decided to stay in Tagaytay Highlands for a much needed family bonding.

Hello, Tagaytay Highlands Sports Center Veranda!

Whenever R and I visit Highlands, we would head to The Highlander Steakhouse for some of its delectable prime ribs. But this time around, my family opted to try the restaurant in the Sports Center Veranda for some casual comfort dishes.

The menu is extensive and a mix of different cuisines. I went with Breaded Pork (PHP280) while my sister ordered Mac and Cheese (PHP280) and cheese quesadillas for my mom. I also ordered a glass of buko shake and a bowl of mango caramel ice cream for dessert.

Service was quite fast as food was served in less than 10 minutes. I guess it also helps as we were the only diners that time.

I didn’t get to taste my mom’s quesadillas but it was a bestseller with the kids. I guess it was really cheesy for kids to love it.

Cebu Food Stop: Maya Mexican Restaurant

Cebu has become a foodie haven with restaurants serving delectable dishes. And with its more casual and laidback vibe, I wouldn’t mind living here stuffing myself with lechon. Anyway, since we wanted to maximize our last night in Cebu, we decided to head out and visit Maya Mexican Restaurant. Honestly, I wasn’t keen on leaving Crimson Hotel in Mactan for some fajitas but when they said that it’s beside La Marea… let’s just say that I changed my mind.

Hello, Maya Mexican Restaurant!

The Book of Life inspired restaurant sure screams Mexican vibe with its display of colorful skulls and masks.

I browsed Frannywanny’s blog about this place and since she raved about Asada Fajitas(PHP695), I decided to order that. Other dishes we ordered were Nachos (PHP395), Tinga Quesadillas (PHP295), Carnitas Quesadillas (PHP295) and Mini Tacos (PHP335 for 3 mini tacos). We ordered one more dish but I totally forgot its name and they could not accommodate our request for additional guacamole because they ran out. :(

First served were the quesadillas and I loved the crispy pork confit (carnitas) quesadillas more than the chicken (tinga) quesadillas. Both are filling though with its warm roasted tortillas with charred onions, cilantro and sweet pepper for crunch.

The nachos were served next and it was a beautiful mess. I loved the generous serving of cheese, refried beans and salsa! It was a great dish for sharing. 

You have to eat it fast though if you want your nacho chips to stay crispy.

I went to fajitas heaven with the Asada Fajitas. The grilled Angus beef was delectable. The soft and scrumptious beef tasted even better with the frijoles (beans), Mexican rice, peppers, and onions.

Love at First Bite: Puñta Manila

I love Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT Manila)! I always tell my friends that I had one of the best nights of my life when I watched them last year. I never laughed so hard and I thought I would die from laughing. And so when I saw their post on Facebook that their first show in 2015 will be at Puñta along Shaw Boulevard, I began to spam my friends. Sadly, people were busy then. I was too. But I badly needed a laugh.

Hello, Puñta Manila!

Photo from Spot.ph

Please do not ask me to pronounce the name of the restaurant for you. It sounds like you’re cursing when you say the name but I guess this is a creative gimmick of the establishment’s owner, Paolo Bediones. People would love to keep saying the name as it’s something different. But Bediones claims that the name was derived from an expression of surprise or delight and not from a “bad word”. Anyway, I will still not say it. >.<

The place was packed that night so it was a good thing that I reserved seats. We were supposed to be a group of four but two had to back out. So I had an extra chair for my bag. Woohoo.

It was difficult to order since all of the dishes I wanted to try were unavailable that night. I think I tried to order over 7 dishes and yes, ALL WERE UNAVAILABLE. I’m not so sure if it was because business was super good or if they only keep limited supply to lessen throw away cost.

We ended up ordering the following: Pollo Tirada Tortillas (PHP285) and Quesos Quesadillas (PHP275). (I wanted to order more but it was difficult as almost everything I wanted were not available. *frustrating!* )

Service was slow. It took Puñta over 45 minutes to serve our food. The food was served a few minutes after the show started which was past 9 p.m. and we arrived around 8:15 p.m.! Good thing we weren’t that hungry.