LJC Restaurant Group's 35th Year Anniversary Celebration at Cafe Adriatico in Malate

Last Thursday night, we were invited to celebrate with the LJC Group's 35th year in the restaurant industry. The event was held at the group's flagship restaurant Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila.

The restaurant has become a landmark location in Malate and now has branches in Gateway Mall and SM Mall of Asia. It serves a full menu of Filipino, Spanish, and Mediterranean inspired dishes.

Good Service at the LBC Branch Across Lucky Chinatown Mall

I was at the Reina Regente LBC branch (the one facing Lucky Chinatown Mall) last Friday, around 5pm. Compared to the other 12 or so branches I've been to, this one is a lot smaller. There was only one guy manning the place during my visit.

Highly Disappointing Ramen at Tokyo Ramen King

We were at Lucky Chinatown Mall last night, checking out the weekend street food market. Bf the ramen lover was tempted to try the piping hot ramen being sold by Tokyo Ramen King. After placing his order, we had to wait a long while. I urged bf to go back to the stall just to check if Tokyo Ramen King forgot about our order. They didn't. I'm not really sure why it took so long, because the staff did not look busy preparing other orders. The waiting time was even longer than in restaurants, but we were eating food from other stalls so we did not feel impatient.

When the ramen finally arrived, bf stood up to buy from another vendor. I sipped the ramen's broth while he was gone. I thought the soup tasted horrible but I did not want to influence bf's satisfaction so I did not say anything. When he was halfway through the ramen, I asked him what he thought of it. He told me that he did not like it -- he was just eating it because it was hot and because he paid P150 for it.

Weekend Asian Street Food Market at Lucky Chinatown Mall

We were at Lucky Chinatown Mall last Saturday as well as three weeks before that. The mall had a Weekend Asian Street Food Market in the Lucky Chinatown Walk during the weekends of August and this fun little event has been extended until the end of September.

Last Saturday, we noticed that the layout of the food stalls was changed. In our first visit, the middle part was clear and the stalls were in the perimeter of the area and they had their individual tents. In our second visit, the stalls were situated in the center of Lucky Chinatown Walk and the whole area was covered by huge tents. The first setup had a more open air feel but the second one was more convenient and made the food stalls more prominent. The big tents also provided security in case of sudden rain.

Layout in August 10:

Dunkin' Donuts Lucky Chinatown Mall

There are now many donut shops here in the Philippines, but as a child of the 80s, when donuts are concerned, Dunkin' Donuts has a special place in my heart. When I imagine donuts (and yes, I daydream about food -- a lot), it's the distinct flavor and aroma of classic Dunkin' Donuts flavors that come to mind.

Nowadays, I notice that many DD branches and outlets look outdated compared to their newer competitors. A shame, really, so I was glad to know that the branch in Lucky Chinatown Mall looks modern and hip. The place is well lit and has a relaxing, positive vibe typical in modern coffee shops.

We ordered the Blueberry Cheese donut (P35), Choco Mint muffin (P45), yummy loaf (P40), and hot chocolate (P40). We actually wanted coffee but DD ran out of coffee that afternoon. That was a surprise since according to some things I had read online, DD is increasing their efforts lately to make their coffee drinks more popular.

Anyway, the yummy loaf was good but I can't really say more about it because it was not mine and I only got a teeny tiny bite of it. The blueberry cheese donut is a premium donut but it did not appeal to me much because I found it too sweet. It might have been better paired with brewed coffee; with hot choco, the sweetness was a little overwhelming for me. I prefer the classic donuts.

I don't eat a lot of muffins since some of them are dry and too crumbly and I end up with crumbs all over, but the choco mint muffin was seductively calling my name while I was browsing the neighboring donuts. I was happy that I got the muffin. It was moist and its sweetness was just right. There was also a good balance of the chocolatey taste and the mintiness.

Dunkin' Donuts

Unit FS 504 Lucky Chinatown Mall
Reina Regente St. cor. Dela Reina St.
Binondo, Manila
Metro Manila, Philippines
Web site
Facebook page

Kusina ng Gerry's: Faster, More Affordable Version of Gerry's Grill (Lucky Chinatown Mall)

We like Gerry's Grill. Whenever I crave sisig, we usually troop to Gerry's. However, since Gerry's items are good for sharing and bf and I usually go out just by ourselves but want different dishes, we tend to order too much food for two people, which leads to overeating and overspending.

So it was a delight when we tried out Kusina ng Gerry's at Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Kusina ng Gerry's is a smaller, more casual version of Gerry's Grill, a bit like a fast food restaurant. Customers place their orders at the counter then the food is served at the tables.

50% off Ramen at Rai Rai Ken - Lucky Chinatown Mall

We were at Lucky Chinatown Mall two weeks ago when my ramen-loving bf saw an advertisement about half-priced ramen at the mall's Rai Rai Ken. It was just 5pm -- too early for dinner -- but bf was determined to grab a bowl.

The restaurant was pretty inviting with its bright and colorful interior. Everything looked clean and orderly.

Mexicali @ Robinson's Place Ermita

Yes, my fourth Mexicali post. But I love Mexicali, so, yeah! :D

Mexicali in Robinson's Place Ermita was the first Mexicali branch I had been to. That was 7 or so years ago. I have not been here for quite some time since they opened branches nearer my place. The restaurant now looks different from my previous visit but the food is still good.

Taste 

We ordered the Hot and Crispy Chicken Skin Chicharrones, a cup of Sopa de Tortilla (tortilla soup), Ground Beef Burrito, and Solo Nachos.

Hot and Crispy Chicken Skin Chicharrones - P94

It was a satisfying dinner. The chicken skin was okay -- not the best I've had but good enough and the serving was big enough for two people to enjoy.

Cherry Mobile Q9TV TV phone

When it comes to anything except food gadgets, I'm a cheapskate. I'm not easily tempted by popular new models that people go ga-ga about. I tend to upgrade stuff only after years of heavy use, usually as the gadget takes its last breath.

My much-loved four year old Nokia E63 phone suddenly conked out last month. It had served me well but seemed beyond repair. I decided to finally upgrade to a smartphone. I got curious about Cherry Mobile's new smartphone Omega HD since it was cheap but it was hard to find so I decided to get a temporary phone while we continued looking for the Omega HD and researching other budget-friendly but possibly more expensive brands and models.

Once you go QWERTY, you never go back. That was my motto, so of course I chose a qwerty phone, even though I would only be using it for a week or so. I got the Cherry Mobile Q9TV phone because it had a qwerty keyboard and a TV functionality -- for just P999.

Phone Specifications:

• dual-SIM
• 2.2" TFT LCD
• Mobile TV
• VGA camera
• multimedia player
• FM radio
• flashlight
• Facebook mobile
• Bluetooth 3.0
• microSD memory up to 8GB (memory card sold separately)
• USB port
• Proprietary Single Core CPU

Wanchai at Lucky Chinatown Mall

We dropped by Wanchai for a light late-afternoon snack. Wanchai is a small Chinese restaurant in the Food Junction (small food court) of Lucky Chinatown Mall. I haven't been to their other branches but as far as I know, their other branches are full-sized restaurants while the one in Lucky Chinatown is more of a food stall with a limited menu.

This "express edition" foodie place serves dimsum (P60-85), congee (P110-P120), noodles (P120-P135), rice meals (P120), and rice bowls (P55).

We ordered their Asado Congee, Hakaw, and Shrimp Siomai.

Lunch Buffet at Cafe Ilang-Ilang (Manila Hotel)

First things first, if you're going to the Manila Hotel in the next few days and will be coming from the northern part of Metro Manila, please allocate at least 30 minutes more travel time. I went last February 25, coming from south Caloocan, and got stuck in heavy traffic between Intramuros and Manila Hotel. There were lots of big trucks that late morning and half of the road was under construction (you know how it is when election time nears), going from Intramuros to Manila Hotel took longer than the travel from Grace Park to Intramuros.

But of course the annoyance I felt because of the traffic went away once I saw the food at Cafe Ilang-Ilang. Nothing soothes the soul quite like good food.

The buffet at Cafe Ilang-Ilang has several sections, such as the Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Korean, Mediterranean, Italian, Churrasco, and Japanese stations.

Some of the food offered in the lunch buffet:
 

siomai / dumplings

Unlimited Ice Cream Buffet at Blissful Delights Ice Cream Station

Blissful Delights is an ice cream parlor located in Sta. Cruz, Manila, just a short walk away from Rizal Avenue. The place serves different kinds of ice cream creations such as parfaits, splits, and sundaes, but also offers other food stuff like coffee, teas, pearl milkshakes, rice meals, burgers, and sandwiches.

The resto also has an unlimited ice cream buffet that costs P200/person (all you can eat ice cream for two hours). We were able to buy vouchers for the buffet through Metrodeal and redeemed them last month. The experience was okay overall but slightly disappointing.

Expectation: lots of ice cream flavors and lots of toppings to choose from

Mongkok Dimsum & Noodles @ Robinson's Ermita

Mongkok Dimsum & Noodles failed to give me a good impression last 2011. When we stumbled upon their branch in Robinson's Ermita several weeks ago, I decided it was finally time to try their food. The menu listed a lot of items: soups, congee, noodles, rice toppings, around 40 kinds of dimsum, viands, beverages, and desserts. We ordered the following: Plain Noodle Soup, Shrimp Broccoli, Shao Long Bao, Stuffed Tofu, Mongkok Siomai, iced tea, lemonade, and rice.

Taste

We were expecting the plain noodle soup to just be a cup since most soups below P100 tend to be that size. So we were surprised to learn that it was much bigger than we expected. It was almost big enough for two people.

Plain Noodle Soup - P70

I'm partial towards "X with broccoli" kind of dishes (beef with broccoli, shrimp with broccoli, seafood with broccoli etc). Mongkok's shrimp broccoli did not disappoint. It looked good; it tasted good.

Shrimp Broccoli - P280

Yoshi's Teppanyaki Ice Cream and More at Robinson's Ermita

I have a weakness for ice cream. There's something about a creamy food item that is both frozen and sweet that's hard to resist. For me, it's almost impossible to be disappointed with ice cream. The only one I've disliked is the green tea ice cream by Arce (even though I like their other flavors).

When we went to Robinson's Place Manila last November, we finally got to check out Yoshi's Teppanyaki Ice Cream.

"Teppanyaki ice cream" has a nice ring to it, sounds very exotic and intriguing, but what is it?

Piadina Italian Restaurant (Robinson's Ermita)

Right after buying breads at Dough Joe, we headed to Piadina Italian Restaurant to redeem our Ensogo voucher. Piadina is a small Italian resto on the second level of Robinson's Ermita.

Taste

We ordered the Cotoletta di Pollo Trio and the Rimini Mare. Both dishes are served with a bowl of the resto's soup of the day and a glass of iced tea. The soup of the day for that day was broccoli soup. Bf also ordered a separate bowl of Minestrone.

Broccoli Soup (soup of the day) - P75

Minestrone - P100

The broccoli soup is hearty and creamy. The minestrone is served with three slices of piadina. It is chunkier than others we have tried and includes a generous amount of eggplant, tomatoes, raisins, onion, and bell pepper.

Dough Joe Bake House (Robinson's Ermita)

We were on our way to a dinner reservation at Robinson's Ermita when we chanced upon people milling about an open display featuring fresh breads. At first I thought the bread store was Breadtalk because, hey, breads surrounded by people wielding trays and tongs. (I really love Breadtalk but I am actively avoiding it since I always go crazy there and come out several hundred bucks poorer.) Then we realized that it was a different store called Dough Joe. The name was new to us and we didn't notice this bread shop during our previous, albeit infrequent, visits to Robinson's Ermita.

Bf was grinning, about to get a tray, but I discouraged him. We are both getting plump and need to slim down; besides, we were already just a few minutes away from eating dinner.

Then we saw the sign advertising the breads as 50% off.

Screw the diet. Screw the weight loss. Breads, come to mama!

Gyu Gohan's Sesame Pork was a Big Fat Joke!

My good friend Badet and her hubby Jeff went to 168 last week and tried Gyu Gohan, a food outlet that serves sizzling food ala Pepper Lunch but at lower prices. You can read Badet's post about it here.

Her post got me curious so when bf and I went to 168 yesterday, I wanted to try Gyu Gohan. Since I would be ordering only one dish (bf wanted noodles from another establishment) and Badet had just reviewed the place, I decided to not review Gyu Gohan or bother taking photos.

But the dismal quality of the food I got made me change my mind about writing a review. Still too dumb to take pictures though.

I ordered Sesame Pork (P79). I don't have any pictures but you can check Badet's post to see what it was supposed to look like.

When I got my food, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The pork strips looked all-white. Did they just serve me nothing but fat? I thought, but I second-guessed myself since what resto would serve their customers fat strips to go with their rice?

White Knight e-Chariot Tours in Intramuros

One item on my bucket list is to ride a Segway, so when I found out about the White Knight electric chariot tours in Intramuros, I was thrilled. The tour is provided by White Knight Hotel Intramuros which is in Plaza San Luis (same complex where Barbara's Restaurant is located).

On the way to the tour, it suddenly rained and since we were scheduled at the last tour of the day, I was worried that our tour would be rescheduled. When we arrived at White Knight though, thankfully, the rain had stopped. The skies were still cloudy and there was a slight drizzle during our tour but the light rain was manageable and White Knight was equipped to handle that.

Aside from the tour fees, there is a P100 insurance fee for each person and you will also have to sign a waiver. Small sling bags are allowed but since the e-chariots are controlled by the rider balancing his weight, heavy bags have to be left at the White Knight Hotel's front desk.

geared up and ready to go

Food for Thought: A Celebration of Good Taste Exhibit @ DLSU Manila

I was at the De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila yesterday afternoon to view the Food for Thought: A Celebration of Good Taste exhibit honoring the late author Doreen G. Fernandez. I had not been able to visit DLSU since I graduated yearsss ago and it was nice to finally see the university again. A lot of things have remained the same but a lot of things have also changed. Back when I was still studying here, the Yuchengco Hall was still non-existent and there were no turnstiles yet at the entrance.

Who is Doreen Fernandez?

Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (born Alicia Dorothea Gamboa) was born in Manila but grew up in Silay, Negros Occidental. She graduated Cum Laude from St. Scholastica's College in 1954 with a degree in English and History. She earned her M.A. in Literature (English) in 1956 from the Ateneo de Manila University and got her Ph.D. in Literature (English) in 1976, also from Ateneo. Doreen married architect and interior designer Wili Fernandez, who shared her passion for art and good food. She wrote many books about Philippine art, culture, and food and received praises and awards for her work as a writer and as a teacher. She passed away last June 24, 2002, surrounded by family and friends.

Zark's Burgers @ Taft Avenue, Manila

I was randomly surfing the net when I encountered this picture:

Tombstone, photo taken from Zark's FB page

my exact reaction

Needless to say, I had to eat at Zark's!

Zark's is located right across De La Salle University. Too bad it was not around back when I was still a student there. My then-active metabolism would have enabled me to pig out everyday while maintaining my skinny frame.

This review is for our two visits to Zark's. Sorry for the pale, oversaturated pictures. Those ones were taken using my old cellphone.

Taste

This is not a place for vegans and other health/figure-conscious folks. Zark's Burgers serves greasy slabs of meat and is not apologetic about it. This is the place to go to when you want to escape your calorie-counting friends who only eat the "right" kind of fats.

The burgers are big and there are tons of choices available (29 kinds of burger last time I checked). I couldn't even graduate to the "Major League" burgers because even the "Minor League" burgers are big and filling. Yes they are greasy, but not the gross kind of greasy. The fries are thick, with the skin on - exactly how I wanted my fries. The veggies are fresh and crisp. The nachos have generous cheese sauce and bacon bits and the salsa is good.

American All-Star: classic American cheeseburger