BAD BUFFET EXPERIENCE =(

There are bad buffet experiences...and there are BAD buffet experiences. Hayayay! One can really be lured in by cheap arse buffets. How bad can it be right? It's cheap anyway....we would say.

Php 169.00 Thai Buffet...by Thai Kitchen, along Tomas Morato...hmmm seemed like a pretty good deal...eat all you can thai under 200 bucks right? I Have dined at Thai Kitchen alooooong time ago...when it was newly opend still...and as I recall, it was ok. Perhaps my memory didn;t serve me right...or perhaps over the years...the Thai Kitchen went bad...hence turning the place into an all buffet resto. You be the judge....

The spread was not inviting nor appetizing at all!!! They offered a sad and cold bagoong rice...veggies....tuyo in oli? yeah tuyo in oil?...sardines???? whaaat???....

pan de sal???

pickles...more varieties

congee...really out of the Thai line...but the only thing warm to eat !!!
chicken fillets, fried siomai...which were the only things edible!
steamed siomai...which wer not nice even =(
sad and cold chicken curry, mussels with coconut cream...

really awfull noodles! they wer cold and like rubber that were all stuck togther...no taste either!
sad dessert which we didn't even dare touch...

Very sad indeed...sigh* We wished we just ate at Ersao or just had McDo and lunch would definitely have been soooo much better. Oh well, you can't win them all. We needed to cleanse our palate off this sad, sad Thai, so we just headed to UNO for some coffee and good ol' flourless chocolate cake! =D A yey after the ney! hahaha

Peri-Peri Grill House

Peri-peri chicken in Greenhills Promenade has opened it's newly rennovated resto a few weeks ago. We tried the place because I was craving for the taco platter...I used to enjoy there a lot. Peri-peri Grill House has a more refined facing and interiors...kinda like when Pizza Hut made Pizza Hut Bistros! hehehe Nicer chairs and tables... and the menu seem to have been changed too....for the worse! If I remember correctly, this place was priced affordably...but now...they have items on the menu at 1K!!!! What the??? Am I wrong? or Am I worng?

We ordered the Taco Platter...what I ws raving to him about...which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.....

The serving seems smaller!!!! They arranged the fried shells in what is supposed to be a better presentation...but in the process giving us lesser shells ....sad... and the taco filling is a lot less too...less meat...less veggies..less cheese! =(

Half Roasted Chicken

If I remember correctly, chicken somes with a side or 2 side dishes before...now this came with 2 side dishes or a side dish and rice was a side...so we had to order extra...

Creamed Spinach
Sad, sad..I don't recall if we ordered this separately or was part of the free side...but it was not so nice. Just wilted spinach doused with cream. Not warm...not tasty..just tasted like ...wilted spinach doused with cream from the box!

I think I had more fun eating here prior to the resto-face lift. I remember loving the mozza sticks and taco platter...sigh**

Tree House

We are always on the look out for new places to eat...maybe potential simple weeknight hang outs =)

On the way home...and hungry...as always we decided to pass by UP to have dinner. I had Chocolate Kiss in mind...but passing by the street where ISSI (Institure for Small Scale Industries) is...this came to view.....




ohhh.... how interesting...I have never noticed it before! I got excited by the discovery and led us to go here instead of Choco Kiss (there are many more chances to dine!!!)

The place is called TREE HOUSE =) A two storey place...and we liked the second floor area...make you feel like you are indeed in a big TREE! hahahaha We could only wish there were more patrons there...as so to lose the feel of being a bit devoid from the world! hahahaha Perhaps it was a weeknight? But then what the he--y...We still happily enjoyed the cool and refreshing ambiance and checked out what was on the HOUSE =P hehehe
They offered Filipino food....we ordered the...

SISIG

You can opt to have it with egg...but we just had it plain. Very good sisig! It was ma-liver...and we like liver..so happy with it to go with hot steamed rice!

Now this dish is worth noting and coming back for...

KINUDKOD

Its flesh from a STING RAY....removed from its bones, hence the kinudkod name (I guess) cooked with coconut cream and chilis! YUMMMMMMMMM! I have never had sting ray fish before! It's flesh is soft and flaky and very flavorful..reminded me of crab meat! If sting ray is cheaper than crab, which I am sure it is...then one can use this perhaps on faux crab cakes, faux crab omelets...perhaps faux crabsticks! hahahah It was cooked redolent of a Laing dish...creamy, rich tasting with a kick of heat from the chilis. Yummy with our Sisig and RICE!!! Coconut cream on rice...sooo nice! =)

A very pleasant discovery =)

A Birthday Tripple Treat =)

How would I like to spend my birthday? I want simple, quiet and good food =) Well, I got what I wanted in more ways than one...how lucky am I?

For my special day, we went to Cafe Maestro! As I have learned, its run and owned by Le Opera too....and my dining experiences at Le Opera were pleasant, so I was excited to try Maestro =)


It is tucked away in Makati...near Nicanor Garcia. The place is nice, cozy and personal =) You can even do a little shopping at the shop connected to Maestro selling nice designer clothes and stuff at discounted rates.

some Italians dining

warm and simple interiors

To start our meal...a trio of salsa, pate and burre


....to go with a nice hefty basket of warm breads...

we just love the pate..we had one each! ;P

Misto Salami

A medley of authentic Italian cold cuts, parmigiano regiano and a special selection of marinated vegetables. A delicious antipasti to perk up the palate.

Spaghetti alle Vongole in Bianco

Spaghetti with baby clams in a light white wine sauce. The aldente pasta is delicately flavored by the simple sauce.

Carre d' Agnello alla Romana

Grilled lamb chops in a light vinaigrette balsamico and rosemary sauce. We had lamb for his birthday so we have lamb for mine! Medium well cooked lamb chops flavored by the vinaigrette and rosemary, complimented by the mint jelly served on the side. Lamb and mint...perfecto together! Oh so tender and full of flavor. We do adore lamb!

A wonderful dining experience here at Maestro! Happy palates here!

No dolci but a night cap was opted for the evening... tapas and spirits at Casa Armas

more crusty breads and burre

that surely went well with our tapas platter

Hamon serrano.. chorizo slices and spanish quezo...with some spirits...

...cranberry vodka...
Spirits and tapas...go so well =)

...and just for fun...because I was raving about odd foods that I have tried...we went to Abe to have some Camaru! hahaha

I have tried crickets at everybody's cafe on a trip to Pampanga, I think a year ago...and so for the last leg of a food tripping day...some room is left for some crickets =) Yummy! We thought of how nicer it could be if it was served on a sizzling plate! hahaha

A wondeful birthday spent the way a food lover would truely love....how spoiled am I? Thank you =)

Bacolod Chicken Inasal: Trinoma

I must say, we love grilled food...inaards and flavored fried rice!!! hahaha It just gives so much satisfaction when you are really hungry and want to be satiated...with no fuss..no frills.

Bacolod Chicken Inasal...is amongst the many Inasal houses in town. I find it funny how Inasal restos just mix up the INASAL-CHICKEN-BACOLOD in their names to become a differnt resto...e.g. CHICKEN BACOLOD, BACOLOD CHICKEN INASAL....ahahaha =)

Anyhoos...what to like here...first up SISIG RICE!

A huge serving of fried rice mixed with sisig bits and topped with fried scrambled eggs! We compare it to our fave Jay-j's sisig rice, which has more of chicharon bits than sisig...and has a sweet-ish tinge. Bacolod Chicken's version is more savory and sisig-y! hahaha Our preference? We conclude we like Jay-j's more =) Though this was fairly good and really satiating.

Grilled Squid

Well, the squid was not so fresh and kinda lacked flavor. Jerry's grill has the best grilled sisig for me=)

Salted Egg, Onion and Tomato Salad

A yummy side dish! How truely pinoy =)


Liver and Gizzard Inasal
Well, you can;t go wrong with grilled liver and gizzard =)

Chicken Insal

Naturally we had to have some chicken inasal. Delicious pecho inasal...meat tender and flavorful.

What's nice here is that they have good variety in the menu, prices are really cheap and serving size is good.

Ersao West Avenue

There is big arse branch of one of our long standing bubble drink fave...Ersao at West Avenue. It has been quite a while since the craze of Zagu, Quickly and Easyway plagued us along with rose various alternative brands of drink stand with pearls and nata.

Ersao in West avenue, facing Philam homes, is one nice casual place not only to enjoy cool perl drinks but to have yummy snacks and meals ....as I have learned and come to enjoy =)

Comparing the pearl tea here with bubble tea, which I have recently tried...I like the drinks here better because they have just the right sweetness.

Besides the drinks...we love the Spicy Squid and Spicy Chicken!

Bits of squid and/or chicken deep fried with a spicy-nutmegy-cinnamony coating!

Unique in falvor and just delicious to wash down with some milk teas =)

Spicy Squid Rice

You can opt to have the spicy squid or spicy chicken with rice too...as a full meal =)

Yofan

Ohhh yeah...upon seeing the poster for this rice dish..we vowed to return for this...and we did! Delicious sticky rice with pork, mushrooms and pork floss on top. Like a chinese Machang...sans the leaf wrapping..sans chestnuts. It is quite heavy as it is made with sticky rice but great with the spicy chicken and squid...and these...

Fried Dumplings

Crisp and golden dumplings filled with minced pork and veggies. Generous in serving too! Good on its own as a snack...yummy with yofan or even plain rice =)

Adobong Tofu

Slices of fried tofu laced with a thick sweet sauce. Simple and delicious.

Beef with Pepper Sauce

Slices of beef with tasty brown peppery sauce.

Cabbage with Pork

I forgot the name of this veggie side dish. It's shredded cabbage sauteed with some pork bits with some yummy brown sauce. I think they used he same sweetish sauce for the spicy chicken and squid here too.

Chicken Katsu Rice

Yummy flattened out chicken fillet...breaded and fried...which you dip in...you got it...the sweetish all around Ersao brown sauce =) hahaaha Crisp, flavorful and good.

Food here are simple, flavorful, fun to eat and very light on the pocket! A nice place for snacking and casual meals =)

"Tocino at Tocino" at Little Pupung's at SM Mall of Asia

There is a cute fast-foodie place at SM Mall of Asia, located at the ground floor of the South wing, called Pupung and friends =) I remember reading the comic strip in Manila Bulletin, when I was still in highschool...almost on a daily basis! hahaha

Bagnet Salad

Crispy bits of bagnet mixed with chopped tomatoes and onions...not bad =)

Chicken Tosilog
I think this is a thigh part, as it was kinda fatty....hmmm the taste? kinda bland...sorry!

We ordered the Bangus Silog, but the waiters kinda got our orders wrong...and gave us a Pork Tocilog!

Oh well, we didn't want to make a fuss so we just got this anyway...a tocino on tocino day it turn out! Strangely, the pork tocino was leaner than the chicken version...they tasted quite the same.

Pupung's Halo-halo

another mistaken order! we asked for guinomis...but we got halo-halo instead ;P hahaha It was kinda strange as it was topped with grated CHEESE!!!

You don't win all the time everytime you dine and try out new stuff! Nevertheless, prices here are uber cheap...so we don't mind at all charging this to experience =)