The Vikings, in history as we know, were Germanic pirates who raided many parts of Northwestern Europe. 

In one way or another, I really felt like a Viking as I rummaged the entirety of the eat-all-you-can buffet in the Seaside Blvd of SM Mall of Asia. How can I not if this luxury buffet, is a bit expensive compared to others at Php 888 (vat-exclusive) that I must find a way to give my money's worth? Right?

I started this journey feasting my eyes with what's in store for me. The place is big it looks appealing, exciting! 

 

The colors at play inside the restaurant are really enticing. Same goes with how the foods are presented: in humongous Vikings ship. 

It's posh, but not so much that it inhibited me from eating ravenously. The joyous, riotous even, birthday cheers of the staff for celebrants also add to that comfy feeling.

Their food variety made me happy to the point of giddy. They have Steaks, Pizza, Seafood (of course!), Appetizer, Street foods (is what I call their foods on sticks), Shabu-Shabu, Salad bar, Breads, Dimsum, Pastas, Mexican pica-picas (quesadillas and the like) Rice, Main courses, Sushi etc. There's every cuisine I can think of: Asian, Japanese, Chinese, American, French, Italian, Filipino and what else? 

I enjoyed their dimsum corner especially the hakaw. The california maki is great as well and I heard positive approval for their sushi from my friends as well. The steaks are just fine but nothing really extraordinary. I took two turns trying the steaks, at the second chance, I almost gave up eating and regret lining up for it. Haha. But I love the pizza part! 

 

There's so many maki and sushi, I just played safe with California maki.

Another thing I love too is their desserts corner! They have three dips for their fondue: strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. Then there's create-your-own-crepe, putobumbong and bibingka station, native kakanins, taho and ice creeeeeeam corner! And when I say ice cream, it's not your usual as it's supposed to be luxurious. They have pistachio, strawberry fields, avocado, chocolate cashew flavors, among others. I tried thrice the strawberry fields! I just regret not having tried the pistachio flavor. Friends on diet will also enjoy for they have sugar-free selection. These, you can top with sprinkles and candies of all kinds! :)

 

Be delighted in three ways.

 

Sprinkles and candies of all kinds.

 

DIY corner

Aside from those, they also have this yummy cake corner that I visited twice or thrice :) How can I resist their gleaming of gold opera cake? Or their blueberry cheesecake? Or the Raspberry  panna cotta? There's so much that I have to revisit to have a taste of them all.

In other buffets too, you add additional for drinks but at this rate, it is already inclusive of overflowing juices, coffee or water. 

The replenishment of food is average. 

All-in-all, I got satisfied with my Vikings trip. It was expensive, yes, but it was worth the hassle-speaking of which, reservation is a must :)

Before I put this writing off, here's my round-about feast from the sea:

  

Rating: 4.5

Vikings is located at:

Bldg. B, By the Bay, Seaside Blvd.,

SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. 

For reservations, call: 846-3888, 846-4888, 846-5888

buffet eat-all-you-can food blog food review price reviews SM Mall of Asia verdict Vikings Luxury Buffet zomato rating

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

I dunno but when I was in school I remember my classmates hating projects. It's time-consuming and costly. More so that I dunno why after all these years, everyone's craving to make their own project. 

Good thing I'm quite a geek that I had enjoyed it back then that tasking myself to create my own burger at my expense was thrilling! And so thanks to this new concept, I just went to The Burger Project and made my own damn burger. Yahoooooo!

Inside Taft branch, it felt like a classroom. On the second floor, walls were free to vandalize on. I'm no sure though if that's legal nowadays. In the counter, crayon and a board with a paper was given  to tick the checklist of what to DIY burger. There's a cool guide that will make the assignment easy:

Step 1: Choose a BRGR - grew up loving burgers with 100% beef (Php 105 each)

Step 2: Choose a bun- Poppy seed bun comes free with BRGR so tick it!

Step 3: Choose a cheese- never get wrong with Mozarella (Php 35)

Step 4: Choose premium topping- Onion rings (Php 25); value meal it was!

Step 5: Choose basic toppings- at Php 20 each but skipped it, instead I went for lettuce, tomatoes and pickles free with the BRGR!

Step 6: Choose a sauce- went safe with Special BRGR sauce (Php 20)

 

And viola! My my Php 185 worth BRGR I forgot to name :)

Admittedly, mine was good! I enjoyed my premium topping of onion rings. The beef patty was humongous and yummy too, way better than Zark's. The bun was just of the right size. I found Zark's bun too big it affects its overall tastiness. It was FULL-filling! Two-thumbs up! 

Zomato Rating: 3.5

BRGR: The Burger Project is located inside:

Grand Towers, Vito Cruz St., Manila (but this one is closed already)

P.S. Try their Bel-Air branch at No. 38 Jupiter St., Makati

burger DIY food blog food review menu mozarella onion rings poppyseed bun price restuarant reviews Taft Ave. The Burger Project verdict Vito Cruz

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Puerto Galera is the place to be for an affordable long weekend get-away!

Going to Galera is just pretty quick. We rode a bus to Batangas Port from Alabang (less Php 150) for about 1.5 hours. From there, we jumped on a ferry ride (Php 500 2-way, plus an environmental fee) for approximately 45-50 minutes. Arriving at the port, our boat fee in Minolo Shipping lines included a van transfer to White Beach.

There are various three entry points in Galera namely Sabang Pier, Muelle Pier and White Beach and luckily, we got a discounted accommodation for the latter.

In White Beach itself, we didn’t really get to enjoy swimming because the current was too strong (not good for a non-beach-swimmer for me though). So we hired Kuya Fhel and his own banca to set forth an adventure for the next day. Meanwhile, we made sandcastles, watched the sun set, laughed at free gay shows and drooled at fire dancers.

Early even before sunrise, we were already up for an island tour. At Php 1,000 we got to island hop, snorkel, see the Coral Garden and have free ride by the outrigger! Memorable! Equally memorable are also these ticks on my bucket list:

• Basked in the golden sunset

•  Watched fire-dancers

• Woke up just before dawn to explore para-paradise!

Papapapapa...

• Meditate by the beach!

Feeling Balinese in Puerto Galera

• Sand in my hair! Slept by the beach!

I hope you see why ;)

• Boat ride but not in the boat! (Just imagine we were holding onto the outrigger! Clue: 3rd photo)
• Threw out-of-this-world questions to the world!

Because it was this conducive

• Be lost in an island

Rock of Ages again

I wouldn't also forget that almost minutes off the shore going home where the ferry just conked-out. Although just thinking about it, even without that, I wouldn't dream to be offshore for 45 minutes in an open sea! This might be the only factor that will make me say ‘yes’ again to Puerto Galera. 

Batangas Port blog Coral Garden Minolo Shipping Lines Outrigger boat paradise Philippines Puerto Galera reviews travel verdict

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Ramen's becoming the in thing today, past J.co, past cronuts that when I found myself in Nihonbashi Tei, I focused myself only on the Ramen part of the menu. 

From among, I tried my luck in their Tempura Ramen at Php 360 (no picture, lame blogger) because I looooove tempura. It was a big serve (just imagine a humongous bowl)! I can even share it to two more people. A samurice came with it, perfect for my tempura. As for my ramen, it was flavorful from the soup to the noodle even if the tempura didn't really contribute to its taste considering that it was just topped there (although mine got drenched a bit it became sloppy). It also got fried big onions in it. Too big actually that even an onion lover would lament.

In a nutshell, it tastes fine but I felt that there wasn't anything special in Nihonbashi Tei's Ramen. I could have sworn I enjoyed Tokyo Tokyo's commercialized version better. Their service was a bit too slow too (clue: my humongous tempura ramen came when they were almost done). 

                       

                                         

But I guess the best part there were the free desserts! There was a selection to choose from and without a blink said 'nata de coco'! Yummy, but could have enjoyed it salad-cold. :)

Nihonbashi Tei is located at:

806 Arnaiz Ave., 

San Lorenzo Village, 
Makati City

Arnaiz Avenue food blog food review Japanese Makati Nihonbashi Tei Ramen reviews Samurice Tempura verdict

Friday, November 01, 2013

The pure-blooded themselves rated Mien San Noodle House as good as nearly authentic Taiwanese food. Ate here with my Taiwanese friend. So this review is my pahabol for October:

Just like in Korean restaurants, this Taiwanese resto also offer free appetizers from sweet chips, steamed lady's finger or okra and oolong tea.

                        

 Not a fan of healthTEA (bottom left), but you can't help it for Taiwanese and even Japanese restos.

After enjoying the sweet chips, I tried their Hot Sour Soup (Php 138) at the bottom right. It's cheap actually considering the serving good for 2-3. It's not as spicy but it was sour. Just found the combination to be a bit weird.

For my main dish, I had Sate Beef Chami (Php 208). Their Chami is good and the noodle is cooked just fine. It was also quite spicy that I think I'd be enjoying it more otherwise. No regrets though because the serving is good for sharing. So I told myself, "this is Taiwanese flavor, I used to just benchmark it at Dang Dee's"

Mien San Noodle House is located at:

36 Granada Street, 
Villa Ortigas II, 
Quezon City

food blog food reviews Hot Sour Soup Mien San Noodle House oolong tea Quezon City reviews Sate Beef Chami Taiwan Taiwanese verdict

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Well Kaya Korean Restaurant on our Korean Part 1 is quite a bit an expensive K-raving. If K-raving is unstoppable yet the budget is, why not try Kim n' Chi in Glorietta 4?

I always order their set meals, and for just Php 119, solb!

This is their Beef Stew Set Meal:

The bento Korean

UPCLOSE: Beef stew

UPCLOSE: Other sidings

UPCLOSE: Chapchae

Aside from the tender and sweet beef stew, it has Chapchae with bean sprouts, skewered crabsticks with meatloaf strips in between leeks, and something like a tamago sushi with crabstick in the middle plus dilis. Their Chapchae of course cannot compete with Kaya's but it's tasty enough for me. What I like among the side dishes is the skewered goodies and the tamago (sound like Japanese, though). And oh, their beef stew is not that far from Kaya's.

I've also tried their Vienna Sausage Set Meal, one sweet meal.

Kim n Chi is located at


Glorietta 4 Food Court
Near the movie houses :)

Beef Stew Chapchae cheap finds food blog Food Court food review Glorietta 4 Kim n' Chi Makati City restaurants reviews verdict

Friday, September 13, 2013

While everybody's going gaga over Korea, I just chill. Oblivious to what the fuss was all about.

Except when the hit song 'Gangnam Style' came, I was suddenly aware of their craze. Put everything else in between plus my 'fangirl' office mates, it's not hard to deduce why I ended up in a posh Korean Restaurant. That is, despite the fact that not even the names I can well pronounce :P

Kaya Korean Restaurant exhibits a truly Asian interior, homey actually. I'm quite surprised too that their service is quite fast (although it's a down time when we went there). Suddenly, our table were filled with K-goodness:

1. Free appetizers with KimChi, Kaya Salad and etc! What a fine way to dine, right? Although I was informed that this is really a Korean tradition.

2. Japchae, sweet potato noodles sauteed with beef and vegetables (Php 160). Three-thumbs up! I knew it when I've read, "sweet potato noodles!". I love the balance of its flavors and the texture of the noodles. Must-try I must say!

3. Sam Kyup Sal, grilled fresh pork belly strips (Php 170). Perfect with Sangchoo, fresh lettuce served with soybean paste (Php 110). It's like eating a salad, the Korean way. I enjoyed the experience more than the taste though. Bet I placed excessive soybean paste and thought of it as corned beef. @_@

Freshly grilled. 

4. Ojingo Gui, grilled spicy squid (Php 180). Good try for the seafood lovers.

5. Kalbi Jim, Korean beef stew (Php 240). A good try too. Its sweet sauce is viand in itself. Not to mention how it was tenderly cooked. No much frills, just delectable. I enjoyed pouring it over my rice.

Not an eye-friendly photo. I guess we were all way excited back then. 

6. For our Jungol or hot pot, we had Gobnak, entraits, octopus, vegetable and noodle casserole (Php 800).  This was way too hot for me. But what is Korean that isn't hot? One of my office mates said that this was his best bet among. He kept on raving about how he gobbled several bowls the day after :)

7. Mondeum Mandoo, fried and steamed mixed dumpling (Php 155). I got excited when we decided to have this. I tried the fried but the flavor didn't much satisfy. With the sauce, it's just fair.

8. And a send off for all of us :) Kamsa-ham-nida!

I guess to fully enjoy a Korean dish, I have to fully embrace the culture that comes with it. Sometimes, it's not all about the taste but how you enjoyed savoring it. Case in point, I got full with the meals served, enjoyed several of their dishes but I have to love the spicy parts so that I can take it holistically.

Then again, consider a Php 300/ head when planning to eat in Kaya. :)

Kaya Korean Restaurant is located at:
62 Jupiter St.,
Bel-Air, Makati

 

food blog food review Gobnak Jungol Japchae Jupiter St. Kalbi Jim Kaya Korean Restaurant Kaya Salad Kimchi Makati Mondeum Mandoo reviews Sam Kyup Sal Sangchoo verdict

Thursday, September 05, 2013

One spontaneous Wednesday night, all the buses going down South were so full it was almost Vito Cruz when we found a decent bus. Tiring as it was, walking along Taft Avenue in a nippy night brings to mind memories of good ol’ place to hang out.

As the bell tolled 6:30pm the next day, we found an easier route to Taft, gather our colleagues as we went giddy to Café Noriter, our new playground.

And playground it was, as the Korean translation of the word. It’s not really a playground where kids play. It’s a classroom setting where creative juices come to play!

What’s fun about Café Noriter was that we get to express ourselves and how can you be not compelled?

How can you not when this table comes with blank paper cups to pour our thoughts on?

How can we stare blankly into space where nothing in between is blank?

This is a haven where vandalism isn't a crime.

My Lemon iced tea (Php 90) (not that much of a coffee lover given the time of the day) and Tuna Sandwich (Php 110) were just all complementary. Next time, I'll try their frappes :)

I didn't enjoy the food but the ambiance was so conducive to laughter and banter!


Café Noriter is located at:

2746 Reyes Bldg., 
Estrada St. (at Taft Ave.)

Parallel to Tapa King

Cafe Noriter coffee shop food blog food review Korean Korean Art Coffee Shop Manila Noriter playground reviews Taft verdict

Sunday, August 18, 2013

I'm not a rice lover, but for those who are, Kanin Club surely is a haven.

Spoiler alert: We haven't tried any of their specialty rice but who says we can't go back to try again? Besides, they have this relatively new branch in Westgate, Alabang. Hurraaaah!

Kanin Club is distinctly Filipino: from the wooden doors, stained glasses, colorful paintings everywhere to wooden tables with Capiz shells. The ambiance inside is a mixture of homey feeling with something modern about it. 

Unmistakably too, they serve Filipino dish with a twist. 

This is their Crispy Dinuguan (Php 274). Until upon looking at it, I can't still figure out why it's called crispy. Only when I've tasted  it's crunchiness did it dawned on me why. It's chicharon-goodness beneath! Perfect with the tangy dinuguan sauce. Heart-stopping!

Hello there Kare-Kare (Php 376)! The thing with me eating Kare-Kare, though weird it is, I don't eat it with bagoong. I approve of Kare-Kares which are tasty as is. And here, I got what I wished for. A light, hearty and creamy Kare-Kare! Yum!

Went a bit Spanishy with Beef Callos (Php 430) here. The sauce is good, you can even take it home, boil your own spaghetti noodle and devour. 

Just beware though when eating in Kanin Club. On the menu are yummy tasting innocent angels, but watch out, these goodness can be treacherous devils to the heart!

  

Rating: 4.5

Kanin Club is located at:

Westgate, Alabang-Zapote Rd

Alabang, Muntinlupa

Beef Callos Crispy Dinuguan food blog food review Kanin club Kare-Kare price restaurant reviews verdict Westgate Alabang

Sunday, August 11, 2013

This is probably the peg of Movie Stars Cafe in Seaside Blvd, Mall of Asia Complex. I find the concept really creative: you eat their choice buffet while being entertained by the stars themselves. They dance around you, they pose for pictures beside you and there are also statues all about the place. It's like a one big movie house where movie characters come alive.

The entertainment side is really something to clap about from the costumes to the production number itself. In fact days after, 'we are the cartoon heeroes-oh-oh-oh' kept ringing in my head.

For when you look up, you will see. There's so many memorabilias to see around and the most amazing of them all? Their little Harry Potter collection almost stashed near the entrance. At first (although I don't have the pictures) we realized Fawkes in the corner. Then Hermoine's Time Turner, the Mirror of Erised, and the Goblet of Fire all seated in one place! Amazing finds for Harry Potter fans!

In terms of the food, there's 2 kinds of buffets to choose from:

• 6:00- 9:00pm- Dinner Dino Buffet (a hamburger and sandwich buffet)

[which includes: various kinds of sausages from bratwurst and wiener, beef hotdogs, cheeses, patties, chili con carne, cheese sauce, salad selection, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, french fries, mixed veggies, beef tenderloin steak, fish & chips, assorted fruits ans pastries. Drinks not included]

• 10:00- 2:00pm- Midnight Dino Buffet

[which includes: pica-pica foods from crispy crablets served with sweet chili sauce, buffalo chicken wings, chicken liver romaki, an assortment of sushi and sashimi, fried calamari, jalapeno poppers, cream cheese poppers, cheddar poppers, grilled mixed sausage, fish finger with tartar sauce, flavored potato chips, assorted coated french fries, chili sausages, beef salpicao, vegetable sticks, assorted dimsum and dumplings, Hungarian meat balls, on the spot Tempura Station, on the spot Sisig Station. Bottomless drinks such as local, draft beers, cocktails, juice and soda also await those who dare pass their T-Rex gastronomical territory. :) ]

We tried the Dinner Dino Buffet. It's a bit cheaper and convenient (in terms of time) but if you have the luxury of time and a decent ride home, might as well take the Midnight Dino Buffet. There's more food selection that will surely make your tummy bulge. But no regrets for the Dino Buffet. Because after we partied at UNO!

      

(Clockwise: fish and chips (onion rings), mixed vegetables and the DIY burger)

For entertainment value, clap clap clap! For food, well let's just say that it's just icing on the cake.


  
Rating: 3

Movie Stars Cafe is located at:

Seaside Blvd., 
SM Mall of Asia, 
Pasay, Metro Manila

dancing superheroes Dino Buffet entertainment food blog food review Iron Man Mall of Asia Movie Stars Cafe reviews Seaside Blvd Super Man verdict

Saturday, August 03, 2013

Maybe when they conceptualized the name 'Zark's', they have in mind 'sharks'. That when they thought of a food to serve, it must be big you break your jaw eating. Maybe I didn't bother to research why, but that one humongous burger made my tummy full, I can't bring myself to even care.

I didn't. Because just hearing that the famous Zark's is now in BF brought me three-pointer rush and tagged along my siblings love. Here's what we rawwred: 

And this is my Three-Pointer (Php 125).

Three-Pointer reads: three kinds of cheese served with lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions. I added Php 25 for hand-cut fries and iced tea. For someone who doesn't have a huge appetite, go for this relatively small burger. Though when I ate this, I forgot that it has three kinds of cheese because it didn't register well with me. I'd also bargain some buns for more caramelized onion. :)

My sister had Zark's Ultimate Burger (Php 130). 

This was my first choice but gave way (although I now don't see much the point. We didn't share anyway :P). I wish I didn't because this was much ultimate that my three-pointer. Imagine the cheese sauce in a bed of lettuce and tomatoes topped with sauteed mushrooms and bacon! And wait, it was oozing with caramelized onions!

My brother's Jawbreaker (Php 250) served with iced tea and hand-cut fries.

If you try eating this as a whole, you might as well break your jaw. My brother thought it would be unwise too (to take the 5-min challenge and break his jaw) that's why he ate his BURGER slowly but surely. First, he took off that humongous bun then ate some of its Spam. Then ate some bits of bacon. Then ate like viand the two patties. When he was sure that the size was okay enough not to break his jaw, he ate it like a normal burger. And hoorah, he, we all burped!

I'd give Zark's Burgers's another try, that I just thought their patty was a bit bland. And as mentioned, my Three-Pointer with three cheeses didn't justify. Or was it just me? Its branch in BF Parañaque was not as good as probably in Taft, but that you don't have to wait in long queues and you get to find seat at once. Of  Service meantime, it was average.

  
Rating: 2.5


Zark's Burgers is located at:


Presidents Ave., BF Homes Parañaque,
Parañaque City
(In front of Shawarma Snack Center)

BF Homes big burger food blog food review Jawbreaker kickass burgers reviews verdict Zark's Burger

Monday, July 08, 2013