Turning Mexican A La Taqueria Amiga Mia in Quezon City

June 22, 2013

La Taqueria Amiga Mia
93 Scout Castor St.,
Brgy. Laging Handa,
Quezon City
4111234

Last Saturday, after eating healthy cupcakes at Everyday Mom, we went straight to La Taqueria Amiga Mia to grab some nachos and burrito. Yes, walang break,break as in walang pahinga, tuloy, tuloy lang lol That is why I m getting fat ; p

Solo Comida set PhP 150

Anyway, what was supposed to be an order of nachos became a set of nachos with quesadillas- Solo Comida. I figured, I can eat two kinds of Mexican food for the price of one ; p No meat included in nachos though.

 Nachos is served with salsa cruda, cheese sauce and sour cream with a choice of ground beef, chicharones, pollo asado, carnitas, barbacoa, Mexican sausage, callos, lengua, karne asado or pescado for PhP 125 (large) and PhP 205 (Grande).

The nachos were crispy-licious! I like the sour cream and cheese ; ) Bagay! I would order nachos on my next visit topped with either chicharones or ground beef but definitely not lengua... eeew!

Read more after the break...

Everyday Mom Healthy and Yummy Cupcakes

June 22, 2013

Everyday Mom
Scout Tuazon cor Roces Avenue,
Quezon City
7101254   09224210466

Last Saturday, after attending an event in Rockwell, my family and I headed to Santuario de San Jose (St. Joseph the Patriarch) in Buffalo corner Duke St., East Greenhills to submit the documents (photocopy of marriage contract and birth certificate) needed to facilitate the baptism of my little princess ; )

After which we stopped by a quaint cupcake shop along Scout Tuazon, aptly named Everyday Mom, for some healthy merienda.

 Carrot cupcake PhP 40

Moist and wholesome carrot cake with walnuts and topped with delectable cream cheese frosting

First, I spotted the Carrot cupcake (my favorite!) on the cake cooler stand. Then the Black and White cupcake which Everyday Mom is famous for ; ) I ordered a piece of Cafe Mocha and finally to roundup the cupcakes, I ordered Chocolate Banana. 

Everyday Mom's commitment: To offer products baked in stainless steel pans and made with unbleached flour, aluminum-free leaveners, healthy oil and natural flavors

Carrot cupcake tastes a bit different- in a good way. The contributing factor must be the cream cheese frosting or the equally moist cupcake. Whatever it is, I can tell you this, I can eat two or three Carrot cupcakes in one seating- if only there's no other cupcakes waiting for me to taste ; p

Read more after the break...

Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel

June 15, 2013

Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel
24 Sct. Tuason St.,
Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
4105050

Last Saturday, DH and I were looking for a new restaurant to try in Quezon City. Most of the restaurants were full and were not accepting diners anymore. By 8:30pm, we finally found a decent place to eat- Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel. It is a fairly new restaurant along Sct. Tuason beside Chic Nails where I had my nails done a few weeks ago.

 Grape Salad with White Cheese PhP 278 

Red/Green Grapes, Grilled Laguna White Cheese, Capers, Olives and Balsami Vinaigrette

Luckily for us, there were a few unoccupied tables when we arrived. We were seated on a couch next to a family of four. The waiter/waitress and even the guard were extra helpful with our things- we were supposed to bring in the stroller. I decided we we won't be needing it because there are several high chairs available ; )

Anyway, our orders came out in succession, within a few minutes after placing it... yey! I love how the kitchen staff work on the presentation of each dish (see the photos). I give it an 8 ; )

What about the taste, you ask? It surprisingly tastes as good as it looks.

For other orders, read after the break...

Steveston Pizza opens in Quezon City

Steveston Pizza
186 Tomas Morato corner Scout de Guia,
Quezon City
9219898

Steveston Pizza dubbed as "The Best Pizza in Vancouver" is now in the Philippines! I want to taste for myself how good it is. Last Sunday, my family and I visited its first branch in Quezon City.

posted this photo in Instagram

Steveston Pizza comes only in one size- 12 inches. Price varies from as low as PhP 399 to as high as PhP 1,299.  Aside from pizza, there's also salads and chicken wings. Unfortunately, chicken wings were out of stock the day we went. I know, bummer, right?

You can view the pizza we chose after the break...

Lola Cafe + Bar in Quezon City

April 19, 2013

Lola Cafe Bar
99 Sct. Lozano St.,
Quezon City
5012620

Happy Mother's Day!

Quezon City never runs out of new restaurants and that's one of the reasons why I love living here. Last month, I tried this new restaurant called Lola Cafe + Bar with my girl friends. We sampled a few dishes, there are some hits and misses. I found out that the restaurant just opened a few months before and maybe it is still finding its identity and flavor. Well, there's always room for improvement.

Garden Salad PhP 280

Romaine, arugula, cucumber, parmesan with candied walnut, feta cheese, fresh tomato and greek vinaigrette

An order of Garden Salad is good for sharing. The vegetable were not wilted and the amount dressing was just right. I also loved the shaved parmesan, candied walnut and feta cheese. These ingredients reminded me of Cyma's Roka Salata.

For our other orders, read after the break...

Chic Nails Hand, Foot & Body Spa in Scout Tuazon Quezon City

Chic Nails Hand, Foot & Body Spa
24-B Scout Tuazon St.,
Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
9am - 10pm

I am so excited when I found out that Chic Nails Hand, Foot & Body Spa opened its third branch in Scout Tuazon in Quezon City. This newest branch is so near my place and I know I will be spending a lot of R&R in this quaint blue and white spa.

 Cupcake by Orly

The day after the spa opened, I asked my friends to join me for a manicure/pedicure session after dinner. We were just in time, the spa closes at 10pm. We were there a little before 9 pm so we have approximately an hour left to pamper ourselves. 

Read more after the break....

Wholesome Goodness at GrandMomma's Kitchen

February 20, 2013

GrandMomma's Kitchen
G/F Il Terrazzo Bldg.,
Tomas Morato, Quezon City
09178030211

A few weeks ago, I tried out the newest restaurant in Il Terrazzo called GrandMomma's Kitchen. The restaurant has a homey ambiance that will make you want to order everything on the menu ; )

 Strawberry Banana French Toast PhP 165

I ordered a Strawberry Banana French Toast under the All Day Breakfast section. At PhP 165, it was worth it. As you can see in the photo above, the restaurant did not scrimp on its ingredients. There were generous slices of bananas and strawberries as well. Oh, and I love the whipped cream on top ; )

To know what else I ordered, read after the break....

Valentine's Day Celebration at Luxent Hotel Garden Cafe

February 8, 2013

Luxent Hotel
Garden Cafe
51 Timog Ave.,
South Triangle, Quezon City 1103
9228888

6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

My friends and I were able to buy Luxent Hotel's Eat-All-You-Can Buffet and Drinks for only PhP 599 instead of PhP 999 from MetroDeal. The voucher is not valid on February 14 to 16 (Valentine's Weekend) so use it last Friday instead. Based on my previous experience, traffic would be terrible if we celebrate it on the day itself anyway.

 here piggy, piggy!

There's only four stations - Lechon, Japanese, BBQ Grill and Dessert. Well, five, if you count the ice cream fridge located at the farthest side of the room near the entrance. 

Read more after the break...

HwaRoRo Korean Grill Buffet Only PhP 399!

January 26, 2013

HwaRoRo Korean Grill Restaurant
76 Scout Tobias St.,
South Triangle, Quezon City
4102793   0917 5091756

My brother knew that DH and I are fans of Korean BBQ Grill. He suggested a restaurant along Scout Tobias St. called HwaRoRo Korean Grill. The signage is well-lit at night so if you are going there for dinner, you won't miss it!

 aside from unlimited serving of Korean BBQ Grill, there are other Korean dishes available

While DH was busy grilling, I had already picked my favorite Korean dishes like Korean Beef Stew and japchae from the buffet table. 

Japchae is a Korean dish made from sweet potato noodles, stir fired in sesame oil with various vegetables like carrots, onion, spinch and mushrooms), sometimes served with beef and flavored wiht soy sauce and sweetened with sugar.  - SOURCE


Continue reading after the break...

Christmas Dinner in Gulliver's of San Francisco in Quezon City

December 21, 2012

Gulliver's of San Francisco in Quezon City
8th floor, Great Eastern Hotel West Wing
1403 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City
3713801 3718282

Hello! First, let me greet you a very Merry Christmas! I have not forgotten you, nor my blog. It's just that I have been very busy for the past couple of days because I am finalizing the itinerary for my year end trip to Osaka, Japan with DH. One more day and we are flying to the Land of the Rising Sun. I am so excited!!! It's going to be another winter holiday!

 table setting in Gulliver's of San Francisco in Quezon City

When my friends and I have finally decided to have our Christmas dinner over at Gulliver's, I called, made a reservation and requested for a table with a view ; p

We arrived on time despite the heavy traffic building along Quezon Ave. - the curse of December. The parking area (3rd to 7th floor) was almost full. We were not really expecting Great Eastern Hotel to be full on the night of December 21, 2012. The day that was marked as "Doomsday". I guess nobody wanted to die with an empty stomach ; )

A Celebration at Sambo Kojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill Quezon City

December 8, 2012

Sambokojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill
West Ave., Quezon City
3728846   9212873

Mon-Fri (11am-2pm) - PhP 519
Mon-Fri (6pm-10pm except Friday 5:30pm) - PhP 619
Sat-Sun (lunch & dinner) PhP 5:30pm-10pm - PhP 659

Children 4 ft and below - PhP 319

Toddler - free of charge

Add PhP 200 Leftover charge

Last Saturday, DH and I spent half day at the office and the other half in Sambo Kojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill. It was the baptismal party of Ysabella Kim, the youngest daughter of my very good friend, Gevi.

Sambo Kojin The Japanese Kitchen God Three-headed deity with two pairs of hands. Bearer of fire, protector of the hearth, watcher of the household, keeper of the brotherhood. 

 Sambo Kojin napkin ; p

We arrived at half past twelve. I think we were among the last ones to arrive hahaha Talk about grand entrance ; p The family members and other guests were already seated while some were already making their second or third trip to the buffet table ; p Anyways, my other good friend, Cats, was able to reserve seats for DH and I. We were seated together with the proud parents of Kim ; ) Now, that's what I call... friendship!

Yakiniku means grilled meat

To check out the buffet spread in Sambo Kojin, proceed after the break....

New Find: Tea Rock Cafe in Banawe, QC

November 10, 2012

Tea Rock Cafe
814 Banawe St., Siena,
Quezon City

Tea shops are sprouting everywhere especially in Banawe St. in Quezon City. I think the average is one tea shop in every street corner ; p One of the newest and more spacious tea shop in the area is called Tea Rock Cafe. I spotted it a few weeks ago and was nagging DH about it ever since.  We ended up not only having a cup of tea each but also having our dinner in that place.

 (l-r) Milk Tea with pearl & panna cotta Large PhP 95 and Wintermelon Basil Seed & Lemon with grass jelly Large PhP 100

Being more adventurous than I am, DH ordered Wintermelon Basil Seed & Lemon with grass jelly. It tasted weird - sweet and sour at the same time. Word of advice to DH ---> stick to the basic like what I ordered, Milk Tea with pearl & panna cotta (25% sugar)  ; p The pearls were chewy, very much like the ones we had in Taipei, Taiwan.

Tea Rock Cafe has an extensive menu. It was also having a promo that day, buy a Bento Meal and get PhP 20 off on any drink. Who would pass up that chance?

Find out what else we ordered after the break....

UPDATED! My dining experience with Cecille Chang at Thai Bistro

November 4, 2012

Thai Bistro
Ground Level
Unit 187 Robinsons Magnolia
Quezon City
7036910   09178381696   09231003530

Two Sundays ago, DH and I were invited by Ms. Cecille Chang, chef/owner of Thai Bistro, to dine in her newest baby at Robinsons Magnolia. After helping conceptualized Thai at Silk, Simply Thai and Thaipan, Ms. Chang has finally decided to put up a restaurant that she can call her own. Yes, we have eaten in two out of her three previous restaurants ; p It was really a pleasure to meet the woman behind it.

Prawn Fresh Rolls PhP 310

A few hours before going to the restaurant, I searched online to find out what Thai Bistro has to offer. I saw Soft Shell Crab presented in various ways on some blog entries, it certainly has whetted my appetite. If my memory serves me right, I raved about a soft shell crab dish in my Thai at Silk entry.

Thai Bistro's Soft Shell Crab cooked in more ways than one:

• Soft Shell Crab Double Fried with Tamarind Puree and Green Chili Dips (Starter) -  PhP 380
• Soft Shell Crab Pomelo with Honey Roasted Jam and Basil Slivers (Salads) - PhP 395
• Crispy Soft Shel Crab (Curries) - PhP 395
• Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab with Tomatoes, Onions and Spring Onions (Stir Fried) PhP 380

To my disappointment, soft shell crab was not available that day huhu ; ( Another favorite, Thai Dungeness Crab was also not available.

As we perused the elaborate menu, there were quite a few interesting dishes that DH and I would love to try. To continue reading about our Thai Bistro dining experience, click read more....

Bulgogi Garden in Kalayaan Quezon City

October 13, 2012

Bulgogi Garden
125 Kalayaan Ave.,
Diliman, Quezon City
3823915

Since Bulgogi Brothers failed to impress us the night before, DH and I went to Kalayaan Ave. in search for another Korean restaurant the very next night. We saw rows and rows of Korean restaurants when we passed by the area a few weeks ago. We were determined to find and check out a new place to satisfy our Korean Barbecue cravings! We parked inside the first Korean restaurant we saw - Bulgogi Garden. The place was huge, you will not miss the well-lit sign hanging on the wall as you passed by Kalayaan Ave. in Quezon City.

 Bulgogi Garden in Kalayaan. Ave.

The word Bulgogi literally means "Fire Meat" in Korean. It refers to cooked marinated meat on dome griddles that sits on braziers.

Griddle is a heavy flat iron plate that is heated and used for cooking food.
Brazier is a portable heater consisting of a pan or stand for holding lighted coal.

Read after the break for our Korean BBQ experience...

Yoogane opens in Manila!

September 30, 2012

Yoogane
Il Terrazzo
Quezon City
9662348

Last Sunday, my family and I went to Yoogane in Il Terrazzo after spending an afternoon window shopping in Trinoma ; p Alright, you caught me lying hahaha I bought 2 blouses. Yes, only two! I am not a shopaholic lol

Korean BBQ exhaust nozzle with flexible duct system in Yoogane

Yoogane originated in Korea. Too bad, DH and I were not able to eat there when we visited Seoul last December 2011 that's why I could not make a comparison in terms of ambiance & quality of food.

Find out what we ordered after the break...

Komrad in Il Terrazzo Quezon City

September 16, 2012

Komrad Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen
Il Terrazzo
Quezon City

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Mikki to dine in one of the newly opened restaurants in Il Terrazzo called Komrad Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen. I have not eaten in a Hunan or Sichuan restaurant so I was really excited to give it a try!

 Male Crab 400-500 grams PhP 120 /100 grams

Red Crab Group owns and operates Komrad in Il Terrazzo. Yes, it's the same group that conceptualized Red Crab and Seafood Club, Claw Dadddy & Flying Pig.

Naturally, we have to order one of its specialties - crab! We got a humongous crab, it was meaty and overloaded with garlic. It was a true gastronomic delight!

Cafe Escudero in Quezon City

September 15, 2012

Cafe Escudero
G/F El Jardin Bldg.,
41 Sgt. Esguerra Ave. cor Eugenio Lopez Ave.,
Quezon City 1103
4125201   3439771

Quezon City is a food haven because I see new restaurants opening every month. Cafe Escudero is one of them. The name sounds familiar, right? It is owned by the brother of Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. Opened just over a month ago, the restaurant looks promising with just a few kinks that need to be fix.

Crispy Sorsogon Danggit with Atchara PhP 245

Cafe Escudero is an Asian fusion restaurant. The menu has traditional Filipino dishes, pastas, sandwiches and desserts. DH and I made sure that we order only items from the menu with thumbs up sign (bestseller) and or the ones with a star which means must try from the province of Sorsogon.

Read after the break....

Sunday Affair at Cafe Breton

Cafe Breton
Scout De Guia cor. Tomas Morato Ave.,
Quezon City
3746334

These past few weeks, I have been sickly therefore I was not in the mood to go even to the nearest mall, Robinsons Magnolia ; (

To cheer me up, my family and I went to a happy place, Cafe Breton. For two consecutive Sundays, we were there in the afternoon having our favorite crepe and coffee!

Original Sin PhP 260

During our first visit, I ordered Original Sin - stewed apples, caramel ice cream, caramel syrup, walnuts and whipped cream. Yes, it's truly a sinful dessert!

On our second visit, I saw Normandie under Dessert Crepes. It is Original Sin minus walnuts, it cost PhP 232 only. Other variety of stewed apple crepes are Adam & Eve (PhP 148), Eden (PhP155) and Lost Paradise (PhP185).

Adam & Eve - stewed apples with cinnamon & vanilla ice cream
Eden - stewed apples with cinnamon & fresh cream, topped with whipped cream
Lost Paradise - stewed apples with cinnamon, vanilla ice cream, raisins  marinated in rum

Read the rest of what we ordered after the break....

Yukinohana Restaurant in Timog Quezon City

September 8, 2012

Yukinohana
Timog,  Quezon City
7095748

It was supposed to be just our usual Saturday date night but as the night progressed, my ulcer was killing me. It started about a month ago but got worse on Thursday so I was not able to enjoy the Nail Sparty brought by Max Factor. By Saturday night, I was throwing up, I have no energy left within me so I just cried until I fell sleep.

 Pork Soy Grill PhP 450

Anyway, everything happened right after dinner that Saturday. Hours before that, I was feeling fine. After office, DH and I, as usual, were looking for a new place to eat. I suggested Hwa Roro and Yoogane. Hwa Roro is a new Korean BBQ buffet restaurant but we just came from Serenitea's new branch in Tomas Morato for afternoon snack so we thought we would visit this restaurant some other time. We moved to Yoogane in Il Terrazzo. We were actually already seated inside Yoogane but for some reason, DH decided to leave the restaurant.

Then we spotted Yukinohana in Timog, Quezon City. At first, we thought it was a Japanese restaurant because as DH parked the car, a man wearing a traditional costume was by the door. It must be an authentic Japanese restaurant or so we thought ; p

The same man lets us choose where to seat as he hand over the menu. My stomach was already growling from hunger. Perusing the menu, apparently, this is a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant ; p The man is not even Japanese, he is Korean lol He is not even the cook, for goodness' sake!

Pork Soy Grill, the one shown in the photo above, came out last. At that point, I was already feeling queasy. We have no choice but to take home the entire dish.

I was able to taste it the next day. It tasted exactly like the Chinese staple, char siu (barbecued meat). It was sweet and tender.

More after the break...

Ramen Bar in Robinsons Magnolia

September 7, 2012

Ramen Bar
Level 3, Robinsons Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. cor Dona Hemady Ave.,
Quezon City

DH and I used to watch movies in Trinoma, Quezon City or Araneta Center in Cubao. Now that Robinsons Magnolia opened 4 spanking new cinemas with stadium seating to boot, we have switched our alliance ; p We already watched 2 movies - Expendables 2 and just last Friday, The Possession. Sad, we didn't get to watch Total Recall because it was pulled out after a week. I can't wait to watch The Mistress though ; p

 Ramen Bar

Anyway, after buying two 7:25 pm movie tickets, DH and I deliberated on where to eat. We already ate in Buffet 101 several times. Unless the management has improved the service (think long waiting time), I am staying away from Yabu, I don't like the smell of fast food on my clothes so we didn't eat in Adobo Connection. We ended up in Ramen Bar where the staff were efficient and the service was great and best of all, the food is totally worth our money!