As a single man living in my own pad, Mcdonald’s and Jollibee became staple food for me until I learned how to cook (lol). Anyway, I ordered Jollibee the other night and let me just rant a bit. If there’s one thing I hate MORE than soggy french fries, it’s this:

The person who invents a delivery non-spill container for drinks will become a millionaire.

Nestle held their second annual Wellness Expo at the SM Megatrade Hall (2 & 3) today and man was the venue packed! I barely couldn’t move inside. I seriously think they should consider a bigger venue next year (SMX or World Trade Center). Anyway, the Nestle Wellness Expo is a 2-day event that features seminars, activities, and product trials that encourage having a healthy lifestyle. There were various booths representing all the famous brands of Nestle like Milo, Nestea, and Nescafe. The booths had interactive and fun activities and events to keep the people busy all day long. In fact the Nescafe booth had a constant “Stop Dance” contest going on and it was so nice to see people lining up to join! Rarely do I see 40 year-olds play Stop Dance in a mall!

Aside from the cool activities, we also had the opportunity to meet and take a photo op with the CEO of Nestle Philippines, John Miller. He’s a really nice guy and we even had a short chat about the Philippine blogosphere. Here’s a picture with him and the bloggers who also went to the event.

I strongly encourage you guys to drop by. Admission is free (long lines though) and you get to also avail of their free check-up and nutrition consultations.

Thanks to Nestle again for inviting us over to the event!

I first saw Golden Spoon in Theater Mall, Greenhills. Their stall replaced the flower shop which used to be right under Music Museum. Even though I always pass that area though I didn’t buy from them since I hate the taste of yogurt. However I was finally convinced to try it after Mich bugged me to buy when we were in Shangrila Mall. Suffice to say I was blown out of my mind with the taste and I can see myself going back for more, haha!

Since Golden Spoon is not your typical restaurant, I won’t bother with the usual scores. I’ll just talk about their product and give you guys an honest assessment. Pictures and other details after the break.

Golden Spoon in Shangrila has more flavors and toppings compared to their stall in Greenhills. If I’m not mistaken the one in Greenhills just has Vanilla and Chocolate flavors while the one in Shangrila has more than 5, including my favorite: Island Coconut.

My choice for this one is Island Coconut with powderized graham crackers and almonds. Man… writing about this makes me want to take off now and go to Shangrila, hahaha! Anyway, with regards to the cost you pay for the yogurt (they come in 3 sizes). Each topping will set you back P20. I remember getting the middle sized one plus two toppings and it cost me almost P200 so yeah it’s a bit pricey.

If you have the cash to burn, highly recommend this since it’s really hot these days. There’s another cool yogurt place in Greenbelt which I’ll also write a review about tomorrow. Abangan! Cheers!

I was recently invited by the manager and the owner of a quaint restaurant near Santolan. Since the manager was really nice in asking and the place was near, I quickly agreed to visit. The only background I had was that it was a Taiwanese restaurant which just opened a couple of months ago. I’m happy to report to everyone that I found another rare gem of a restaurant that you can visit in San Juan City. Yen Yen might be a small joint now but it has the potential to really grow because of their phenomenal food at very (and I mean VERY) affordable prices.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Yen Yen
Location: Along Ortigas Extension a few buildings after Santolan stoplight
Type: Taiwanese
Price Range: P60 – P150 per head

Full review after the break!

Yen Yen offers several rice plates at very good prices. If I remember correctly most, if not all, are below P150. Each plate has rice, a viand, and stir fried vegetables. I had the Pork Chop and I was initially expecting not to get “busog” since it was just one piece but the serving was big and there were a lot of vegetables on the side. They also had fish and chicken variations which all taste equally good.

I can’t remember if this was called Chahan or Chai Noodles. If ever the Yen Yen peeps drop by and visit this blog, please correct me via the comments section, haha! Anyway, this dish totally caught be by surprise. It’s basically flat noodles with sauce, tofu, and vegetables. I initially didn’t want to eat this because I’m not they “healthy food” eater type but man I was blown away. The tofu tasted heavenly! I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who lives near Yen Yen. You know the best part? This costs less than P70. Boom. Win. Epic win. Oh they have a rice version too (instead of the noodles)!

Here’s another personal shocker. I’m not a fan of green tea. I actually winced a bit when they served me this one, haha! However I was again proven wrong. Their iced tea is one of the best that I’ve ever tasted. I wouldn’t mind going here to buy 1 liter variants and bring it home if ever they do decide to make ‘em.

Yen Yen has great food and service at unbelievable prices. My only problem is that the actual restaurant is a bit cramped and that there’s no available parking (if ever there is it will be hard) during daytime. The owner explained that they usually get filled up at night and parking won’t be a problem then because customers can park at parking areas of the closed businesses beside their restaurant. If they fix the place up and get regular parking, this place will really be raking in big bucks.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 3
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 4
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 4
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 3
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 3.5

Highly recommended. Check this place out. Try to go at night when there’s parking. Oh, they also deliver. I’ll try to get the number from the manager and post it here.

Bistro Miyake is a Japanese restaurant along Annapolis Street in Greenhills, San Juan City. I’ve passed by this place several times already and I’ve actually eaten there before twice but failed to bring my camera with me. Fortunately I had a meeting there today at lunch time and I had my camera along with me so now I can write an entry about it, haha! Bistro Miyake is a very classy and elegant Japanese restaurant that you can easily fall in love with. It has cozy and comfortable interiors which make you want to stay there for hours and they even have free wifi! The food is also very good, especially their seafoods and steaks.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Bistro Miyake
Location: Along Annapolis St, Greenhills, San Juan
Type: Japanese
Price Range: P250-P450 per head (they also have bentos less than P200)

Full review after the break.

For starters we ordered their Dragon Roll Sushi which the waiter claimed was one of their best sellers. I couldn’t help but agree! This is truly one of the best sushi combinations I’ve ever tasted and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to my friends. It’s have shrimp tempura rolled into maki covered by a salmon wrap. Ridiculously delicious. Seriously. You guys have got to try this one out if ever you find yourselves in Bistro Miyake!

Next up is the Salmon Steak. This one is priced at P285 with no rice yet. It’s basically a huge chunk of grilled salmon meat. My one and only complaint was the fish bone that I almost choked on, lol. Other than that though the salmon was cooked perfectly and the texture and freshness of the meat was perfect.

When it comes to Japanese chicken teriyaki, I still go back to the original Teriyaki Boy Chicken Don. However the Chicken Bento of Bistro Miyake is also quite impressive. The sauce is superb! It enhances the chicken meat well. Note that the bento meal also comes with a salad, miso soup, and some sort of friend tempura’sh seafood dish.

Over-all Bistro Miyake is a good and quality restaurant you can take your date to if you both have an itch for Japanese food. One of the things that deserves to be mentioned is their interior decoration. I love how they fixed the place up. My only problem is that the giant tarps that they hang outside the restaurant promoting breakfast looks cheap. If they want the premium brand to be consistent maybe they should explore a more sophisticated way of announcing promos and whatnot.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 3
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 3
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 4
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 4
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 3.5

I’ve been passing by this restaurant along Annapolis for the past few weeks and I finally got the opportunity to try it out last night with Mich. I’ve been hearing a lot of raves about this place from my sister and some other friends so I really wanted to find out what’s all the fuss about. Everything at Steak Family Steakhouse is another one of those rare finds. They offer quality steaks at very reasonable prices.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET

Name: Everything at Steak Family Steakhouse
Location: Annapolis, San Juan City
Type: Steaks
Price Range: P195 per plate

More pictures and the complete review after the break.

The main offering is a steak set for P195. This includes a choice of your preferred side dish, the steak (T-Bone or Ribeye), and one cup of rice. They have a lot of options for the side dish but Mich and I loved the Double Baked Potatoes. Here are pictures of the steaks that we ordered for dinner:

The steaks tasted like… steak! LOL. They used some sort of marinate but it really didn’t make it stand out like steaks from high end restaurants. For the P195 price tag though this is definitely worth it.

Both steaks were served within 10 minutes of us ordering so I was kinda impressed. This was despite the place having several tables filled up already. The waiters were also very courteous and friendly so you gotta give them points for that as well. The only thing I didn’t like was that the place was a bit cramped.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 3
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 3
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 3
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 3
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 3

Like what I said above the food is good for the price that you’re paying. Don’t expect gourmet but it’s still definitely worth the trip.

I was invited by one of the owners of Maki House to drop by their branch along Timog to check out their new dishes. I’m a huge fan of Maki House so I immediately said yes. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they also invited some of my good friends from church, namely: Pastor Dennis, Pastor Larry, Yet, and Thammie! Nothing beats the combination of scrumptious food and hearty laughs shared amongst friends! Anyway, let’s go on to the new dishes being offered by Maki House.

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Maki House
Location: Take a left at Mcdo on Timog
Type: Chinese
Price Range: P150-P250 per dish, good for 2-3.

Review after the break!

To get things rolling let’s start with my favorite dish in their new menu – the Maki House Shrimp Salad! This one is just ridiculously delicious. It’s basically a lot of breaded shrimp in a creamy, rich, and smooth sauce. I don’t think they should call this a salad anymore because this definitely beats Gambas and I wouldn’t hesitate eating this with fried rice. If ever you’re going to the Maki House Timog branch, better order this dish!

Next up is their white chicken. You can order half or whole depending on how many you guys are in the table. The half order can feed around 3 people. It comes with a ginger-based sauce which adds a lot of flavor to the chicken meat.

And last but not the least we have their Tofu! To those who like spicy dishes, then this one is for you. I’m not really a fan of spicy stuff but Mich said that this was a good dish. I gave up after three spoonfuls. Just can’t handle the “hotness”, hahaha.

Since the owners are my good friends I don’t think it’s fair to post a score. All I can say is that Maki House has really affordable, quality, and delicious food. To those in the Timog area looking for something to eat, you might want to drop by here. It’s open until 11PM.

Every now and then we come across restaurants that offer excellent food at very affordable prices. One of the rare finds is a quaint and simple Filipino restaurant along White Plains called “Bahay Ligaya“. No, it’s not a beer house or a girlie bar! It’s actually named after the owner of the place – Joy. The interior is spacious and it has antique and classic decoration elements. The owners happen to also run an antique store so they actually use the restaurant as some sort of showroom as well. The food here though is just spectacular and I strongly recommend this to all of you who want to dine in not-so-well-know-but-really-good-restaurants.

The best Chicken Pandan in town at Bahay Ligaya!

QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Bahay Ligaya
Location: White Plains, QC
Type: Filipino
Price Range: P150-P250 per dish, good for 2-3.

Reasons why I love this restaurant after the break!

First, I can’t talk about Bahay Ligaya without mentioning their Manok Pandan (picture posted above). This is my favorite Chicken Pandan dish… ever. I personally find their version to be the best one in the entire Metro. The meat is always juicy, fresh, and just incredibly delicious. It must be how they marinate it because it tastes heavenly! If you’re going to eat here make it a point to order their Manok Pandan.

Bahay Ligaya’s Tuna Sisig

Next up we have their famous Tuna Sisig. As you can see with the picture it’s not your usual sisig with “laman loob”. Instead of the usual innards, they just serve a sizzling plate with thick slices of Tuna in a rich and flavorful sauce. This is my fiancee’s personal favorite when it comes to Bahay Ligaya. Another must try if ever you decide to go here.

Bahay Ligaya Fried Rice

Next up we have their Fried Rice. It easily serves 3-4 and it’s a Filipino’s take on the legendary Chinese Yang Chow. It’s like “sinangag” to the nth power. Strong flavor and definitely a good match to their Manok Pandan and Tuna Sisig. I’d go for this over the usual garlic rice any day.

Bahay Ligaya has a pretty long menu and most of the dishes they serve are really good. Some of the more notable ones but not included in this review are: Salmon Sinigang sa Miso, Inihaw na Liempo, Bulalo, and their Pochero Bulalo. The prices are all very affordable and the ambience is also nice. Here are some more pictures that you might want to see:

I only have two complaints with Bahay Ligaya. The first one is that they’re not offering Wi-Fi but I heard that the owner is already taking care of this. Secondly there are some instances that there are mosquitoes during late night stays. Other than that though this place is perfect.

SUMMARY

Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ

FOOD QUALITY: 4
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 4
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 4
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 3
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 3.75

Bahay Ligaya is a good place to take your family and loved ones out for a treat. It’s also a nice venue for meetings, chats, and catch-up sessions with long lost friends. Highly recommend this place and I hope you guys give it a try sometime soon.

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