Miso Ramen at Ramen Sora, SM San Pablo

I'm not a particularly big fan of ramen. I don't normally go out of my way to eat at ramen places. But when Ramen Sora opened here in San Pablo via SM, I knew I just had to try it, specially since based on their website, Ramen Sora originated in Japan. So this is pretty much as authentic as we can get locally. This was probably only the third time in my life I'm eating ramen at a restaurant. The first was this place in Malate that I've forgotten. Then there was the time I tried Ippudo in Robinson's Place, Manila. Ippudo's ramen had incredible flavor. For once I could tell what the fuss was about, but it was a kind of flavor that I wouldn't eat everyday. I'd try it probably only once every few months.

So at Ramen Sora I ordered the "house specialty" which is the Miso Ramen. Immediately after the bowl was put on my table I smelled what seemed to be piss. I thought holy shit, somebody pissed on my ramen. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be the bamboo shoots. I was disappointed. If anyone can prepare bamboo shoots properly it ought to be the Japanese, right? But these shoots were so nasty that I took them out of the bowl and set them aside. I've had better shoots locally which didn't smell this way. I guess I'm just used to freshly chopped shoots that my uncle would bring from San Dig which tastes and smells excellent. I guess if you don't know how to properly prepare bamboo, nastiness would ensue.

Moving past that, the thing I did next was taste the broth, which was just excellent. It did taste like miso soup, but with much more depth of flavor. The pork was much larger than I expected and was very nice and tender. The noodles were firm but not chewy. They were just perfect. But I guess the bamboo shoots ruined my appetite more than I realized because I wasn't able to finish it. I'm not sure if I would eat ramen at Ramen Sora again though. As I said, I'm not really a big fan to begin with. I'll probably go back and try the other stuff on the menu.

Ilyn ordered as side of Mango Crab Roll and it was really nice.

The Best Steak in San Pablo City

Me and Ilyn were fortunate enough to be invited to try out the menu of a restaurant being developed by friends here in San Pablo City. It's actually already semi-open, but not yet for the general public. It started out as a simple cafe for customers of a spa, but they're now trying to expand it into a full blown restaurant/art gallery.

The owner clearly not only loves cooking but is dedicated to providing the best they could possibly offer.

Our meal started out with an appetizer consisting of wheat pandesal with olive oil/balsamic vinegar dip. I didn't finish it because I didn't want to be full before I finished our meal. I did finish the salad which came next, which consisted of lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, baby arugula, candied walnuts, grapes, and orange. I liked it because it was different from the kinds of salad usually served in San Pablo restaurants (to be honest, I'm kind of tired of Ceasar and Greek salads) and it was very light and refreshing.

Next came Potato soup with croutons. Like the salad, it was very light and of an appropriate amount that didn't threaten to overwhelm the main dish, which was the steak.

The steak was an 8oz Rib Eye cooked medium rare which comes with gravy and mashed potatoes or rice. This, as far as I know, the only restaurant in San Pablo which serves steak specifying weight and one of the few that allows you to choose doneness. For example, you cannot specify doneness with Si Christina's steak. It comes in only one: well done. When I tried it, I was disappointed because it came out as super well done (meaning burnt). For a price tag of more than P1000, I think they could do a better job and get a better quality steak. You can choose doneness with Simple Treat's steak, but it's so thin sometimes it doesn't matter if you choose medium rare because it comes out as well done no matter what.

This 8oz Rib Eye was perfectly medium rare, and it's the softest steak I ever had, not only in San Pablo, but in the Philippines. The only thing that came close to the softness of this is the Filet Mignon I had at Donovan's in San Diego. I wish I could say it's the best steak I ever had, but this comes as a close second. The best steak I had was also served in this place a few weeks ago when they were trying out a much bigger Rib Eye, US Prime Angus Steak, 1 and a half inches thick and done medium rare. That was just incredible, and we're grateful that we were asked to try it. They will try to add it to their menu soon. I don't know how expensive that steak will be (I think it will be very expensive), but the 8oz Rib Eye they served us was P795. For that price, I guarantee it will be worth it. It's the best steak you can have at that price.

The meal was closed out with a desert of mini blueberry muffins, cinnamon roll, and a pot of hot Secret Garden red tea.

The entire meal cost P1,100, which is very much worth it, in my opinion.

Authentic Kulawo at Sulyap Gallery Cafe

I have to say it straight away. Nobody cooks Kulawo better than my aunts and uncles back in Sta Catalina (Sandig), here in San Pablo. Their kulawo has a very earthy, very countryside flavor that can't be replicated here at home or found at restaurants.

That said, the next best thing is Sulyap Gallery Cafe's version at Brg. Del Remedio, Cocoland Compound, San Pablo City.

There are two types of kulawo that's made here. One is made from eggplant and the other is made from banana hearts, the latter being my favorite.

We ordered Sulyap's version of the banana hearts kulawo, which comes with a generous helping of awesome, awesome grilled pork belly. We had also ordered their eggplant version previously which is also very good, but I just really love the banana hearts one.

If you haven't tasted kulawo yet, it's basically the aforementioned main ingredients cooked with vinegar, onion and coconut milk squeezed from toasted coconut meat shavings. The authentic way is to put the shavings into a metal pot, throw in some live coconut coals and just let it burn the shavings. After that's done, remove the remaining coals, let it cool and then squeeze the milk from it. It is quite unlike anything you've tasted before.

Another thing we ordered was their Ginatang Sugpo, or large shrimp cooked in coconut milk. It's pretty common to have so much food cooked with coconut milk here in San Pablo due to the abundance of coconut. Sulyap's version is very very good. It's just like how your mom would make it.

Any visitors to San Pablo wishing to taste authentic Southern Tagalog dishes ought to head to Sulyap Gallery Cafe, not only for the food, but for the incredible ambiance. Their dining rooms are spread out among restored Spanish style houses nestled in beautiful gardens. None of the dining areas are air conditioned but it's so pretty and so oozing with history and culture that you wouldn't mind.

Sulyap is not only a place you can eat, but they also have rooms available if you want to stay overnight. They have a pool, and they have a museum! This is truly one of the must visit places whenever you go to San Pablo City.

Sulyap Gallery Cafe's website:
http://www.sulyap.net/

Wonderful Lunch at Mio Cucina, Los Baños

Whenever Ilyn and I want to go out on a "special" date, but don't feel like going to Tagaytay or Manila, we opt for Mio Cucina located in Los Baños. It really is one of the best restaurants in that town, bar none. It's a very small, very pretty restaurant from the inside. It also feels very homey and cozy and it's the perfect place to bring a date to.

For a small, quaint restaurant, it also a bit classy without being alienating. And although the food is generally something you see from other Filipino-themed restaurants, the quality of the food is so much better. We've ate here for many times now, trying different things and we have yet to be really disappointed.

Any meal comes with free appetizer (picture above) which includes Bonete and a variety of spreads. The last time we were here one of the spreads was something called "Sinantolan" made from finely chopped and mashed santol but santol might not be in season so we got butter and some kind of tomato salsa. It's very light in flavor and in the stomach. What more from an appetizer can I ask for? Some restaurants go crazy with their appetizers that it makes you quite full by the time your main meal arrives.

For our salad, we ordered Ensaladang Ampalaya (P165). Normally we would order Ensaladang Pako, but it was unavailable so we chose this instead. But having had Pako before, in the back of my mind I wanted to try something else so I was glad that it wasn't available. And it's a good thing too because this Ampalaya salad was just excellent. Not too many people know how to prepare Ampalaya right. People complain that it's too bitter, but it's only because it wasn't prepared properly. This Ampalaya, if I'm not mistaken, was pickled so it's a bit sweet. Combined with the tomato and kesong puti, it was so nice that I finished half of this in no time at all.

Feeling a bit hungry, I actually ordered another appetizer. This one is called Crispy Squid (P285). I wanted to try something else because I was a bit tired of the usual mushroom and garlic or the breaded calamares. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this from the menu. It's a bit pricey but it's an experiment. Who knows, I might like it. And I did! The first bite of this was amazing. It's crispy because it's coated in caramelized sugar, which makes it tastes a little bit like dilis, but with that unmistakable squid flavor. Although I absolutely loved this, it's something I could not eat a lot of.  Medyo nakakaumay, would be the Tagalog term for it.

Ilyn's main dish is the Tortang Talong (P165). We were surprised when it arrived as a pair. As was usual with Mio, any traditional dish is usually elevated in quality, but this Torta might have been the exception. It was good, but there was nothing extra special about it. It tastes very much like other eggplant tortas we have had in other places, including here at home.

My main dish (which I can't seem to take a decent photo of) is the Hito in Coconut Milk (P225). Hito or Catfish is a favorite fish of mine. Ilyn hates it though. I usually have it grilled or fried, but rarely cooked in coconut milk. I had it once like that here at home and it was so fatty. I wanted to try and see how Mio prepares it.

And Mio surprised me again by how good it was. No, it was excellent. The flavor is very subtle, which is a quality that I like in any dish. It's not fatty at all, which is good. I finished all of it and ended up looking for more.

If you are looking for a nice place to have a date with your special someone and you're in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend Mio Cucina. They have this little cove inside their little restaurant that's perfect for couples. It's intimate and the food is really good. I recommend that you call for reservations though, because it does tend to become full at certain times. You can call them at (049)5363311. They're located behind Community Cable, 10395 Lopez Ave, on the left side going to UPLB.

Excellent Ribs at Samuel's Plate Gastropub, San Pablo City

As promised, here's a write-up of our first ever visit to Samuel's Plate Gastropub, which opened April 8 here in San Pablo City. It's actually not that hard to find. It's at San Roque near Teacher's village.

I've got a lot more good things to say about our visit than bad.

First thing that caught my eye was of course, their newly constructed building. They didn't rent a space. They actually built an entire new building just for this new restaurant. That may seem usual for a franchise like say McDonald's or Jollibee, but Samuel's is not a franchise. It's a completely local establishment. To me that means they're willing to invest a lot and to me that means they believe in their business.

That's reflected right away in the placemat set up (photo above). They had specially made placemats and napkins. And the napkins themselves aren't cheap one ply tissues. Those were good quality napkins! What other local business does that? Hardly anyone else, I'm sure!

The ground floor is more of a receiving area than a dining area, much of the space being taken up by the kitchen. Their main dining area is located on the second floor. When we arrived, we had to wait for some 10 minutes or so in this receiving area because the dining area upstairs was full. That was OK because it allowed me to study their menu quite closely.

Later upstairs, I ordered their smoked house ribs with a side of chili beans and potato mash. Ilyn ordered the Laguna Sampler and Puttanesca.

First, the Laguna Sampler. It's hot pandesal with three types of palaman. Kesong puti, tuyo confit and some kind of tomato salsa. Each palaman was excellent in their own way. The kesong puti wasn't salty, the tuyo was crunchy and the tomato was nicely flavored. I personally liked the tuyo because previous gourmet tuyo I've had wasn't as nicely crunchy as this.

Ilyn says she really liked their Puttanesca. Puttanesca is one of Ilyn's favorite dishes so her standards here are pretty high. Her one big issue with dishes like this is that the flavor of fish (usually anchovy) is oftentimes not that noticeable, which is an essential component of puttanesca. She seems pretty satisfied with it overall.

Now for my dish!

The smoked house ribs arrived with my preferred sides Chili Beans and Potato mash. It usually comes with rice, but I didn't want rice so they gladly replaced with it with their house mashed potato. I was just moving the ribs to the side to get a taste of the potato when the meat just fell off the bone. I thought holy cow, that meat's tender! I tasted a bit of the ribs with the potato and it's like smoky heaven in my mouth. I'm not really that much of a ribs eater, but this was just amazing. I had ribs at another place before and I didn't like it because it was too salty. This was marinated and seasoned just right. I just absolutely LOVED it!

Having looked at the menu earlier, I was already thinking of what to order the next time. I'll probably try their bolognese. Or maybe their labuyo wings to see if it's really that spicy. Ilyn wants to try their soups, which were not available when we were there.

The staff was incredibly friendly, courteous and accommodating. The food and check came at a reasonable time, so I have no complaints about that.

Do I really have anything bad to say about Samuel's Plate? Nothing about the food, of course. But more about the building itself. Having developed mobility issues in recent years, I've become more aware of accessibility for handicapped people at establishments I go to. Although Samuel's does provide a ramp for people entering the building into their ground floor, There is, unfortunately, no access for the disabled from the the ground floor to their second floor, which is the main dining area. I've had no choice but to use the stairs, which was kind of hard.

Now if they are going to have the second floor as a main dining area, the stairs have to be appealing to climb and have a good design. Being an Architect myself, I noticed this right away. Their stairs may conform to the minimum in the building code, but I found it too narrow and too steep and not that appealing to climb.

A quick and inexpensive solution to their problem would be to open the ground floor as a dining area to PWD and older people. They already have tables and chairs there so that wouldn't be a problem. A much better solution would be a more expensive one, which is to install either an escalator or an elevator. Since that wasn't part of the original design, that would be difficult, but not impossible to do.

This next bit is more of a suggestion. I was secretly hoping that Samuel's would be offering steak in their menu. To be honest, there's no really good steak places here in San Pablo. The only place I know that offers steak is Simple Treats (April 15 edit: Si Christina now also offers steak: Angus Porterhouse: P1,100), but it's just OK. The price of those steaks are around 350 pesos, so that should give you an idea of the kind of meat and the quality of it. I was hoping Samuel's would be the first to offer inch thick rib eyes. I wouldn't mind paying P1K and upwards for steak like that as long as its good. And steak seems like a perfect fit for the kind of menu they have. Since they don't offer it, of course, that's not a point against them. They have good food and I'm happy with what they offer!

Apart from that, Samuel's is an excellent place to eat, and probably one of the best restaurants in San Pablo City. We do plan on coming back. The quality of their food and service is worth the pain of climbing the stairs. :)

Sisig at Ranzbasty, San Pablo City

A new restaurant just opened within the last week here in San Pablo City called "Ranzbasty, Kapampangan Cuisine". It's located along Mabini St. very near across Doctor's Hospital. It's practically next door to the previously reviewed Hungry Gorilla Burger.

Ilyn and I decided to try it out and see what's so "Kapampangan" about the place and what makes it so unique from other local restaurants. A cursory glance at the menu board surprised us with really inexpensive prices. But the menu items themselves are nothing that you haven't seen in any kind of Filipino themed restaurant. I was kind of hoping I would see things like Betute or Kamaro, both well known Kapampangan specialties. But whatever was there, we decided to try out. There are a lot of things that are not on the menu but are available including Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. But I decided on getting Tocino, because I know that Tocino is a Kapampangan invention and I was curious if there was anything special about their version. Ilyn got the veggies of course, a plate of Pinakbet and surprisingly enough, a sizzling plate of Sisig.

The Tocino Rice (P49) came with rice, sunny side up egg and a small portion of tocino. I guess I shouldn't be surprised based on the price, but taste-wise, it tastes just like any other tocino. Nothing really special there.

Sisig (P120) is another Kapampangan invention and Ilyn had always wanted to try it out. I always told her to wait until we are at a relatively authentic Kapampangan place before she tries it so she won't be disappointed. Now I don't know if the sisig served to us (pictured above) is actually authentic, but it did look good.

And wow, it also tasted really really good. Ilyn was surprised that she liked it as much as she did. She's not a big meat eater. She's a veggies person through and through. So for her to actually volunteer to try this dish of innards and things unspeakable was one thing, for her to really like it is quite an achievement. I myself eat sisig rarely, but this is one best I've tasted. It's got freshness from the greens and chilies and salty crunchiness from the meat that's been toasted by the sizzling hot plate. It's amazing.

I didn't get to taste the Pinakbet (P109), but Ilyn assures me it's really good. The vegetables were firm and not overcooked (she hates it if veggies are overcooked).

We also got an order of Leche Flan (P80). We were both surprised that it was actually a really big order. We only got to finish less than half. As Leche Flans go, this was firmer than most. A little bit firmer and it would have the consistency of pudding. But it tastes really good.

All in all we were really satisfied with our meal. I probably won't have the Tocino again. Next time we'll probably try the Bopis and Diniguan to see if they're as good as the Pinakbet and Sisig.

Awesome Korean Meals at Cook-Eat, San Pablo City

I first learned about Cook-Eat as me and Ilyn were passing the place aboard a tricycle. I said to Ilyn, look, the old liquor place is now a restaurant. And it's true. This new resto is located where we used to buy wine. If you're at the San Pablo City Fire Station, just start walking up the road towards the Iglesia ni Kristo and you can't miss this place, located on the left side of the road, across Human Heart Nature.

We first tried this a few days ago and had their Bulgogi set, which includes beef, vegetables and a slew of side dishes including soup, dilis, peanuts, kimchi, pickled cucumber, spicy sayote, bean sprouts, potatoes, vegetable lumpia and a desert of mango jello. Being new at this, we asked one of the wait staff to do the grilling for us and he did.

To be completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Bulgogi. I thought there was something lacking in the taste. The beef was chewy. I didn't like the soup. Mango jello seemed to be made of instant mango than actual real mangoes. But the kimchi was really, really good, as well as the pickled cucumbers. That being said for a meal that fed both Ilyn and me rather well, I thought P399 for everything was rather cheap.

I was a bit more happy when we visited the second time. Actually, we were more than happy. I thought our meals the second time around were amazing. Ilyn ordered the Bibimbap with an extra side order of pickled cucumber:

Ilyn really liked it. To me it looked like Tapsilog with 5 different types of atsara. Which is exactly what Bibimbap is, I think. I mean, it's true! There's the beef, which is both salty and sweet. I asked to taste the beef and it was really really soft. I really liked it. There's the rice and sunny side up egg. Then there's an assortment of side dishes including bean sprouts, carrot and a few leafy things I can't tell what they were but Ilyn says tasted really good.

Meanwhile, I had the Ramyun, with an extra side dish of kimchi, which I didn't know already came with a small side dish of kimchi:

The broth was just AMAZING. It tasted really thick, beefy, with a slight hint of anise and just the right amount of spiciness. The beef itself is really soft with a slightly more anise taste. The noodles were cooked perfectly right and complemented the soup really well. There were a couple types of mushroom in there as well a couple of slices of tofu. One of the best ramen noodles I've tasted in a while.

By the way, I don't know what they use for rice here, but it's really really good. One of the best tasting rice I've had as in literally anywhere. What is this magical rice? They must tell me!

I see myself coming back to this place and try their hotpot! Next time soon, Cook-Eat!

Here's Cook-Eat's Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/CookEatSPC/

Halo Halo at Razon's

I finally had a chance to try Razon's famous Halo-Halo. Lots of people are talking about this thing, and when a branch opened at SM San Pablo recently, I saw this was the thing most people were ordering. So I thought hmmm... this has got to be good, right? (Image of Halo-Halo from Razon's website.)

Last night me and Ilyn had a chance to go to SM and try this out. And I have to say it lives up to all the hype, It is really one good halo-halo. Probably one of the best I had. I think it's got to do with the simplicity of the ingredients. It's got finely shaved ice, which is something I never had with other versions and it gave a different feel to the tongue. It has leche flan, banana, macapuno and milk. And I think that's it. The combination of those ingredients made for a really nice whole. I really liked it.

That said, halo-halo is kind of idiot proof. I also like Chowking's halo-halo. I also like a lot of other halo-halos that I've tried. I don't remember not liking it anywhere I got it. But I have to admit Razon's does it better than most.

Unfortunately, I've tried other things from their menu from this branch in the past and I've come away underwhelmed.

I tried another one of their famous items, "Pancit Luglug". It tastes just like the local palabok that I can get at our palengke. Probably even better! Their "Lutong Toyo" tastes just like regular adobo. Why even call it Lutong Toyo? I have Kapampangan cookbooks written by Kapampangans and they all call their adobo, adobo.  Ilyn had the Arrozcaldo and didn't like it. She said the hardboiled egg was just overdone. She also didn't like their Bistik. Oh sorry, BISTIG. She says there's something lacking in the taste. I don't know, perhaps things taste better in the original branch.

I'm still willing to give them one more try though. I haven't tried their dinuguan yet, so that's what I'll get next time I'm there.

Online Ordering

One lazy Sunday morning I was feeling too lazy to go out or even cook breakfast. A McDonald's breakfast ad flashed on my Twitter with a link to order online and I thought, why the hell not? I haven't been too trusting of the online side of commercial businesses after I got no replies from a few email inquiries I made at company websites. If they can't answer, what more actually fulfilling an online order?

But that Sunday morning I was feeling adventurous so I decided to try it out. I registered with the local McDonald's website and ordered breakfast. I thought well, if it doesn't work out, I'll just eat bread or something in the kitchen. It wasn't a big deal. Not 5 minutes later our phone rang and it was McDonald's confirming our order. I thought wow, that was fast. And roughly 15-20 minutes later our order arrived. It was great! It was such easy, hassle free experience that we ordered from McDo two more times in the next couple of weeks.

Next we tried ordering pizza from Greenwich. Unlike McDo, Greenwich Pizza is a local business so I was a bit wary, not sure what to expect. On their online form, they made it mandatory to ask for a mobile number rather than a landline, which is a bit inconvenient. I hate using a mobile and when they did call some 10 minutes later, I had a hard time talking to them because of the crappy mobile connection. What is weird is that about 10 minutes later they called AGAIN, this time another person confirming our order again. I mean... why? But the pizza did arrive soon enough, so it's all good!

Next we tried ordering pizza from Shakey's. No hassle. This is becoming too easy! By the way, delivery orders from Shakey's come with a free extra pizza and softdrinks. Just too awesome, Shakey's! Thank you.

Now we come to KFC. It's Easter and I thought I'd order a bucket of chicken online. Sent the order at a quarter to 11. Nobody calls. I mean, it's already almost an hour later and nobody's calling. I did get a con (KFC arrives just as I was typing this.)

Let me continue. I did get a confirmation via email that they got the order and are now processing it and I'm asked to wait 30-45 minutes for our order to be delivered. Some 20 or so minutes later, I get a 2nd email saying that their San Pablo branch now has our order and is now processing it and that I'm asked to wait 30-45 minutes for our order to be delivered. The exasperation at this drove me to write this blog entry and as I was writing it, our KFC delivery arrived, an hour after I sent in my online order. It's no big deal. It arrived here. We ate, we had a good time.

So far, no fails in our online ordering adventures! Where to order online next???

Samuel's Plate Gastropub, San Pablo City

There's a new restaurant being constructed here in San Pablo near Teacher's Village in San Roque called "Samuel's Plate Gastropub". They're actually constructing a stand alone building for it, and from the way it's looking now, it looks kind of classy.

I can imagine the owners of the place trying to Google the name of their resto and finding themselves here wondering why I'm writing something about something that's not open yet. Your building is giving me high... REALLY high hopes! I hope your food and service are awesome! I hope there's something unique and not just a rehash of the same old pastas and burgers on chopping boards and drinks in hipster mason jars!

I probably won't go there opening day. You know these San Pablo folk... practically the entire population will be there on opening day so it can get kind of crazy. Remember when Pizza Hut first opened at the plaza? They literally ran out of pizza by the afternoon of their opening day. I'll probably go a week or so after opening. Don't disappoint me, Samuel's Plate!

They already have a Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/samuelsgastropub.official/

Domino's San Pablo City

We were having breakfast today at McDonald's San Pablo, Plaza branch when we saw a big sign for Domino's Pizza opening soon, situated just across McDo, where the old Brownie's Burger used to be. I gotta give it to Domino's for their sheer determination to make it in San Pablo. I remember them opening a branch (and even constructing a building for it) here in town a decade or so ago near Farmacia Linda near the public market. I remember going there and marveling at a huge hand painted map of San Pablo showing their delivery coverage area.

The weird thing about that old branch is that if you wanted to dine in, you had to go out of the building, and bring your pizza up to the second floor via a stairway outside. I remember the pizza not being very nice. I remember it being very limp and a bit soggy. And I didn't like the taste of it. Actually, I hated it. Add to that their prices were in the rather expensive range, it's no wonder they didn't last long. Which is pretty unusual because pizzas are a big thing here in San Pablo. I guess the location is also to blame. Locating their branch near the palengke wasn't probably a good idea because the the people that populate the area wouldn't really be the clientele for their kind of pizza. They also practically had no parking space. This is a lesson Shakey's learned the hard way. Shakey's Pizza also opened a branch near the palengke around the same time. It wasn't as successful as they wanted so they eventually closed shop and moved next to the National Highway where they have ample parking. Now more often than not, they can't handle the amount of people that want to eat there.

So now Dominos' is opening a new branch at the location of one of the first fast food joints in San Pablo. There's parking for maybe 4-5 vehicles and it is along our main road. They could be more successful in this location. Hopefully, their pizza is better. LET US SEE.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Ilyn and I love to eat out, if we can afford it. We're not spendy on a lot of things. We don't have gadgets, we don't have a car and we spend very little on clothes (I think you can notice that if you know us). But we're prepared to spend quite a bit on food and travel.

We like to experiment and try out restaurants at places we've never been. Once in a while we'll try something a bit expensive just to see what the fuss is about.

And because we love to experiment there are times when we come away very disappointed. And sometimes patterns emerge. For instance, in the many times we tried eating at Serendra, we're almost always disappointed. YES. Serendra. First we tried DUO (It's closed now.). The food was just OK. Barely OK. No wonder they're closed. Next time we tried CENTRO and their famous Corned Beef Sinigang. I also tried their caldereta. We didn't like both. Both were fatty. Masebo. That slimy sticky feeling you get on your lips? UGH. They may have invented Corned Beef Sinigang, but Cafe Juanita does it far better. Next we tried MAMOU. I mean, hey, how can you go wrong with MAMOU? Well, I didn't like it. I had the rib eye and there was just something about it that didn't give me the OMG this is some awesome steak feeling as I chew on it and swallow it.  Their side dishes and sauces were just too tasty that it felt like they were competing which could overwhelm my taste buds more. A little subtlety please!!

The last time we ate at Serendra we ate at BALDUCCI and for once I can say we enjoyed ourselves. Good job, Balducci!

If you're in the area, I suggest you just cross the road to Market! Market! and eat at their huge open air food court. Make sure you go and try one of the places that offer "paluto". You'll enjoy yourself far FAR more and you'll spend a quarter of how much you spent just across the road.

Now, Glorietta. Glorietta is 50/50 for us. There are places were we enjoyed like Modern Shanghai, Tony Roma's, and Spaghetti Factory. In the old days we would go as a family to eat at Kenny Rogers and Superbowl of China.  BUT OMG there are places we tried that just disappointed us. MU Noodle at the newly furbished wing of Glorietta post explosion. We didn't even get to try the food. We went in. Sat for 5 minutes trying to get the attention of waiters. Feeling unwanted and ignored, we left. MU Noodle Glorietta YOU SUCK. So we went to SOI. OMG what an experience. Read more about that horror story here.

You know which mall we've yet to be disappointed? CENTRIS, at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue. Now, I actually don't like this mall. I don't like how it looks, I don't like how I feel when I'm there. Parts of it look like a ghost town, specially that area with the bumper cars. But I do have reason to be there because KOMIKET is held at CENTRIS ELEMENTS, just a few steps away. But when it comes to the restaurants, we've never been disappointed yet!

First we tried ASYA. Now the food here was just OK. It wasn't mind blowing. But for some crazy reason, we ordered things like ginataang kuhol, caldereta, some fish and some vegetable dish. That's a lot for just Ilyn and me. AND WE FINISHED ALL OF IT. We were so stuffed. OMG. That's one of the most awesome meals we had. Like I said, the taste wasn't mind blowing, but we just can't stop eating it.

The other day we tried Uncle Cheffy. Wow. I love Uncle Cheffy. I like how they cook their chicken, how they cook their steak and I love their panizza. It's not a unique item to them, but it was at Uncle Cheffy where I first tried it and it was great.

I really REALLY hope we no longer get disappointed in the future because you know, we just want to eat nice food. But I have a feeling that I'm just wishful thinking.

Si Christina and their Green Bell Pepper Problem

Let me preface this by saying Si Christina is one of my favorite restaurants here in San Pablo. Here's a nice review of their breakfast. I just find it hysterical that they seem to have a real serious problem with green bell pepper. For the life of me, I just can't understand it.

One of my favorite things to eat there is their pizza. Specially their Pepperoni Pizza. You see, I like my pizza like I like my burgers. No frills, simple and pretty much straight to the point. None of that overloaded crap from some popular pizza places. But I also like green bell peppers in my pizza so I usually ask for it as an additional topping. If that would entail additional cost then that would be OK. I mean, pizza places usually charge something for additional toppings, right? So that's just fine with me. Si Christina's Pepperoni Pizza is really simple and that's the way I like it. Of course, it tastes really really nice too.

The first time I ordered it, it turned out really well. But they seem to have problems with it ever since. When I ordered it again some time later, again asking for green bell pepper as an additional topping, they gave me jalapeño instead. Which isn't too bad because I like jalapeño too. In fairness, jalapeño is a green pepper too so I guess they just didn't hear me right.

When I ordered it again the other day, I made sure I articulated "GREEN.BELL.PEPPER." clearly and slowly and several times so they won't mistake my request for anything else. When the pizza arrived, no green bell pepper but they put some hair like reddish things which made me scratch my head. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be RED bell pepper.

I mean, look at it. Two problems: One, I don't understand why they simply can't give me green bell peppers. This is TWICE now. How hard is it to source it? The market nearby and the grocery at the malls in town are stocked with it. Two, how expensive is bell pepper that they have to slice it so thinly that I can hardly see it? I mean how much is ONE bell pepper? Why can't they have thicker slices?

Lest I may seem to be talking behind their back, let me just tell you that I ALREADY sent feedback to them earlier after the jalapeño incident. I suggested that their servers listen carefully to what their customers ask for to prevent confusion. They responded positively to it so I thought that was that. And then THIS. I don't think GREEN sounds anything like RED, does it? Oh well....

You know, I still like their pizza so from now on, I guess I'll just order it out, buy my own green bell pepper and add it at home.

I still love you, Si Christina!

Breakfast at Si Christina, San Pablo City

Si Christina, located near the plaza in the center of San Pablo City, is one of our favorite breakfast places. They normally open at 7 in the morning, but for the Christmas season, they open at 8am so they can close at a later time in the evening. We like it there because of their numerous breakfast options that are both good and remarkably inexpensive.

The breakfast option I chose was their "Chicken Longganisa" (P89), which includes 2 pieces of chicken longganisa (the long light colored sausage in the photo above), 1 egg, fried rice and a choice between brewed coffee and iced tea. At 89 pesos that's crazy cheap.

You have the option to order other sausages as extras. I ordered 2 pieces of "Spiced Sausage" (P16 per piece), 1 pc "Sweet Longganisa" (P20 per piece) and an order of "Breakfast Sausage" (2 pieces for P45).

My total for everything was P189. I really liked the taste of all the sausages. The first time I tried the breakfast sausage (round patty shaped) I didn't like it too much because it seemed too dry, but this time around it was rather juicy. I really liked it because it comes close to the taste of a Lucban Longganisa. Ilyn didn't like it too much, but I did.

As a restaurant, Si Christina is one of our go to places here in San Pablo. When we have out of town guests, this is one of the places we choose to bring them. However, I do have to say that although their menu selection is quite numerous (menu not available online), most of them are just OK for me. Their burgers are just OK, their burritos are just OK, their pasta dishes are just OK. But they do have a few items that are pretty good including their bbq ribs (just incredibly good). I also really like their Pepperoni Pizza, which goes well with a bottle of Stella Artois (not on their menu but they have it if you ask). A recent favorite is their trio of American, UK and Japanese sliders.

Their true specialty are their cakes and sans rival, which are simply some of the best I've ever tasted. Try any of their cheesecakes (my favorite is the Speculoos Cheescake) and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Their Chocolate Truffle cake is also quite amazing. I also love their brownies which they serve warm, which makes the chocolate bits in them slightly melted.

The wait staff is friendly and attentive and the place itself is quite cozy because of the decor and lighting. It's just a really nice place to hang out.

Recommended! Try them out if you're in town.

Really, REALLY Good Burgers at Hungry Gorilla, San Pablo City

I'm very particular and picky when it comes to burgers. INCREDIBLY picky. I've tasted lots of them from all over, and I've had very few favorites. In Manila, my favorite go-to fast food burger is Tropical Hut's Classic Burger, and probably my all time favorite is the house Hamburger from Dayrit's. I've had a few really memorable ones from Borough at the Podium, as well as really spectacular Angus burger at Highlands Prime Steakhouse at MOA. I like simple burgers, and generally shy away from the more elaborate, monster burgers a lot of people seem to like.

Since I'm based in San Pablo City, I really don't want to go to Manila every time I wanted a really good burger. So I pretty much try anything that pops up locally. I'm looking for the thing I really like in a burger.... unobtrusive bun, really beefy taste (without extenders), juicy, and not a whole lot of things added in that distract from the flavor of the beef.

When I saw this new place that offered burgers along Mabini St., I decided to try it! Now the venue is a little unusual. It's beside the San Pablo District Jail, along Mabini St. There's a ramp and stairs going up to a long hallway. At the end of a hallway is a gym, and facing the gym is Hungry Gorilla. It was a bit noisy because of a Zumba going on in a gym on the second floor, and a Taekwondo studio on the third, both of which overlook the dining area.

I ordered the "Classic Kong" while Ilyn ordered the "Gorillets". At any new burger place, the first thing  I always try is their simplest, most basic burger. This is the one that gives the least distraction to the taste of the beef patty. If I like it, I will try their other, more elaborate burgers the next time I visit. But first their house fries called "Conggo Fries (p49)".

Their fries are pretty standard stuff, but better than the ones from Jollibee or Mcdonald's. The fries are firm, almost crunchy and lightly seasoned. The dip is pretty good though. I can't determine what it is, except to say that it's mayo based with herbs, spices and it's slightly sweet. I wanted to keep eating the fries just so I can dunk them into this dip. But I didn't want to ruin my appetite, so on to the burger.

Their "Classic Kong" (P59) is described on the menu as: "100% Beef with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, white onion, topped with mayo and ketchup." When it arrived, I was a bit surprised because it was quite bigger than I thought it would be. At P59 pesos I assumed it would be much smaller with a patty that would be a bit thin, but I'm glad I assumed wrong.

One bite into it and I was like, WOW. Just WOW. I couldn't believe what I was tasting. It was soft, juicy, perfectly seasoned with a strong beefy taste. The bun was appropriately soft and  didn't take attention away from the patty. The patty itself was surprisingly thick and substantial. The tomatoes, onion and lettuce complimented it perfectly. Yes, there's no cheese, but this burger didn't need it. Besides, I always thought cheese, having a rather strong taste, would distract from the taste of the beef.  Even as I continued to bite into it, my mind was going holy crap THIS.IS.AWESOME.

You know, I've pretty much tasted most local burgers up for offer here in San Pablo. I've tried Brand X Burger, All-Star Burger, Angry Burger, RC Burger, the house burger of places like Si Christina, and Simple Treats. I even tried burgers from places like Ramzi and of course from franchises like Jollibee and Mcdonald's.

I'm declaring right now that the burgers from Hungry Gorilla is the best I've tasted so far. And you have no idea how happy that makes me because now I don't have to go to Manila for an awesome piece of burger. And at that price!! It's amazingly cheap compared to most other burgers I've had. The burger at Highlands was like P600!! For that you get TEN Classic Kong Burgers and yeah I'll say it, they taste even better.

"Gorillets" (P109) are six sliders or mini burgers. They don't have the veg of the "Classic Kong", but they do have caramelized onion and cheese. I wasn't able to taste it because my burger left me full, but Ilyn said she loved it. And coming from her, it's something else, because she's even more picky about burgers than me. In fact, she doesn't like eating meat that often, but she's really glad she tried it.

The Gorillets were so substantial that Ilyn was able to finish only two and that was enough for her to feel full. We took  home the other four and I'm now really just waiting to be hungry again so I can eat them!

I was so happy with my meal that I just had to tell the dude behind the counter (who both took our order and cooked the burgers) that their burgers tasted really really good. The smile on the dude's face, so awesome. And he deserves it too. Did I say that these burgers were incredible? Yes, I DID! I told the dude that we'll be back. And we definitely will be.

Highly, absolutely, recommended! If you're in San Pablo and would like to have just one the most awesome burgers you'll ever have, check out this place. It's just beside the San Pablo District Jail (don't let that bother you, haha), along Mabini St.

8:00am to 9:00pm from Monday to Saturday, 4:00pm to 9:00pm on Sunday.

YOu Japanese Canteen & Sushi Hauz, San Pablo City

I really have to talk about this discovery we made just this past week. It's an unassuming... VERY unassuming Japanese food place near the Mabini side of Central School. They don't even call themselves a restaurant. The call themselves a "canteen" and that's exactly what it looks like. It's alfresco, there's nothing fancy about it, the tables don't have tablecloths and you don't know where the kitchen ends and the dining area begins. The more snobbish eaters probably won't be caught dead in a place like this, but I'm so glad we stopped to try it, because OMG the food was just terrific.

First up was the Kani Salad (P110). Because our table was just next to part of the kitchen (without a wall separating us) and we were just a couple of feet away, we had a full and clear view as the dude chopped and prepared it. Tasting it, I was just agog. It was amazing. I would put this up alongside the best Kani Salads from high end Japanese restaurants in Manila. It was just soooo good.

I had the "Gyu Saikoro" (P189) which was beef chunks in onion with mixed vegetables. This, along with several other dishes, is the most expensive item on the menu. Miso Soup (P70) and Java Rice not included. I had their Tenderloin Steak (P99) the other night and it was as every bit as good as the beef in this dish. Very soft, very tasty. The sweet soy based sauce complimented it very well.

I loved the Miso Soup. It's not too salty and it had just the right balance of flavors that I like in a Miso Soup.

Ilyn had the Tori Negi Yakitori (Chicken BBQ) (P49). Yes, FORTY NINE PESOS! Ilyn says it was really REALLY good. She says she would have paid more for an extra stick, but for that price,we thought it was more than worth it!

There are a lot of really inexpensive items on the menu, but the dishes themselves reflect that. Their P99 Tenderloin steak comes with two small, really small medallions of beef. You will definitely find yourself saying "Ang liit naman!!", but at that price, I think it's to be expected. Wait until you taste it though, you'll probably find yourself ordering another one!

In spite of the fact that they have "Sushi Hauz" in their name, they actually don't have any sushi items on the menu. But upon asking, they said they have Tamago and Kani sushi made to order if we wanted. We got the impression that they will start rolling it out soon enough.

It was a very satisfying dinner for Ilyn and me, and it completely erased the horrid experience we had at another place the previous night.

The crew was really friendly and accommodating, but seemed somewhat awkward. We attribute that to the canteen being new and this being probably their first outing running a restaurant. In spite of that, and more importantly, they cook like absolute pros. Yes, they do misspell stuff on their menu ("hauz" is a little cheesy, to be honest) and their decors do leave a lot to be desired, but Ilyn and I both think there's a certain charm to that. But we expect a lot of great things from them and we will be back here often!

This was our second time in this place, having gone again after only two days of trying it for the first time. We went tonight because I thought, man, I just HAVE to write about this place. I love the food here so much that it triggered my restarting this blog again. Last I checked they didn't have any Facebook presence. I really just want to help them find a few more customers. Try it if you're in town and you're not that fussy about where you eat.

YOu Japanese Canteen and Sushi Hauz can be found at the Farmers Bldg, corner of Malvar and A. Fule (Lopez Jaena) Sts., San Pablo City. It's a corner a way from the Mabini side of Central School.

Food Hopping Disaster

The one reason why I really haven't posted here is because my enthusiasm and my appetite for food aren't as healthy lately. I think it came with me being sick a lot the past year. But I'm slowly getting my appetite back up again and I think it's about time I started writing here again.

Sorry, no photos this time, but OMG, I just wanted to talk about the experience we had food hopping tonight. There are lots of new places opening up here in San Pablo City. I, for one, really love that there are a lot of new local businesses opening up. Can't have foreign franchises cornering the entire food market now can we?

With that in mind, I will NOT be mentioning the restaurants we visited tonight because I don't want them to lose any business. Any local business is a precious business. Just because I didn't like their food doesn't mean other people don't as well.

This first resto is quite a popular one, with a large hip following on Facebook. I ordered one of their beef dishes and Ilyn ordered a pork mince dish. It looks nice online, and it looks well, OK, in front of me. With the first bite I'm like... uh, oh. This isn't good. It tastes old. Weird. Not spoiled, just strange. Like it had been cooked days ago. As much as I wanted to finish it, I couldn't. Ilyn had a similar opinion about her pork mince dish. She didn't finish it either. We asked to take the leftovers home. Probably the dogs would like it. No, they didn't. Well, there you go.

Not feeling really satisfied, we wandered to a coffee shop a couple of doors down. Ilyn wanted to have either Americano or drip coffee. I wanted the same, maybe a tea or something. I didn't see any hot tea. So I asked for black gulaman. Not available. Ilyn looked somewhat horrified at the menu as she saw they didn't have either Americano or drip/brewed coffee listed, even though they had things like Espresso, Cappuccino... things like that. Which is just damned weird. Americano is nothing more than Espresso with additional hot water. No, they couldn't do it. We left.

On the way home I bought a dozen Lucban Longganisa along Mabini. At least this won't fail me.

More posts soon!

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant, San Pablo City

A new Japanese restaurant has just opened here in San Pablo within the last couple of months, the Tomoe Japanese Restaurant, Tepanyaki, Sushi, Ramen House. It's on the second floor of the Shell gas station almost across Shakey's restaurant along Maharlika Highway.

Since it's new, of course me and Ilyn just had to check it out. Well, me mostly. I'm the one most excited about Japanese restaurants anyway. This place is far easier for me to access than the other new Japanese place at San Benito near the San Pablo City/Alaminos boundary. It's far easier to commute to and from the place because it's nearer the city proper.

And of course, this may well be the first Teppanyaki restaurant in San Pablo. I had to look up what that means. It means the chef cooks your food in front of you using a large steel plate. The last time I ate at this kind of joint was in Greenhills back in 1995.

There is an inside section with two huge tables which include the cooking plates and an outside section for non-Teppanyaki fare. We prefer to sit outside because it was cooler, specially with the Christmas cool air already coming in. It was a bit hot inside with all the cooking going on. Outside I had a full view of the Teppanyaki chef doing his thing. He's the only one with the full chef get up and he's the only one in red. He's so fascinating to watch. He's quite a showman. Very entertaining. He's sort of a cross between a samurai, a chef and a juggler.

Well, what about the food? Whenever I try a new Japanese restaurant, my order is always pretty standard: The Miso Soup (pictured above) and some kind of Sushi or Sashimi Platter. There wasn't a Sashimi Platter so I ordered the Nigiri Sushi Platter.

It's a nice selection of standard Sushi stuff: Salmon, Tamago, Tuna, Crab, Shrimp, some kind of roe, which I haven't seen on any Sushi platter before.

The Miso Soup was better than most I've tried. It captured the perfect balance of flavors that I prefer in Miso soups. The serving was also quite ample. It was actually enough for two people.

All in all I enjoyed the meal. The waiters were very attentive. I've really got nothing to complain about.

However, I did eat my sushi the way I wanted it, and not the way some Sushi etiquette police may want me to eat it. Yeah, so I made a thick soup of my soy sauce and wasabe dib. Yeah, so I dipped my sushi RICE SIDE DOWN. I dipped the sushi in there so long the rice was DRENCHED in it. I then ate it whole, pulled my head back and enjoyed the amazing wasabe jolt that streaks through my nostrils. An amazingly intense experience! Do I offend your delicate culinary sensibilities? Well, what do YOU care? Why does ANYONE care? This is my private space, my private time. Stop getting in my face please! I'll eat my sushi the way I want to!

So there!

So yeah! Tomoe Japanese Restaurant! I'm definitely coming back and try the Teppanyaki!

Satori Japanese Restaurant, San Benito, Alaminos

SATORI, a new Japanese restaurant just opened in San Benito, just a few steps from the San Pablo boundary next to Honda San Pablo. I'm always excited when a new restaurant opens. I'm even more excited when it's a Japanese restaurant because I just love Japanese food! Yes, there have been a few Japanese type restaurants in (or near) San Pablo before, but although they were just OK, to be honest, they're just not worth writing about. But Satori is, so here we are.

The first thing I ordered was their Miso Soup, and then their Sashimi platter, which they call "Sashimi Moriawase" (Mixed Sashimi). Based on their menu, this platter should contain Norweigan pink salmon, tamago, sea urchin, crab stick and tiger prawns. The menu didn't say, but there's tuna in there as well. Price was P360 for the platter. As sashimi platters go, this was on the less expensive side (compared to other Japanese restaurants in Manila).  The salmon and tuna were just excellent. They're of course, my favorite sashimi cut. The sea urchin was rather curious. I've had sea urchin before at Haru Sushi Bar in Kapitolyo, and it looked nothing like the sea urchin in this platter. I remember it being really disgustingly slimy like brain matter. But it tasted delicious. I assume the sea urchin in this platter is the one on the far right, which is kind of a dried, preserved version I think. Not as delicious. But just OK. Could it have been eel instead? I don't know. That's what I get for the price I guess, so that's just all right. All in all, I was very satisfied with it.

I also loved their Miso Soup. Not too salty. Not as subtle as I would like, but it's better than most I've had.

Ilyn was with me and she ordered the Beef Curry toppings. She has an issue with the presentation of it, insisting that when a dish is called "toppings" it should be in a rice bowl with the toppings on top. This was on a plate with the toppings on the side. It's cosmetic, of course, but sometimes, presentation does affect your enjoyment of it. Personally, I didn't like the look of this. It should have been better if it had been in a bowl as toppings, or maybe the rice and curry be served in separate bowls. Taste wise, she said it was just OK.

Me, I don't go to Japanese restaurants for curry. It's the raw fish that makes or breaks it for me. I wouldn't mind going back here for another round. If you're looking for the best Japanese restaurant in the San Pablo area, this is definitely it.

Looking around online for other reviews of this restaurant, I came upon this blog. They said when they went there, they were given free soup while they waited for their order. What? Really? We didn't get any. Was it kind of an opening promo? I really don't know. It's just interesting to note. Reading through their blog entry, they got OTHER free stuff. WTF. We're definitely missing out.

Chawarma at Algiers, Algeria

Ilyn and I recently had an opportunity to travel abroad. We visited two countries, Algeria and France. Being food nuts we were excited at the opportunity to try authentic dishes from both countries.

In Algeria we stayed at the Hotel Safir, which is known as an "International" hotel, As such, they normally serve international cuisine. We were in Algeria for a comics festival and our meals there were "set" meals. Meaning, what they give you, that's what you eat. For the most part, they served attempts at international cuisine. Steaks, pasta, all all that kind of stuff. And honestly, they weren't really that good.

Ilyn and I decided that if we ever want to taste authentic Algerian food, we have to go out of the hotel and eat where the locals eat.

So during our last day in Algiers we went for a walk and found this place that had this familiar vertical meat spit. Here in the Philippines that meant "shawarma".

I thought, hey, I have to see what shawarma in Algeria tastes like! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the name of the restaurant, but I did see a big sign inside the store that said "CHAWARMA", so I guess that's what they call that there.

Algerian people speak French and a local native language, none of which I know. So it was pretty difficult to communicate. But all I did was point to the spit, and the dude (pictured above) immediately knew we wanted to eat. We proceeded to sit at one of the tables. The dude approached us and asked us what we wanted and we said well, "Chawama".... and he was making all these kinds of gesticulations with his hand and saying stuff we don't understand. Apparently, he's asking us something specific about what we wanted. He was drawing circles in the air and my best solution is to just say yes to everything.

He then asked us to move and transfer to another table. I didn't understand at first why. Then we moved to another table. And then he asked us to move again. I was scratching my head at this point because he was pointing us towards the wall. He wanted us to go to the wall? What?

And then I saw that next to the wall was a very small stairway going downstairs. They wanted us to go downstairs? But why? I hesitated for a moment, and then I went ahead downstairs... and then I understood. The downstairs area was airconditioned. Ah OK.

We were all alone downstairs in this basement dining area for a while before the dude brought us our food. And it was on a plate. Apparently, they serve chawarma two ways. On a bread or on a plate. That was what he was tying to ask us earlier. When he drew circles in the air, he was drawing a plate. So when I said yes, he understood that to mean we wanted our chawarma on a plate.

That was just fine. We loved all the little side dishes that came with it! There were beets, olives, carrots, cucumber, pickles, chopped cabbage, fries, and well, mayonnaise. They don't use that creamy and spicy garlic sauce that we use over here.

And man, the meat was just incredibly nice and flavorful. Ilyn and I both loved it. And the side dishes complimented the meat perfectly. It was one of the best meals I've had in Algeria. We took our time eating it because it was quite a lot! I was already full halfway through. Computing it to our money here in the Philippines, one set of the plated Chawarma  and Fanta drink amounted to something like P250 pesos, but it's definitely worth it! Specially since it came with a complimentary plate or bread.

More food adventures in Algeria and France coming soon!