Food for comfort

Eat and be merry! Christmas. For you'll never know if you'll continue to be happy... New Year. Or you don't have money to eat out and your fridge is stocked with only water, maybe some ice. Ice baybeh. Enough of the corn! Here are places I've eaten at recently and which you may also want to check out. Or not.

First up, Bigby's. Tried this resto back in Cebu. All I could remember was that the fried chicken serving was huge and pretty affordable. So when I saw that a branch opened at Megamall, I had to try it again. Here's their placemat. We ordered some pork.
And beef.
And chicken. Which we returned for additional frying because a bit of blood oozed out of the white meat. Eee-double-u! The meal was ok. Big enough serving and yes still very affordable.
Hop on to Secret Recipe at Shangri-la. Here's their menu.
I had mango shake and some water to drink.
And chicken cordon. The chicken and the meat filling were tough. The rice was, like, cooked and then microwaved to heat again so... For it's price range, not recommended. My opinion.
And then over at Shoppesville, replacing Pilita Corrales' oldies hub, is Flapjacks. Heard about it over the radio. Am a fan of pancakes. Not that huge. But enough to want to try it. So there I was, ordered two plates! (I was hungry that time.) Sidenote: I didn't get why there were stuffed teddies at the counter... Hmm, there's a small standee at the left side I wasn't able to read...
My first plate- ultimate breakfast. (I was there 8PM.)
And I also ordered omelette with sausage and cheese.
And my friend ordered (um) Pineapple ham and egg. With java rice. I think. Anyway, I was so full after that dinner.
And most recently, I was at Shangri-la again and two resto's down from Secret Recipe is Steaktown. It has to be related to House of Minis because they have the same style of serving a complete meal from salad to soup to main to ice cream. Only Steaktown seems to be pricier.
I didn't touch the soup of the day- tomato. I picked up apple cubes from the salad bar.
And I had peppered steak. It was good but not that good. I didn't even finish it.
So, I hope that whetted your appetite a bit. If you eat at these establishments, leave a comment if you liked it there or not. And I'll continue posting my dining experiences too.

My ratings: (Just my opinion and based on my experience and the food that I ate at the establishment)
Bigby's Megamall - 3.5 out of 5. Worth going to. Ok for pig-out or "cowboy" dates.
Sexret Recipe Shangri-la - 2.5 out of 5. Pricey. Not outstanding. Ok for trying-to-impress dates.
Flapjacks Greenhills - 3 out of 5. Pricey. Filling. Ok for buddies hanging out or pigging out.
Steaktown Shangri-la - 2.5 out of 5. Pricey. Not outstanding. Ok for parents.

Overnight at Astoria Plaza

So I got a couple of free overnight stays at Astoria and we used it for a special occasion early December... It was supposed to be a one-bedroom suite but we got upgraded to a two-bedroom suite instead. The lock system was "hi-tech"- first time I saw and used this kind of key-lock system using some sort of laser-light key. And upon entry, to the left was the dining room...To the front is the living room with a small office space...
The kitchen to the right of the main door...
The bathroom in the master's bedroom has a tub!
The second bedroom with two single beds...
And then of course the bigger bed in the master's bedroom...
Great accommodations. Good breakfast selection. Nice courteous service. There's a pool we didn't use but we did use their gym (heavier weights, I thought). All in all, we had a very nice time at Astoria Plaza in Ortigas. It really is like a home already and not just a hotel room! Go try it out!

Food Trip!

So first we go to Katipunan where we find Cravings. Across Ateneo Gate 1 and alongside McDonalds, the building it's housed in has been there since, um,... Before 1987? Oh, you wouldn't get it. I must've eaten there only twice before. My third time- we had dinner there, a month or so ago. Here's their table setting. And the drinks that we ordered: Mango shake, iced tea, and water.
And they have this promo- when you ordered a specific item on the menu, it comes with buffet salad! And there I was, the non-vegetarian.
Last month, friends from the office and I went around the Quiapo, Divisoria, and Binondo areas to look for small give-away trinkets for our Department's Town-hall meeting. For lunch we went to this Chinese restaurant in a two-story apartment building, much like how Aysee's is in Pasig.
The food was quite affordable so we sort of binged. And it was my first time tasting cua-pao! Nobody told me before it was like the siopao bread without any filling!
My companions also ordered chicken feet. Obviously, I didn't try it. Dessert was a Baker's Fair square, warm treat that I forgot the name of. No, it isn't hopia. Aargh! But I know I've tasted it before and I've seen a Baker's Fair at Greenhills too.
On to Metrowalk where a new restaurant has sprung up since I was last there. Carlo's Pizza.
There's the menu cover... And here are a couple of wrapped hotdogs. Unique, huh? :) Tasty too!
Fried Mozzarella.
Lasagna that's in an unconventional round dish.
My drink - mango shake. Gives you an idea of what my favorite drink is...
The wall decor across our table...
Pizza with chicken slices...
And still nearer to where I live, an Ice Cream store! I'll visit again after the recording sessions...
They also serve pizza. No they don't sell the Sto. Nino statuettes.
Different kinds of ice cream... on a stick, in a cup, in a cone, sundaes...
Not called the Ice Cream Store for nothing. Ice Cream store - along P.Tuazon, left side of the road when you're headed east.

Joey vs. Juanita

Joey Pepperoni
Pioneer, Mandaluyong
Here's a shot of the menu. Food is good and affordable. The staff are friendly and accommodating . Some of their items though (rice meals) you'd have to wait a little longer for (well, that time that our project team went there - maybe there was a queue, it was, after all, lunch time).A left-over brown bag doubles as lamp cover...
And wall paintings look like they're watching you eat... (One, two, three, four, five foreheads!)
Carbonara, bread, and chicken fingers...
Meatballs...
And pesto pasta...
We went back on a date and ordered salad, pasta, and pizza, and had a nice time again. Since we were repeat customers and we had this flyer, we were given a free dessert - cherry on vanilla ice cream on a brownie. Yummy!

Cafe Juanita
Kapitolyo, Pasig
Their table setting.
Everywhere are decor upon decor that are also for sale.
Here's a nice spot on the second floor for lovebirds. :)
But our project team came for the food so... here's fried lapu-lapu...
And adobo... They thoroughly enjoyed the cassava cake!
I was content with the free food :) But I just might come back on August 2? :)

Anyway, both restaurants are very nice to take your special someone to. More affordable at Joey's. But if you're after a unique experience, go to Juanita's. Although, after you've been there once, I don't know... unless you got served something you think you'll never get tired of or will never find anywhere else, then treat yourself and your partner. But now that times are a bit rough, with food prices sky-rocketing alongside fuel prices, and with the push to hold back on rice consumption, it may be a good idea to try to save some.

My personal choice- I'd eat at Joey's more than at Juanita's.

Spiral vs. Seven Corners

The dinner was just exquisite! Tons of food to choose from! Food from all around the world! Great setting, great service, and the drinks are free. Well, you pay a hefty sum though. But it's oh so worth it, specially if you're celebrating an anniversary or monthsary or a graduation or a proposal even. This place is highly recommended! Better start saving up for next year's super special date. And you can lay off breakfast and lunch on that day and just binge during dinner. Which isn't very nice to see when you're with someone whom you're not married to (yet). Best behavior first. But seriously, I don't think you'll be able to not control yourself when everyone else around you is properly eating their dinners, and it's not like they'll run out of food. Just note they supposedly close the kitchen up at midnight.

SPIRAL @ SOFITEL PHILIPPINE PLAZA in Manila
Type of cuisine : International
Opening hours : 06:00 - 00:00

Air conditioning
Non smoking area

Head Chef, Mr Christian WERDENBERG

There's not as much food during lunch as during dinner they said. There were at that time a lot of decorations near the 'kitchens' or 'corner' which there are seven, of course where they serve different cuisine until you reach the 7th corner where the desserts are - homemade ice cream that you can opt to have mixed 'japanese style'. I'll just have it in scoops, thank you. There being a minimal selection, this restaurant looked like a spruced up cafeteria minus the trays. And the cost is almost as expensive as in other 5-star hotels/restaurants. Hmm... Oh, there was a band playing though. They were pretty ok.SEVEN CORNERS Restaurant
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel - 3rd Level , Ortigas, Pasig City
Serves: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Type of cuisine : International

Hands-down and get-eating winner: Spiral.