UP's Pride: Tapsilog Meal from Rodic's Food Express

Rodic's Tapsilog

I remember watching a tv show featuring some famous foods found in UP Diliman campus. So when a cousin of mine who's very much familiar with the ins and outs of UP, went with me one afternoon to specifically enroll a fellow cousin of ours for her Bar exam review, she invited me for an early dinner at one of the campus famous eateries. We walked passed a hallway of small shops until we stopped at Rodic's Food Express.  

Singapore's Hainanese Delights in the Philippines

Hainanese Chicken

For those seeking to try an authentic and affordable Singaporean cuisine, I suggest trying Hainanese Delights. This restaurant offers the best Hainanese dishes in town. 

Hainanese Delights started in 2011, so they're fairly new in the mainstream market but branches had been popping like mushrooms all over the metro. A testament that Singaporean dishes especially their signature Hainanese chicken appeals to the Filipino's sweet palate.  

Ensogo Deal: Deep Dark Chocolate Cake from Chocolat

Featured in Spot.ph's Top 10 Chocolate Cakes in Manila, Chocolat has surely won thousands of chocolate and cake lovers out there. So when Ensogo offered a 50% off deal on Chocolat's chocolate cake, it was surely tempting for my sweet tooth prompting me to immediately click the buy button. Bought the deal last year and it was just this week where I got to finally redeem Chocolat's 6 inch Round Classic Deep Dark Chocolate Cake.

To tell you honestly, their ad picture was enough to make me click that "buy" button which I planned to redeem at their SM Mall of Asia branch. Php305 value which I purchased for only Php150. The cake needs to be reserved 3 days prior to redemption. I have tried their red velvet cupcake before so I have high hopes for their signature chocolate cake.

As expected, Chocolat delivered to the voucher's promise. It was moist chocolate cake thickly draped with satiny fudge frosting. Simplicity has its classic way of proving that less is more.  

moist slice of their classic dark chocolate cake 

(photo from their Facebook page)

Thanks Ensogo and Chocolat for bringing us this tempting treat.

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Sidetrip: Late Lunch at Mushroomburger

Mushrooms hold a special place in my heart as it paved way for a family business to grow, thus not only filling our tummies with good healthy beverages but also our wallets. Sure, I love the taste of our favorite coffees made from red mushroom but it was only late last year I got to taste a couple of local dishes inspired by mushroom. Meet MushroomBurger.

Burger rice meal

Sagada's Flavourful Pinikpikan

When traveling to Sagada, make sure to taste this province's interesting and controversial cuisine called Pinikpikan.

Pinikpikan is a popular specialty in the Cordillera region. What makes it unique is the way its chicken part is cooked. It is prepared by beating the live chicken with a stick before actually cooking it, sometimes calling the process 'killing me softy". The brutal process however, as they say gives that unique flavor to the dish.

We ordered a bowl of pinkpikan with etag or smoked pork from Cafe Bodega, Rock Inn's in-house restaurant. For Php220 and can be shared with 2-3 persons, it's a memorable foodie experience. My personal take? It tastes like a salty tinola with the smokey chunk of not-too-soft ham. That's how I would describe the taste.

Adobo Connection

Adobo dishes

I was able to try dining at the newly opened Adobo Connection in their SM Sta. Rosa Branch. I insisted mom to take our lunch there, just a week after they opened. They're finally here in Laguna at last!

Like most Filipinos, I am a self confessed adobo freak. For me it's a staple next to rice. I couldn't live without eating an adobo dish within a week. In fact, it's the very first traditional Filipino meal I learned to cook in High School. Since then, I experiemented a couple of ingredients that could complement the traditional taste.

Joey Pepperoni's Groupon Offer

Few days ago, I was finally able to redeem my second Groupon purchase. A Joey Pepperoni meal at 50% off. The voucher values at Php685 but lucky me only paid Php90 because I was given an exclusive Php250 credit voucher for my last product purchase. Im not really into group buying sites as I read a lot of negative feedbacks from online customers, plus I too, experience a whopping 3 months worth of waiting just to get my first purchase. But that Php250 credit was just too tempting to use, and I'm glad I did click that Buy Now! button :)

I guess restaurant offers are a lot easier to redeem than buying actual products and travel deals, cheap food offers like this is less risky in my opinion.

Pinoy Toppings and their huge rice servings

I went to my sister's school in Manila a few days back, paid the necessary school fees and then invited her for lunch. I asked her to show me an affordable student friendly food outlet. I wanted to know where kids nowadays eat and SM Foodcourt at SM Manila offers a good venue. My sister although quite slender has the tummy of a construction worker. And having learned she hadn't eaten breakfast yet just doubles the need for extra bites. Being a concerned citizen ate that I am, I opted to give her a plateful of Filipino rice meal, so there she pulled me to the Pinoy Toppings store front.

Family Dinner at Kenny Rogers Roasters

It was drizzling when we walked out of Manila Hotel. My brothers and sister will be waiting for us from SM Manila right after school, we'll be having dinner to celebrate my brother's passing on the Licensure Exam for Architecture. I was already half full because of a plateful of Chinese dimsums served from the oathtaking ceremony but I was also yearning to enjoy a good dinner. Not having much choice at SM Manila, we decided to dine at Kenny Rogers Roasters. It was definitely one of those dinners we'll surely remember.

All Vegetable Salad with mashed potato and chicken noodle soup

Lunch Out: Affordable Steak at Slice N' Dice

Slice N Dice Meals

Out for lunch one Monday, we decided to try dining in a restaurant we haven't tried before. My treat and Slice N' Dice seems to be a pretty good option. The P99 Steak meals poster at their picture window surely looks tempting.

SM Manila's Affordable Casa Reyes

Last month, mom, sister Hannah and I decided to do a do-it-yourself type of day tour covering MV Logos Hope, Intramuros and Luneta. Right after her class, Hannah met us at SM Manila and three of us took our lunch there. My sister recommended an affordable place where students from schools nearby frequented, Casa Reyes. True enough most of the customers there where college students and the menu sure looks promising with splash of colors from java rice and grilled barbeque sitting on top of striking black plate.

Lunch Out: Palawan's Badjao Seafront Restaurant

Palawan: Badjao Seafront Restaurant

Just like KaLui, Badjao Seafront Restaurant is included in my must-see places in Palawan. I have been reading good reviews about how interesting the place is and I wanted to check it out myself. So for our last day in Palawan, I recommended that we eat here. After hearing that the setting provides great view and great food, they agreed and after hours of shopping for pearls, we drive our way to a more off beaten track in Abueg Road.

Balinsasayaw's Bird's Nest Soup

Bird's Nest Soup from Palawan

When in Palawan, sip a bowl of Bird's nest soup from Balinsasayaw Chicken Grill and Restaurant. Tagged as the world's most expensive soup and "caviar of the east", this no ordinary bird's nest soup comes from the saliva of male swiflets locally known as balinsasayaw. The soup is believed to have numerous health benefits from boosting the immune system to slowing down the aging process. 

Inside Palawan's Famous KaLui Restaurant: Dining in Barefoot

KaLui Restaurant in Palawan may probably be the most famous food choice of any local and tourist alike. Those who've tasted and dined in this humble "home-feel" abode with interesting "Filipino inspired" interior which requires every customer to leave off their shoes and dine barefoot would surely attest to the restaurant's  unique dining experience, a must try for for any Palawan adventurers.

Healthy Breakfast from Pancake House

Salmon cakes with brown rice tabbouleh

Before embarking on a 5-day incentive trip to Malaysia, our group decided to have our breakfast at the Pancake House in NAIA Terminal 3. We were given a budget of about Php200 each we can use anywhere at the Airport. Wanting to try something new and a healthier meal, I decided to order their Salmon cakes with brown rice tabbouleh, the photo on their menu reminds me of my Fish Frikadelle. Their description goes like this - crunchy salmon cakes topped with alfalfa sprouts, served on a spread of brown rice tabbouleh with dill mayo and chopped parsley priced at P185. Just right within my budget.

Roast Beef Special

Alas, it was too bland for my taste, probably because it has less salt. But I'm glad someone in the group ordered Caramel banana walnut pancakes, now that's heaven on the plate.

Chic-Boy: There's a new chic in town!

Chic-Boy's Lechon Sisig

Hey Mang Inasal, watch out for the new chic in town!

Unlimited Rice, inasal fanatics and college students from Manila area have probably heard and tried this new dine in restaurant offering a not-so-new grilled concept but this one provides a wider range of Filipino inspired menu and better tastier meals. I kept on hearing about Chic-Boy since last year from my cousin who have been telling me to try this another inasal restaurant. Given the fact that there are good inasal-unli rice resto competitions out there, Chic-Boy is still making waves in the food and beverage industry that it has currently grown fast into 71 dine in stores to date and 46 more on the way since it first opened on May of 2010.

Dinner at Giligan's

Fun memorable Friday the 13th Dinner at Gilligan's

Just exactly a week after a successful High School reunion, I tapped into my circle of college friends for a much needed dinner meet up at the SM Mall of Asia. It has been 8 long years since we've last seen each other but surprisingly, the fun connection was still there. Our initial plan was to have dinner at Gerry's Grill Blue Wave-Macapagal branch but ended up at the seaside boulevard of MOA at Giligan's Island Restaurant and Bar instead.

Brownies Unlimited

coffee shake and sambos from Brownies Unlimited

Despite all the inconveniences I experienced last December, it's hard not to survive the human traffic during a holiday rush especially when there are a number of good stores out there that simply comforts our tired shopaholic selves. I found Brownies Unlimited to be truly helpful. Their store located near the boundary of SM Makati and Glorietta was a good spot to take a rest and enjoy a good merienda break just like what I did together with my bakasyunista aunt Bing. 

Tokyo Tokyo Meal for Two

Tokyo Tokyo's Bento

After a series of posts about Malaysian dishes, let me share with you my recent lunch date with my youngest sister this time at a Japanese inspired restaurant - Tokyo Tokyo! We dined at their SM Sta. Rosa branch. Ok, I'm not a rice person so the thought of being served with unlimited rice which is fast becoming a famous  marketing strategy of a lot of local food chains today doesn't appeal to me that much - dahil lugi ako! Lol! But my sister insisted!

Jollibee: Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Jollibee's Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Went to Manila last week and felt the craziness and stress of the holiday rush. There's heavy traffic on the road and human traffic inside malls, making it too dreadful even for a former-city girl like me. I waited for a friend at Landmark and decided to kill time at the foodcourt until I chanced upon Jollibee's newest offering (not highly commercialized though) Chicken and Mushroom Pasta. It looks promising as per their poster and it sets me up for a high expectation. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver much for me, nothing memorable and would personally stick to their signature meat spaghetti dish.