Business Set Lunch Offerings at Vask Tapas Room, Bonifacio Global City, Philippines

Lunch menus are all the rage nowadays. Restaurants offer "tasting menus" or set lunches which are smaller servings of their ala carte dishes, so you don't actually get to save money since you get what you pay for (they cut back on the serving sizes) and sometimes even less. We fell into that same trap when we saw Vask Tapas Room offering a 3-course business lunch set. Thinking that perhaps this place would be a bit different and it would be nice to try out a new place; we decided to schedule our lunch here.

At the lobby, we found some interesting sculptures.

Vask is located at the 5th floor of the Clipp Center which is easily accessible by elevator.

We made reservations for 12:30pm but seeing the place almost empty even during lunch time when we arrived, it was apparent that there was no need to. One advantage of that is I get to take better looking pictures of the place.

The walls were covered with interesting fixtures and the ceiling too was eye catching.

Here's a shot of their lunch menu*.

#FoodStarsAtUptownMall: FlatIron 1771 Restaurant, Uptown Mall, BGC, Taguig City, Philippines

We've had our eye on this place since the first time we were at Uptown Mall. Its black & white facade vies for your attention while the large windows lets you have an unobstructed view of what's going on inside the restaurant. Curiosity kicked in and we soon found ourselves pushing open those big red doors.

Flatiron 1771 Restaurant, Uptown Mall

A server greets you with a smile and ushers you to your seat. The couch looked inviting but were all unfortunately occupied. I was able to get a good shot of the area midway through our meal.

Just in case you weren't handed a menu, they adorned their wall with large framed boards highlighting their best sellers.

They kept it simple with their one-paged menu. We decided to skip on appetizers and went straight for their entrees. Upon our server's recommendation, we got the Flatiron Brisket 6 and the Lamb Shank.

Table Shot

We had them tweak it to our preference. The Flatiron Brisket 6 originally comes with brown rice and slaw on the side; we had them change it to fries & mashed potatoes. After taking the customary table shot, it was now time to eat.

Burgers and Wings at Sweet Ecstasy, Uptown Parade, BGC, Philippines

I've had it with those patties piled high with "extenders" (tomatoes, mayo, cheese, cucumbers), leaving you feeling full with no memory of the beef. Sometimes, you just need to sink your teeth into a good-old-fashion burger with less the trimmings.  

Sweet Ecstasy, Uptown Parade Taguig

Order window

Here's how no frills this place is; once you step up inside you'll see this takeout window that acts as their order counter. But don't worry, they cook your food as you order so you get them hot off the grill.

After having our fill of their "unique" interiors, our orders arrived. 

#FoodStarsAtUptownMall: Cowboy Grub at Texas Roadhouse, Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines

My feed has been filling up with alerts from the newly opened Texas Roadhouse in Uptown Mall. As luck would have it, we were invited to a birthday celebration on the week of its opening.

Due to its soft opening, phone lines were either down or no one was answering hence we were forced to go without a reservation.  Wisely used the time taking pictures while we waited to be seated.

To keep us from losing our cool ('coz they were really making us wait a long time), they began serving their complementary wares.

.... and I must say, they should've served this earlier. These freshly baked bread rolls with cinnamon butter is enough to cool off any hot heads in sight. I couldn't stop raving about this and our dinner was yet to start.  Food-Stars Tip: Ask for a butter knife for spreading the butter since they don't serve it with one. Here's a little incident that happened to us. One of the managers who apparently didn't want to go back to the kitchen & get one told us to use the ones on the table instead. When we unwrapped the napkins, the knife he was talking about was bigger than the rolls 'coz it was a steak knife. I would've understood if that was the same case for everyone but our other table got a butter knife. Tsk tsk. Tamad 101. I just asked for one from a server instead. 

#FoodStarsAtUptownMall: Getting the VIP Treatment at the VIP Cinema, Uptown Mall, Taguig, Philippines

When going out for a movie date, there are 2 things to remember: (1) Choosing the right kind of movie is the key to a fun time; and (2) Being with someone special or at least with someone you like is also a must. For this particular Friday, I was going out with Hubby & we were watching Captain America's Civil War so I was already good on both points.

Remember our Uptown Place Cinema Review? Well, for this time around we were in for a special treat, a VIP one to be exact. 

Food-Stars Tip: Going a day before to buy the tickets is a good idea to avoid getting bumped off by a block screening. They also offer online reservations just visit this website. 

They were still kinda strict about letting people in the cinema, their 5 minute rule before showtime still stands. With our 20 minute idle time, we decided to walk around the mall...

..which alas took only about 10 minutes. A lot of shops were still under construction and with the restaurants in the open-air part of the mall, it was too hot to explore. 

With nothing else to do, we went to the food counter to start on our popcorn binge because when you get tickets for their VIP cinemas.....

..... you get UNLIMITED popcorn & sodas!!! ;p

#FoodStarsAtUptownMall: Movie Night Upgrade at Uptown Cinemas, Uptown Mall, Taguig, Philippines

We knew that the battle between Batman & Superman (Dawn of Justice) had to be watched at some place special. Heard of this new mall that offers state-of-the-art surround sound & uncrowded viewing.  

Welcome to Uptown Mall, a new mall venture by Megaworld which promises luxe viewing pleasures with their upscale cinemas.

We were there for their VIP cinema (Php 520) which offers reclining couple chairs plus unlimited popcorn & soda at a push of the button; but was sadly unavailable due to a block screening. We ended up with Cinema 1 which offered Dolby Atmos Sound with free medium-sized popcorn (Php 320).

Chinese Monday at Zong, Fort Square Plaza Bonifacio Global City

It's been ages since we've had Chinese so we were happy to learn that in BGC, there was this restaurant getting rave reviews for their Yang Chow. We're always on the lookout for yummy Yang Chow and only a few has made it on our list. 

Tonight, we were hoping that Zong would be a new addition.

Zong, The Fort Strip BGC

 We made good time (C & L was right behind us) even with the wrong directions given by the staff. Hay.

Table Setting

Simple & plain are the first things that come into mind; none of the usual Asian fixtures or decors. Honestly, the place didn't look Chinese.

NPA: Red Velvet at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Bonifacio High Street

Cooling off our heels at Bonifacio High Street gave us a chance to try out Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Red Velvet Series.

Red Velvet Ice Blended Large (Php 185)

Whip Cream lovin'

The vision of blush pink with white foamy whipped cream on top was simply exquisite. 

FS Verdict?

STAY FAR AWAY from Roboto San, The Fort BGC

FoodStars always aim to give a fair & true account of our dining experiences. It is therefore our duty to inform our readers & the public about our unfortunate experience at Roboto San, The Fort Bonifacio Global City, our new NEVER EVER GO-TO PLACE. 

The place was packed that fateful Sunday night. Servers in space suits and television screens showing fan favorite robot shows, namely Astroboy, Voltes Five and Mazinger Z. With the white on white walls & interiors, they were trying to give off the Japanese vibe, with little success.  I'm still a bit confused how ROBOTS = OUTER SPACE. 0_o

Moving on... Roboto San's wares were displayed along the center of the restaurant. They encourage own cooking here, with tables equipped with its own grill. After getting some of their choice meats & seafood, it was time to unleash the mini-chef in us. The night started off without a hitch. 

We spoke too soon.

Lunch-ing Out at Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino, BGC

With the blistering sun on our backs, we drove to Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino for lunch. We were in the mood for Filipino cuisine & we couldn't wait to taste Laudico's creations.

Bistro Filipino, BGC

By 12nn, we were already in front of the glass entrance of Bistro Filipino.

Flower Power

Mirror Mirror

As you enter, you'll see these HUGE centerpieces. Bistro Filipino was favoring interiors that were massive in size.

Of Pen and Paper at Elias, BGC Makati

Dinner with the in-laws was becoming a regular thing. Every week brings new food adventures & more quality time; which can't be anything but a good thing... sorta like hitting 2 birds with one stone. :) This particular Thursday night, our taste buds led us to a new place to try out, Elias at Bonifacio High Street Central.

Darn Electric Fan!

Elias at Bonifacio High Street Central

With a live band in the middle of the grounds, Bonifacio High Street Central was crawling with people. The rows of restaurants were filled with diners & patron, enjoying this refreshing cool night.  At last, we were in front of the expanse of Elias. With the tagline "Turn of the Century Filipino Dining", we couldn't wait to put that to the test.

RR Part 3: Caffe Puccini, The Fort Strip

Now for Part 3 of the Caffe Puccini experience. For a recap of the other two visits, click below.


Part One
Part Two


Date: March 15, 2012
Time: 9pm


The bad service we had the last visit here was still fresh in our minds. We were now armed and ready for the rudeness to come. We called ahead and made reservations for 9pm. Surprised to hear the accommodating & friendly voice on the other end. The night was definitely off to a good start.

Other Entrance

When we arrived, they led us to our table. Once seated, they readily handed us the menus and did not make a fuss that we were using a voucher. This was such a far cry from the previous servers we had. Thumbs up for that!

RR Part 2: Caffe Puccini, Global City Taguig

A long overdue RR of Caffe Puccini. This is the 2nd of 3 reviews. To be fair, we will be posting the 3rd & most recent visit soon.


Part One
Part Three


Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Time: 7:30pm

FS Note: Voucher-holders beware, the Puccini staff looks down on people who use coupons. Once you sit down, you'll experience firsthand that the servers are unfriendly & unhelpful. Also, they take their sweet time bringing service water. They made us feel so uncomfortable when they thought that we were only getting the pizza deal. It also took them forever to bring out the bread basket. Tsk tsk.

Lasagna Di Ragu (Php 385)

Being the beef lovers that we are, we took a chance and tried this dish out. Sadly, what came out was this small dish that looked unappetizing. After the first bite, it was enough to conclude that Puccini's version of Beef Lasagna had nothing special to offer. Sigh.