Catching Up at Mango Tree, Bonifacio High Street Central Taguig

December; the month of holiday cheer, gift giving and of course... eating! :9 

 It's always nice to meet and catch up with friends; tonight was no exception. 

Mango Tree. Bonifacio High Street Central

Hmmmm... with a tagline like that, expectations were definitely through the roof.

Let's see how they fare.

With the high ceiling & long curtains adorning the windows, Mango Tree managed to convey a touch of class and elegance. 

RR: Kuya's at The Fort, Fort Bonifacio Taguig

As much as possible, we give restaurants second chances. So here's our Revisited Review for Kuya's.

For our first visit, click here.

As our usual, we made reservations. The person on the other line (Art) accepted our reservation and confirmed the details. 

Kuya's at the Fort

We arrived by 8:10pm to a full house. Okay... so what happened to our reservation? What was the point of accepting reservations if you're not going to reserve the place for us? Tsk tsk. It seemed that this Second Chance visit was starting off badly.

Talking to the waiter led to nowhere. No one can tell me what happened to my reservation plus that the indoor section was reserved for the night. Yup, Art didn't even tell us that the non-smoking area was already full. Another misstep. 

What was more frustrating? Someone (who later on turned to be the owner's son Jed) arrogantly kept on repeating this statement "Yes, you should've been informed but I'm not going to give you a place inside since there's a party. You can stay here outside instead."

Points for clarification. 

Number One: Yes Jed, we should've been informed. Admitting that we should've been informed was a step in the right direction. But insisting that you can't do anything about it and saying that we should just deal with it? This was a huge step backwards.

Number Two: Next time, I suggest that you introduce yourself first. I was talking to your arrogant waiter when you suddenly butted in. Sorry, that's just bad manners. Plain and simple.

Join the Club at Kanin Club, Ayala Triangle Gardens Makati

Nestled among the food restos in Ayala Triangle Gardens; we were able to try this little gem of a place out. 

Kanin Club, Ayala Triangle Gradens

With it's nipa hut exterior; the Filipino vibe was certainly alive in this place. The multi-colored panels on the windows were also a nice touch.

VMS: J. Co Donuts & Coffee at Greenbelt 3 Makati

Walking around Greenbelt to shed a few of the calories from the Capriocciosa dinner, we chanced upon this establishment. Been hearing a lot about their bestselling "Alcapone", I didn't pass on the chance to try it out.

J.Co Donuts and Coffee

Logo

Brown and orange seems to be the ongoing theme. The interiors inside looked pretty much like any other coffee shops around the metro.

Italian Dinner at Capricciosa, Greenbelt 3 Makati

There's no better way to start the week than some family bonding. Travelling from QC to Makati at rush hour is no easy feat. Thanks shobs! :p

Capricciosa, Greenbelt 3

Christmas was really in the air. From the outside to inside, Capricciosa was ready for 'Ol Saint Nick. 

Dinner Fail at Kuya's at The Fort, Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

This is going to be a 2-part review of Kuya's / Jed & Julian's at The Fort.

For Part Two, click here.

The place was way farther than expected. We were hoping that the food was well worth the long drive and traffic at McKinley.

This sign made my heart flutter; you had me at Kare Kare. Seems like this was going to be a Good Eat.

Made reservations for their non-smoking area. Brown chairs + white tablecloth  worked well. This color scheme helped make the place look classy.

Menu Art

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?

VMS: Roast Beef at SM Makati Grocery

Read about this in one of the forums on the net so for dinner, we decided to have the driver order this for takeout.  

The styrofoam had no print, stickers or any frills; which was how I expected it to be. Plain, white, clean; nothing more nothing less.  

Roast Beef (Php 218)

This is one whole order of Roast Beef. We actually wanted the one with rice (Php 60); but this wasn't offered in this particular branch. Looks delicious; can't wait to dig in.

Time Out at Tokyo Cafe SM The Block, Quezon City

To pass time (while waiting for the family to finish their fitting for the upcoming wedding), we found ourselves walking around SM The Block. 

With stomachs growling, we began hunting for new places to try. Nothing caught our fancy so we ate at one of our previous food haunts.

Welcome to Tokyo Cafe at SM The Block.

Tokyo Cafe, SM The Block

It was just as we remembered; bright and laid back. One slight problem, their A/C was on the fritz. On a hot & humid afternoon, this was not a good mix.

Katsu-Ju (Php 250)

Wanting to try something new, I had one of their Bento meals. Served in this quaint black lacquered dish pan, I slowly opened the cover.... drumroll please.... 

BI Review: Kitchen's Best Dessert-All-You-Can, The Fort Makati

While checking our email account for updates & messages, we came across a message from Kitchen's Best. 

Ohhh... an invitation from our favorite Mango Sansrival place, we felt this review was going to be a breeze. 

Arrived a little bit after 3pm, the place was packed. A mix between bloggers & non-bloggers, Kitchen's Best was definitely buzzing with activity.

After getting stickered & stamped, we joined in the fray.

Seeing the loooong table of sugary treats & snacks, we had our work cut out for us. 

Snack Bites at Cafe Via Mare, Greenbelt 3 Makati

This is a follow up to the Li Li Lunch post. 

After watching the Wizard of Oz play, everyone in the group decided to have a late snack (merienda in short). With the hot & balmy weather, we wanted something simple and light.

After much debate, it was decided that Cafe Via Mare was the way to go.

Being newbies to their merienda menu, we left the reins in the capable hands of  the regulars (K & C). 

With the wicker-looking chair design, blue cushions and blue-green tables, they seemed to be going for the comfy-simple style.... and succeeding.

All Tea-d Up at Dakasi, Banawe Quezon City

It's time for another milk tea post.

The milk tea phenomenon seems to be going full steam ahead with no signs of stopping just yet. Being the milk tea drinkers that we are, we're always game to try new brands. 

Dakasi Pearl Milk Tea, Banawe QC

You can't just drive by and not notice this bright yellow smiling star. 

Even from the outside, Dakasi looked like a fast food restaurant. They didn't have the usual tables surrounding the order counter. Hmmm... still not sure what to make of that.

Light Lunch at Li Li, Hyatt Hotel and Casino, Manila

** Late post **

Touted as one of the dining gems of Hyatt Hotel, expectations were quite high. Li Li offers a wide array of Chinese cuisine but we were there specifically for their dim sum. 

As you descend from their marble staircase, you get an eyeful of their interiors.

This silver plated mirror plus the huge couches speaks volumes of what to expect from Li Li. With all these frills, service and the food better be up to par. Arriving earlier than expected, I was able to take pictures with ease.

Delightful Delicacies at Korean Garden Restaurant, Jupiter Street Makati

It's been awhile since we had a chance to try a new restaurant that left us with happy tummies & smiling faces. 

Let me introduce you to Korea Garden Restaurant at Jupiter Street.

The doors open and you see friendly faces all around. They greet you warmly & make you feel quite at ease. 

Decor envy :)

Tough Luck at Lucky Tea, Banawe QC

And the milk tea craze rages on.

Now we bring you one of the new places Quezon City has to offer. 

Welcome to Lucky Tea. 

Lucky Tea, Banawe

Like any other tea place, you order at the counter. Menu pretty much the same as other milk tea places so we ordered our usuals. More on those later.

For their drink selections, click here.
For their add-ons, click here.

Lucky Tea's interiors reminded me of another tea place. Green & white motiff filled the place. At least you get to sit at the comfy couches while you wait.

YUCKY Night at Racks, The Fort Strip Makati

This is one of the reasons why I regret giving restaurants second chances. It's like hitting yourself on a head with a brick. And in the end, you have no one to blame but yourself. Sigh.

We were having cravings for ribs. Rub was too far a drive so we thought of the next best thing, Racks. We decided to go to a different branch to avoid the yucky cockroach-in-our-iced-tea-pitcher incident at your Magallanes branch. Hubby called ahead inquiring about their store hours. The girl said that they were opened 'til 12mn. Seeing that it was only 10pm, we had time to spare.

Racks, The Fort Strip

We arrived at 10:30pm and were welcomed with this sight. Hmm... No one was eating. We sat down & placed our order. A few minutes later, the waiter comes back and says that half of their side dishes were not available & that the chicken is not available because they already closed the kitchen. This sounded funny; it was only 10:45pm. This was when he informed us that their closing was 11pm. This was the strike one of the night. Misinformation. Okay so we didn't want to order the chicken anymore but after gesturing with the other people in the kitchen, the waiter then said it was available but it would take 15mins. Okay, no problem. 

A few minutes later the waiter proceeds to mop the floor with bleach. You can just imagine the stench filling our nostrils. Excuse me, there are still customers inside. It's not our fault that your cashier gave us the wrong store hours. You should at least have the decency to clean up after we go. But we let this one go. We just wanted to sink our teeth into their ribs & go home happy.

VMS: Brown's, Greenhills Towncenter QC

Was planning to go here on Wednesday before our badminton session, but surprise surprise, this was waiting for us this morning. 

Brown's, Greenhills Towncenter QC

With the recent implementation of the "no plastic policy", Brown's takeaway was in a brown paper bag. 

For their menu, click here.

Their picture promised a Gourmet Chicken treat. Couldn't wait to try it out.

Rustic Cuisine at Kitchen's Best, The Fort Makati

It's always an adventure when trying out a new place.  

With that in mind, we were ready to take on Kitchen's Best wares one rainy Monday evening.

Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie, The Fort

The rain was beating very hard on the windshield that we almost missed the restaurant. Just noticed that the window bars didn't help their signage at all. I couldn't get an angle that would capture the whole name. Sayang.  

The red walls and gold trims added drama to the place while the chandelier & huge mirror added elegance. This would've been a good start except their a/c was having problems that night. With the yellow bulbs they used, we were in for a hell of a hot night. Sigh.

Bread with Trio Dip 

To start off the night, they served us this homemade bread with 3 types of dip. The bread was hot & the texture was perfect for spreading. Among the 3 dips, my favorite was... all of them! Yup, each had their own distinct flavor that I couldn't just pick one. The red one was the 3-layer Dip. My advice? Really dig in, the tastiest bits are found at the bottom. The orange one was the Cheesy Chorizo. The saltiness of the chorizo really complimented the cheese. The last but certainly not the least was the Mushroom Dip. The mushroom with the olive oil was simply superb. Superlatives all the way! Nice one Kitchen's Best! :)

Bright & Early at Torch, Greenhills San Juan

Early eating on a Sunday morning. We forgo sleeping in for a chance to try out the much hyped Torch breakfast omelette. One good thing about driving early? No traffic. It only took us 12 mins of driving from Makati to Greenhills and that's including parking already.

For our lunch review, click here.

Torch, Connecticut Greenhills

Was surprised to see lots of cars parked outside. Good thing we made reservations the night before. But when we entered, there were only 3 groups of people eating, that's us included. I wonder where all those people were...

From 7:30-10:30am, everything on their breakfast menu included unlimited coffee. For non-coffee drinkers, you can have it changed into iced tea instead. Likewise those dishes with bread can be changed into rice instead.

That Grillin' Feelin' at Dona Dona Korean BBQ, Makati Avenue

Saturday night and no idea where to eat dinner. Just had shabu shabu last week so that's out. In the mood for grilling, we settled on trying out the Korean restaurant next door to David's. 

To Makati Ave we went. 

Dona Dona Korean BBQ, Makati Ave

The road was wet from the early rain but thankfully, there was no traffic. We soon found ourselves at the doorstep of Dona Dona. First impression? We were the only ones there at 7pm. Uh oh. Not a good sign. 

Simple and clean, that was what they were going for. The only decors I saw were these ones, minimal at that. 

Katsu Night at Yabu The House of Katsu, Robinsons Magnolia

En route to Quezon City, traffic managed to force us to make a pit stop at the newly opened Robinsons Magnolia. Better to be braving traffic & wet roads with a full stomach I say. 

Walking around the mall, we were deciding where to eat dinner when we saw this long line of people waiting to be seated. Hmm... seems that this restaurant warrants a Food Stars visit. Let's see what the fuss was all about.

Yabu House of Katsu, Robinsons Magnolia

At 7pm in the evening, we were already 6th on the waiting list. Wow! They were rocking a full house. Had to wait 30 mins before being seated.

Booth 

Brightly lit & bustling with activity, Yabu looked like a great dinner choice. Our server was helpful enough to answer all our questions & to explain the differences between the dishes. I settled on the Rosu Porkloin Set (180g) while Hubby got the Chicken Katsu Set (180g). 

Menu

For the complete menu with prices, click here.

While waiting for our food to be served, I was happily browsing through the menu. Aside from the cute comic strip inside, there was also an "Anatomy of Katsu" page. Informative and pretty, I was mesmerized. And with the set looking like that, how could I resist. :)