Mr. Chow Chinese Fast Food

During Master E’s party preparation, Mr. M and I stumbled upon this relatively new fastfood chain. We were hesitant to try at 1st but the menu board outside the store was rather inviting. Let me share with you our dining experience at Mr. Chow, SM North Edsa.

Mr. Chow has the usual busy-fastfood ambience. Customers have to line-up to give their orders and pay directly at the cashier, then food will be delivered in the table. They offer Chinese Food in very affordable prices. Their rice meals were as low as P103 which comes with unlimited serving of Youngchow Fried Rice. The crews were also friendly and attentive which will give you pleasurable stay. Here’s what we were able to try:

Pork Siomai (P52 for 4 pieces) 

Wanton Soup Noodle (P78)

Lechon Macau (P103)

Spicy Porkrib (P103)

Black Gulaman (P40)

I’ll be saying the same thing over and over again if I had to describe each item. For me, each dish we had captured the authentic taste of a Chinese food, it was nothing like a cheap version. Every bite has that umami factor you’re looking for in a Chinese dish. Though I have to say that the appearance/presentation was not enticing at all, (but of course you know that you should never judge a book by its cover. J), it was really delicious. At 1st sight you also might think that it has a small serving but it was surprisingly very filling, it will give you boated tummy as you leave. Since Mr. M is a solid Chinese Food fan, Mr. Chow was automatically added to his loyalty list, noticed that 2 table numbers? We had been there twice in a month, and yes, we took exactly the same foods.

Burgoo, Tomas Morato

Following my anniversary post here, our lunch date turned out to be so satisfying. I was really disappointed to begin with knowing Mister M. still relied on me on where to dine considering I gave him a list of restaurants to choose from a day before. It seemed he didn't bother to do his homework (it’s our 10th year, mind you, grrr!). Since I can't locate those that's on the list, we just drove along Tomas Morato and picked randomly a restau that we haven’t dine yet. So there, we saw Burgoo and we thought we’d try it (I was really holding my tears as he orders. grrr, talaga.hehe).

Burgoo is at 310 Tomas Morato, South Triangle, QC. It's a beach-sports themed restaurant that offers casual dining with very accommodating crews (the blueguard even fetched me from the car and shaded me against the mid-day sun). Every table was covered with Manila Paper that served as their table mats, it came with a cup of crayons. I wanted to write something “cheesy” on the paper but was still really feeling bad that I didn’t attempt. Funny how the wait staff was can write her name vertically.

 Here’s what he had for lunch.

Super Sampler, Regular P425 (Large was also available for P595). It was a combination of Buffalo Wings, Cheddar Cheese Fries, Mozarella Sticks and Onion Rings. It was so huge I regretted ordering the rest.hehe Every piece of it were good. Mister M. especially liked the Buffalo Wings, I liked the Fries more.  It came with 3 special dips.

I had Chicken Dianne Regular for P395. It had 3 slices of grilled chicken fillet along with garlic spaghetti in Diane sauce and a toast. It was served in big proportion, I guess it can fill 3-5 tummies yet it had a large-r serving for P595. I really liked it though I wasn’t able to finish it in 1 sitting. The creamy sauce was really creamy and cheesy and I thought that the chicken was very healthy.

Mister M. had Hamburgoo for P395 (sorry for the blurry photo, I guess you have to trust me on this.). It had 2 charbroiled patties which was apparently a mixture of pork, chicken and beef, to complete the entourage was onions, cheese, tomatoes and pickles in sesame bun. It also had an option of fries or potato wedges as side dish, since we already had fries, he opted for the wedges. The serving was so generous that Mister got intimidated at 1st, but he thought that it was so good to leave for later.

It was still a sweet day so we cap off our lunch date by ordering a Mississippi Mud Pie for P175. It was a chocolate ice cream on a crunchy biscuit base and sprinkled with chocolate bits. We both liked the merengue like biscuit base that complements the ice cream. And yes, dessert can be sweeter when shared. 

He had Sprite while I had Rootbeer both for P59 and already refillable.

Prices subject to 10% service charge.                 

My take: The food and the food proportion compensates its prices, so it was very worth it.  

Tip: No need to give TIP, I mean, that was included on your total bill remember? I’m now regreting about the loose change we left.lol

The verdict: Burgoo was good - food, ambiance, service and all, but I still don’t think its worthy for a 10th year anniversary celebration. Peace my labs! J

Pino Resto Bar at UP Teacher's Village

Saturday was a fun and spontaneous day for my family-in-law. We slept over at their place the night before so Mr. M and I could join a fun-run sponsored by the Civil Service Commission the next day. The run was fun and yes, few pounds were shed, I’m sure. And since were already in the city, we decided to take the chance to scout for a possible venue for Master E’s party after it. My SIL, after hearing the plan asked if she can come and pick her son from school along the way (not a problem at all), then the whole in-laws decided to tag themselves too (aren’t they sweet). It was so spontaneous that the kids were all still in their PJs.     

    

We took Maginhawa Street, in Teacher’s Village on our way to The Ateneo (where we're picking my nephew). Since everybody knows “the street” as a food haven (did you Mr. M?), it only took a little jolt for everyone to get-off the car and sample on what it has to offer. Yes, even in PJs (and post run outfit).hehe Since it was lunch time, we decided to dine at Pino Resto Bar it was actually at Malingap St., Teacher's Village., QC.

We were there at around 11am and only 2 tables were occupied. The gracious wait staff ushered us to the combined table where we settled and read the menu, they offer fine dining type. The place was small but cozy, the wait staffs were accommodating and very patient with the kids who loved to roam around the place, even in their kitchen. They only have 1 highchair though, maybe because it was supposed to be a "bar", after all. We feast on:

Crispy Calamares (P175) to start off. It’s the kids’ favorite, it’s always present at every dine-outs. But the adults loved this version all the more. It was so crispy yet the squid under the coating was so tender. It accidentally became our appetizer instead of kids’ viand. So we got another order for them.  

Pino French Fries (P125). Not a lunch menu but Miss L. insisted. The spoiler/Auntie was the 1 who got 1 for her and for the family to share. I allowed it in 1 condition, she has to eat rice, she agreed - everybody happy. It came with 2 dips and it was nothing but ordinary.    

Kare-Kare Bagnet (sharing for P575). This came as a surprise - presentation wise, but disregarding the look, the dish can stand on its own. This was actually a hit. Bagnet was crispy and was very fork friendly. The Kare-kare sauce was flavourful and unlike the usual, no need for bagoong (but it was still provided). It has a generous serving as well.  

Crispy Pata with Laing (P495, for sharing). The pata was served on top of the Laing - the way you want to keep the crispy-ness of the meat. But I thought the Crispy Pata was dry and the crispy balat that was supposedly wrapping the meat was no where to be found. The Laing that came with it was good. It has the right balance of flavor and spice. I just didn't like how it was too saucy and durog though, but it was still worth it.

Plain rice was at P30 each. We also ordered a pitcher of Iced Tea for P125, which was enough for all of us. It was a little sweet for Mr. M., he just added a little more water in his glass, but I didn’t hear any complain from anybody else.

My take: I liked how Pino captured the distinct Filipino taste of every dishes but presented with a twist.

Tip: The “for sharing” tags was big enough to feed 4-6 adults, especially if you have another food items on the table. 

The verdict: Pino Resto Bar was worth every pounds re-gained. lol

Johnny Rockets, Tomas Morato

After our vanity-Friday session, Mr. M. and I, together with Floki (our blogger-wannabe friend) headed to Johnny Rockets (JR1 Building, Tomas Morato Avenue, beside CBK Building, Quezon City). I scratched Johnny Rockets from my must-try-asap list after reading the review of the Foodiestation. I was persuading the two for a pasta joint instead, but they were fairly decided. Since Floki will shoulder the first P1000 from our bill, I was obliged to seat inside this friendly restaurant with dancing crews and smiley ketchup.

Johnny Rockets has an old-school American vibe. I felt I was time warp as I enter the restaurant. It makes you sing along to the likes of Do Wah Diddy and other classic pop rock songs. The only thing that was missing in that branch was the Jukebox, I actually asked the crew and she said it was lent to other branch.

Mr. M. had a Rocket Fuel Burger (P285), spicy burger with fresh lettuce and American cheddar cheese and Nacho Jalapeño. It has a single serving of fries. You can make it a double or even triple patty burger by adding P95 per patty. Floki upon seeing its huge photo in the menu book ordered for it too.

I had a bite of his burger and I forgot about it. I was hearing Mr. M. that he still liked Army Navy’s Burger better, while Floki kept on complaining that it’s too spicy. Apparently, she has a low tolerance of spicy foods, nevertheless, she finished her burger after alternately taking pictures of the food (food blogger wannabe I told you), munching and drinking water. 

Because I really liked pasta that night, I ordered Mac ‘n Cheese – P275 (I only had 2 choices the other being the spaghetti). It came with loaf bread. It has the perfect amount of cheese that sticks to your fork and your mouth. The serving was too small for my appetite. So I had to fill my tummy up with the fries and chocolate milkshake. 

I already knew that the “unlimited fries” comes with extra price but we still opt to have our fries unlimited for P75. To our surprise, it was actually a separate order, but only those who had a hamburger meal can avail. Sayang, we had two orders pa, we could have shared instead. 

Of course, our Johnny Rockets experience wouldn’t be complete without ordering their milkshake. I ordered chocolate milkshake for P145. There were various variants but I am just not bold to try. I could say I super-duper love their milkshake. It was made with pure pleasure one could forget his name. It has scope of real ice cream and other special ingredients only food fairies know. 

My take: Happy crew brings out happy customers. Although we were not satisfied with the serving, the taste was fairly above average. 

Tip: It pays to read the food description. Never judge the food by its photo.

The verdict: Johnny Rockets is still a must-try restaurant. Maybe not ASAP but it’s still worth your list.

ASYA Filipino-Asian Restaurant, Eton Centris Walk

The in-laws had spontaneous lunch-out after hearing the Sunday mass. The girls (headed by my MIL) asked to “look around” the Tiangge over at Centris before going home. After our quick shop scan, the FIL declared he’s hungry (you know men). So he decided to dine at Asya – Ground Floor Centris Walk, Eton Centris , EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. 

Asya is a Filipino-Asian Fusion Restaurant. It serves exciting Filipino-Asian dishes presented with a modern twist, it moves you to encounter the flavors of the orient and reinterpret traditional dishes with new inspiration. Asya has cozy feel furnished traditionally. Each table has this man-shape chair, each with different face and body. Their high chair was rather unique too. 

Juice was served first but it didn’t take long for our food to be on the table, it was delivered almost at the same time. The food serving was good for 3-4 average eaters. We had: 

Sinigang na Liempo (P320) as soup. We like how all the ingredients were present in this dish and it gives us the enough kick of sourness that even the kids can tolerate. 

Chopsuey (P275). See how it was packed. It was so complete you can eat it on its own. The sauce has just enough consistency and the vegis were crunchy good.

Crispy Squid (P230) was the love. It was always a hit for the kids but this version my favorite so far. It was crunchy and flavorful inside and out. 

Lechon Kawali with Laing (P260). While the Lechon Kawali was above the usual – crispy and not dry type, Laing was the best. I was eating it on its own (I do not eat vegi, btw), the gata was flavorful and has enough touch of spicy-ness. 

Pancit Mix (P280). I was too full to judge this, although I had spoon or two (left-overs of Miss L.). It is safe to say that it was good. 

Kids had Ripe Mango Shake (P95), which has the natural taste of a ripe mango while adults had Sago’t Gulaman (P60). I liked how the small sago comes with every sip and it stayed sweet up to the last sip. Jasmine Rice was P45/serving.

**Prices were exclusive of 10% service charge and 12% VAT.

My take: We were all pleased with the food. But I just didn’t like the attitude of the restaurant’s crew. They were approximately 15 there and they were only serving 2 tables yet they were too inattentive. I asked for additional highchair for Master E. a crew looked at me then looked away. They were even so hesitant or rather slow to comply with our request for water when MIL was still ordering. The staffs were not really courteous. Then it all changed when the MIL had placed our order. What’s that mean?

Tip: Don’t mind the crew? (Am I tipping here?) 

The verdict: Asya offers good food that can satisfy any palate. 

Oceano Acuatico Restaurant

Our Acuatico escapade was a blast. If you read our experience in my other blog, you’ll notice I have not mentioned about what we had. Of course food completes an escapade so I’ll share here our food experience. Acuatico resort only allows in-house food, though we were able to sneak-in few snacks, we still relied on Oceano, Acuatico’s Restaurant, for our main meals. 

Oceano Acuatico is located at the second floor of the hotel. It is overlooking the whole place, which gives you the panoramic view of the resort’s beauty and the beach as well. Oceano offers buffet and sit-down a la carte meals. They also offer complementary coffee and tea, all day, all night. Plus it can be delivered anywhere you want.

Oceano Facade

There is also a floating bar in the middle of the pool, this offers extensive selection of beverages. 

Acua Floating Bar

Mango Shake (P90) from Acua Floating Bar

For our 1st meal, our lunch, we opted to avail of their buffet (P550+/adult; children 7-12 years old pays half the price; and 7 below are free of charge). We wanted to order a la carte but the wait staff advised us that it would take 45 minutes to an hour to prepare the food. She suggested further that we should order in advance if we really want an a la carte meals.

           

                                                               Lunch Spread

My Plates

Table Set-Up

So for dinner, since we know better, we called-in our orders in advanced and we were told that they’d call us once our food was ready. After 45 minutes of no call, we followed-it up, the wait staff informed us to wait for another 15 minutes and after 30 minutes they called us and informed that our table was set and our food was ready. As we seated, our respective food were delivered to our table. But 3 orders, mine included, were still not delivered. So we asked and we waited and asked again. 

After roughly 15 minutes of waiting for food and feedback, I decided I should talk to the officer-in-charge. The supervisor, though knew nothing about the incident, was very apologetic. He was requesting for a little time to talk to his staff but I said we cannot wait any longer, it was almost 2 hours since we placed our orders. So right there and there, he decided to give us complementary buffet (which was actually P600+/adult). 

My Plates and Mr. M.'s Sandwich (P290)

Oceano Acuatico also prepares elegant dinner set-up by the beach upon request, P2100/person. It is a sit-down, set-menu with personal butler. The supervisor was busy attending as a butler here that’s why he was not able to attend to the concerns of the main restaurant. 

I don't want to invade their privacy

Our breakfast was complementary with our accommodation. 

My take: We have no complain as with regards to the food. Although the buffet spread was not as extensive, it still delivers quality food which can satisfy any guest. The only fall back was the presence of fly. The supervisor told us that the flies were really their big concern but it also seasonal. He said, it might be because it’s the harvest season (May-June) for mango farms around their resort. And in-fairness, flies were also present in the whole Laiya stretch. He also said the resort is already installing air-conditioners in Oceano to address the problem.

Tip: As we learned from the wait staff, place your order in advance if you are to settle for a la carte.

The verdict: Courteous staff, good food, great ambiance. Oceano delivered. 

Snacks at Army Navy, Trinoma

We were at Trinoma last weekend for a quick buy. Apparently, it was not as quick as we perceived it to be and since we had an unsatisfying lunch, we decided to grab some fixins. As we were deciding where to eat, we passed by the Food Choices (Trinoma’s glorified term for foodcourt at the second floor. hehe). The 1st thing we saw was Army Navy. We thought this is the moment! 

He ordered Double Burger (P210), it has 2 pieces of quarter-pounder beef patty with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and onion tucked in a bun with black and white sesame seeds. I on the other hand had the Classic Burger (P165) which is basically the same, only I had single quarter-pounder beef patty. 

Double Burger

Classic Burger

We also had Crunchy Tacos Double (P160) - hard shell tacos filled with meat, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cheese.

For our drinks, he had Minute Made (P50), while I had Vanilla Milkshake (P99). 

My take: Looking at their menu board, Army Navy was more of a Mexican food joint to me because of the of presence of Mexican foods like burittos, tortilla, tacos and quesadilla. The only American (origin) food I saw were fries, milkshake and burger - which we personally loved. The burger may not be as huge as the other fancy burger joints offers but it was oh, so juicy and tasty. It was grilled to perfection. You may have noticed that their burger do not have any sauce, it’s because its patty was already flavorful and blends perfectly with the bun. I also liked how it stayed warm until my last bite, it must be because it was wrapped in a foil. 

Tacos and milkshake were of different story. The taco for me was way too bland. It was a challenge adding lasa to fit my liking. It was disappointing enough to see my milkshake in a disposable plastic cup but I let it pass since we were in the foodcourt, worst their vanilla milkshake was nothing far from a tunaw na sundae. 

Tip: Save the best for last. When I saw that Mr. M. was not satisfied with his taco, I put down my burger for a while and finished my taco immediately. So the last thing on my mind was how good my burger was. 

The verdict: It was the burger we’re after, after all, so we’ll definitely go back. But we’ll make sure next time, we’ll dine in a detached chain in order for us to experience the most of what Army Navy has to offer.

Lunch at BonChon, Trinoma

Mr. M. and I wanted to try BonChon for some time. Maybe fate has its way, we always tend to forget it whenever we’re considering establishments to dine-in. But last weekend, since we intended to eat our lunch-out, we kept BonChon in mind as we left home, I was excited for my 1st experience. 

BonChon is at 1011B Level 1 of Trinoma. I was surprised that Bonchon has a regular fast food set-up, I thought otherwise. Since the kids were with us, I asked Mr. M. to order anything for me. I just emphasized that it must not be the same as his’ so we could share and sample on different food. And as a must for us, order juice instead of sofdrinks for Miss L.. I was again surprised that they don’t have any juices, they only served softdrinks and iced tea, both not good for our little girl. 

Mr. M. had Thigh (Chicken) Ricebox in Soy Garlic 2 pieces for P145, this comes with a drink, he had Mountian Dew. 

He got Shrimp Ricebox for me with rootbeer for P145, also in Soy Garlic variant. 

He also got Large Potato Fries P60 for Miss L. to munch in. The little girl saw me taking pictures, borrowed my phone and took this photo.

My take: The chicken was crispy and tasty from the outside, but unfortunately I cannot say that the inner meat taste the same, their serving was too small for the price too. While the shrimp has a good soy garlic-y taste, it became too bland with the rice. I don’t like the fact that the rice was malata too. It just destroyed the taste of the whole meal. The fries were okay, not far from the Jollibee’s version though. 

Tip: If you’re dinning with kids, make sure to bring their own water. 

The verdict: We will go back again, but definitely not anytime soon. 

Buffet at Yakimix, Trinoma

Yakimix is at the least of my list for food to try because 1) Not really a fan of Japanese cuisine; and 2) I find it expensive considering I will be the one to cook. Lol But since someone was willing to shoulder 60% of its buffet price, I grabbed it right away.

My highschool friend Reythiel was home from Qatar, she is Master E.’s godmother. She asked me to meet her to hand me her gift for E.. Since she’s back, might as well invite other friends for a mini get-together. Yakimix in Trinoma (4th Level near Cinema) was our chosen spot to dine and chit chat.

I heard that Yakimix often has long lines, so we sent a friend ahead of us to line for the group. She was already seated when we arrived there. Yakimix in Trinoma was quiet huge, with 3 rows of buffet spread. The 1st row, was for raw meats. The 2nd was cooked foods, the 3rd for salads, soups and others. There was also a separate table for dessert. Drinks were also free-flowing and included in the buffet price of P620.

I chose the ready to eat foods and left the cooking on the smokeless grill to the girls.

My take: I think this was my 1st Japanese food sample. I was surprised that the foods were on the spicy side, which falls in my criteria. Their buffet spread was somehow extensive too. I just noticed that they were slow in refilling food especially those of the crowd’s favorite like tempura.

Tip: Make reservations.

The verdict: Yakimix is a good choice if you’re into Japanese food.