Vikings Buffet @ Mall Of Asia

I totally forgot to blog about our Vikings Buffet experience in Mall of Asia (MOA). Our whole Office Division ate their two weeks ago. The Vikings Buffet just offers so much variety that it was really a challenge for me to come up and organize all the details.

But I will try to recall everything.

It was a weekday and it was lunch time, so we got the P688. I don't know if food choices from our lunch buffet would differ from the dinner buffet. Anyway, the other Vikings Buffet prices in MOA are as follows:

 
We sat inside the "glass room" with a large TV that played a football game. First station that I saw from there was the sushi, soup, and dimsum bar.

I'm so glad they had my favorites: Chawanmushi (egg custard) and Hakaw (shrimp dumpling). I'm not a fan of sushi though during buffets because they fill up my stomach fast.

Then there are the "food on sticks" like kebab and our version of street food:

And they have lots of seafood choices like baked scallops, and fresh fish and shrimp that you could cook in a hot pot or ask the Vikings in-house cooks to have it grilled for you:

Then they also have the staples of the West like salad, bread, pasta, and pizza. The salad and bread have so many choices of what you could put in, like fruits, nuts, and all sorts of dressings or spread.

 The pasta and pizza have their own "stations" since the in-house cooks will prepare them for you on the spot. So you get to choose which ingredients to put or not to put.

*Catches breath* So. Many. Photos. Anyway, there were also other "ready-to-eat" (meaning, you don't have to mix and match anymore) entrées so you could just get rice and then your choice of their great tasting ulams.

So now let us move on to my favorite part-- desserts! But since there are just too many photos of the desserts, I'll just post one photo then just describe the rest in words. Haha. #fail
GRABE! Their dessert bar is the best! They have halo-halo, chocolate and strawberry fondue, cakes, cupcakes, CHEESE CAKES, flavored jellies, unlimited ice cream and FROZEN YOGURT, different kinds of cereals, gummy stuff like sour tapes, gummy worms, gummy rings, crepe! oh my gosh! I have to post my crepe picture:

HAHA. Then we have unlimited beer too, fresh fruits, fruit shakes, varied juices, coffees, teas, and the Pinoy loved sago't gulaman and malalagkit desserts like bibingka, kutsinta, etc.

It's heaven, really. What I loved is that Vikings banked on having many and efficient in-house cooks and food preparers that makes your experience very customized for you and you alone. Each one would truly have a different experience. Staff is very nice and they always ask you your preferences or for comments.

The place is big but becomes cramped during peak hours. To enjoy all the food, come early for lunch or dinner to get a head start before the whole crowd comes in. Apparently then, WE were the CROWD. :))

Love you all to bits! Until next time!

Barbara's @ Intramuros

Dining at Barbara's is a buffet experience unlike any other.

Well okay... their buffet had limited choices and I can't say that I liked all the dishes, but the place is lovely and the ambiance is romantic. Before spotting Barbara's you could already feel the "antique" vibe of Intramuros having brick roads and Spanish-themed buildings.

There's my blurry mom. We had a date. Fun. ♥

Going inside, we see dark, heavy, and elegant wood furniture all around. We were greeted with very, very, very (I had to say it 3 times to refer to the superlative) friendly, accommodating staff.

Inside Barbara's was festive and cheerful since they had a cultural dance show that showcases the talent of Barbara's staff in so many ways. Some were playing local instruments (like the rondallas and bandurrias) while others danced a lot of variations but of course I remember Tinikling and Pandanggo sa Ilaw.

The cultural show lasted for around 2 hours, then after that waiters would get people from the audience to dance the Tinikling with them. It was fun watching oblivious but "game-na-game" diners learning how to dance. Like I said, the waiters were very friendly. "Smiling waiters" would be an understatement. They were--- errr, bungingis. But in a good way. They're actually contagious. That's why we were all so happy. HAHA.

After audience interaction, the dancers sit on the floor where you can get your pictures taken with them. Still bungisngis after the tiring show.

And so that is why I loved this experience-- More on the service and presentation because if I'd only look at the food, a lot of buffet restaurants would surely defeat them. For P545/ person, they only had rice, pancit bihon, roasted chicken, lumpiang shanghai, fish fillet, beef pares, chicken adobo, vegetable salad, and some desserts. My favorites are the beef pares and fish fillet. Really tasty! Anyway, I also had hot cranberry  tea for P60. Refreshing!

So there. My mom and I stayed a bit longer than usual. Bonding. Yay! We were talking of coming back. And yes we will! Surely with foreigners next time! :))) Bet they will enjoy learning about the Filipino culture thru Barbara's music and dance. :)

FACT: Barbara's is owned by Ms. Barbara G. de los Santos the sister of Dick Gordon and the mother of JC de los Reyes (both presidential candidates last 2010 elections) :)

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub @ City Golf

I first knew about Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub when my church mates said that they have the best Shawarma in town at affordable prices. Over and over, I hear this Uncle Moe's from them, and so it's official-- it really is a crowd favorite. Might as well try it. :)

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub is located at City Golf, which is beside Ortigas Home Depot, which is beside Metrowalk.:)) You can only get to City Golf via private transportation or cab. Entrance is along Julia Vargas Avenue, where opening is a bit narrow (one that you might even miss) that leads to a small hill. 

So my church mates Kerbie, Joel, and then I went there on a Friday night.

When we arrived-- it was FULL. A lot of them were drinking. Oh yeah, Uncle Moe's serves beers too. We had to wait around 30 minutes before we were seated down. While waiting for the menu, I took a photo of Kerbie's phone (cute!) besides the apparently UNLIMITED shawarma and hot sauce. Now I get even more excited!

Then we ordered...

Chicken Kebab with Pita Bread (P135)

Beef Shawarma (P110)

Beef Kebab with Buttered Rice (P150)

So yes, it's very affordable. Their most expensive dish is around P198 (Moroccan Fish Fillet).

Well anyway, their food and their sauce are real good!!! :) I bet the Avengers would love them! Can I please post one last picture then? :))))

David's Tea House @ Greenbelt 1

Thank God for malls near our office! Whenever we crave for something, we can always go and check for restaurants that offer them. So a while ago we had Chinese food for lunch because Ms. Bless was craving for dimsum. We had lemon chicken (P245), yang chow (P180), assorted dimsum (P255), and for dessert, steamed cuapao with condensed milk (P60). And guess how many we were? THREEEEE. :))

We're growing girls! :)

Their version of Lemon Chicken was more sour than the others. The sauce was much more thick and yellow than those I've tried before.

Then of course.... The assorted dimsum platter! Sandra coined a new term-- "Disco Dimsum"-- because she took a photo of 'em, clicked on the "Disco Effect" on her app, and got really colorful dimsum lol

Shiny Hakaw close-up photo! Mmmm, 90% shrimp! They also have beef meatballs, shrimp siomai, shark's din dumpling, and two other more that I don't know. :)) So you get two pieces for each kind. I really love their shrimps-- juicy and tasty. Finally, dimsum craving-- satisfied!

Attempt to Design a Cake

It was Ayessa's birthday and we got her cake at Red Ribbon. Their new one: Ultimate Chocolate Cake (Large- P495) which was super chocolatey, not too sweet, melt-in-you-mouth type of yummy. <3

Photo from Red Ribbon Facebook Page

When Ayessa's sister and I got the cake, I asked the counter girl if I could personally write on the cake with icing. She wrote the "Happy birthday Ayessa!" part:

And I designed the most beautiful part of all:

The two separate ends of the message part. It's FLAWLESS! :))

KKK @ SM Megamall

Belated happy birthday, Ayessa!!! :)

Funny, Ayessa didn't really invite me. Her sister did. They wanted to surprise her so I was flattered that they chose me to do the honorable job (Note: We were only four in the group: Me, the birthday girl, and her sisters). I haven't seen Ayessa since college, and I don't think I'm the person she would want to see :)) But nevertheless, I enjoyed and I think they did too (because Ayessa kept bullying me that night).

We ate at KKK, SM Megamall, a Filipino restaurant with a "Fiesta" theme. Since my latest review post was about Kanin Club (KC), also a restaurant that's famous for their Filipino dishes, I will attempt to compare and contrast.

Ambiance is, like I said, fiesta celebration in nature, bright, well-lit, not like KC that features dark wooden panes and stained glass to represent the inside of a traditional house.

They have smaller servings than KC, but they're well-plated, well-presented and they're very delicious. Their Binagoongang Lechon Kawali (P290) is perfect. Crunchy skin, soft meat, complimenting sauce. We also ordered Sinigang na Salmon (P290), and since I love salmon, I loved this! And for dessert, buko pandan-- placed inside a buko!<3 They gave us complimentary iced teas to taste-- pandan and tanglad (lemon grass).

Food in KKK and KC are both good so I can't decide..............

But if I were given a million-bucks and I really had to choose one, I would choose KKK because it doesn't give me the umay feeling I get from KC.

As for prices, their ranges are as follows:

Seafood:                                  Veggies:                        Pork:                       Soups:
KKK- P250 - P380                P150 - P300            P250 - P500            P180 - P350
KC-    P216 - P298                P150 - P260            P180 - P400             P290 - P190

Relatively, KKK is more expensive, but you get to enjoy both "home cooked" and "luxury" in one. Plus, it's not always that you get to see a jeepney inside a restaurant.

Missed you all! And I love you to bits!

(In picture: Nina, Ate DG-- the one who invited me, Ayessa-- the birthday girl, and I :D)

Kanin Club @ Ayala Triangle

Today was the second time Sir Lester treated us for lunch because of *tooot*. I can't tell you why since he's keeping it a secret. ;) The first time was at Chili's during their Annual Big Mouth Burger Day. So again, thanks! We hope for more success to come! :))

We ate at Kanin Club (KC), Ayala Triangle. It's a Pinoy-inspired restaurant that serves yummy adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, dinuguan, and more traditional flavors. The choice was perfect since we recently celebrated the Philippine Independence Day. Connect, connect.

Anyway, KC serves delicious Pinoy food with a twist. They have surprised us with...

Sinigang na Sinangag a.k.a. Dry Sinigang (P224)

Where the taste of sinigang explodes in every mouthful even without the soup

 Crispy Dinuguan (P261)

Crispy pork bits (like Chicharon) in Dinuguan sauce (and yes! minus the liver!)

Adobo Combo

Chicken, Pork, and Liver-- all in one dish; plus its consistency is not "watery" which I love, and yet there's not that much oil too

Kare-Kare (P358)

Kare-Kare was overflowing. They have pork, veggies, and yum!-- beef tripe (twalya), cooked in peanut sauce and served with bagoong

Their KC Turon a la mode is also their best seller but we didn't order since we were all so full. After eating, despite the far distance from the office, we decided to walk to hopefully burn what we ate. :)) A must try, especially for groups and especially if you're craving for something Filipino.

Photos by Sandra

Luyong, Marikina

My family and I ate dinner just recently at Luyong, Marikina. A simple, affordable Chinese restaurant situated a few kilometers away from central town. It's big and spacious with an aura of a canteen-slash-cafeteria, but makes use of yellow light which makes it more classy.

I don't have much to write. I had no time to concentrate on "blogging matters" especially if it's my family I'm with. These are rare occasions that we're complete, so I didn't want to ruin the whole thing. ♥

My dad loves Luyong. Every time he wants to treat us out, it would be here. I bet he grew up loving it. Luyong is one of the oldest, most popular, and most respected local restaurants in the city. Everyone in Marikina knows it, especially the older ones. :)

They have great pancit (canton and lomi), soup, and lechon kawali! All their food is affordable and worth the money. *Menu plus their prices here*

They serve BIG and best when shared-- they're used to families and groups coming in to dine. They don't even have tables good for 2! So it's always best to come here with others-- that way you get to maximize the budget and you get to taste more viands too.

We were 5 that time, and I think we only paid around PhP 650-700. No service charge. And oh, here's my mom in case you haven't met her yet. ♥ I used her phone to take the pictures. :))

Thanks, Ma! ♥

P.S. I have been frustrated for the last 15 minutes trying to find out what year Luyong was first established! There's just no data! I hope the management knows the next time I eat there.

Happy Birthday Ahlee @ Friday's, Glorietta 3

Warning: Yellowish and blurred pictures that resulted from a yellow- and low-lit themed restaurant!

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My college friends and I decided to meet up at T.G.I.Friday's-- where the unlimited mojitos are! Definitely their selling point since we had other choices (like Chili's and Baja that serves unlimited margaritas).

There you go Rashyyy-- you're my blog entry model, as promised! ♥

I'm not a fan of alcoholic beverages but I found this super yummy and REFRESHING (as my friends would describe it). Mojito is basically made up of white rum, sparkling water/soda, sugar, lemon/lime juice, and mint. It was perfectly citrus-y and minty, and I love how you won't taste the alcohol too much. This costs only P305 (and additional P20 for strawberry or apple flavor).

We tried the first pasta in their menu that's also I think their most expensive at P695 (good for 2-3)-- the Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta. It's definitely worth the money because it's loaded with big chicken chunks and big juicy shrimps. Plus it's perfect if you're torn between white or red sauce-- since it has the creaminess of white and the strong flavor of red. It's spicy and that just makes it a more exciting dish.

Then for the side, we bought their famous chicken fingers (served with honey mustard dip) for P295. Their chicken fingers AND fries are just the best! I don't know anyone who would attest to that. 

And their Buffalo wings (with sour cream and green onion dip) for also P295. Their buffalo wings were tasty and you can even smell the spices from far away. Their sour cream dip is strong and others might not like it. But it's great to get something new for the buds.

Of course, we didn't want to end the day without "surprising" Ahlee since it's (nearly) her birthday. The pictures are blurred because of a lot of movement but I think they're funny and nice that way.

The Friday's Staff were sweet enough to perform a special happy birthday song and dance number for Ahlee. And of course! A scoop of their super yummy vanilla iced cream and whipped cream drizzled with caramel syrup.

After that, we stayed for a super long time. Long enough to be the last people standing. So I took some interior photos with all their American pride and icons all over. They have lots of space, great for groups. (Ugh! It's so hard to take pictures when it's dark)

The place is also amazing for romantic dates. They have their "date spots" all around the area either the intimate corners or the ones overlooking the Makati buildings:

Then they also have their smoking area encased in glass: (thank you to my models haha)

Or how about a bar setting for casual talks while watching your favorite sports channel?

Whatever you came here for, whatever your preference may be, or whatever day of the week you came in:

"In here, it's always Friday." -- 

and that's the best feeling in the world. :) 

Thank you Rashy, Ahlee, Obie, and KC of craftsandvogue.com! I hope the others can join us soon too. Love you girls! ♥

Until Next Time,

Sam :)