Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Wrong Ramen - The Right Kind of Ramen
Posted by clapalisoc | Wednesday, 15 May 2013 | Category:
Chasyu Rice Rolls,
Ramen,
Rich Tonkotsu,
Sweet Potato Iced Tea,
Tantanmen Ramen,
Wrong Ramen
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0
comments
It was around 11pm when we got out of Regine's Spa for our Sunday Family Spa Day. We had a really great time - body massage, facial scrub, diamond peel and facial mask. The overall service took about 3 hours. The little girl was just there, in her own robe and bed, watching and asking some questions until she fell asleep. We felt so refreshed, ready for the week ahead, but we got so famished too. Hubby decided to drive around BGC for a quick bite. The little girl had a special request - she wanted some rice and sabaw.
Recovery food was the only 24/7 non-Jollibee & non-McDonald's place we saw and we were not in the mood for it. We went to Burgos Circle to try our luck. There were a couple of open restaurants but we opted to settle in Wrong Ramen because I've seen a lot of good reviews about it and there was a Looloo sticker on their door! Whiw!
The store concept was fun - list of places where they wish they had branches, Darth Vader looking down at some crazy climbers, salt and pepper in battery like containers & humor inflicted posters.
A bowl of spicy but rich Ramen with black sesame seeds, shredded chasyu and ground pork. It was nutty and tasty. The noodle was not the instant kind. One bite and you'll know that you're getting the handmade real noodle type.
Rich and milky soup made from pork bone and chicken broth. It was served with slices of Chasyu. I liked this better than Tantanmen.
Shredded chasyu with some lettuce and onions and rolled in rice wraps. It was served ponzu sauce. This one was light and refreshing. A shy away from the usual Maki and Sushi.
Iced tea with the komote after taste! Interesting drink.
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| Wrong Ramen - Burgos Circle, BGC |
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| Salt and Pepper in Battery Containers - NICE! |
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| Condiments and Tissue |
Their menu was shy, since it was just a soft opening menu, but the dishes were amazingly delicious! We got the following --
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| Tantanmen Ramen for 395php |
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| Rich Tonkotsu for 395php |
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| Chasyu Rice Rolls for 145php |
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| From another angle! |
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| Sweet Potato Iced Tea for 85php |
At first you'll think that the servings were huge but when you start eating, you'll realize that you can actually finish a bowl! Yay! How can something wrong taste that good?!? Nice marketing strategy. If you say that you're serving the wrong kind of Ramen, "made by idiots who think they're better than Japanese cooks", then the expectations will tone down. At the end of the day, you'll get satisfied customers.
Overall, we liked the food and the ambiance so much! Though the floor space was small, they had a second floor to boot. I didn't get the chance to peek but hubby said it was lined with long tables that had some dividers - typically seen in restaurants in Japan. Wrong Ramen has become my new go to Ramen House - the nearest by far from home. I'm excited to see their full menu!
--- Wrong Ramen: Forbes Town Center, Forbes Town Rd., BGC, Taguig City
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| Enjoying her "drum set" |
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| Spot the Looloo Sticker! |
--- Wrong Ramen: Forbes Town Center, Forbes Town Rd., BGC, Taguig City
Friday, 10 May 2013
The Red Velvet Craze - Pancake House's Take
Posted by clapalisoc | Friday, 10 May 2013 | Category:
designer pancake,
Pan chicken,
Pancake House,
Pancake House Redvelvet,
Pancake house spaghetti,
Red velvet,
Red Velvet Pancake,
Regal Red Velvet
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2
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I love Pancake House and there's no doubt about that. Each pancake I've tried from their menu was a hit. These past days, I've been seeing reviews about their Red Velvet Pancake. I've also seen a billboard of it which made me decide to try it out.
Good thing hubby decided to eat out for lunch. I right away suggested Pancake House. I had a mission and would want that accomplished right away!
I didn't even look into their menu anymore. As hubby ordered for our usual Spaghetti and Pan Chicken, I confidently asked for their Regal Red Velvet Pancake.
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| Regal Red Velvet for 280php |
It took them a little while to serve my order. But when it came out, it was plated so beautifully! Mini pancake layers smothered with cream cheese in between, finished off with some more cream cheese frosting, chopped walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar. It was lovely.
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| Designer Pancake - Regal Red Velvet |
I was so excited and took a big slice but stopped and tried to comprehend what I was eating....it was supposed to be red velvet, right?!? The pancakes were soft and fluffy but they tasted watery? Very bland. The cream cheese was the only thing I can taste and oh of course! The chocolate chips! I suppose the chocolate chips were there to give the chocolate kick which is the signature of red velvet. But then again, I didn't like it.
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| Even the little girl loved the presentation |
Good thing hubby ordered our favorites --
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| Spaghetti with Meat Sauce for 267php (L) |
The best spaghetti in town! The sauce was not saucy, as you would usually get from other restaurants, and had generous serving of meat! It had the right spices to it and I love how the sweetness was balanced with some sour kick. A visit to Pancake House will never be complete without ordering this.
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| 3 Pieces Pan Chicken for 213php |
Another best of it's kind in the market! Perfectly crispy pan fried chicken. It's very well complimented by their signature thick gravy. It has this homey taste that I won't trade for anything else.
Pancake House will always be a favorite restaurant for me. They offer a whole lot of comfort food, making you feel at home. The breakfast all day theme is also something that I favor. Pancakes, eggs and bacon at anytime of the day! I seriously hope that the next Designer Pancake that they will come up with this May will be better than this Regal Red Velvet. We'll see...
--- Pancake House : checkout their website for more info and to locate the store nearest your place
*** http://www.pancakehouse.biz/
BONO - The Artisanal Gelato
Posted by clapalisoc |
| Category:
artisanal gelato,
Bono,
Bono Artisanal Gelato,
Bono SM Makati,
Cereal and Milk Gelato,
Green tea macha with adzuki bean gelato,
Speculoos,
Speculoos gelato
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0
comments
It was an ordinary afternoon and I was left with nothing else to do. I decided to read a book but saw my phone. In a matter of seconds, I was looking into the entries of people I follow in Looloo. I saw that Abe just reviewed Bono. I've seen a lot of entries with good ratings about this Artisanal Gelato store and have been wanting to try it but haven't really done so. I guess I wasn't that interested until I found out that they have Green Tea flavor! Yay! That was the kicker!
Without even thinking twice, I grabbed my little one, persuaded my hubby to go with us and headed off to Makati. Destination - 2/F SM Makati.
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| Well lit and very lively concept |
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| Love all the colors! |
I didn't even have any idea where it was located in SM so right after parking in Glorietta 4, we went straight to the link going to SM. As soon as we entered SM, Bono was there waiting for us! Wooohooo! No need to wander and loiter around the mall to get to our target destination!
We tried the following --
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| Double Scoop - Green Tea Macha with Speculoos on top |
Green Tea Macha with Adzuki Beans : Pure love! Macha fan right over here! I thought Gelatissimo's version was the best in town but I guess I found the bestest! Strong Macha flavor with just the right amount of dairy to give it a balance. Most would find this too strong but IMO, it's the right way to enjoy Macha. The Adzuki Beans were not even needed to be there but in any case, they added texture to the gelato.
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| Small Cereal and Milk |
Cereal and Milk : Great innovation. I have to admit that they were able to capture the taste of cereals drenching in milk, usually the left over type. It gets more interesting because of the cereal pieces. Awesome! I actually hate when my cereals become soggy but I realized that if the concept is coined as a gelato flavor, it's a knock out hit!
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| Speculoos - generous heaping of Speculoos bits and pieces! |
Speculoos : Good gracious! This one was soooo good too! It had generous heaping of Speculoos. You see, it's been several months now since I started to hunt for this uber famous, most blogged and IG-ed cookie butter. The nearest I've gotten into is this gelato. No wonder people are going crazy about it. Hah! It is sweet, caramelicious and has hints of cinnamon in it. Oh pretty please .... send me some Speculoos! For the mean time, I will stick with Bono's Speculoos Gelato.
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| The little girl is giddy to take a spoonful! |
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| BONO - from the word Buono! |
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| The Little Girl & The Hubby |
Their base gelato had a smooth and creamy texture, contrary to other gelato shops that has an icy texture. This says a lot about the quality of their product. For 130php per scoop, Bono is expensive! But I'm not really complaining because it's obvious that they know their stuff, they're good at it and they're confident enough to raise the bar higher.
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| Price List |
They are also the first gelato shop I've seen that do not display their gelato flavors in glass freezers. Most, if not all, would even put decorations into each gelato flavor to make them look more enticing. Bono keeps the gelato in "Pozzetto" cabinets allowing minimal exposure to air and light. They're confident enough about their products that they need not display them to get the attention of the people. Another interesting section of their store was the "Laboratorio." Here, you're able to peek through how they make their gelato. They've got this expensive looking gelato maker!
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| Look at their Pozzetto Cabinets! |
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| Gelato Maker! |
I think the only down side of this store is the location. Since it's not enclosed and right beside the entrance/exit doors, it's exposed to a lot of noise and chaos. It could have been better if they have an enclosed shop that's cozy. Somewhere you can just sit back and relax. In any case, I would still go back to try their other flavors.
--- Bono - Artisanal Gelato : 2/F SM Makati, Ayala Center, Makati City
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Cookbook Kitchen - A Rendezvoos Treat
Posted by clapalisoc | Thursday, 2 May 2013 | Category:
Aglio E Olio,
CBK,
Cook Book Kitchen,
Frutti di Mare,
Kittin's Scarlet Cake,
Looloo,
Looloo Rendezvoos,
Parmesan Crusted White Fish,
Rendezvoos,
Temecula Ribs
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0
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Bowling makes you hungry. I mean, playing bowling and winning makes one soul hungry!
It was a Saturday well spent. I got invited by the Looloo crew into their RENDEZVOOS. It's were they gather active Looloo users and treat them out. I guess I was eating out a lot that's why I got invited!
Me and my fellow "rendezvooers" had so much fun winning over the Looloo crew. But more than just the physical activity, a true Looloo blooded foodie would always be excited for the gastronomic treat. Hah! We got that as well!
Up and down the stairs, right and left turns, a little more walk here and there and we got to our destination -Cookbook Kitchen. I've heard a lot of raves about this restaurant but never got the chance to try it. Good thing we were with Looloo people so ordering was a piece of cake. We tried out the following --
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| Parmesan Crusted White Fish for 320php |
The famed item on their menu. Baked white fish smothered with herbs and lotsa Parmesan on top. It was very soft, drenching in oil and it was obvious that they used the frozen type of fillet instead of fresh. Too salty for me because of the cheese and had a strong taste of either thyme or rosemary. The texture was something I did not expect. It was supposed to be flaky and not soggy. But anyway, the overall taste was not too bad at all.
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| Temecula Ribs for 520php |
Pork ribs with marble potatoes on the side and pineapples all over. It was too sweet and saucy! It was tender, yes, but not the fall off the bone type. It also had a strong smoky taste, because of the barbecue sauce. Considering I am a fan of pork ribs, this one had too much of everything in it and was just not my type.
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| Frutti di Mare for 280php |
Fruit of the sea! Yeah! Thanks EJ for explaining! Tomato based pasta with an assortment of sea food - shrimp, white fish and squid. It was surprisingly the best dish of the day for me. It had just the right tomato kick that married well with the hint of herbs and sea food pieces. Not a fan of tomato based pasta but this one was good!
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| Aglio E Olio for 220php |
Oil based pasta with garlic and chili flakes. Simple. Was very disappointed with this dish. I have never tried a version as bad as this one. There was no other flavor evident than garlic! I like Aglio Olio. It's a very simple pasta dish that I didn't think can go this wrong. They even added some herbs that did not add flavor to the dish.
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| Kittin's Scarlet Cake for 160php (per slice) |
Red Velvet Cake that was tagged as a must try on their menu. I'm not really sure how real red velvet tastes like. I did some research months ago and found out that red velvet has vinegar and chocolate. It's supposed to be the hidden chocolate kick that'll make the dessert interesting, aside from it's velvety texture. By far, Cupcake Lab has the best red velvet (in a cupcake form) for me. This version of Cookbook Kitchen was a little dry. It didn't have that chocolaty finish I was looking for. It was just a piece of red colored cake. It was also weird that it was dusted with some chocolate powder that tasted like SwissMiss!
I also ordered for their Golden Iced Tea. It was supposed to be a Calamansi tea but came out too sweet. Way too much sugar.
Looking around the resto, I must say that the ambiance was a plus - spacious and well lit. They had simple furnishing and fixtures. On the other hand, I was disappointed with their servers. they were not at all aware of the whats and whys of the items on their menu. I wonder if they have ever tasted anything that was listed on it.
Quite honestly, I was disappointed with the food. I had high expectations! Good thing I've got good company to share some laughter over anything and everything under the sun!
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| Rendezvooers with the Looloo Crew : (counter clockwise) Teta (wearing red shirt), Mei, Odell (the Looloo Master), me, Lea & EJ (another Looloo master) |
Thank you, once again, Looloo Crew for the awesome Rendezvoos!
--- Cook Book Kitchen: 1880 Bldg., Eastwood Drive, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City
***you can also find them here:
--- 8 Socorro Fernandez Street, cor. Luna Mencias St. Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
--- Greenfields Square, Km 76 McArthur Highway, Sindalan, City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Friday, 26 April 2013
Recovery Food
Posted by clapalisoc | Friday, 26 April 2013 | Category:
full recovery,
Half recovery,
Happy Beef,
Recovery Food,
RF,
talangka rice,
Tapa de morning,
Turondots with Dulce gatas
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2
comments
We've always wanted to try Recovery Food but whenever we pass by during lunch time, it's always packed and the wait list is crazy. Yesterday, after trying Green Mile in Starbucks, hubby asked me if I wanted to visit RF. It was way past lunch, around 2:30PM so we were kinda positive that there'll be plenty of room for us.
The place was small, about 4 sets of tables and chairs with high seating bar table facing the very visible kitchen, enclosed by glass. You can actually see the how your food is being prepared! Outside of the store are additional sets of seating. It's more like your high end "goto/mami/pares" house and the concept is really cool!
Their menu was simple - a list of "comfort food" that are definitely Pinoy favorites. We tried the following ---
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| Tapa de Morning - Half Recovery for 180php |
Home made tapa served with sunny side up egg, and organic plain rice. You can choose between white or brown and also have the option to upgrade to Talangka Rice! I opted for the brown rice and upgraded it. The taste was just okay. The tapa was bacon like - thin bacon looking strips. It was somewhat sweet and was oily. I don't think I like my tapa that way. Also, they didn't have a good vinegar to pair with their tapa with.
They, however, served it with some sort of ensaladang mangga that I liked! Anyway, it was a plus that they serve organic rice and brown rice! Their brown rice, with the typical big grains and starchy texture, was nice though I did not really taste the Talangka in it.
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| Happy Beef Rice - Half Recovery for 160php |
Hubby got himself half recovery of Happy Beef Rice. This, I must say, was good! Tender beef cubes on top of their signature beef rice. It's more like braised beef of Chowking, only better.
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| Cheese Sticks for 99php |
We also tried their cheese sticks. I was hoping for a mozzarella type or an oozing cheddar but I'm not sure what kind they used. The cheese inside the wrapper was really dry, not even gooey. Nakakaumay! Fail!
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| Turondots with Dulce gatas for 150php |
Looking for dessert, I had no choice but this. It was the only "enticing" piece in their dessert selection and I was kind of after the Dulce Gatas dip that goes with it. I didn't really checked on what the plastic container had, since I opted to have it for take out. When I got home, I was surprised to see FIVE small pieces of turon - the usual size of a spring roll. For the price I paid, it was not worth it. Even though the Dulce Gatas dip was really good, almost yema like, this order was way over priced.
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| Calamansi Juice for 99php |
Their Calamsi Juice was good. Heard that their Dalandan Juice and Iced Tea are good too. It wasn't the artificial tasting juice or that bottled concentrate that you'll get in most restaurants that has it. It tasted more like freshly squeezed juice mixed with some water and sweetener. it was refreshing! Perfect for the summer heat and perfect to wash away the oiliness of their food! Haha!
Anyway, their service was fast and their staff, attentive. Not a place I would go back to again and again but would definitely be a catch during the wee hours of the night!
---Recovery Food: G/F Crossroads, 32nd St cor 8th Ave., BGC, Taguig City
Friday, 12 April 2013
Larcy's Cupcakery
Posted by clapalisoc | Friday, 12 April 2013 | Category:
Bananutella,
BF Homes,
Carrot Cupcake,
cupcake bakery,
Cupcakery,
frozen hot choco velvet,
larcy's,
Larcy's cupcakery bf homes,
Pink Velvet
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4
comments
It was a happy Sunday afternoon as we headed to Ruins, in BF Homes, to get some DVDs. After our DVD stint, we hopped by the nearest mall - Pergola. Pergola is a humble mall with a grocery store, some restaurants and some other establishments. There was a newly opened diner that time so we opted to have an early dinner there. The dinner did not turn out very well. So, with full but definitely unsatisfied tummies, we agreed that a feel good dessert is a must.
Since we were in BF Homes, I remembered a 'Cupcakery' Cafe or a cupcake bakery along Aguirre Ave. that opened up on December of 2012. We have already attempted several times to visit the place while in the area but each attempt was futile. The place is always packed with people coming in and out of the store and cars parked side by side. This time, even if the situation looked so crazy, I didn't give up. I was just determined to try it out.
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| Lovely lighting |
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| The counter area |
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| Perfect spot for barkada chikahan |
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| A lot of tables and chairs! |
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| The space for the little ones |
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| The PRINCESS couch |
I was so excited to order, wanting to try their best sellers - pink velvet, toblerone and choco with salted caramel cupcakes. Too bad they run out of most of the flavors. We were able try the following though ---
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| Pink Velvet for 65php |
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| Bananutella for 70php |
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| Carrot-Apple for 65php |
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| Frozen Hot Choco Velvet for 175php |
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| My cutie pie! |
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| Fooling around! |
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| Them - having a date |
Overall, we loved the place and the ambiance. More than paying for the cupcakes alone, you are actually paying for the lovely interiors and good service too. I would say that I would come back to this place again and again, each time we get into the BF Homes area.
--- Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe : 178 Aguirre Ave., BF Homes, Paranaque City
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