Last post : Saint's Alp Teahouse

This is my last blogpost and I thank everyone who spent time viewing my photos and my blog. For my last post, here are photos from Saint's Alp Teahouse.

choco mint (php130)

sumiyaki coffee (php150)

chicken skin chips (php90)

cheesy tempura (php90)

Second to the last blogpost: Banana Leaf

teh tarik (68php)

thai iced tea (php68)

 

 

 

tom yum soup (php198)

About the food:

Due to my now very hectic business work schedule, I regret that I have to discontinue doing my regular blogposts. On a positive note though, I get to go to more foodtrips with some business clients and loved ones, and still post my food photos at facebook.

This will be my second to the last blogpost. I won't spend much time discussing about the food anymore. But I hope you appreciate the quality photos.

pork steak (268php)

tilapia malayan (php238)

nasi goreng (php188)

tom yum soup with visible shrimp and mushroom (a must try even if you don't love spicy food)

chicken satay (php128)

Sango Burger Master

About the food:

It's been quite a while since I made any blogposts. Now, to resume it, I'll be blogging about Sango Master Burger.

A few weeks back, we had lunch at this japanese burger place.

I ordered the double master burger (PHP232.14 exc. VAT). The nice thing about their burgers its that its full of flavor (even though the patty is small). Also, the size of the tomato slice is generously served. However, it's quite messy to eat by hand because the onion bits and sauce tend to fall off. As for taste however, this is a good try. 

We also tried the chili burger (PHP160.71 excl taxes). This too tasted good. The bread was still fresh. 

For the appetizer before the burgers, we ordered their sango master fries (PHP102.68 excl VAT). The serving size was also generous and the fries were also fresh and not so oily.  

Where to buy:

The Sango Master Burger we tried was located at the ground floor of Rockwell Mall. It is situated outside of the mall and can be seen beside Cibo and Starbucks. It is also near the Rockwell Tent area.


Ratings:

Food Presentation: AVERAGE

Since this is not a fine dining restaurant, food presentation is only normal.

Ambiance:ABOVE AVERAGE

The ambience is quite spacious and casual. It's a lively environment to dine at.

Quality: ABOVE AVERAGE

Their burgers are worth craving for. Its a better alternative compared to the usual fastfood burgers.

Serving:ABOVE AVERAGE

The servings are reasonable in size.

Price:GOOD

Prices are quite reasonable. They're a bit more expensive than cheap fastfood but not as expensive as fine dining restaurants.

Health:AVERAGE

Burgers and fries are not precisely healthy but adding more vegetables to it helps to improve health somewhat.

Cha Dao Tea Place

photo taken with an iphone

About the food:

One other popular tea place worth trying out in QC is Cha Dao Tea Place. Their prices are lower than Saint's Alp Teahouse, but for the lower price, you also get quite a large serving.  



In the pictures above, we ordered Cha Yen, and Assam (if I remember right). It did not taste like ice (there wasn't much crushed ice) but instead tasted more of milk and tea (the way it should be).  

Where to buy and how much:

Cha Dao tea place is located at 42 Esteban Abada St., Loyola Heights, QC.

Ratings:

Food Presentation: AVERAGE

They come in a standard transparent recyclable plastic cup.

Ambiance: AVERAGE

The space occupied by Cha Dao is quite small and can be cramped if there are a lot of people lining up for orders.

Quality: GOOD

The flavors we tried smelled and tasted well.

Serving: GREAT

For an XL size, we expected a bit smaller cup, but then we got a bigger one.

Price: GREAT

If  you're on a tight budget but still wanted to enjoy tea, Cha Dao is one way to go.

Health: GREAT

You can decide on the sweetness level of your drinks and at the same time, you're consuming real tea and not a powdered form.





Starbucks and Breyer's Ice Cream

About the food:

Long ago, I used to frequent Starbucks and order a frappucino. Nowadays, I drink loose leaf teas daily for a healthier life. On certain occasions though, I still enjoy the sweet things of life. Starbucks Ice Cream is one of those sweet moments.

Their ice cream is one of the creamiest and most flavorful I've ever tasted. I've only tried their Mocha Frappucino flavor and it's heavenly.

The only thing you need to be careful about are the 20grams of sugar, as well as the sodium and cholesterol.

Moving on, another popular ice cream mainstream brand in the US is Breyer's (not to be mistaken with Dreyer's). Their ice cream is less creamy than Starbucks but still creamier than local ice cream.

The good thing about foreign ice cream brands is that their labels clearly show the nutritional values of their products.

Where to buy and how much:

These ice cream brands are available at Rustan's supermarkets for around PHP350 a pint (for Starbucks) and around PHP300+ for a Breyer's 1.5 quart.


Rating:

food presentation: N/A

ambiance: N/A

quality: GOOD

When it comes to creaminess and ingredients, both ice cream brands are of good quality.

serving: AVERAGE

For the same cost, you can already buy a gallon of ice cream from other local brands. Compared to more expensive brands though, these offer reasonable serving sizes.

Price: AVERAGE

They're not cheap but they're not as expensive as artisan ice creams.

Health: BELOW AVE.

Ice cream can be a source of calcium but so can fresh milk. Fresh milk can provide calcium at less cholesterol and lesser sugar content.

Gaufres by Fugetsu Do

About the food:

One time, I was at the Greenhills area, looking to try new food and new stuff on display at stores. I visited Tokyo Konbini Market along Connecticut Street in Greenhills and saw an attractive although expensive package.

I asked the saleslady about the lovely box and she said that it was one of their bestsellers and that only a few boxes were being displayed and almost all the time, they were quickly sold out.

I was intrigued by the contents and so I decided to buy one it give it a try.

Inside was a beautiful tin box.

In these boxes, are nine large thin pieces of gaufres. Simply put, gaufres are like paper thin waffles with cream inside them.

Each piece were larger than my hand could hold. Every bite had to be savored as well. Those nine pieces were separately packaged into 3 sets of 3. Each set of 3 had an assortment of flavors and each flavor was exquisite. This is a luxury treat that must be eaten slowly.

To best appreciate this expensive pastry, its best to consume when you're almost full and not hungry. That way, you will savor every bite and not end up comparing them with the cheap pastries you can buy in supermarkets.



Where to buy and how much:

These are sold locally only at Tokyo Konbini Market along Connecticut St. The box costs PHP1,000.00. They're quite expensive but so do all authentic Japanese products made in Japan.


Ratings (updated):

Presentation: Great!

It comes in a beautiful can and wrapped box. Perfect for giving as a gift (to yourself or someone else)

Ambience: Tokyo Konbini resembles a small grocery store and on the sides are a small dining area (for those ordering ramen) and grill area.


Quality: Great!

The admirable thing about Japanese products is their dedication to superior quality.

Serving: Average

Let's face it, you can't get it all. For PHP1,000.00 you get only nine pieces. But these nine pieces are of great quality.  If you're interested more with quantity, best go with something else.

Price: Average

If you want to taste great products, you should be willing to pay for a modest premium.

Conclusion:

If you're looking to taste the best pastries, try this one for size.

Spending Time with Chatime

About the food:

Tea-based specialty drinks are really popular and nowadays and in almost every mall, you can find one. In Robinsons Galleria, we found a small stall of Chatime and decided to give it a try.

We both ordered the Pearl Red Bean Milk Tea (PHP80 for large). It seemed then that our drinks had too much ice on it, and we even requested for zero sugar to be added, which made the drink less flavorful. We were not very pleased with our orders.


Where to buy and how much:

The branch of Chatime we found was at Robinsons Galleria, near the supermarket area and National Book Store. It's price is on the lower-middle end of specialty tea drinks.


Rating: 6.5/10

To really enjoy tea-based drinks, I'd recommend Saint's Alp Teahouse in Katipunan Ave. instead. They have the best tea-based drinks I've tried so far.

Hyperific at Hyphy's

About the food:

We've been hearing good reviews about Hyphy's in Robinsons Galleria. Furthermore, I myself have tasted real clam chowder in San Francisco, of which Hyphy's takes its inspiration from. So, we decided to give this store a visit.

clam chowder in sourdough bread (PHP170 excl SC)

First off, we went for soup and tried the clam chowder in sourdough bread (which is good for two). The sourdough bread is fresh and good, as well as generous in size. We weren't able to finish the bread because we would end up being too full to eat anything else. As for the chowder, it was thick and had good taste. It had a mix of vegetables aside from clam. Personally, I would prefer 80% clams for clam chowder instead of mostly vegetables, but that would make the price of soup too high.

Next, we had the Dolores Park Burrito.

Dolores Park Burger (PHP300 excl SC)

It had beef, vegetables, rice, and surprisingly red beans, that reminded me of hopia. This too, was a heavy meal that is worth trying. It's not the usual burrito you find in fastfood mexican outlets that are mostly ground beef and tomato sauce. 

  To complete our lunch, the best dish we tried that day was the fish burger.

fish burger (PHP190 excl SC)

 The fries on this burger were freshly cut and were not salty. I took home an additional order of this fish burger and even when cold, the fries tasted great.

 What makes this fish burger stand out from the fastfood fish fillet burgers is the quality of the fish used, which is snapper (according to the menu).

Where to buy:

Hyphy's is located at the Ground Floor Veranda of Robinsons Galleria, along other restaurants such as La Creperie, Eat Well!, and Papa Johns.

Rating: 9/10

I almost forgot about the trivia. Hyphy's should not be pronounced as (hee-fis). Instead, it should be pronounced as (high-fees). Take note that they do not charge high-fees. I find their prices quite reasonable. They're more expensive than fastfood and foodcourts (they should be) but not as expensive as hotels and upscale fine dining restaurants.

Gloria Maris Dimsum Breakfast

About the food:

Sometimes, it's nice to go back and visit the old and established restaurants. With the ever growing number of new restaurants, you always risk tasting a bad dish, and wasting money. Hence, it is nice to take a look at the older restaurants that give you peace of mind as you pay for good quality food.

One such place is Gloria Maris in Greenhills Shopping Center. They've been there for the longest time and still they offer the best dimsum.

In the morning, I dropped by to have brunch and ordered xiao long bao (above). Since they just opened, my order came it freshly steamed and fresh. Nothing beats freshly steamed dumplings.

To hydrate myself, I ordered their fresh coconut juice (straight from the buko).

I also ordered their freshly steamed hakao (shrimp) dumplings. It was simply delightful.

Where to buy and how much:

Gloria Maris dimsums are reasonably priced. These two dimsums and buko cost me less than PHP400.00


Rating: 9/10

Zensho eat all you can part two for two

About the food:

Previously, I went and blogged about Zensho (http://foodhealthreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/zensho-eat-all-you-can-goodness.html). However, I was not satisfied with the quality of pictured I had back then. So, I went back, this time with a companion to take better pictures and perhaps give justice to the good food that is there. Below are new photos of what we ate at Zensho.

assorted sashimi and sushi (it was ok)

shrimp tempura (quite thin than the usual, but you can order more anyway if you're not satisfied)

the beef in this photo was soft and came in as a large serving, this one was one of the first dishes that came and the last we were able to finish.

Some of these are not oysters but scallops and fish fillet (this is one of their specialties and a treat you normally would not find in a buffet)

yasai soup

this cuttlefish (giant squid) was soft and not too rubbery

this is my first time to order and try cold soba noodles, and it turns out to be really good!