Little Asia - Greenhills, Philippines

Friday, Feb 12th: Little Asia Restaurant to Celebrate my nephew and niece's Feb. Birthdays... Asian Fusion type resto - loved it....
Location: Greenhills...

Loved everything about the place.... yummy food... cool interiors... beautiful mural... service is par excellence... my only complain is the table setting... paper place setting does not suit this place at all.... they could have done better... but that is a minor misstep, as they excel in everything else....

Took my nephew and niece for their BDays.... Just the 3 of Us!!!

Barrio Fiesta - Only Half a Fiesta!

For Juliana's second nite (Nov. 23rd) in Manila, I wanted her to experience what I have come to love at Barrio Fiesta... not just the GREAT PINOY food, but the whole presentation.... the Filipiniana Decor, the local costumes, and the fun of seeing the waiters and waitresses get into the act and sing songs while serving or in between servings... a REAL TREAT! ALAS, this was not so on this particular nite...


We opted to go to the Barrio Fiesta in Makati Ave... mainly so I can take Juliana around the newly opened A.Venue as well... which is next block to Barrio Fiesta... We met up with my family around 6:30 and were seated for dinner by 7PM.... Right away I noticed there was no entertainment whatsoever -- so I asked??? Was told that, there's some diners that requested they do not sing till after they are done eating and have left...LOLs?? why bother to go to this place then? Half of the FUN is the whole entertainment Experience....

Well, I spoke too soon... as when the entertainment finally came - it left me sooooo disappointed... two musicians who played for about 15 mins before they were joined by one waiter singing... He was good, I will give him that but where are the others? Why is the entertainment soooo SKIMPY??? I was sooopo frustrated and felt BAD as I ahd already mentioned to Juliana how nice & entertaining this place was... Maybe I should have taken her to the one in PASAY or even the one in MEGAMALL, which we have frequented before and always left us satisfied - both our tummies and our eyes & ears.....

In fairness though, the food was still good -- tasty and very authentic... we ordered Kare Kare, Crispy Pata, Adobo, Pinakbet, Bicol Express... a wide variety and considered staple Pinoy dishes... So at least, on that part -- my hunger for the Barrio Fiesta Experience was SATISFIED!!

Something Different: Dairy Queen

Last nite of the Manila Trip in September...we decided to go and check out the progress on the CONDO high rise in Eastwoods City... we were caught in such heavy rain that we decided to weather it out and enjoy some desserts --being that was COLD & WET, we opted for ICE CREAM - naturally!!! Hahahahahaha....

Our choice was Dairy Queen.... something different for the family as they have never had it before.... Haagen Daaz is much more available in Shopping Malls in Manila... though I know of this place growing up in the Bay Area (California, USA), I did not get to have it again till I went to Vancouver to visit David, who was studying at the Culinary School at the time.... his rented home happens to be walking distance to a Dairy Queen.... and no matter where we are headed, we seems to be walking by it... so enticing but alas, always too crowded and busy... We did manage to enjoy it a couple of times though... once while suffering through the long lines... and another time in LANGLEY with Larraine and Jill (With David in photo above)... such a sweet treat and very much lining up for!!!

So during this last trip in Manila, it was such a pleasant surprise finding one at GATEWAY Mall, in the Cubao Area... needless to say, we immediately went up to the counter and ordered a couple of BLIZZARDS -- just as good as we remember it... So I made it a point to take the whole family to try it out.... and it worked out well as the last nite before heading back to Taiwan, after checking up on the progress of the EASTWOODS Condos, I was able to take everyone for Blizzards at the DAIRY QUEEN branch there... so everyone got to try something different and became Dairy Queen converts instantly...

And a bit more INFO according to WIKI:
"Dairy Queen, often abbreviated to DQ, is a international chain of ice cream and fast food restaurants. Its first location was founded in 1938 by John McCullough and since 1940 it has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. Its largest franchisee is the Texas Dairy Queen Operating Council which runs the majority of DQ locations in the state of Texas.

Dairy Queen International is the parent company of Dairy Queen. In the US it operates under the American Dairy Queen title. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. At the end of its fiscal year 2006, Dairy Queen reported over 5,600 stores in more than a dozen countries; about 4,600 of its stores (or approximately 85%) were located within the United States."

Angel's Kitchen - Manila, Philippines

Have you ever read a REVIEW about a movie or a restaurant; get excited by it to see or try; then be soooo disappointed??? Sadly, that is just how our LUNCH EXPERIENCE turned out to be with Angel's Kitchen...

The FOOD magazine review talks of fusion and modernizing the Filipino food.... tasty delicious concoctions.... and moderate pricing.... boy it was wrong on all count by our standards....

The ambiance was nice enough... the staff, friendly and accommodating... but the food was not up to par at all... most everything was on the BLAND side --I mean how can Pinakbet Rice not be tasty when you already have sooo many things thrown in there? and this is one of their most famous specialty dish? Mandarin Chicken, was basically friend chicken with some lemon sauce.... and worse, the chicken was cold and dry... only the sauce was HOT!
(Right Photo: Possibly the BEST part of the dining experience for me.)

I really do not mind paying for food but if one has to pay an average of 350.00+ Pesos for each plate on the menu (roughly US$7.50) - the restaurant should really make sure that the food is at least good... even not excellent.... maybe it was an off day for the chef -- who knows? it just made for a very unsatisfying dining experience... and from noticed with the other diners - no one seemed to have a smile on their faces leaving the place... surely, they, like us, did not have a Heavenly Experience!!!
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Angel's Kitchen, San Juan
57 Connecticut St., North East Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila
(02) 744-1018
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Teriyaki Boy - Philippines

Anyone who knows me long enough, knows that am BIIIG on TONKATSU, deep fried, breaded pork cutlets... Not sure when the LOVE for this dish started - but it goes waaaay back -- that's for sure! I believe it was at KIMPURA HOUSE, Makati that I first got my TASTE of Tonkatsu - many years ago and I have loved it ever since... When in Japan - am always in HEAVEN as I can have this anytime, anywhere....

In Manila, there are a few places one can go to for cheap, fun, and tasty Japanese food - and for me, Tonkatsu specifically... There' SUMO SAM at the Shangrila Mall, Edsa - a bit on the PRICEY side but very much worth it... make sure you have plenty of time to sit and chat though as it gets crowded during dinner time... if you want to go a bit more affordable without sacrificing the taste and service, there is TERIYAKI BOY. They can be found in a lot of places all over the city but my favorite one is located at The Promenade in Greenhills.... (For other branches & locations - Check Here)
Teriyaki Boy prides themselves to be a Fast-Casual Japanese Dining Restaurant - and time and time again, they prove themselves well.... They have yet to disappoint me, my family & friends... we visit at least one of the places, each time I do fly into town... Besides my FAVE Tonkatsu , one can also select from the many offerings in the menu - SUSHI, SASHIMI, Gyoza, and of course, Teriyaki...