Mmmm! Mexicali @ The Block, SM City North EDSA

Location: 4/F SM City North,

North Ave. cor. EDSA

Quezon City, Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 - 4420096
Hours:
Sunday to Thursday / 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday to Saturday / 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
FanPage: http://www.facebook.com/mexicaliphilippines
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Mexican Food has got to be my Food for the Year (2011). I just seem to be craving for Mexican food more often than usual. Of course, this plus my regular cravings for crispy pata and pancit. :-)

After our first round of shopping on a Sunday, we had to decide on where to go for lunch. We seriously went around all the floors of the block, undecided, since nothing really seemed to appeal to me. One thing I don't like when shopping at a place I'm not that familiar with... I just can't decide in a snap as to where I'd want to eat for lunch or dinner. Hahaha!

Good thing Wowie remembered that there was a Mexicali branch on  the 4th floor. Score! An easy YES for both of us :-) Again... Pardon the grainy low-res photos... forgot to bring my camera.

Grilled Chicken Plate (Php 199.00)

Crave Burger - Not Really "Crave-Worthy"

Location: G/F Shopwise SuperCenter
150 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue
Libis, Bagumbayan
Quezon City, Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 917 - 5626612
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After doing our grocery shopping at Shopwise Libis one stormy weekend, we decided to just have lunch at Crave Burger. I was looking forward to having a nice and heavy burger lunch since I wasn't able to have breakfast that day. Again, like what I always do when eating at a place we've never tried before, I ordered the basic... Crave Burger's CC1 Crave Combo meal which had a Crave Burger, a side order of Skinny Fries, and a 12oz drink.

CC1 Crave Combo (Php 190.00)

So how did I like it? Well, I sure wasn't happy with my lunch that day. The Crave Burger was quite disappointing. The bun was dry and crumbly. The burger patty was small, despite their tag line that they had "bigger" burgers... ummmm.. Not really! It also lacked flavor... bland, to say the least.

Pleasantly Pinoy @ Pan de Amerikana

Location: # 92 Ordonez Street
Marikina City, Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 2 - 4752398
Website: http://pandeamerikana.multiply.com
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I’ve been wanting to have lunch at Pan de Amerikana for the longest time after seeing it featured on a TV show for their whimsy decor.  With our boys and our trusty cameras in tow, we finally got around to going there on a Sunday. I honestly didn’t know what to expect in terms of food since my friends spent way too much time taking photographs when they had a meal there. They only got to tell me three things:  (1) That it was a great place to take pictures, (2) steaks were priced just below Php 200.00, and (3) that they had a huge chess board.

We asked around the Concepcion, Marikina area for directions to Pan de Amerikana. It was a cinch to follow and the restaurant is quite easy to spot too with a big windmill near the entrance. Lovely, eye-catching façade… me likey!

My Fave CashCashPinoy Deals: Update - 50% OFF for Sofitel's Scrumptious Spiral Buffet!

Location: Spiral, Sofitel Philippine Plaza
Price: Php 1160.00 per person
Savings: 1160.00 (50% savings at Php 2320.00 actual price)
Deal Site: CashCashPinoy

photo from cashcashpinoy.com

Sorry everyone... I just updated this post today... Just want to inform you guys that the Sofitel Spiral Buffet Promo from CashCashPinoy has ended yesterday (Wednesday, June 22, 2011)... However, according to them, they are still planning to offer the tempting deal again to all their fans...

Don't I'll be updating this post again once I know of an amazing and tempting deal from CashCashPinoy that I want to share with everyone!


In the meantime, feel free to sign up with them and subscribe to their newsletter to get first hand information on the some of the latest and best deals in town!

Visit  CashCashPinoy at http://cashcashpinoy.com to sign up!
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Oooohhhh! I just love "deal sites" and "discount sites"!. For those still not familiar with companies like CashCashPinoy, well... in a nutshell, they basically offer popular items (food vouchers, buffets, beauty treatments, hotel stays, vacations, and more) at awesome discounted rates. Mostly 50% OFF the regular price.. but discounts may be anywhere from 20%-80%!

Trickey's - Inasal Joe - Chillers Shakes @ Tiendesitas

Location: Food Court, Tiendesitas
Pasig City, Philippines
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I read somewhere that Tiendesitas had a Food Stall selling gigantic portions of Baby Back Ribs so we decided to head here for lunch on a Sunday after mass.  We tried looking for Baby Back Ribs in each stall (since I forgot the name), but too bad, we can't seem to find it. We settled on Trickey's instead since they had T-Bone & Prime Rib Steaks. We also wanted a soup dish for sharing so we ordered La Paz Batchoy from Inasal Joe, a few stalls after Trickey's. For drinks, Mango Shakes from Chillers.

Trickey's Prime Rib Steak (Php 150.00)

The  Prime Rib Steak was ok for the price, c'mon now Php 150.00... you can't really demand steak perfection. Flavor was average, but good and but definitely better than Slice N Dice... still can't compare to other similarly priced steaks as we haven't eaten at another cheap steak place recently. I'll post a comparison once we do :-) The meat was not as tender as I would want it, needs a bit of a chew but I don't mind. I would have to say that the gravy was good and went well with the steak.

Tasty Pancit Palabok @ Susie's Cuisine - Pampanga

Location: McArthur Highway, Dolores
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 45 - 8612480 / (63) - 45 - 9639302
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I first tasted the Pancit Palabok from Susie's Cuisine 2 years ago when Wowie bought me a single order as "pasalubong" from his business trip to Pampanga. Since then, I simply had to have it as "pasalubong" together with Tibok-tibok every time he goes to San Fernando or wherever there's a Susie's Cuisine branch.

The sauce of their Pancit Palabok is just perfect.. super flavorful and tasty. Goes really well with the thick bihon-like noodles. I like the fact that the sauce is actually absorbed by the noodles, makes each bite really tasty, even without the toppings...  unlike other Palabok versions where the sauce is like a separate flavor from the noodles.

Pancit Palabok (Php 40.00)

Breakfast Time @ Aresi Bar & Restaurant - Subic Bay

Location: Lot B Court Meridian Hotel
Waterfront Road corner Rojas Street
Central Business District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone,
Zamabales, Philippines
Telephone:
(63) - 47 - 2522366/ (63) - 47 - 2522368 / (63) - 47 - 2502019
Website:  http://courtmeridian.com/Aresi
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Waking up on a Monday morning in Subic, we had breakfast at Aresi since it came with our room reservation at the Court Meridian Hotel. Wowie ordered the Filipino Breakfast of Chicken Pork Adobo, and I had the American Breakfast with Bacon, Eggs, and Fried potatoes. They're known for serving really scrumptious Italian food, so I wasn't really intending to write a review about our simple plated breakfast there.

 

When our orders came, Ok... the usual. Let's eat. Starving really. When I took a bite of my fried potatoes.. yum! I know it was just simple fried potatoes, but it was cooked and seasoned to perfection! As you can see in the photo, there were only a few pieces on the plate... but it was so delicious promise! Hehehe... so much fuss over fried potatoes. 

Not So Heavenly-Tasting Food @ Angeles Fried Chicken

Location: #1992 Marlim Avenue,
Diamond Subdivision, Balibago, Angeles City,
Pamapanga, Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 45 - 3224448
Website: http://angelesfriedchicken.blogspot.com/
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Their tag-line says "The Oldest Running Restaurant in Angeles City where Chicken Tastes Heavenly!!!""... Sadly, I would have to DISAGREE. 

On our latest trip to Subic Bay, we decided to make a stopover at Angeles for lunch. It has been 2-3 years already since we last ate at Angeles Fried Chicken.I can't really remember anything about the food... except that the restaurant kept popping up on my search results for places to eat in Angeles City Pampanga. Ok, so we thought of having lunch there, especially since their online menu seemed promising.

 Heavenly? Ummm... not quite..

My apologies in advance to the die-hard fans of Angeles Fried Chicken... I am just writing our family's personal experience. If you love it there, I respect your opinion... Hope you also respect mine. :-)

Bottomless Margaritas, Baby Back Ribs, and more! @ Agave Mexican Cantina

Location: Unit H6, Citywalk 1, Eastwood City,

E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Libis

Quezon City, Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 -912989 / (63) - 2 - 4145911

Website: http://www.agavecantina.com/

Hours: 

M-T-W-Th-Sun / 11:00 am - 12:00 mn

F-Sat / 11:00 am - 3:00 am

----------------------------------------------------- The first time I ate at Agave Mexican Cantina was at their branch in Bonifacio High Street (but just for their Nachos and Bottomless Margarita). I was there on a nightcap with a girl friend after a wedding so I really didn't get the chance to try their other dishes... but I did get a good look at their menu. Since then  I've been wanting to have dinner with Wowie there as they had a lot of yummy choices I was extremely interested in. I was both happy and excited to know that we wouldn't have to go all the way to Makati to have a taste of their yummy-looking dishes since they also had branches in Eastwood Libis and Tomas Morato. We finally got around to going on a movie-dinner-date at their Eastwood spot. Bottomless House Margarita (Php 295.00) I already knew I was having their Bottomless House Margaritas... a bang for your buck at Php 295.00 especially if you can drink more than 2 glasses like me (since a glass costs Php 175.00)... Score!!! I love their bottomless margaritas... just the right mix in my opinion. You can also to choose to have your bottomless margaritas in a flavor-of-the-day like strawberry at Php 395.00.

The Max's Chicken-All-You-Can Promo is Back! Woohoo!!!

Location: All Max's Restaurant Branches in the Philippines (only)

Promo Period: 
June 10, 2011 to July 10, 2011
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Daily

Price: Php 199.00 per person, includes 1 glass of  soft drink (Pepsi products) or Iced Tea
add Php 28.00 to upgrade to bottomless drinks

Perks: Diners will receive a Php 20.00 coupon rebate for every Php 200.00 purchase during the promo period. Coupons can be used after the Chicken-All-You-Can promo starting July 11, 2011. A maximum of 3 coupons per transaction can be used within one year.
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Ooooohhh... I've been waiting for this to be re-launched since last year's successful Chicken-All-You-Can Promo! Max's fans, myself included, have long been hoping to avail of this sweet deal again. Max's listened... and here we are again, looking forward to June 10, 2011 for another chance to eat as much of Max's scrumptious fried chicken as possible for just Php 199.00!

Yummy Chinese Dishes @ Red Palace Seafood Restaurant

Location: #132 Malakas Street
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 2 - 6642735
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I tried looking for other reviews on this restaurant online, but I'm afraid there aren't that much, let alone 1 or 2 entries which are 3-4 pages into the search results page. Too bad as Red Palace Seafood Restaurant offers really yummy Chinese food. I believe it's about time that I post an entry about the delicious food here.

Lechon Macau, Hakaw (steamed shrimp dumplings),

and Ripe Mango Shake

Really Good Chinese Food @ Rose Bowl - Baguio City

Location: #7 Harrison Road, Baguio City
Benguet, Philippines
Telephone: 
(63) - 74 - 4424213 / (63) - 74 - 4439221
(63) - 74 - 4439222 / (63) - 74 - 4429374
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When in Baguio, one must definitely go to Rose Bowl Restaurant across Burnham Park beside the Tiong San department store for a a meal of delicious Chines food. This has been one of the popular, well-loved places to go to for lunch and dinner in Baguio City, and to this day, their dishes never fail to leave you happy, satisfied, and full!

Mongolian Buffet & More @ O' Mai Khan - Baguio City

Location: # 12 Otek Street
corner Jose Rizal Park
Baguio City, Philippines
Telephone: (63) -74 - 4425885
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Wowie introduced me to Mongolian Eat-All-You-Can Bowls back when we were still dating... and I can't seem to get enough of it. To this day, I continuously scour a town or place for a restaurant offering Mongolian Buffet... Whether we're at Boracay, Subic, or just about anywhere... I always have to get my fill of Mongolian Rice Bowls.

That's why I was extremely pleased that the "summer capital" of the Philippines had one... O' Mai Khan! After doing a bit of research online, and having read several good reviews about the place, I definitely had to give it a try.

Affordable Mediterranean Meals @ Mister Kabab

Location: 95-A West Avenue

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 - 3735941
Hours: 24-hours Daily
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 Chicken Korma, Shawarma, and Plain Rice

If you're on a budget and want to try Mediterranean Food, then set a date to check out Mister Kabab at Tomas Morato, Quezon City or head to their other branches in UP-Ayala Technohub and Ortigas. Your Php 100.00 - 250.00 will surely make you one satisfied camper here with a yummy meal, drinks, and perhaps a dessert (depending on the main dish you order). You can choose from several vegetable, beef, lamb, and seafood dishes here. There's also the all-time favorite Shawarma served on a plate as well as Kababs :-)

Average Tasting Steaks & Ribs @ Alfredo's Steaks - Tomas Morato

Location: Tomas Morato Avenue

corner Sct. De Guia and Dr. Lascano Sts.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 - 7829862

Hours: Daily / 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

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Tenderloin and Ribs Mashed Potato Steak Duo

 

Alfredo's Steaks in Tomas Morato is an OK place to satisfy your steak cravings. Like I said, it is an "OK" place... but not exactly our favorite, definitely not the best (in our opinion)... and if I may say, I find it quite overrated. So my apologies to all their fans. I'm just giving my truthful opinion.

The Best Pancit Guisado Ever @ Toho Food Center - Binondo, Manila

Location: 422-424 T. Pinpin Street
Binondo, Manila Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 2 - 2414208 / (62) - 2 - 2420294
Hours: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sundays 8:00 am - 2:00 pm (new update!)
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Pancit or  "Pansit" is a Philippine stir-fried noodle dish of Chinese origin. There is a great number of varieties of this dish, using different noodles, recipes, and toppings. 

The word pancit is derived from the Hokkien word pian i sit, which literally means "something conveniently cooked fast." 

* Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/
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As you might've read in my brief profile, I'm addicted to Pancit (noodles with vegetables, meat/seafood)... and as far as ALL the Pancit Guisado dishes I've tried (in Metro Manila and in the provinces), Toho's version has got to be the best I've ever tasted. 

 Miki Bihon Guisado

(small - Php 75.00 / medium - Php 150.00 / large - Php 225.00)

Spicy Squid

(small - Php 115.00 / medium - Php 230.00 / large -Php 345.00)

Yang Chow Fried Rice

( small - Php 100.00 / medium - Php 150.00 / large - Php 200.00)

Sambo Kojin - A Scrumptiously Satisfying Smokeless Grill Spot!

Location: 201 EDSA

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila

Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 - 7264520
Hours: Daily 11:00 am - 2:00 pm / 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Price Per Person: 
Monday to Friday Lunch - Php 495.00
Dinners and Weekend Lunches Php 595.00
Children’s Rate: Php 295.00
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Looking for a new Eat-All-You-Can Smokeless Grill restaurant to try out? The put Sambo Kojin Yakinuku Smokeless Grill next on your list of fun smokeless grill spots in the metro! If you love YakiMix, I believe you'll have a great time at Sambo Kojin too :-) In case you didn't know, Sambo Kokin is also from the Dad's-Saisaki-Kamayan-Somethin' Fishy family... so "satisfaction guaranteed" if I may say :-)

We already had several dinners at their Eastwood Branch (but wasn't able to take photos, since we were always late, thus... overly hungry whenever we finally get seated)... so we thought of checking out their EDSA branch, right above Dad's.

Family and Kid-Friendly Fare @ Pancake House

Location: #1 Capitol Green Street, G/F Floor Commercial Center
Capitol Hills Golf & Country Club, Capitol Hills Drive, Old Balara Ave.

Quezon City, Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 2 - 9319938

Website: http://www.pancakehouse.com.ph/

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Ask my 3 boys where they want to go for lunch or dinner, and they'll all say Pancake House! 

This place is such an easy choice for my boys because all their favorite food are in the menu. Waffles, Pancakes, Milkshakes, Ice Cream, Fried Chicken, Spaghetti, Fish N Chips, and Fries! Whew! 

a.c. RUMPA - Angeles City, Pampanga

Location: 1037 Surla Street
Balibago, Angeles City
Pampanga, Philippines
Telephone: (63) - 45 - 8926659
Hours: Daily / 7:00 am - 9:30 pm
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Heading home from our Subic weekend escapades, we always seem to end up in Angeles City, Pampanga for dinner. We've tried several restaurants there, but I keep forgetting to take photos of the restaurants and food. I'll try to remember next time, promise :-)

Anyway, here's another place to add to your list of places to try in Angeles City.

a.c. RUMPA... yes, that's a small letter "a" and "c"... that's how the official name is spelled. I heard it stands for Angeles City Reserve US Military Personnel Association.

This place came highly recommended by a couple of friends and a few reviews I read online. Let's see.

Porterhouse Steak with Gravy (Php195.00)

Yummy 22-inch Pizza @ Xtremely Xpresso - Subic

Location: #1 Dewey Avenue

corner Sta. Rita Street

Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales

Philippines

Telephone: (63) - 47 - 2523681

Website: http://www.xtremelyxpresso.com/

Hours: Daily / 6:00 am - 12:00 mn

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Will you be going to Subic (anytime soon or in the future)? Do you love pizza? Are you a fan of ginormous food servings? If you answered "YES" to all my questions, then the Xtremely Xpresso Cafe in Subic is the place for you to go to satisfy your ginormical pizza cravings!

Check out their Xtreme Big Ben Pizza beside Wowie below! A whopping 22-inches of pure deliciousness! Loaded with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and beef, garlic, onions, peppers, mushrooms, black olives and two kinds of cheese. Whew! Xtremely loaded making it Xtremely yummy!

22-inch Xtreme Big Ben Pizza (Php 729.00)

It was only Wowie & I that day, so we decided on just ordering the Xtreme Big Ben Pizza (which is actually enough for 4-6 hungry people to share) and the Baby Back Ribs. Subic's our favorite place to go to for an easy weekend escapade so we'll order the other tempting dishes the next time ;-)

Baby Back Ribs (Php 190.00)

photo by my husband, Wowie