Tokyo Tokyo, Robinsons Mall, Lipa City
Where to eat in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines?
1. I work a lot...and I would like to spend only a maximum of 1 hr going out to eat.
2. I don't have time to clean up the cutlery, knives, plates etc that I use when I cook.
3. I do not have a stay-in maid. I only cook in my mom's place because she has a maid.
4. I do not like washing dishes.
5. I do not really have time to go to grocery and shop for raw materials.
These are the reasons why I prefer to go out and eat. However, for the last few months, as I get older, I have developed stress dyspepsia. I either hyperventilate or vomit the food I eat.
This is why I have to be more picky about the food I ate. Goodbye KFC :-(
As I search for cheap, healthy food, I realize that Philippine restaurants do not offer so much variety. I am quite tired of the restaurants I visit now. I have to eat 3 times day so the choices I have in Ortigas keep diminishing.
I decided to write about my visits to restaurants. I hope that they would serve healthier meals going forward.
If you can recommend a good place to eat, please contact me or comment on my blog. I prefer cheap, healthy food. I do not eat chicken and pork. I can only eat lamb, beef and deep-water fish.
Chef & Brewers, Emeral Ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Breadtalk, Megamall, Mandaluyong, Manila, Philippines
Breadtalk in Megamall is small compared to Breadtalk Singapore. Surprisingly, now they also serve cakes which are not technically bread but maybe they realized that Filipinos are such sweet-tooth people. They also serve fatty breads like sisig-filled ones. Their cashier was probably having her period when I bought some bread last week. She was quite grumpy :-)
Breadtalk is a fancy food. It's something I will not consider for a regular diet. It's made of white bread, albeit very soft, not very healthy. It's also not cheap. Each piece is around Php 40 to Php 50. Their serving size will not fill your stomach after a few hours work.
Breadtalk offers interesting designs and flavors that might be good for "pasalubong" or gifts... but they stand in close competition to closer alternatives like Donuts.
I'd give Breadtalk around 3, as they have an original concept of self-service in a restaurant. They appear clean and organized as well. Price is quite high and since it is a walk in store, there are no real amenities like a table where you can sit on while enjoying the bread. I'd visit again... but as I recall, last time (other than Jan 22, '08) I bought Breadtalk products was in 2004 when I was in Singapore.
Bubble Tea, Megamall, Edsa, Mandaluyong, Manila Philippines
Over-priced beef stew, flies, outside seating, small servings.
Need I say more?
I guess I do... I would give Bubble Tea credit for it's interesting concept. It's not quite original as I think it's just a modification of the once famous pearl drinks. Bubble tea sells drinks with pearls. They have tea drinks with pearls and fruit drinks with pearls. The cost per drink is quite expensive considering the small plastic glass they put your drink.
They serve meals like beef stew, chicken and cakes (as I remember). You can check out the pictures in blog for more info.
I don't recommend Bubble Tea because it gives me less food than what I think I paid for. The presentation is decent... clean utensils and nice plates. However, you would need to sit outside their store at the basement of Megamall. You'd have not much privacy as people walking around would see you.
I won't come back to this place. I just tried it out a bit. Really difficult to find a nice place that serves good value, healthy meals...
I am beginning to think that these days, eating healthy is quite expensive.
7 Corners, Crowne Plaza, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
I decided to have a treat today, have some good meal. I am seriously taking at least 30 mins to 1 hr deciding what to eat lately because I really am tired of eating fatty, non-nutritious food. So, I decided to visit 7 Corners.
I signed up for a Priority Privilege card with Crowne Plaza / Holiday Inn hotels March 2007 to get substantial discounts to hotel rooms and of course, 7 Corners. 7 Corners is an all-you-can-eat first class restaurant. I've visited this restaurant at least 6 times last year and I think I'd visit it more often in the future. I usually have business meetings here. Sometimes, when workmates do well, I'd offer free lunch and/or dinner at 7 Corners.
7 Corners, I presume, takes the concept of letting customers experience 7 world-known cuisines:
1. American - They serve angus beef, imported from USA. They serve generously of course. This is a highlight for me because beef is the only type of meat I can eat regularly aside from lamb. Of course, 7 Corners also have some fried rice with vegetables, grilled chicken and tuna. I think these are the dishes found on the American menu.
2. Filipino - Well the usual Filipino food...
3. Chinese - 7 Corners serves all sorts of dimsum, shrimp balls, shanghai fried rice, chicken dishes... usual chinese...
4. Japanese - I love this section. They serve maki, sushi, Japanese egg tarts, seaweed dishes, shrimps, crab, fish...
5. English - all kinds of tarts, pies, ice cream deserts, cakes like blueberry cheesecake, sans rival, etc.
6. Italian - they have pasta, bread, at least 6 types of cheese, pizza
7. Indian - they have curry, roti, spicy indian dishes
To visit 7 Corners, you have to go to Crowne Plaza, 2nd floor from the lobby.
Crowne Plaza Website
Let me comment on this buffet restaurant point by point:
1. Customer service - the chefs per section are great however some waiters are a bit snobbish and do not anticipate your needs considering it's a hotel.
2. Price - Each person would have to pay Php 1175 per visit. If you get a priority card, you get 50% discount when you eat alone or with one person. Hence, for me, the pricing is only reasonable because I get substantial discount. Makes sense for me -- a $10 usd meal. However, if I do not have this card, I probably won't go as often as I do.
3. Food quality - Excellent. Though one time, I didn't like the Indian selection but when I ate at 7 Corners today, I was happy again so I will visit in a few days once more.
4. Ambiance - Well, it's peaceful and a bit quiet considering you'd see a traffic-laden highway outside the windows.
I give this restaurant 4.5 so far the highest grade I ever gave.
Mexicali, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, Pasig
Take note, I had to vegetable burrito.
Tokyo Tokyo, Robinsons Galleria, Lipa City, Batangas
1. Food Quality, Taste, Packaging - I hated the Kamikaze Fireball that I ordered. It's made of pork and it's not tender pork. So I give them a 2.
2. Value for Money - Well to be fair, I think my order was just Php 79. I got nice vegetable side dish and unlimited rice. This goes 2 as well as even if I paid only Php 79, I would have gotten a better meal from Binalot.
3. Premises, Amenities - They have quite clean location, no bathroom though. So 2.
4. Customer Service - Outright 1. They did not take my order . They forgot my order and just gave me iced tea. They thought I canceled my order when I just canceled one of two kamikaze dishes. So I had to wait 5 more minutes after waiting about 5 to 8 minutes already. I won't go back to Tokyo Tokyo Robinsons, Lipa City for a while, perhaps about 6 to 8 months. And I will go back only when all other restaurants in the area are closed.
Karate Kid, SM Lipa City, Batangas
1. Food Quality, Taste, Packaging - The yakisoba I ordered was nice and it had a lot of vegetables.
2. Value for Money - I paid good price for my yakisoba, less than Php 100. It was a generous serving. So food quality and value is reasonable, they get 3.5
3. Premises, Amenities - They do not have bathroom, they have small restaurant but it's clean and decent. So I give them a 3.
4. Customer Service - This is the problem. The cashier, who is also the waiter, who is also the cleaner, tried to keep our Php 20 change. We didn't raise up the issue right away because we were waiting for him to give us Php back. But he carried on his task. Then we raised the issue that he needs to give us Php 20... he said he doesn't have change. We told him that he should not do that and should just tell us if he doesn't have change. He said he was sorry. It was a bad experience. So we looked for the manager who was sitting at the back of the restaurant, I am not sure what she is doing but she wasn't even helping the guy at the counter take orders when there were people coming. I think I give him restaurant 0 for customer service and attempted fraud...
I'd go back though, but only if that cashier is no longer there...
McDonald's, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
McDonalds staff are well-trained in customer service. It's very hard to get upset. You can see the staff trying hard to be friendly.
Today, I had a quite funny experience. The waiter took my order so I said, "I'd like an egg mcmuffin please". Then the waiter said, "Ok Ma'am, is that egg mc muffin with egg?" I was shocked with the question but I burst laughing afterwards. Sorry, I didn't want to be rude but I couldn't help it :D.
This was my breakfast one time. As usual, I get sausage mcmuffin, orange juice.
Binalot, AIC Gold Tower, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
I buy either the tapa or bistek meal for Php 79 each.
Max's Restaurant, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Pasig
I usually get the breakfast value meals that cost me Php 155 per meal. Sometimes I get the boneless bangus. They serve half the fish, a glass of iced tea, some vegetable side dish, garlic rice and 2 pieces of egg. I think I pay some tax but this is good value for me.
1. Food Quality, Taste, Packaging - Some of their dishes actually taste good so I give them 3.5 here. They are not exceptional but good and I would recommend people to visit this particular Max's branch
2. Value for Money - I give Max's 4. It's good value.
3. Premises, Amenities - Well, they can improve their bathroom. It's not too clean but better than most. So I give them 2.5
4. Customer Service - Max's serves quickly. They have trained waiters and waitresses as well. They used to ask at least 3 times if I want desert but they have lowered down their upselling to just asking once now.
I'd go back to this place of course. It's nearly like my staple food.
Circles, Eat all you can, Sta Rosa, Cabanatuan
1. Grilled Tilapia
2. Grilled pork chops
3. Baked Macaroni
4. Vegetable tempura
5. Chop suey
6. Fish and vegetable omelette
7. Gatang langka
1. Casava cake / sweet potatoes
2. Banana with cream and cinnamon
3. Saba with jelly
4. Pinindot (desert with coconut milk, jelly, banana, coconut balls)
5. Sapin Sapin
6. Pineapple jelly with raisins
The place was clean enough. You can't say ultra sterile but it was clean enough... no strange smell. The furniture were simple (monoblock chairs). The waiters were alert and attentive. These are good traits. The were a lot of customers who wanted to take advantage of the good deal.
Pancake House, San Rafael, Bulacan, Philippines
Chowking, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Chowking, Solano is located at the heart of the city, just right beside the National Road. It has 2 storeys and a wider than usual table spaces. They were obviously understaffed because I heard a waiter complaining how tired he is and that there are no other people around to help him attend to customers. I have been standing in front of the cashier who was anxious and can't concentrate.
Porto Nuevo Hotel, San Jose, Nueva Ecija
This is one of the best value hotels I have ever been to. I spent Php 1300 for a superior room for about 25 sqm. The room has a matrimonial bed, 25 inch tv with cable, wifi, air conditioning, new towels, bottled water, free breakfast (in fact, I finished my corned beef with egg and fruit salad breakfast), hot water, nice big-tiled bathroom and smooth sheets. Again, for Php 1300, I got really good value and I am sure I will stay in this hotel again next time I go to Nueva Ecija.
The hotel has 14 rooms for guests and 2 conference rooms. It has a simple restaurant by the lobby and ample parking. In front of the hotel is a restaurant serving Filipino dishes.The staff members were friendly and helpful. I got lucky here. The hotel has just been built 6 months ago.
Banaue Hotel, Banaue, Ifugao Province
Standard room P2300
Deluxe P3000
Junior suite P4500
Suite P6000
I got the deluxe one and had 2 beds there. The bathroom had big tiles! Of course, I had my own view of the rice terraces. The pricing was reasonable for what they offered and the hotel food price was about 10% to 15% cheaper than what I would pay in Manila. They have a lobby made of logs, a fire place and at night, they have cultural shows. The cultural shows need work but quite entertaining for half an hour. At the lobby, you'd also find native-made goods for sale. I heard this hotel was built during the Marcos era, spearheaded by Imelda Marcos. When we got to the hotel around 7pm, the lobby was filled with foreigners. I believe, there was about 80% foreigners and 20% Filipinos, mostly from overseas. I saw French, Germans, Americans, Australians, Koreans and Chinese during dinner.
The hotel restaurant overlooks the rice terraces. Most of the rooms have the refreshing and peaceful view of the rice terraces. The hotel has internet access but no wifi. They have a business center but it was not open 24/7 and I was advised to visit downtown for internet access. Banaue Hotel could really attract more tourists if they had internet access available for free. 250 steps from the hotel's garden is a native Ifugao house. It's historical structure. The hotel has a pool. I am guessing around 60 sqm. It's built by the side of the ridge and has a beautiful view of the rice terraces.
The food at the restaurant is tasty, reasonably-priced and served generously. Each meal was served with vegetables, either grilled or steamed. Their chopseuy (P110), grilled tuna (P210), beaf steak (P180), pancit canton (P110) and pancit bihon (P110) were nice. The waiters were obviously trained for customer service. They are friendly and are able to converse with foreigners. Anywhere you sit in the restaurant, you'd have a view of the rice terraces. The food is served within 5 to 10 minutes.
It was very cold (colder than Baguio) in Banaue when we wet. It was foggy by midday and was drizzling.
8 Waves Hotel, Ulingao, San Rafael, Bulacan, Philippines
http://www.8waveswaterpark.com.ph/
Mcdonald's Branch, Meralco Ave, Ortigas Pasig
1. Agents are probably starving over one night's work
2. People are in a hurry to have breakfast for the day's work
Anyway, service here is ok. I always hear from foreigners how friendly the staff members are. For some reason, I never really experience that.
I don't know if you notice but I am particular about the smell of the spray that Mcdonald's use for disinfecting the floor or whatever liquid soap they use to mop the floor or clean the tables. It's nauseating... I hope they'd change that too. It makes me have less apetite.
So I go to this branch every morning mostly due to the promixity to the place I live. I'd give this restaurant around 2. Reasonable breakfast value plus if I eat the right food, I won't consume so many calories. I'd go back to this restaurant of course. So location helps.
Had I a different and closer choice, I would have Mcdonald's breakfast once a week only.
Burger King, Robinsons Galleria
2 Whopper Jr.'s
1 Iced tea middle size
1 order of french fries
1 chocolate sundae
Good value? I'd give it a 4. Not 5. Only 4 because even if they had generous serving of fries, it's unhealthy, fatty food. I'd eat a BK probaly 2x a month during their promo period. The burger was nicely cooked (for my taste) because it was grilled so less fat. Sundae was good, just the right size.
Now, customer service is acceptable. The cashiers/waiters smile at you. I'd mention their shift manager. She was a bit busy when I bothered her for mustard. She got anxious so she kinda smirked at me, but after a few minutes, she got me the mustard with a smile. All is well. I thought BK would lose some points on customer service. But they are competitive with other fast food chains in this arena.
BK rating is 3 to 3.5 (due to the promo). This is good value alternative.
Mongkok, Robinsons Galleria
Mongkok, Robinsons Mall, ADB Ave, Ortigas, Pasig City
Mongkok is a Chinese restaurant, on the 4th level of Robinsons Galleria. It's not a place I go to everyday. The restaurant is around 40 sqm. You are greeted by a waitress beside a stack of dumplings as you enter.
My order:
1. Beef Brocolli Php 200 - beef was chewy. Nice sauce but I didn't like beef consistency. There was some fatty part as well. I like the brocolli was part of the dish. It was a very small dish though. I have pictures here. To get a good idea of the size of the meal, pay attention the size of spoon vs the size of the plates used. The spoon is the normal spoon we use daily.
2. Yang Chow Fried Rice 100 - Nice tasting but lavishly oily. I ate a lot. It had shrimps, peas, egg.
3. Sea Food Roll 90 - This was nice but quite expensive. It's 2 pcs of rolled white fish, crab and noodles.
No tax, no service chargeTotal bill was P390
I ate there around 1pm. Not a lot of people around as it was after lunch. Waiters were a plenty. They are ready to help, dressed in their white polo barongs. The total bill was reasonable but I can't say it's a really good deal. The place was clean. They have no bathroom area though.
My rating of this restaurant is 3. I would come back here in 3 to 6 months. Because it's oily and Chinese dishes are just so common. At least I was not let down with this meal.
Mexicali, Megamall
It's not too healthy food for now. The price of P130 for a meal is reasonable but Mexicali has small service size so. The service is slow and unattentive.
So my rating here is 2
El Pollo Loco, Megamall
However, I can't eat chicken because it is bad for my blood type. So I had to order spaghetti for P37 and nachos for P30. I was happy with the cheap price. I had ice tea but I forgot the exact price I paid for it.
Here's a detailed description of the meal I had:
1. Iced tea - small glass, full of ice, watery, sweet. My overall review - waste of money
2. Spaghetti - the noodles are creatively spread out the flat plate so it will look more than what it really is. The sauce is sweet, catered to Filipino taste. It wasn't appetizing but it was "good enough" because I was hungry and I missed my regular lunch hour by 45 mins already. If I weren't so hungry, I would not even eat it. Btw, I didn't finish it, I gave it to my bf after tasting it.
3. Nachos - this is probably the fattiest, oiliest nacho mixture I have ever had. The beef on it has very visible lard. The cheese is yucky. I didn't finish that at all. I am know for scraping every food at the table. My dad has taught us not to waste food. But my God, I will kill myself if I eat those nachos.
4. Chicken wrap - My bf ordered this. After one hour eating it, I asked my bf how it tasted. He said he doesn't remember. Though I remember a really thin piece of lettuce wrapped around the chicken. It was also small enough. It cost P52. The Max's lumpiang ubod is bigger than this chicken wrap by 100%.
Customer service - as you guessed... it's poor. I had to wave my hand more than 2 minutes before the waiter 1 meter in front of me "noticed" that I needed to follow up my order.
So this is my experience eating at El Pollo Loco. From a rating of 1 to 5. I give it 1. So their pricing might be ok for the chicken meals but I will not eat in El Pollo Loco again. It is not good for my health and I am not impressed.