EAT & GO Restaurant (Owned by Burgoo Group of Restaurants)

We had our unplanned 6th monthsary dinner at Eat and Go, a restaurant owned by Burgoo group of restaurants.

 
This eye-catching LED restaurant signage said: Fast, Fresh, and Delicious. Their tagline literally caught my attention. Hmmmm pretty enticing huh?

 
Eat and Go Restaurant is perfectly located at the Mega Atrium. This overwhelmingly granted us a relaxing ambience, away from the crowd of SM Megamall. Quietude but not boring.

 
Though a casual dining restaurant, this chic and clean dining area impressed me. The place was cozy too, we got comfortable right away. 

The kitchen can be viewed from our seats and we saw how clean it was. Thumbs up!

These giant veggies on top of the kitchen counter will surely amaze you. Feels like a child? Haha!

This visually pleasing restaurant menu provides a wide array of their dish selection.

Eat & Go Restaurant is a combination of European, American, and Mediterranean dishes including sumptuous London pies (steak, barbecue, fish, primavera, seafood paella, chicken and basil pies, etc.); delightful main entrees such as Steak Salpicao, Sesame Back Ribs, Chicken Saltimbocca, Teriyaki- Glazed Salmon, Parmesan-Crusted Salmon, Pan-Seared Steak, Fish Scallopini, etc. They also serve salads, sandwiches, pasta, coffee, smoothies, and desserts.

But we just want to fill our tummies that night and since we were in a hurry too, we simply ordered 2 main entrees and bottomless drinks.

My Sesame Back Ribs (275.00).

It’s an oven-baked sesame barbecued baby back ribs, served with roasted pepper rice and white pasta of the day. Actually, you get to choose two side dishes. Aside from those two, you can also choose corn and carrots as a side dish.

The baby back ribs were tender, rich, and flavorful! I exceedingly took pleasure from my baby back ribs! Real joy of eating! :)

The pasta in white sauce looked disappointing at first because it didn’t have any meat at all, but it tasted surprisingly remarkable! It was overflowing with milk and cream! Bravo to the al dente pasta too.

The roasted pepper rice tasted quite ordinary though.

Boyfriend’s Steak Salpicao (295.00).

It had stir fried beef cubes, celery, bell peppers and onions, served with roasted pepper rice and marinara pasta.

The beef was cooked to perfection but lacked flavor. The beef cubes must have seared with wonderful marinade, but disappointingly didn’t. This dish was more expensive than mine, but boyfriend didn’t enjoy his order. Errr. I know for sure because I had a taste of this also for my review.

The red sauce and pepper rice both tasted so ordinary. Again, no meat for the pasta dish. Oh no, I just imagined how much dissatisfied boyfriend was from ordering his Steak Salpicao. Tssss

I was the one who ordered Bottomless Berry Iced Tea (Php 60.00), but I didn’t like the taste so I exchanged with bf’s Bottomless Fresh Lemonade (Php 60.00). After all, I am a lemonade fan. Hehe :p

The Berry Iced Tea tasted more like sago’t gulaman to me. The Lemonade was freshly squeezed. You can tell!

------------------------------------

The service was real fast! We asked for the drinks ahead of the main entrée and there we had it in less than a minute. The server also took our orders then came back a few minutes later with our food.

                                                                                                                       

The servers were well groomed and friendly. And although Eat and Go is supposed to be a place for quick dining, I didn’t feel rushed at all. I really love how we were greeted in that restaurant. They’re all very polite, and they were even smiling when we asked if they can take a photo of us.

Great décor, proper ambience, great service, and good food. I’ll definitely go back here to try their London pies. I heard those are the best sellers.

------------------------------------

**Eat and Go Restaurant**

Products: Fusion of European, American, Japanese and Mediterranean dishes; London pies (steak, barbecue, fish, primavera, seafood paella, chicken and basil pies, etc; Sesame Back Ribs, Fish Scallopini, Fish Lasagna, Baked Buccatini in Prawn Cream Sauce or Meat Sauce; Salads; Sandwiches; Coffee; Smoothies; Desserts

Location:  3/F SM Megamall Atrium, EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Ave. Ortigas Center

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Store Hours: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily

Contact Number: (632) 635-9559

CRAVING FOR MORE?? Read full post here...

Banana Split at the whimsical THE CREAMERY RESTO AND ICE CREAM BAR!

It just rained and call me crazy, but yeah I craved for something cold and delicious in the middle of that rainy day.

The Creamery Resto and Ice Cream Bar saved the day! :)

 

The Creamery Resto and Ice Cream Bar seated us to a very fanciful place. Brightly-colored three dimensional building structures welcomed us as we entered the Ice Cream Bar. No straight edges, color was everywhere, and the whole thing was just so whimsical. I felt like a child once more! Though kiddie friendly, both adults and children will equally enjoy dining here.

 

This one’s the restaurant’s major attraction – the Ice Cream Truck (their ice cream counter in the middle of the restaurant)! I am 23 already but still found this one fascinating, and really really cute :)

John Neil’s: MELBA Banana Split (Php 185.00)– included scoops of vanilla, mango and strawberry ice cream placed in single file on a banana that’s been split in half. Peach halves, unsalted roasted nuts, fresh whipped cream and cherry topped this classic dessert.

The ice cream scoops were smooth and flavorful. I loved the vanilla ice cream’s creamy texture and vanilla-bean taste. The mango ice cream was equally creamy and luscious. The strawberry ice cream had these berry bits, loaded with that creamy strawberry taste.

The banana tasted so ordinary. The peach halves were however fresh and wonderfully sliced. Plus, the roasted nuts balanced out the sweetness and kept all the flavors’ tang.

My CHOO CHOO TRAIN Banana Split (Php 185.00) – three marvellous scoops of ice cream: vanilla, chocolate and mango, accented with chocolate-dipped wafer cone, banana slices, whipped cream, and cherry. This sure looks like an ice cream train :) Thanks to that wafer cone, but that cone tasted so usual – buy sorbetes on streets, you’d taste The Creamery’s cone.

Same vanilla and mango ice cream were used. Both flavorful cold thing! The chocolate ice cream’s smooth texture made it worthy to be called “chocolate-flavored.”

The roasted nuts made the banana split extra decadent. And again, the bananas were the same – mediocre. And hey, was that chocolate supposed to be chocolate fudge? That chocolate topping had a watery texture! I didn’t find the fudge density in the spread of chocolate sauce.

Honestly, their banana split was supposed to be much-admired because of the bananas’ strong flavors. But did I review more of their ice cream??? Because I cannot say much about the plain-tasting bananas. 

--------------------------

Though serene, the place had a real kiddie feel. The whole family and kids will enjoy The Creamery’s place and its cold concoctions.

Price is just average. Good enough for banana splits.

And there’s something innocently joyful about their stuff. They were delish but not something to rave about.

And before I forget: serving more than just cold treats, The Creamery also caters hot entrees. But we went there for Banana Split alone.

--------------------------  

 

**The Creamery Resto and Ice Cream Bar**

Products: Cakes, Pastries, Coffee

Location:  Ground Floor, Selecta Kids Universe, South Veranda, Bay Boulevard, SM Mall of Asia

Store Hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Daily)

Contact Number: (632) 901-1424, (632) 556-9195 , (63)917-8224373
Website: http://thecreamery.com.ph/

CRAVING FOR MORE?? Read full post here...

MANILA BAY CRUISE BUFFET DINNER by Prestige Cruises Inc.

I’ve heard the concept of “Manila Bay Cruise Buffet Dinner” a long time ago, but it was only last October 8, 2011 that I gave it a shot (I have actually tried Buffet Lunch while cruising at Loboc River in Bohol, Philippines but I was with friends that time).

For our 5th Monthsary, John Neil and I decided to catch the world famous Manila Bay sunset and have a romantic dinner while cruising along the shoreline of Manila Bay. Well, it was intended to be a sunset dinner cruise but the skies were overcast after a light rainfall. Bad timing Mr. Rain!

*DOCKING TERMINAL* 

We were aboard the dining yacht of Prestige Cruises Inc. With former boarding terminal at the SM Mall of Asia Jetty Terminal, boarding location was recently transferred to CCP Bay Terminal A at CCP Complex, near Coconut Palace and Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater).

*DINNER BUFFET CRUISE SCHEDULE*

With our cruise schedule, registration started at around 4:30 PM. We were stamped “BUFFET: Your Cruise Schedule” as passes to the buffet dining.

We took the ship that embarks at 5:30 PM, sets sail at 6:15 PM, and docks at 7:30 PM. The management goes by their timetable. And since a hundred passengers are boarding per cruise schedule, you need to register at least 30 minutes earlier to board the ship, not only to find a good seat but more importantly because you have to sign a passenger manifest which is submitted to the Coast Guard before the ship sails (a passenger manifest is a very essential document not only to account for the authorized number of passengers but also to ensure that all the passengers on board would have adequate provisions for accommodation and lifesaving equipments). Once the crew submits the authorized number of passengers, you can no longer board and you have to wait for the next scheduled cruise (if there are less than a hundred guests reserved). 

Keep in mind that you need to make reservations 2 months ahead of time if you want to cruise during the "-ber" months.

*CRUISE ROUTE*

The ship sets sail towards the direction parallel the SM Mall of Asia (I bet this one’s for the fireworks display on weekends), track towards Roxas Boulevard then turn around and head back to the terminal.

*THE VESSEL*

I wasn’t really amazed by the appearance of the vessel, or maybe I’m just an exaggerated hopeful for a luxury yacht. It’s a 200-passenger ship named MV Spirit of Manila II, with two open-air decks and a top deck. The lower deck contains the buffet table and 6 dining tables only. The upper deck contains the rest of the tables (looks like a jam-packed food court), a live entertainment, and a mini bar. The top deck contains 4 tables and the captain’s chair. FYI, they offer the top deck for dining, only for an additional Php 100.00 charge since this is “the most romantic spot.” But because of the just finished rainfall, they didn’t allow guests to use the top deck during our cruise schedule.

*SAFETY ON BOARD*

I am a self-confessed hydrophobic with no swimming skills so I was anticipating some safety demonstration before the ship leaves the dock – but none. I was even bothered because I didn’t see any life saving equipments within the boat. Boyfriend however assured that there were life jackets and floating devices within the vessel, or else the ship won’t be allowed to sail.

One advantage of Prestige Cruises Inc. is they don’t exceed the ship’s capacity. It can handle up to 200 passengers but they only allow 100 guests per cruise schedule so as to avoid overcrowding (according to the crew, this is strictly implemented to ease their passengers’ minds during the cruise).

*CRUISING ON BOARD*

On board, you will be embraced by the cool breeze – wooohooo BER months!

While cruising, a splendid view of Manila Bay and the Manila skyline will be witnessed. This is actually what you are paying for.

A buffet dinner along with live entertainment in the upper deck is provided.

*THE BUFFET TABLE*

We were seated at the lower deck, just beside the buffet table and the railings of the ship. I was initially seated on the upper deck but John Neil preferred to sit on the lower deck because it’s more romantic down there. It’s a very peaceful deck, apart from the crowded and loud music from the upper deck. It’s very noticeable that couples of all ages were seated on the lower deck. Those with friends and family chose the upper deck.

 

 The first thing you see in the lower deck is this ugly buffet table. No offense to Prestige Cruises Inc. but can you please tell us where’s the “prestige” in this unattractive buffet table? A table draped in pistachio green skirts and navy blue accent. I thought to myself “I bet the food isn't any good either" but I was starving so I had no choice.

To Prestige Cruises Inc.: did you know that the design of the table and the food goes hand in hand? A buffet table in the very first place should capture your guests’ attention and make their mouths water. But hey, the table didn’t look good, the food didn’t look good as well. I just wished the food taste good.

The interior is a major displeasure especially if you’ll dine here with your loving partner, as they use monoblock chairs and tables for your supposedly “romantic dinner.” A minor effort to clad the tables with linens, and no seat covers at all ---- booooooo!

Prestige Cruises Inc. should improve their buffet dining service by dressing the table in vibrant colored linens and coordinated skirting. Aluminum food containers should also become more sophisticated. And most importantly, seat covers must be provided as chairs looked so ordinary.

*THE BUFFET DINNER*

Before I boarded the ship, I was looking forward to indulging our taste buds on a bountiful buffet filled with a variety of sumptuous foods delectably prepared and brimming in wonderful aromas and flavors, and beautifully garnished that I can’t wait to have a plateful. But to my disappointment, even the buffet table didn’t look wonderful. So shall I expect the food to taste great? Hmmmmm I didn’t think so.

There was a limited selection of dishes. So this is what they call buffet? Feels more like “ration” as the servers give you a small portion of each dish. Tsssss

The dinner buffet offered a limited selection of dishes such as Cream of Mushroom Soup, Vegetable Salad, Buttered Vegetables, Chicken Breasts in White Sauce, Rotini Pasta with Pork and Mushroom, and Brownies.

PS. They didn’t put labels per dish, so I named those myself. Hahaha!

I am a huge fan of KFC’s mushroom soup so when this CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP was served, I wanted to try the soup only for comparison. To my surprise, it’s a great copycat of KFC’s mushroom soup! The taste was 99% the same, even the bread crumbs looked and tasted the same. The only obvious difference was Prestige Cruises Inc. soup’s added texture.

VEGETABLE SALAD or vegetable trash? Though veggies were wonderfully sliced, how do you call a plate of veggies without a dressing? Is this salad?!! No dressing of olive oil, vinegar, salt, or pepper?!! Seriously, what is this? Left-over veggies with bread crumbs? Errrrr

 

The BUTTERED VEGETABLES served on the side consisted of corn kernels, green peas, diced carrots, and chayote squash. In all honesty, I loved the buttery flavor but peas were somewhat overcooked. Carrots and chayote squash on the other hand were perfectly cooked but poorly diced. Veggie samurai please?!

 

This is what I call ROTINI PASTA WITH PORK AND MUSHROOM. Pasta was al dente but tasted more than ordinary. Pork and mushrooms were wonderfully cooked as well.  But I didn’t know why this wasn’t seasoned very well. The pork must have been noteworthy but it tasted like steamed pork. So, please tell me if this was supposed to be a pasta dish or a viand?

 

CHICKEN BREASTS IN WHITE SAUCE didn’t look appealing but mind you, this one’s a good chicken dish! Chicken were tender and complimented by the creamy and flavorful white sauce, plus an Italian flair was added to the chicken because of the pinch of pesto. Yum!

 

I am a big critic of sweets as I get to taste a lot of them. BROWNIES aren’t exceptions. I like brownies moist, dense, and nutty. I won't eat them if they don't have nuts but these served were but plain brownies. I had to taste it for my readers’ sake, and again to my surprise they were really yummy! They weren’t too cakey and not too dry. The caramel and chocolate frostings were of perfect amount to top the brownies.  These may not be the perfect brownies, but sure I can say this home made brownies tasted fabulous. I had to ask for more, but another set of brownies will cost you Php 25.00. Buffet, really?

The ship also had a mini bar that sold expensive beverages. We ordered Sprite-in-Can which cost Php 75.00. Seriously?? Each softdrink in can costs Php 25.00 only. Is this a luxury ship to overprice beverages? Oh come on!

*FIREWORKS AND THE MANILA SKYLINE AT NIGHT*

The dazzling lights of the boulevard seemed more attractive when seen from a distance. The Manila skyline was divine!

 

At around 7:00 PM, the ship passed by the SM Mall of Asia. It’s a wonderful timing because we got the best view of the scheduled fireworks display – for free! This was very romantic, made our night :)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very luckily, we didn’t get distracted from the unpleasant “Manila Bay aroma” wafting from the water during our cruise, the winds traveled the perfect direction!

The ship also traversed the bay very smoothly that I was able to explore the ship and take a lot of pictures.

It’s a mediocre romantic date. But we sure did enjoy the cruise, the bay breeze, and the fireworks display. If you plan to have a romantic date through dinner cruise, I recommend you take the lower deck where you can have a peaceful talk while cruising.

We wanted adventure, we wanted experience, we wanted to be wowed, WE HAD THOSE. Except the food. The food is just so-so.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You need to take a lot of pictures because you pay for the experience! This one’s a photo of me taken by my boyfriend before the ship sailed.

Happy 5^th Monthsary to my dear boyfriend, John Neil :) Much love!

**Prestige Cruises, Inc.**

Dinner Cruise Fee:

Php 545.00 per person for a Manila Bay Cruise with Buffet Dinner

Daily Cruise Schedules:

6:00 PM (5:30 PM boarding)

8:00 PM (7:30 PM boarding)

Boarding Area:

Unit 1, CCP Bay Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Brgy. 719, Zone 078 Malate, Metro Manila, Philippines, near Coconut Palace and Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater)

Contact Numbers:

+632 832 8967

+63 917 525 5455

+63 927 555 5502

 

CRAVING FOR MORE?? Read full post here...

Traditional/Modern Japanese Cuisine @ Red Kimono

 

 

Introduced at the Fort Strip in Bonifacio Global City in 2005, Red Kimono aimed to bring together the modern and traditional aspects of Japanese cuisine. Today, Red Kimono operates in seven branches within the Philippine Islands.

Outside, diners can preview the Japanese dishes they offer through this standing menu.

(The photo above is borrowed from their Facebook page as I wasn’t able to take pictures of the detailed interior of the restaurant. This one’s the inside of their Davao branch but the furnishings are very much the same as in Fort Strip branch.)

Let me describe to you the restaurant interior in Fort Strip exactly:

The ambience is great – predominantly filled with red and black hues. Tall Japanese stools alternating in red and black are the most noticeable fixtures. You will be seated very comfortably on those chairs. Most of the tables are spaced very near each other because of the space constraint in Fort Strip branch. The walls are modern but well designed to Japanese precision. The dining and service areas are extraordinarily clean. The lighting is perfect, considering a cloudy day when we dined there.

Each diner is provided a modern Japanese rectangular plate, a pair of chopsticks, and tissue on top of their paper mat. So Japanese!

We started off with their delicious warm Rice Tea (free of charge) and CRUNCHY TUNA MAKI SHOTS (forgot the exact price but I think around Php 200.00). My dad’s a really big fan of sushi’s so I ordered this sushi for him. Although waiters said this sushi shot can be enjoyed in one big bite, dad found it quite big so my brother Bradley and I had a taste of this also.

It’s a signature maki rolled in crispy tempura flakes then stuffed and topped with tuna with ebiko and Japanese mayo underneath the roll. It of course had wasabe on the side. 

Fresh sushi! Rather than tuna bits placed just inside the maki roll, I loved it because the tuna bits were topped on the maki’s. The tempura crumbs also added a pleasing crisp to the creaminess of tuna and mayo. One intoxicating sushi shot!

 
The most delicious among the feast of Japanese dishes on our table: GINGER GARLIC STEAK (Php 425.00). It’s a grilled fillet of beef tenderloin with a vegetable siding.

The ginger and garlic flavor seeped into the meet deeply. Their exceptional marinade tenderized the steak and made them absolutely scrumptious. You wouldn’t bother to ask for steak sauce for this one! I never imagined I’d be tasting this heavenly steak in a Japanese restaurant.

BEEF TEPPANYAKI (Php 385.00): stir fried beef tenderloin with a vegetable siding.

Luscious aroma came with this sizzling beef teppanyaki. Tasted like a Japanese-reared beef, you would be delighted with the tender beef. All sides were brown, and an unforgettable tang of carefully selected seasonings was left in my tongue. The vegetable sidings were half cooked, just the way I love my veggies cooked.

 

PRAWN TEPPANYAKI (Php 325.00 - 2 orders): stir fried prawns and vegetables.

Prawns were served sans-shell and the meat is cooked to perfection. The shrimp meat was juicy and meaty. Oh how I love shrimps!

Only downside: it’s a really small portion, so good thing we ordered two servings of this one.

 

PRAWN TEMPURA (Php 295.00): deep fried battered prawns.

Succulent prawns were coated in batter and fried to a perfect crispy golden brown complemented with good tempura shrimp dipping sauce. Prawns were really big ones and obviously, fresh oil was used to deep crisp fry the tempura. Loved this one!

CHICKEN TEPPANYAKI (Php 220.0o): stir fried chicken and vegetables.

(Forgot to take a photo of this one. This photo is borrowed from Red Kimono’s website.)

The chicken breasts were tender, very tasty and filling.

 

MIXED KAMAMESHI (Php 195.00)

I love rice, so kamameshi won’t be forgotten in our table! :) This mixed kamameshi is their authentic Japanese kettle cooked rice. The delicious rice was topped with shrimps, ground beef, mushrooms, carrots and green beans. Thumbs up! It's less greasy and salty like other Japanese rice.

 

CHICKEN KAMAMESHI (Php 180.00)

This Chicken Kamameshi is another authentic Japanese kettle cooked rice topped with off seasoned chicken breast. This Chicken Kamameshi's really awesome, simply the best Kamameshi I’ve ever tasted! Like that of Mixed Kamameshi, it’s less oily and salty too.

Red Kimono is one of the Japanese restaurants I’d recommend.

The place is very cozy, with sophisticated interiors. The dining area is notably clean.

The waiters were all friendly, very attentive, courteous, and knowledgeable about the dishes they offer.

The freshness of the food is guaranteed that is why they cook your dish upon the order. The food service is fast also (around 20 minutes).

Note: This is a late post. We dined here last June 19, 2011 for Father’s Day.

**Red Kimono**

Products: Maki, Sushi, Teppanyaki, Kamameshi, Tempura

Location:  Unit 1-A Ground Level Block 11 Lot 6, Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines

Store Hours: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm / 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm (Mondays to Sundays)

Contact Number: +632 816 6642

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

Other Red Kimono Branches:

 

*Alabang Town Center, Alabang-Zapote Rd. Muntinlupa City, Philippines

+63 922 835 2841

*Westgate Center, Filinvest Corporate Center, Alabang Muntinlupa City, Philippines

+632 771 2379

*UP Technohub, Ayala Quezon City, Philippines

+632 441 1652

*International School Manila (ISM), Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines

*G/f Marquee Mall Pampanga, Philippines

(045) 304-0893

*The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu City, Philippines

(032) 238-1786

*Ground floor Abreeza Mall, Davao City, Philippines

CRAVING FOR MORE?? Read full post here...