The Burger edition

Johnny Rockets

This place is probably the most overrated place..ever! It's a franchise from a famous US burger chain. They got everything. From the jukebox, dancing crew, the b&w tiles, the famous malt shake, the diner feel, etc. I just think that paying Php 500 for that meal wasn't worth it. I could get that taste from Wham burger, brother's burger or even burger avenue. It doesn't have that lingering taste which will make you come back again and again.

Sango!

This unassuming (healthy) burger place in Rockwell is an experience. There's manga magazine which you can browse while waiting for your order. The TV plays a japanese show, they even show japs commercials which are quite funny. Prices range from Php250-350.

Monster's quarter pounder burger, blueberry yogurt shake, chicken empanada....from Legazpi Sunday market. All these three for only Php150. Perfect! Legazpi market is becoming a weekly thing. After a few rounds of jogging at Legazpi park, we would head to the sunday market for breakfast. It's a must to try new everytime. I had wagyu shawarma this morning for only Php180. The yogurt shake has become a staple every sunday though. :))

What burger place should I try next?

Commercial kuno :)

Kunwari sikat na blogger ako and a lot of people are visiting my site! Lol :-))

Just want to share a (relatively) new drink in the market. It's Peak juice!! It's an anti-stress drink with L-carnitine. It comes three different variants: Calamansi, Mango and Four Season. My personal fave is the four seasons flavour. I think it's better than more popular juice drinks out there. Sure, their packaging is not all that great (an opinion I've mentioned twice with the owner) and if you're not too familiar with the product, you might not be too keen on getting one from the shelf. But as the cliche adage goes, dont judge a book by it's cover. Yikes, that's really corny. Seriously though, it's a delicious juice drink. And I'm not just saying that because they're a client.

You can find this product in Rustan's groceries, Shopwise, Ever Gotesco, South Supermarket and Gaisano groceries.

If you happen to do your shopping in any of these groceries, please buy a bottle. And do watch their TVC below. :-))

Where have I been eating?

One of the things I love about Makati are the weekend markets: the Salcedo Saturday market and the Legazpi Sunday market. The Makati weekend market is a hodgepodge of dishes from different countries, desserts, snacks, plants, and just about anything. (The weekend "market" is actually in a parking lot which is closed on weekends.) I used to go with my officemates from my previous work to the Salcedo Saturday market because it's just walking distance from our office. We would have breakfast there and buy herbal breads and desserts. Since I've transferred to FM, I've never been back to Salcedo market. I recently learned from a friend that there's also a Sunday market in Legazpi Village which is the same with what is seen in Salcedo. You could just imagine my delight. So I dragged my cousin there last Sunday even if its unusual for her to wake up early on a Sunday morn. We were quite early, so we roamed around the parks nearby. (Will post pictures later) The walking worked up our appetite so we were ready to eat anything we could get our hands on. Here are some of my fave:

They let us taste their products and I gotta say their cakes are so delicious. Their best seller is the lemon meringue which we bought. I ♥ personal chef manila!

This is the old froyo's. They changed the name to Dave's. I'm a yoghurt lover, and this is the kind of yoghurt that I like. It has a tangy and sour taste to it.

I just can't get enough of apple pie.

Sapore Vero's olive oil is very cheap as compared to those in the groceries.

We also bought rosemary powder, cinnamon and curry powder.

I first tasted baklava when my Tita went home from vacay in Saudi Arabia. There are also other Arabian desserts sold here such as sobyet with semolina cream and other variants of the baklava.

These are also other foods that you can find in the Legazpi market:

There are also huge burgers, authentic French crepes, longganisa (which is so yummy, by the way), Monteqilla pasta (a fave from Salcedo market! So happy to see them in Legazpi), pica-pica, native products, etc.

I wish I have taken more photos but I was just distracted with the smell and the foods around me. Lol. Went there again this morning, it's just the perfect way to start the Sunday before heading off to church! :-))

Where have I been eating?

My officemates and I have been meaning to try out the Cookbook Kitchen earlier this year pa but for whatever reason we never did. Finally though, we were able to eat there last Wednesday. It's in one of the inside streets of Mandaluyong so you have to be familiar with the place otherwise you'll get lost. We actually consulted the map before heading out but we still got lost because we missed the street (Socorro St.) where were supposed to turn right and Luna Mencias is a one way street! (So keep that in mind should you plan to go there.) We didn't mind going around again because we know we're in for a treat! And boy, were we right!

The place wasn't at all intimidating. You might mistake it even for a tuto-turo from the outside. It's one of those house turned into a dining place. But don't let the looks of the resto fool you because they serve one of the best foods I've tasted. There were three of us but since their foods are good for two, we ordered two of their best seller dishes-- the Parmesan Crusted White Fish and the CBK Chicken.

Parmesan Crusted White Fish

CBK Chicken

Don't they look just yummy! (It tastes better than it looks because we're not so good with taking photos. Lol.) The parmesan cheese blends well with the fish. It's very succulent and light. Just a few bites and I felt full because of the richness of the taste. The CBK chicken is just as delectable. It has cheese, ham and basil stuffing with Italian pesto. I know I can't go back to eating ordinary chicken breasts after tasting it. Lol. I also I knew I was full yet I can't stop myself from eating more because I know I'll regret it. It didn't end there, though. What better way to end a sumptuous meal but with an opulent dessert. We ordered the strawberry shortcake which is huge enough for three but Mafi wanted to have cake. She ordered for their bestseller cake, the Kitten's scarlet cake, unfortunately they ran our of it so she opted from the Helen's moist chocolate cake.

Helen's Moist Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Shortcake

Perfect! If you're wondering about the prices, its relatively cheap. We each spent Php300. So worth it unlike one of those commercialized and overpriced resto you find in the mall.

Cookbook Kitchen is definitely going in my list of heaven-on-earth-restaurants.

Maf and I just can't get enough of this. Desi taking the pic

Where have I been eating?

I’ve decided to put into good use the pounds which have taken residence in my body by sharing where I’ve gained them. Lol. These are some of the restos I’ve recently tried and would highly recommend to all food lovers.

• Sophia’s: The south is lucky to have this resto in their place. They serve authentic Mediterranean foods as the chef is a Greek. (Or was he Italian? They have a background at the back of their menu, I just couldn’t remember) I really think that the price of their food is just right for the taste. I ordered their Mousaka (which is priced at Php310 only) and after the first bite I know I couldn’t return to just any pasta. It has to be as delicious as this. Their pizza (Php290) is how I want my piazza to be. Thin crust, not too oily, and the cheese melt perfectly. Their gyro (php200++) is big enough for two with fries on the side. The location and the ambience is the cherry on top of the icing. It’s a quaint resto with plants outside the window; decors are impression of greek culture, and Mediterranean music playing in the background you could just imagine you’re in Greece. I wish they have a resto nearer!!

• Mom & Tina’s: I’ve only been there twice, and both times I ordered Chicken Spinach Lasagna. Two words: Al dente! The taste lingers in my mouth that even now just thinking about it I’d like to drop by their branch in Dela Rosa to have dinner. I’ve tasted a bit of their Paella Valencia and Beef Tapa as well and both are value for money. If I was craving for tapa and I had money to spare, Mom & Tina’s would be first on my list. And if you order bottomless iced tea, you could switch to three different flavours (green, red and lemon) if you want to try all of them. The ambience makes you feel like you’re in a small country house eating your mom’s cooking. I’m not a big fan of their pastries though, considering that they started as a pastry shop.

• Abé: After a few bites of their lamb adobo, I felt full already. The meat was soft and exquisite. It’s like the perfect comfort food. After all, it’s where good friends dine. Hehe

• Secret Recipes: Their branch in Greenbelt is kind of intimidating so I never cared to take a look. Their branch in Shangri-la is more welcoming though. We were supposed to have lunch at Wham Burger when we passed by Secret Recipes and took a peek at their menu. The prices weren’t so bad. When we tasted their food... the prices didn’t matter at all. They were offering “combo meal” that time, so for Php300, I had soup, chicken cordon bleu with herb rice, chocolate cake and iced tea. Mafi ordered the pan dory fish with caribbean sauce and it was delicious as well. The really intriguing dish in their menu is the tom yum spaghetti, I’ll probably try that next.

• Angel’s Kitchen: Everyone talks in hushed voice because the ambience is that of a fine dining restaurant. We’ve ordered pinakbet rice with bagnet and chocolate bagoong. Doesn’t that make your mouth water? I still have to ask manang ynes to try and do this. It seems pretty easy to do. We were so full after we could barely move. It’s kind of pricey though and it’s not something I would crave, but worth trying.

My gauge for a restaurant to be great: if I leave the place full and feeling happy! Give your taste buds a treat, forget ‘bout watching your weight and try these restos. I swear you wouldn’t regret.

Have you been wondering where did Mommy's thai canteen go?

So were we. So imagine our excitement when we learned that Mommy's thai canteen (aka UP thai canteen) relocated to Ortigas Home Depot along J. Vargas Ave.



The lower ground where you order the foods looks small, but they have a spacious second floor which are air conditioned. The ambiance is just so different from the one in Balara.


The food is still as delicious as I remember it to be. Especially the tom yum soup. Yum yum yummy!! Kind of nostalgic, reminds me of my freshie days in UP. We ordered tom yum soup, mixed thai (i think, not so sure what it's called), and chicken curry. We were so full yet it only cost us P 280! Will definitely come back here.