Kitchen (Greenbelt 3, Makati)

It had been months since we last saw Ibyana. After having coffee, tea and cakes at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, we chose to have dinner at KITCHEN.

The place was wonderful!
I liked the ambiance so much especially the tables where there were low chandeliers, but we were not able to sit there because it was reserved.
So we had to sit in one of the long tables near the counter.
Little Sofia sat in one end of the table.
We did not know that the corner edge was razor sharp!
Good thing that she wasn't harmed, but her mom wasn't so lucky.
Ann got a cut on her hand; and, when I informed the waiter about the table, he just looked at the sharp edge and did not even show his concern for the customer's safety.
(in short, it was completely ignored)

We were all in a good mood so it didn't matter at that moment anyway.
I'd guess that I simply told the wrong waiter.


Anyway, while waiting for our food, Little Sofia and Nangnang Photo made use of the table placemats to entertain themselves.

Yehey to paper placemats!


For little Sofia, I ordered BIG CHEESE. She LOVED it!!!
It's 2 pieces of the fried mozzarella cheese with sweet-tangy cranberry sauce (Php 125)


I love aligue (crab fat) so I ordered the SWORD IN (pan-fried prawns with crab fat sauce - Php 275)
I was kinda disappointed because the shrimps were too small but the aligue paste was really good.
I hoped they added a little something to make the dish more special because it was just too plain.


No other drink for our table except filtered water.
It was served in this bottle.

I think it was pretty creative, but it didn't taste like mint at all :p
It was more like "grass" hihihi


Ivy and Davis both ordered the LAZY OAF (herbed chicken with spinach - Php 190)
This was Ivy's favorite. The chicken was very tender and juicy.
It was a bit salty for me but it was very tasty to the bone!


Achie Ann ordered TOO GOOD SO IT'S TRUE.
It's pan-fried salmon belly laced with onions and yummy bistek tagalog sauce (Php 200)
Every Filipino who loves bistek tagalog sauce would love this one.


Our verdict:
Food (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Service (3 out of 5 stars) - a little concern from the servers would be nice :)
AMBIANCE (5 out of 5 stars) - very homey, cozy and comfortable for all kinds of diners.
VALUE FOR MONEY (4 out of 5 stars) - considering that this restaurant's in Greenbelt 3, the price per serving was good.

RELATED LINKS
Krocodile Grille
Cafe Monaco
Pamana Restaurant

CONTACT DETAILS - KITCHEN
(located beside Seattle's Best Coffee)
Greenbelt 3, Makati
(02) 757-4565
(02) 757-4566

Passion (Chinese Restaurant), Maxims Hotel, Resorts World Manila

We were very lucky to be able to visit Passion Restaurant during their Dry-Run Operations.
ALL MEALS WERE SERVED FOR FREE!!!
hehehehe
















Passion Restaurant is located at the second floor of Maxims Hotel, which is managed by Star Cruises.

Beautiful glass sculpture at the reception area.

To reach Passion, use the elevator or escalator to get to the 2nd floor of Maxims Hotel.

















Go straight past the Japanese restaurant and you will see Passion.


They can hold parties for up to 60 tables.














They also have private rooms available.















Servers were fully trained.
Always ready to serve with a smile.
















They were the ones who will put the table napkins on your lap.














Chinese menu. All prices are subject to local tax and service charge.


SET MENU A - Good for Four (4) Persons - Php 2,280
Appetizer - Sliced Pork with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Soup - Seafood Hot and Sour Soup (Php 238 per person when ordering separately)
Main Dishes (4) -
Wok Fried Shrimp with Asparagus and Black Bean (Php 448 per small order),
Deep Fried Boneless Chicken with Sesame Seeds and Lemon Sauce (Php 480 per small order),
Steamed Pink Garoupa Fillet with Muy Choi (Php 628 per small order),
Chinese Sausage Fried Rice (Php 448 per small order)
Dessert - Taro Ice Cream



SET MENU B - Good for Six (6) Persons - Php 3,888
Appetizers (2)
Barbequed Pork with Honey Sauce (Php 388 per small order)














Szechuan Sauce Chicken
















Soup - Shark's Fin Soup with Shredded Abalone and Dried Seafood (Php 328 per single order)

















Main Dishes (5)

Stir Fried Chicken Cutlets in "Kung Po" Style (Php 448 per small order)
Definitely not for kids because this dish was spicy :)

















Cod Fish in Japanese Sweet Soy Sauce (Php 728 per small order)
The sauce was very vital in this dish. No sauce, No taste! hehehe
But the codfish was really tender and juicy.
















Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork with Fresh Fruits (Php 388 per small order)
Definitely a must try!! ♥♥♥ the strawberries and mangoes were fantastic!!!
I have never been a fan of sweet and sour pork but this dish was HEAVEN!!!

















Wok Fried Minced Bacon and Garlic with Broccoli (Php 380 per small order)
The bacon was a very good addition to this dish. YUMMY!!


















Scallop Fried Rice with Salted Egg (Php 598 per small order)
This was too bland.


















Dessert - Green Tea Ice Cream
This was too sweet at first taste but once you get used to it, it's ok.






















Classic Lemon Iced Tea (Php 180) - Brisk tea with lemon and sugar syrup
i ♥ it! The tea was brewed and then chilled :) sooo good!


*beers - Php 180
*sodas - Php 85
*coffee - Php 85 / Php 100
*juice / fruit shake - Php 180
*bottled water - Php 60 / Php 120























The bottle was interesting :)

SET MENU C - Good for Ten (10) Persons - Php 8,880
Appetizer - Passion Barbequed Meat Combination
Soup - Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Seafood and Bamboo Pith (Php 388 per single order)
Main Dishes (6) -
Thai Style Chili Sauce Scallop with Sliced Crispy Chicken,
Steamed Garoupa with Garlic,
Wok Fried Beef Fillet in Mandarin Sauce (Php 668 per small order),
Three Kinds of Eggs in Spinach (Php 368 per small order),
Deep-Fried Crab with Black Beans and Crispy Garlic,
Scallop Fried Rice with Salted Egg.
Dessert - Taro Ice Cream


















Service, food and ambiance were great!
The restroom was also nice :)























It had a TV inside advertising the casino downstairs :p




Passion Restaurant
2nd Floor
Maxims Hotel (right beside Marriott Hotel)
Resorts World Manila (managed by Star Cruises)
Newport Boulevard,
Newport City, Cybertourism Zone
Pasay 1309, Metro Manila
Philippines
www.rwmanila.com

Premium Frozen Yogurt (YOGO) at Coffee Cat (Davao)

Coffee Cat might be the only coffee shop in Davao that was gutsy enough to charge coffee drinks above 100 pesos. They sure are confident because their coffees were premium and so does the other lists on their menus.

Among other things, Coffee Cat serves Illy (premium coffee, one of the best in the world) and Yogo (premium non-fat organic yogurt)

The interior was very nice, makes you want to stay here all day and just relax with friends.

Since the day was too hot, we decided to have frozen yogurt :)

I ordered the CHOCOLATE Froyo while Ivy ordered the ORIGINAL.

We both topped it with STRAWBERRY MOCHI, which was really really GOOOOOD.

YOGO Frozen Yogurt was way better than RED MANGO! Yep, it issssssss!!!

Next time, I will try Coffee Cat drinks :)

Macchiato - Small (Php 85), Medium (Php 95)

Hot Chocolate - Php 115

Green Tea Latte - Php 130

Daily Iced Tea - Small (Php 70), Medium (Php 80)

CREMOSA flavored Soda - Small (Php 70), Medium (Php 80)

Coffee Jelly - Small (Php 135), Medium (Php 145)

YOGO Smoothie - Small (Php 110-130), Medium (Php 120-140)

Coffee Cat

F. Torres Street, Davao City

info@yourcoffeecat.com

Penong's - Best Barbecue House in Davao

No wonder Mang Inasal couldn't penetrate the Davao market.

Penong's was here first and they do not seem to slow down :)

This wasn't my first time to eat at Penong's and I'd love to come back again and again!!!

For appies, we ordered the PRITONG ISOL (Php 55)

 Very good pulutan! These are fried chicken tails :) hihihi yummeee

 Another good dish best paired with beer -- BAGAYBAY (Php 38 per 100 grams)

I love it!!! This is not normally served in Manila. Ivy said that it's Tuna's BALLS!!! YUM!

One more yummy dish - SINUGBANG PUSIT  (Php 58 per 100 grams)

Best of all, their CHICKEN INATO with UNLIMITED RICE!!!

Their atsara (pickled veggies) is a winner! 

The barbecue chicken is tasty even without the vinegar dressing!

I am in love with Penong's Chicken Inato!!! Very affordable and super filling!

Their Inato meals come with atsara, soup and unlimited rice :)

INATO 1 - 3 pcs Pork BBQ - Php58 (Spicy - Php 65)

INATO 2 - 1 pc Chicken BBQ - Php 63 (Spicy - Php 70)

INATO 3 - 2 pcs PorkChop - Php 80

INATO 4 - 2 pcs Sinugbang Tiyan ng Baboy - Php 70

INATO 5 - 1 pc Chicken BBQ and 1 pc Pork BBQ - Php 73

PENONG'S Barbecue Seafoods and Grill

Davao City

(I hope they bring it to Manila!!!)

A Trip To Paradise Beach in Davao

A trip to Davao wouldn't be complete without going to Paradise Beach in Samal.

A 7 minute boat ride took us to the island for about 15 pesos per pax only :)

Boats were operated by  the resort management and operational from 5AM to 5PM daily.

Entrance fee to Paradise Island was Php 100 per pax and all tables were free of use.

TIP: Food like the paella takes a long time to cook so you have to order it as soon as you get a good spot before you take a dip at the beautiful white beach :) 

Also, it would be better to come during high tide to fully enjoy Paradise Island Beach :)

We ordered the SEAFOOD BASKET (Php 250) - good for 2-3 persons

It's a basket of deep fried fish, squid, shrimps and vegetables :)

YUMMMEEEE

Paradise Island and Beach Resort is also famous for their PAELLA VALENCIANA.

Since it was just the two of us, we ordered the small portion (Php 600), which was good for 6 persons. They also serve it in a larger portion (Php 950), good for 9 people.

Their menu says: "Traditional style of Spanish rice with fillings of chicken, lean pork, shrimp, crab, squid, green and red pepper and garnished with chorizo bilbao and slices of boiled egg. All flavored in olive oil and saffron. 1 hour and 15 minutes cooking time."

This dish is overloaded with meat!!!!  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

WE LOVED THE PAELLA!!! YUM YUM YUM!!

Again, when going to Davao, you MUST visit Paradise Island and try their PAELLA VALENCIANA!!!

THE BEST!!

Paradise Island and Beach Resort

Samal Island, Davao

(63)(82) 233-0251

inquiry@paradiseislanddavao.com