The girls at C' Italia
Originally uploaded by Carambs!.

I joined the girls last June 2-3,2007 and we went on a roadtrip to Subic and Clark. I was with Joe, Carmela, Cathy, Cookie, Yoj and Angie. We brought two cars, one driven by Cookie, one driven by Angie. First stop was Subic where we had lunch and shopped! Then we went back to Clark where we stayed for the night. We stayed at Monte Vista, in Mimosa. The villa was really nice, and we were lucky that we got it at a promo price of P4,500. We were really tired by then so we just ordered room service for dinner - and what a surprise! The food was actually good! The rest of the night was spent singing. We sang the night away using Yoj's good ol' magic sing.

Stopover at a gas station.


The villa.

Room service. Yummy food!

The next day, we had lunch at C' Italia which I now consider as one of my favorite restaurants. The food was GREAT! Their best seller, the panizza, was a hit with the girls! We met the owner, Chris, who was very accomodating. He toured us around the restaurant and told stories about his famous customers, which included a couple of Philippine presidents (Ramos and Arroyo).

Cristina Panizza

With the owner, Cris.

We got back in Manila at around 6PM, and by that time we were really tired. It was such a fun roadtrip that we decided we would do it again sometime in the future. :)

Complete set of photos here.

Banapple: Now Baking!



Banapple is a cafe/cakeshop/coffeeshop along Katipunan extension, owned by our friend GJ. I worked with him during my PinoyExchange days - he was still with Sky Internet then. And then in ABSi, I turned over my telco relations duties to him. His wife has been baking for a long time now - I have always ordered cheesecakes from them and gave these as gifts to friends. They have also been supplying cheesecakes and pastries to some coffeeshops/restaurants, like Windows. So it was a pleasant surprise when we saw the Banapple sign weeks ago across Kopiroti. They're expanding!



They opened yesterday - so we made sure that we had lunch there. It was another pleasant surprise that they also offered entrees. I ordered the Herbed Chicken Rolls w/ Basil Cream Sauce (P145). It was good! Though similar, it's not the usual cordon bleu/a la kiev. I really liked the sauce. And even if I'm not fond of potato salad, theirs is actually good.



Here's their menu for now:

SANDWICHES
Terrific Tuna Sandwich P85
Asian Crabstick and Mango Salad Sandwich P85
Warm Chicken Salad Sandwich P90
Rafael Maple-Glazed Ham and Honey Mustard Sandwich P110

PASTAS
Fettuccine Jacintha P110
Penne Bolognese P110
Fettuccine Magnifico P110
Pasta Verde P110

ENTREES
Herbed Chicken Rolls w Basil Cream Sauce P145
Garlic Beef Tapa w Creamed Parsley Eggs P120
Glazed Pork Tocino w Creamed Parsley Eggs P110
Breaded Fillet of Creamy Dory w Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce P150

PANCAKES
Buttermik Pancakes P70
Awesome Blueberry Pancakes P85
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes P85

SAVORY PIES
Creamy Chicken Pie P75
Savory Tuna Pie P75
Cheese and Mushroom Pie P75

PIES and CHEESECAKES
Blueberry Cheesecake P700
Two-Nut Caramel Cheesecake P700 (Yummy!)
Chocolate Chip Walnut P480
Banoffee Pie P480 (I love this!)
Apple Caramel Crumblr P500
Snicker Fudge Cheesecake P800
Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake P700
Cadbury Old Gold Oreo Cheesecake P1020
Classic Pecan Pie P800
Honey Carrot Walnut Cake P650
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake P650
Super Caramel Fudge Cake P700

Their address is 225 Katipunan Ave, Blue Ridge QC. Phone number 4392675. It's right across Kopiroti, before Katips. Hope you can drop by!

Thanks to Mikoid for the photos!

Teriyaki Boy = Bad Service

I forgot where I got the news, but I heard that the Lorenzo Group (Pancake House, Dencio's...) has acquired Teriyaki Boy. It made a lot of sense - don't you just feel that there are so many Teriyaki Boy branches sprouting left and right? That's what happened to Dencio's after it was acquired by the same group. Anyway, this fast expansion seems like something they can't handle because of the poor service. I had dinner at Teriyaki Boy Galleria a while ago with Lawrence (welcome back to the Philippine Lawrence!), Lester, Margaret, and another friend of Lester. I had my mind set on Gyoza, and was very disappointed when the waiter told me that it wasn't available anymore. I ordered Pork Ribs Teriyaki instead, and was also told that it was still frozen. Lester and company also ordered 2 viands that were not available. Did they run out of food right away? It was only 8:30PM, and it was a Saturday night - shouldn't they make sure that there was enough food? The same thing happened to us at Teriyaki Boy Eastwood - it was around 9PM and there was no more Salmon. Granted, they want to make sure they have fresh food daily. They should still plan better - they should order more on fridays, especially during payday fridays.

Since I was really hungry, I ordered Miso Soup - something I could take while waiting for the food. The food arrived, with no Miso Soup in sight. We actually forgot about it, until we heard the lady beside our table complaining and bitching about how late their food arrived. She refused the viand that was being served, because they already finished eating. I think it was a tofu side dish. We remembered our Miso Soup, which we cancelled - no use for soup anymore. We continued eating, then later on, the lady started bitching and complaining again. Apparently, they were about to pay, and the bill still included the viand that they refused to accept. She mentioned that this was the second time this happened to her.

Is it too much to ask that if there are a lot of viands not available, the waiters should already 'warn' the customers before they order? I hope this is just temporary - I hope they can do something about it soon. Their food is really good but a great restaurant isn't just about the food, it's also about the service.

On Green Tomato and Favorite Restaurants

I have a new favorite restaurant - Green Tomato at Shangri-la Mall. So far, all the dishes I've tasted are yummy! I was able to taste Arrabiata, Amatriciana, Chicken Fingers, and Chicken Chunk Pizza. The prices are reasonable, and the service is okay. The only negative thing I can think of is that the area is almost always full, because of Mongkok. But that's okay with me!

Speaking of favorite restaurants, I was devastated (yes, it's not an exaggeration) when I found out that Sushi Mart was gone!!! Sushi Mart, though not a full-pledged restaurant, is one of my favorite restos ever. For me, they have the best kani sushi! The tempura is good, and the gyudon is even better! 80% of the time I'm in Megamall, I have lunch/dinner there. I was a frequent visitor over the years. It's gone now. Sigh.

I have another favorite restaurant in Megamall - Krua Thai, along the Megamall Strip. I order the same thing every time we go there - Chicken Pandan and Krua Thai fried rice. I'm not confident that it will stay long, so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Guess what my favorite Mongolian restaurant is, next to Mongolian Grill? Manukan Country, along Libis! Weird huh? Well, this restaurant has been around for several years already, and from the time they opened, they've always had Mongolian buffet. They've never changed their recipes for the different sauces - why should they when I believe it sets them apart.

I had dinner there earlier with my cousin, my parents, and Jovan. My parents were surprised - they thought we went to the wrong place. "Manukan Country - Home of Inasal Chicken Bacolod", serving Mongolian food?! Well, weird as it may seem, it doesn't change the fact that the food is Y-U-M-M-Y! So next time you're in Libis, look for the little green signage that says "Manukan Country - Home of Inasal Chicken Bacolod" and line up for the Mongolian buffet.

Celadon

My parents, Jovan, Anton my cousin and I had dinner at Celadon, in Eastwood last night. It was my parents' nth anniversary. We chose Celadon because we haven't tried it yet and the food looked interesting. (My dad was craving for inihaw and it was part of the buffet menu.) Eat-all-you-can was P300 which was worth it, I thought. No policies on left-over food, so I went for it! The food was great! From now, I'll make it a point to try new restaurants.

PREPS Update

Went to Intramuros today. I went to Manila Cathedral and San Agustin. Both Churches have the same rules and regulations, more or less. So not much of a difference. I also went to Father Blanco's Garden, San Agustin Plaza, Inner Courtyard, Baluarte de San Diego, and the offices of Makati Skyline and Intramuros Administration. Father Blanco appeals to me the most, because part of it is covered. But since I'm praning, I'm still not sold. A big part of the area is open, which worries me.

After Intramuros I went to Le Pavillion, and I fell in love with the place. It's like the Tent in The Fort, but for me the driveway and the entrance is better. It's big, but I pictured everything already, from the flowers to the decorations. Unfortunately it's very expensive (I keep telling myself that it's still cheaper than a hotel, but still...). Well, I'm off to Christ the King and Nuestra Senora tomorrow. After Le Pavillion I went to the Shrine of Jesus. The Church is lovely. :) Still part of my Top 3 Churches...

I still hope to finalize the Church by next week...

Had dinner in Seiji, a new japanese restaurant in Katipunan. A bit high-end, based on the prices. I really don't mind paying extra if the food is good and unique (I eat often in Cibo, ouch prices but hecka good food), but their food there SUCKED. Big time. The beef tepanyaki, which costs P200, had tough beef. As for the yakisoba, mas masarap pa yung mga instant. Tempura was good, but it costs P170.

So back to the ever reliable Kamirori for me! Not so expensive, but reallyyyyyyyyyyy good food.

Oh yeah, finished Harry Potter 5 over the weekend. Book isn't worth the hype that came before it. But well, I had to read it 'cause I wanted to know what happened to Harry after Voldemort came back.

Had dinner in Little Asia last saturday. I really really love the prawns wrapped in bacon.