Cheap Fingers

I have been busy with my sideline in Binondo starting last week. I have to go to that office everyday, after my day job and work for an hour a day, Monday to Friday. Yesterday, instead of heading to Binondo, I went to Robinson's Place instead for a very important purpose. It has been more than a week already since I first saw the promotional ad of TGIF on its website. The ad says TGIF's chicken fingers will be priced at Php99 only on May 27. I haven't tried their chicken fingers and after the whole burger scenario, I guess TGIF has redeemed itself from my first bad impression about them. So, as the ad starts to sink in to me, I thought, it would be such a waste if I will not grab that opportunity. Knowing for a fact that the offer of Php99 is such a steal, because TGIF chicken fingers is priced at Php290 per serving, I simply will not forgive myself if I let this opportunity pass by me. Also, I have done my assignment and researched on the internet and found out that TGIF do not lessen, may it be the quantity nor the quality of their promotionally-priced good, compared to the regularly-priced ones. Meaning, I will be a complete fool if I don't go and benefit myself from TGIF's irresistible offer.

I have second thoughts yesterday if I will go or not because of my sideline but craving for this offer is much stronger than the sideline so I went ahead to Robinson's Place and started to tame my grumbling stomach. When comfortably seated, I ordered their chicken fingers and fried mozzarella. While waiting for my orders, I sit and watch the place be jampacked with diners as though it was a weekend. And I thought the food here is on the expensive side! Almost every table was occupied yesterday. I am not sure if it is because of the chicken fingers, but I have a feeling it is not just that because each table is bursting with food and not only with chicken fingers.

First served was the Fried Mozzarella. On their menu, they are offering it in six pieces per order but I saw on their website before that they have it in four's so I tried my luck and asked if indeed they are offering it also in four pieces per order and they confirmed. The Fried Mozzarellas were sliced perfectly. They were neither too thin nor too thick. Each slice was lightly breaded and fried and served with Marinara sauce on the side. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It is quite bland for my taste if eaten alone. Maybe they should put a little more spices on the breading before they coat the mozzarella slices with it. When paired with the Marinara sauce, it tastes okay, but I cannot find anything special about this dish.

When my share of the chicken fingers has turned up on my table, I felt relieved. Relieved, maybe because even though I know that discounted good is just the same as the regularly priced one (and I even ask the attendant again, just to be sure), I half-hoped that it will be less or will be in smaller pieces. But no, it was just the same, just like how it was described on the internet and by the waitress. I know it is just the same because of what they look like on their menu. I know that pictures on menus are always exaggerated in a good way but they will not try to "degrade" their establishment by putting some gross looking food on their menus. So anyway, excitedly, I tried their fries first. I have already tried their fries the last time that I had my burger experience but I was eager to know if they will have the same quality since the last time I was there the place is very well far from being jampacked. Luckily, the fries still are of the same quality as before, and even the flavor, is still intact. They obviously season their fries well as they really are flavorful. After indulging on their fries, I then moved on to the subject matter of the night. The chicken fingers.

Using my knife and fork, I cut a strip of chicken finger and found out that it was not crispy. I was expecting it to be crispy but anyhow, it does not matter that much. What I cannot understand is that the chicken tastes bland as well. I don't know if the chef that night is just light-handed when it comes to seasoning the food but if not for the mustard-mayo sauce, I will be forced to sprinkle salt on it. Honestly, I was real tempted already to reach for the table salt but dipped the chicken instead to the sauce. The meat is tender but a little bit dry. It did not reach my expectation but I will not hold another "grudge" against TGIF this time. I am very much welcome for any redeeming act from them. What I really appreciate is that the promo price still applies even for take-outs, unlike in some other restaurants that promo price is applicable only for dining customers.

Anyway, I appreciate the fast service and especially for the very kind waitress that served me last night. I did not get the name of the waitress but next time, I will make sure that I will ask for her name. She was really good and friendly, and warm. She made my solo dining a pleasure.

Friday's on a Sunday

I was pretty hyped up this weekend. I have been waiting for this opportunity and when it finally turned up, I just can't contain my excitement. I have been nursing a craving for burgers last week. In fact I have been surfing the net in my effort to look for a gourmet burger that I can indulge and experience here in Manila. I remember an office-mate who recommended before TGIF's burger. I was hesitant about TGIF because I have already tried eating there before with my friends at their MOA branch and it did not turned out well. I ordered their Tortilla Crusted Fish on Rice Pilaf then and my friends ordered their pasta. As for what kind of pasta, I cannot remember anymore. Actually, while reading the menu, I kind of cannot pick a dish because of the price tags. That time, I was trying to keep my expenses to a minimum because I can sense a shopping spree coming on. Anyway, I was also looking for something with rice, since I am already famished that time. It did not occur to me that TGIF's servings are big enough for sharing or for those who are very hungry already.

The fish, to be honest enough, did not impress me. I mean, with the price tags that they have, I expect something special with their dishes. But I find it just so-so. No special flavor for the fish, nothing special either with the rice pilaf. My friends and I agreed that there's nothing special with the dishes, and we felt that the lunch was not worthy of the hefty price tag at all. So after that experience, I vowed not to eat there anymore since I cannot see the point of paying expensively for something that does not taste good. Their desserts are extraordinary though. But since the office-mate kept on raving about TGIF's burger, I decided to break my own vow and went to try it myself.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the day I was looking forward to. I went against my fear and sarcasm, and left my negative first impression at home so as to be able to make unbiased judgment. I have been checking their menu via their website so I pretty much already have an idea on what to order. I settled for their Soup and Half House Caesar Salad for starters and I get to choose what kind of soup to be served. I chose Broccoli Cheese Soup over French Onion Soup simply because I love cheese dishes. Of course, I cannot leave out the "star" and the cause of this another gamble to eat at TGIF, which is the burger. I chose their Jack Daniel's Burger although I originally want a Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger which I cannot find on their menu but saw it on their website. While waiting for the food, I put out a novel which I am already about to finish and read. After just a few minutes, the food was already served. I estimated it to be about 10-15 minutes waiting time. Which is not bad at all. I was shocked by the size of their serving. It really was big even the half order of Caesar Salad. The Caesar Salad was good and tasty even though it has nothing on it except for Romaine lettuce a little amount of grated Parmesan cheese. It was tossed with Caesar dressing and croutons. The Romaine lettuce is fresh and crispy and tossed with creamy Caesar dressing that for me is a little bit salty. It was then contrasted by the crunchy croutons which tasted real good.

The Broccoli Cheese Soup on the other hand is my favorite. Honestly, I did not taste any Broccoli on it, which I do not know if is a good news to some people, but a couple of Broccoli florets are used as garnish on top of the soup, along with a few grated cheese. The soup was very very cheesy, but not without the "umay" factor. You can only taste "unadulterated" cheese, I mean it has a clean cheese taste. Yeah, I know it sounds weird but you can go try it yourself and stop imagining instead. I love that it's a little bit salty but did not go overboard in spite of the cheese base. When we are already done with the soup and the salad, the burger was served.

I am not aware of the Jack Daniel's, and so do not have any idea what it tastes like. But since I have been lurking at TGIF's website, I kind of imagined the Jack Daniel as a barbecue sauce of some sort. When the plate was put on our table, I simply cannot believe it. It is big. I was shocked, and stared at it in awe. The burger was served open faced, which at first I did not understand why but later on, I thought, maybe it was served face-up because the cheese on top of the patty will stick on the bun. Let me tell you this, the burger was made up of the following, starting from the bottom: the bottom part of the burger bun, the fixing, which includes shredded cabbage, rings of onions, a couple slices of pickles, and tomato slices. Then sitting on top of these veggies is the beef patty which I chose to be cooked well done. The beef patty as I measured it, was more or less an inch thick. Covering its top part is the cheddar cheese that is starting to melt and clamp on the beef patty. On top of the Cheddar cheese slice are two strips of bacon formed in an "x" shape. The top part of the bun is then served beside the burger barely covering it. On the other side of the plate is a hefty serving of fries which is just casually placed beside the burger. Then of course, a little cup beside the burger and the fries is the Jack Daniel's sauce.I first tried the fries since I was still recovering from the overwhelming feeling when I saw how big the burger is. The fries are crispy and not soggy at all. It was cut a little thicker than the usual fast food-served fries. What I really like about it is that when you sink your teeth into it, your teeth immediately hit the potato unlike in some fastfood chains wherein your teeth hits air first before it chomps on the potato. It is flavorful too and not bland at all. In short, my grandmother and I just love their fries. Even if it has already turned cold, it was not soggy nor did it turned bland and tough. It retained its moisture which enhanced its flavor in spite of the change in its temperature.

I then moved on to the burger itself. While cutting the burger, to give my grandmother her share, I thought it was a little tough but it was not really. Its just that the patty is really thick and the fact that it was well done so I thought it was tough. I put on some of the Jack Daniel's sauce on the top portion of the bun then put it on top of the burger. The burger is just very delicious! The Jack Daniel's sauce, as it turned out, is sweet. It is like a sweet barbecue sauce so you might want to moderate on putting this on your burger. The bacon is not crispy anymore, but nevertheless still contributed to the yumminess of the burger. The pickle is not that sour also, just the perfect tangy taste that will complete the flavor of the fixings. The beef patty, is simply incredible. I did not taste any fat on it, which means they only used lean meat on their patties. Despite of being cooked well done, the patty was not tough at all. It was in fact still juicy and has the right spring of chewiness in it. The burger was just very amazing. I can eat this on a weekly basis and not get tired of it. What really touched me the most, and earned my admiration, is that the bun is buttered first before heating it, I think on a grill. Tell me, who on earth would think of doing that when you are in this business, and when your burger already has many flavors on it anyway? I mean, without buttering the bun won't be noticed, nor would anyone complain. But they did it their way, and I admire them for doing so. For me, it only means that they care truly for their customer's satisfaction.

So I think I can say that at least for the soup, salad, and burger, I would recommend TGIF to friends and family. Definitely good food. Perfect for celebrations or for a perfect casual dining experience. Honestly, I just forget the amount of money that I paid for and did not felt like I wasted my money in TGIF. Definitely worthy!

Modern Classics

Me and my grandmother went to RP one Sunday noon and decided to take our lunch at the mall too. I took her to C2 since I have already decided even before we left the house that we will eat there. Actually, I was already practically drooling over the thought that I can now actually try their food. Yeah, I have always wanted to eat at C2 but just cannot find time to do so. My food trip buddy is not a Filipino food fan that is why I cannot drag her to C2 each time we're out on another food trip mission.

While reading the menu outside the restaurant, I was a little bit skeptic. I mean, seriously, crispy sinigang? Well, my curiosity beat the skeptical side of mine and we went ahead inside. I must admit, I love the interior of C2-RP branch. It is a small place, but is very cozy. The smooth and glossy wood tables and soft couches are perfect addition to the cozy ambiance. They have soft lights all over but the place is neither too dark nor too bright. For me, the lighting and fixtures created the perfect dining ambiance. Plus the attendants were all very friendly and attentive to their customers' needs. The food is quite pricey but I think it is all worth it.

Let's start with the food that we ordered that day. Since it was only the two of us, and my grandmother has a small appetite, we ordered quite simply. We had Satay Bagnet and Aligue Rice for our entree because I think these are enough for the two of us.


The Satay Bagnet was served with fried wanton wrappers around the Bagnet and a little bit of shredded pickled vegetables. And since it is Satay, it was served with Peanut Sauce on the side. The serving was already good for two persons considering it is fried, so you will not want to eat more than you should. Although, you might have to hold back since it is quite tempting to eat this Bagnet bite after bite. The liempo is very crispy outside but very tender inside. Another good thing is that it is quite lean and only has very small part of fat in it. So even though it is fried, it is not too oily. When dipped into the Peanut Sauce, it gives you a jambalaya of flavors. Plus the Peanut Sauce is not too watery nor too thick but just the right consistency for this dish. So first you will taste the salty-sweet taste of the Peanut Sauce clinging on the pork, then you sink your teeth to the crispy outer covering of the liempo only to hear the cracking sound inside your mouth. Then you feel the tenderness of the pork and taste the nutty accent of the Peanut Sauce blending inside your mouth. Ahhh! Heavenly, yet very sinful! The wanton wrappers are also very crispy but quite oily and the pickled vegetables are very fresh. What I do is to slice the liempo in half-bite sizes then get a little of the pickled vegetables and assemble everything together with the wanton wrapper and the Peanut Sauce then put everything into my mouth. I find it good and refreshing with the vegetables thus lessening the oiliness of the combined Bagnet and wanton wrappers.
Then there's the Aligue Rice. That is the first time that I will eat Aligue Rice (yeah, pity me). I have never eaten Aligue Rice yet and I was very excited to try it. It looks so delicious on the menu picture but looks so "deadly" because I know that it is full of cholesterol. But the hell with cholesterols, I want to try it and no one can stop me. Anyway, the rice was so good. It is so flavorful and the rice is cooked perfectly. Although, it is also quite oily but you can totally forget about it because it is really good. I know that the Bagnet Aligue Rice combination is a bad idea because these are fatty foods but it is really delicious. One very small thing though, I would rather like it better if they will add a little bit more of the pickled vegetables to ward off the oiliness when you had a little bit too much of the Bagnet and Aligue Rice. Because for me the pickled vegetables balances the oiliness with its tartness.

And now that the serious part is over, let me share to you the most amazing, and for me, the star of my lunch. The Dessert. I have read about this delicious dessert from a food blog some time ago. I then lust to taste it because the blogger gave it so much credit that the entry made me swear to myself that I cannot miss trying it when I have the chance to. So as not to keep you waiting anymore..

Ladies and Gentlemen.. Please put your hands together for the star of the meal..

Bibingka Souffle!!!Yeah, damn it. IT's that good. When they served the Bibingka Souffle to our table, it shone among the rest. And I mean, it is the only thing that I see. All of the spotlights are focused on her. I think you will regret it if you go to C2 and not order this. And I'm serious. Its as if the Bibingka Souffle is the specialty of C2. Or, on the second thought, maybe it is the specialty of C2 when it comes to the dessert department. Anyway, I think I have held your breath enough so let us now go to the details of the infamous Bibingka Souffle. According Wikipedia, Souffle came from a French verb which means to "puff up" or to "blow up". True enough, when you look at the Bibingka Souffle, its as if you were served a volcano that has erupted, minus the lava. It really is a huge one, and as if it will explode any minute. The Bibingka Souffle has all the glorious toppings of an authentic bibingka that fills the Christmas air during December. It has queso de bola and salted egg that give the Bibingka Souffle the sweet and salty taste. What I love most about it is that it is very light and fluffy. It is so light that it melts in your mouth literally. It is so fluffy that I was almost afraid of digging inside because I think it is very delicate to be dig into. But of course, I couldn't just let it sit there right, so I dug quite softly on the souffle. Careful as not to destroy the perfect dome it has become to. The Bibingka Souffle was served with a coconut cream sauce on the side. What I did was create an opening on the top of the souffle dome and then pour more than half of the coconut cream sauce and then mix it a little then pop a dessert-spoonful of souffle on my eager mouth. I hesitated to pour the whole coconut cream sauce because I thought it would be too sweet. Turned out, I was right. Had I pour the whole coconut cream on it, it will turn out to be too sweet. Since, my instinct told me the right instruction, I ended up with a heavenly, amazingly delicious, sweet and salty Bibingka Souffle. Sound like an advertisement, isn't it? Well I can invest on the souffle just to prove that it is really that good.

The last thing that I entertained to my stomach is the chocolate drink which they amusingly called Tsokolate Eh. Yeah, when I read it from the menu, there's only one thing that came to my mind.. Batangas. I do not know for sure if the chocolate drink really came from Batangas but one thing for sure, it is excellent. It is very chocolatey, and by that I mean it is not watery so it really has the perfect chocolate taste. In short, it does not taste like thickened Hot Milo. It is also smooth and has no residue of whatsoever. But, I found some rice-like pulp, and the consistency made it sticky to look at, like champorado. It is also not too sweet also thus prompting me to give it the title of the "Perfect Chocolate Drink".

The C2 experience is perfect and my grandmother thought so too. There's only one thing that she does not approve of, the price of the food. I admit it is quite pricey for a Filipino dish but I think it is all worth it. I mean, it is not everywhere that you find that one-of-a-kind Bibingka Souffle, do you? And I give it to them when it comes to the creative department. Yeah, I'm still not yet over the crispy sinigang. Next time, when I happen to go to RP, I will make sure to order that crispy sinigang. And of course, the Bibingka Souffle again.

Okay! I will stop rambling about the Bibingka Souffle now!

Cool Iceberg's

Yesterday was another day for my friend and I to explore the outside world, and to enjoy ourselves without office routines. We went to Robinson's Place Manila and dined and watched "The Back-up Plan" and I cried a hell lot of tears. Yeah, the movie is supposed to be a rom-com but it turned out to be quite a tear-jerker too. But I didn't mind especially with J.Lo on it. God, she's definitely a good actress. And after all these years, the body.. especially the booty still hasn't changed.

After the movie, we went for a snack. I originally planned to have some of those coffee buns and a cup of hot coffee but changed my mind and went to Iceberg's instead. I have already dined there a couple of times over the years and I can really attest to the mouth-watering pictures that they have on their menu. Not to mention those giant banana splits, parfaits, and sandwiches painted on their walls too. The last time I went there, I had some cold concoction and their version of Philly's Cheesesteak sandwich. I was overwhelmed when they served it to me. I mean, the ice creams and all those cool, refreshing treats are out of the question since they "specialize" in them but the sandwich... real great. That Cheesesteak that I had was to die for. It has lots of cheese on it, and generous amount of beef that are very juicy and not tough at all. The sandwich is huge. Well, at least for me. I am a big girl and I really find it big, so I guess it really is a non-ordinary sized sandwich.

Anyway, yesterday, as I was looking at their menu, I was overwhelmed again as I always do. They really have such a huge selection of food for people of different ages and preferences. The cold treats are really tempting but I tried to divert my eyes because I have cough and cold so I cannot indulge myself to those yummy looking, pastel-colored parfaits (poor me). I was trying to find something that will fill my tummy and at the same time is light on the pocket. I was torn between pasta and sandwich. At first, I wanted a Chili dog sandwich since it has already been a long time since I last tasted a chili dog sandwich. Then, when I compared the prices of the sandwiches against the pastas', I thought, what the heck, some of them got the same price tag and some pastas are only a few bucks more expensive. So I tried to find myself something off the pasta selections. It is quite hard to decide because every item on that menu of theirs looks real good. I know, I should not be fooled by these pictures and I have learned that in a not-so-good way, but it really is hard not to give in. So what I did was I chose one from each group, although I was leaning more to pastas, and asked the waitress to recommend something from each group also.

The waitress gave me their bestseller items and I finally settled for their Hungarian Sausage and Mushroom Carbonara. My friend meanwhile settled for their Chicken sandwich. As for the drinks, I gave in to the temptation and asked for a Rootbeer Float, while my friend tried their Peach Mango Shake. When the drinks arrived, I was satisfied. I mean, the Peach Mango Shake looked like it was blended fresh fruit because of the color. I think it was unlike the other restaurants' offer of chemical blended and food coloring induced shakes. My Rootbeer Float on the other hand was great. Floats are not extraordinary anymore here, because of a fastfood chain's offer of Coke float and flavored Sprite float. But the real big difference between these two is that Iceberg's Rootbeer Float does not have any ice on it. They serve an ice cold rootbeer and dropped a scoop of Vanilla ice cream on it. Sure, the ice cream caused bubbles to form and in effect, spill some of the rootbeer but the spills are just about, one teaspoon max. They give it to you plainly which I like. They put in chocolate syrup but not too much that it makes it too sweet. As for the Peach Mango Shake, my friend told me that she only tasted the the Mango part and seems to not taste the Peach part. But at least, it is sweet unlike the one from where we dined for lunch, which is very sour that she has to add in sugar.


Then the pasta and sandwich arrived. The sandwich looked dry to me. Maybe because it was slightly heated although not toasted. It was served with potato chips on the side and a garlic dip with brown powder on top which later on we guessed as barbecue powder according to its taste. My pasta on the other hand looks almost like the one on the picture. Actually, it looked better on my plate than in the picture. It looks creamy, meaning Iceberg's did not scrimp on the pasta sauce. I can see pieces of thinly sliced Hungarian Sausage, and mushrooms. And of course on top, there sprinkled Parmesan cheese and parsley that are not too much nor too less. The garlic bread also looked good beside the heap of pasta. It was gleaming golden yellow, with bright green bits sprinkled on top. For those who are quite confused, I was referring to the butter spread on the garlic bread and chopped parsley sprinkled on top of it.

I bit my first out of the bread and for me it is really good. The bread is soft, and you can taste the butter. I am not sure if I have tasted garlic but I cannot really say that I didn't because I have a little taste deficiency due to my colds. Maybe there's a garlic taste but is subtle that I didn't realized that the bread has garlic flavor in it. One thing that I have observed is that although the bread is gleaming with butter, it is not oily at all. I don't have oil on my fingers that I usually experience whenever I eat garlic bread, which is good. The pasta on the other hand was cooked al dente. It is not soggy at all nor does the strands stick to each other inspite of the generous serving of the cream sauce. The thinly sliced Hungarian Sausage is a bit spicy but not too much that it burns your tongue. It does not overwhelm the whole dish, instead, it gives life to the dish itself. The thin slice made it just a part of the pasta instead of stealing the light away and making itself the main attraction. And one thing that I also appreciate is that I cannot count how many slices of Hungarian Sausage they put on the dish, unlike in some restaurants that the ratio of the toppings against the pasta is 2:10 in favor of the pasta. The mushroom, on the other hand, is also thinly sliced, thus preventing it to be too chewy. The sauce is also good. It is not too much that it makes your pasta too heavy when twirling with your fork. It also has no "umay" factor and is seasoned well. It really bound together all the ingredients there are on the dish.

All in all, the Iceberg's experience was a winner. I cannot remember when I have ever regret eating there. I plan on going back a couple more times to sample their other dishes as well. Their menu simply looks so amazing that it makes my mouth water more and leave me craving for their food.

Sakura oishii!

Gusto for Japanese food is what my friend and I share together. I can say that we are quite adventurous when it comes to food. Although I cannot consider us the very adventurous ones (we have a certain degree of reservation), we are on the other hand not afraid of trying cuisines that are not familiar.

Once in a while, we would crave for Japanese cuisine. And when we watched 2012 at MOA that craving surfaced. After about half an hour looking for somewhere to eat, we ended up with a decision to get some Japanese food. Since we have decided to try a Japanese restaurant where we haven't eaten yet, we thought of eating at the first Japanese restaurant that we would see.

Finally, we saw one Japanese restaurant at the ground floor near the arcade. It was a little place that also looks like a store. It has shelves on one side where they display things of Japanese influence. They have plates, cups, teapots, Japanese mayo, wasabe, and some other things as well. It also has a mini sushi bar and the kitchen area has glass panes where diners can watch from their tables as their food are being prepared. Although it might become a little crowdy when the place is jampacked (so better to go earlier or later than meal time).

When we have already placed our orders, I took in the place, and the ambiance. The left side wall has images of their food and was created in a way that it resembles an XOX grid. It was illuminated by small bulbs that made the rich colors of the images stand out. Those food pictures looks good and appetizing. And I can just wish the same for the "real deal".

First thing that was served to us is the miso soup that comes with the sushi combo that we ordered. The miso soup was a little bitter for my taste but the seaweed on it was perfectly cooked. Aside, from the bitterness, the soup really has no flavor at all. I am not sure whether it really should be that way, maybe to cleanse the palette or whatever. I was expecting bite size tofu squares in it but aside from the seaweed, there's nothing else in the soup.

Next that they served was fried gyoza. Compared to the other gyozas that I have tasted, the very obvious difference is that their gyoza is big. And I mean big. Next difference is that, those gyozas have thin wrappers, so it can only mean more filling. The meat filling also has a vegetable-herb-like taste, subtle and yet refreshing; a change from the usual just meaty taste of dumplings. The dumplings were real flavorful; and the dipping sauce is good too. It was like a mixture of soy sauce with a little bit of vinegar (just a hint of sourness), and chives. Next dish that was served was Sushi Combo 4. This has four types of maki and a tuna salad. The four makis include Tuna Maki, Tamago Maki, Kani Maki, and the ever famous California Maki. Four the first three makis, I can really say that there are nothing special about those. Except, the tuna is really fresh. The California Maki on the other hand is refeshing as always. The fresh cucumber strips, the very tropical mango cubes, and the crab sticks. But there's one point there that I was almost afraid of picking it up with my chopstick because the appearance of it looks like it might fall into mongrel pieces any time. But, luckily, I did not mess up anything.

My favorite from this Combo, is the Tuna Salad. It makes my mouth water just thinking of the Tuna Salad. Unfortunately though, those who are health conscious should think twice before trying this. Mainly because the Tuna Salad was drenched with fat. It is served mixed with a very generous amount of Japanese Mayonnaise. I do not know what they put to it but it is spicy. Not spicy enough that will make your tongue burn though, but it is hot. I think I can see speckles of green on the Salad but I am not sure if it is Wasabe. The Tuna Salad is simple and yet very very delicious. The salty-spicy taste of the Salad is just perfect. If ever I get the chance to eat there again, this would be a staple, I think.

For the drinks, we tried the Watermelon Shake and it is really fantastic. Unlike most of the watermelon drinks out there, this one is neither too watery nor too sugary. It has the right blend of watermelon and sugar and ice. It is extremely refreshing and perfect for summer. Plus, it ward off the spiciness of the Tuna Salad.

I definitely recommend Sakura both to the Japanese food eaters and non-Japanese food eaters alike. The food here is really excellent. Especially the Tuna Salad. Oishiii!

Starbucks Chicken Empanada

I now have a new job and so far, I love it. I love the place, my boss, my officemates, my job. Well, the location is near our home but the problem is the food. It is just a walking distance from a mall but as an employee like me who has a plan of taking up masteral next summer, eating out is very expensive. My dream of taking up masteral next summer would have to wait if I am going to spend a quarter of my salary for lunch.

Anyway, this morning, as I was running late (well.. I thought I was), I passed by Starbucks before going to the office, hoping for something that I could buy for lunch that wouldn't exceed P100. So there I was, doing a little window shopping of their pastries when I saw their Chicken Empanadas priced at only P70. So, I whipped out my wallet and ordered at the counter.

The Empanada do not look like any empanada's out there, like in Red Ribbon, Goldilocks'.. Starbucks' Chicken Empanada's are bigger than those. Actually it resembles to a croissant. When I bought it, I asked them to heat it for me, but come lunch time, it has turned cold already. The pastry itself is thick but soft. I am just not sure if it has been a little bit of flakey-crunchy since the empanada's crust is brushed with egg wash. But I love the feel of my teeth sinking in a thick, soft bread. And, it has the aroma and the taste of a croissant.

Inside the addicting croissant taste, the filling is oh so generous. I bit into it and got a chunk of chicken. And it is really a bite. Unlike other empanadas where they give you chicken shreds. Here, they give you chicken chunks. And big chunks. It also has the usual green peas, carrot and potato cubes. The sauce inside is thick, to prevent it from being runny and soggy, I guess it is a cream sauce. I cannot really describe the taste although I sensed familiar spices. But really, it is delicious. Heavenly even. And for just 70 bucks, it is a real great spend for a lunch from Starbucks.