Sea Dragon

Seaside Palutuan Restaurant Daang Hari Road Almanza 2 Las Pinas Metro Manila
+639212405432

Don't be confused. Physical Address is at Las Piñas but it is along Daang Hari road in Alabang.

Well, Sea Dragon Restaurant is located in a Dampa-like complex called Seaside. Other locations of Seaside is at Macapagal Ave in Pasay near SM Mall of Asia, and at Ortigas Business Center.

It is difficult to go there if you'll commute, its better to go there with a car. The place has restaurants, seafood market, spa and some stores selling clothes and fake DVDs. Ironic from its name, there is no sea on its side and bodies of water can't be found near it.

Let's now talk about the restaurant. Sea Dragon, it helped us with making the decision on where to eat. There are several restaurants to choose from. The name sounds strong so there should be delicious food.

It's clean, chairs and tables are well arranged. Waiters doesn't look like they are tired (we went there around 5:30pm). It gives me a feeling that investors are rich because the interior decorations, lights, plates, chairs, tables, etc looks expensive. Okay, it passed. A Chinese restaurant indeed.

Good thing I don't have allergies with seafoods, I can enjoy eating without worrying about rashes! yey! So a crab is a must try in a seafood restaurant. So we ordered Sweet Chilli Crabs. Crabs are quite expensive and prices differ per season. So I don't want to be disappointed ordering expensive dish if its not delicious.

Beautiful serving, looks delicious. I first tasted the sauce, the sweetness and chilliness (is there such a word?) blends perfectly. The crab meat is fresh and it zipped the sweet chilli sauce. It's delicious so our money is not wasted.

The baked fish in tausi sauce looks raw (i wondered if mistakenly I'm in a Japanese restaurant). Yes it only looks raw lol but it is cooked. Fish meat is tender, serving is big and no additional seasonings needed. We Filipinos are used on adding pepper, salt, soy sauce, fish sauce or vinegar whenever we eat. Just a reminder, for other nationalities or if you are in another country it may be rude. It looks like you are sending a message to the one who cooked, that the dish they prepared is not good enough, that you need to add more soy or pepper.

Yang chow rice is common in a Chinese restaurant, it's either you order a big bowl of yang chow rice or you will just have a cup of plain rice. To enjoy more your dining experience I suggests that whenever you eat in a Chinese restaurant you should order a yang chow.

Beef Broccoli is also served beautifully. I noticed that they serve everything with an art. This is a plus point to a restaurant. There are some restaurants where they just put everything in the plate and tada! served! but here I'm impressed because they made an extra effort. About the taste, i don't know why it is slimy but its good.

So to neutralize everything, a grilled pork topped with white onions sided with some tomatoes is served. The one who grilled this is really good, no carcinogens around. Marinade is perfect. I even ate ate the white onions. First we ordered a Crispy Pata but its not yet available so we just settled for a grilled pork.

Customer service is good, we were attended accordingly. So overall dining experience, I enjoyed. It's worth a try. I will go back and have a sweet chili crab again I hope prices wont be too high.

Here's my rating
1 - Lowest // 10 - Highest
Food: 9/10
Drinks: 8/10
Customer Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10

The Cafe Mediterranean

G/F Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Street, Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines
7519705

Mediterranean cuisine are quite unusual here in the Philippines. But it is not bad if we'll try. :)

The first time I tasted Mediterranean cuisine is when I was in Qatar. And because of the low population and low workforce, they employed alot of of expats. Turkish, Greek, Syrian, Lebanese, and Moroccan Restaurants around.

The Cafe Mediterranean branch I went to is located in Greenbelt 1 - the only Greenbelt left yet to be renovated - so don't expect it to be as beautiful as Greenbelts 3 and 5.

But the restaurant area is well maintained, It is designed like the other Cafe Mediterraneans. Just don't mind the shops and restaurants nearby.

The ambiance gives you a Greek feeling, blue and sunny feeling. Even the smell of mint and grilled meat is really Mediterranean.  Wooden seats and table, tiled walls, grilling station for kebab and gyros, and a fake window overlooking Greek coastlines.

Prices are just the same, in The Middle East I always have my Mediterranean dishes at around 25-30 Riyals. So the price is justifiable.

Waiters are accommodating, a seat was offered right away. Checked out the menu and ordered and waited for a few minutes they served our mint iced tea and our dish.

Mediterranean food is really attractive and nutritious.  Ingredients usually includes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and herbs. Served in a big, appetizing colored plate.

Iced tea, since mint and lemon is expensive here in the Philippines, we don't usually have it in our drinks. So just to complete the Mediterranean experience, its really nice that they've added this to their drink.

The Tunisian Fish Fillet, It is a cream dory fillet with black olives and tomato sauce with herbs served with regular pita. Costs 275 pesos. Serving is big enough, it is a fact that Mediterranean people are bigger and they eat more. Usually they eat with bread. Side dish is a vegetable, mixed cucumber, onion and tomatoes. Your choice if you're going to add more olive oil and salt. The fish is really tender and firm, when you slice it, it wont shred and the fish meat stays intact. It is really tasty, the tomato sauce and herbs spreads in your mouth and to neutralize the taste the black olives comes in. If you think that you wont get full by bread alone, well, i'm telling you that the meal is heavy. You'll get full eventually.

Mediterranean-Style Grilled Chicken, this is one of the most famous Mediterranean dish. Chicken marinated with a mix of Mediterranean spices and a hint of chili served with a Moroccan rice. Costs 265 pesos. I got curious so instead of having a regular pita on it, I asked for a Moroccan rice. The serving size is acceptable, my plate is full. 1/3 of my plate is my chicken, 1/3 for the rice and the remaining less 1/3 is for my side dish. It is balanced. Its not the typical Filipino serving where half of your place is rice, 1/4 for the dish itself and the remaining 1/4 is a free soup. When I tasted the chicken, oh... its so good. Its real. It feels like I tasted the one I tasted in Qatar that is made by a Lebanese Cook. They captured the Mediterranean taste, the tomato, herbs and the amount of chili is just perfect. They have this Garlic Mayo and Chili Sauce available also you may use it as your substitute to gravy, they made it the right way. The Moroccan rice, they used basmati rice if you'll notice long grains of it. I know because this is the rice cooked by my Indian friends. Theres almonds (i'm a fan of almonds), nuts and raisins. I can taste cinnamon and chili powder. There is also a citric taste, I haven't asked the waiter if its a lemon or orange but the citric taste blends with the chili powder and herb taste. Really Arabic.

Mediterranean food gives you a fun cultural dining experience, rich Arabic-European and attractive taste. Don't hesitate to try few Mediterranean dishes, you'll be amazed how not only tasty it can be but how healthy it is.

Here's my rating
1 - Lowest // 10 - Highest
Food: 9/10
Drinks: 9/10
Customer Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Toast Box

G/F Bonifacio One Technology Tower, 31st St, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
toastboxph@gmail.com

Lets have breakfast in a Singaporean way.

Early morning, Since its pay day for most of us. Food chains, Fine dine, and Restaurants are really busy in Bonifacio Global City. The Business District Metropolis is home to Banks, BPO Companies and IT Companies.

Since I am starving and I don't wanna wait in queue or wait long for my order. I saw Toast Box which is not crowded. The place looks nice so I went in there.

I know Toast Box is new here in the Philippines. It is originally from Singapore so a lot of us is not familiar about this restaurant. That is the reason why I think its not crowded or it could be still too early. More advertising and marketing will help alot, on the other hand, the interior looks good. Somehow looks like a vintage colonial dutch theme with an eastern accent. The place is small but its really clean and bright. The glass window is crystal clear, I wonder who cleans it, there's only 3 of them in there. I don't even see the manager (maybe it is still too early).

I looked at the menu, price is quite low compare to other international franchised restaurant.

They have these laksa noodles, curry rice, haianese dishes. Truly Singaporean.

The place is called Toast Box, so im really curious how their toasts taste like.

So we ordered French Toast Set for 160 pesos and Floss Thick Toast Set for 160 pesos also. These includes 2 eggs, kopi or teh (Coffee or Tea). Eggs can either be served as hard boiled or soft boiled. To experience it more Singaporean, I choose to have it soft boiled.

The coffee is great, it has this chocolaty feel. Not your ordinary cup of coffee. Will surely boost your energy.

The French Toast serving is big enough for one person. Tastes good, butter melted on its own so it means that the toast is served hot. It would be better if I have ham and cheese. But its alright, the taste is good.

The Floss Thick Toast, im impressed with it. It is delicious. It tastes like the one in Breadtalk but this is a better version. The sweetness of the floss and the softness of the bread blends perfectly together with the coffee they served. This is a must try toast.

The eggs were eaten soft boiled, I cracked it on top so I can scoop with my spoon the egg white and yolk. I'm too messy eating this, some of the slimy egg whites went to my hands. I just wiped them discreetly.

There is really no customer - staff interaction went on. Just ordered and asked for water and thats it. They serve efficiently (serving fast and efficient are two different things for me). So... ok I'll give them a thumbs up for serving efficient and maintaining the place clean.

Overall impression, I enjoyed my breakfast and Its worth going back. Next time I'll try some laksa noodles and haianese rice.

Here's my rating
1 - Lowest // 10 - Highest
Food: 8/10
Drinks: 9/10
Customer Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Value for Money: 10/10

Marks & Spencer

Display and packaging looks luxurious and attractive.

As I enter Marks and Spencer to buy some clothes. I saw a portion of the shop with sweets, pastries and some microwavable meals.

I'm a big fan of almonds so this Almond Biscuit took my attention. "light & buttery with a delicate almond flavor", indeed the label says it all. At first bite I tasted the almond, it is somehow less sugar, crisp and solid. Its on sale now I bought it for 104 pesos. (maybe its on sale because the expiration date will be on 20/03/2013). I recommend you to buy one. :)

Turkish delights!!! Yey! I missed this. I worked with two different turkish companies already. We always have turkish candies and turkish delights in the office, so I decided to buy one. And yes! This is a turkish delight it really tastes like one. Chocolate outer cover with a soft turkish delight fillings inside, Enjoyable chewy feeling.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Ground Floor Greenbelt 3, Makati City
757-6003

Strolling in Greenbelt and didn't know where to eat. So I decided why not try a dish in a coffee shop? Lets see if they are good not only with coffees but also with dishes.

I don't have my camera ready so I just used my camera phone please excuse me for this. :)

A well designed coffee shop indeed. The brown wooded motif and a bright scattered light. The coffee scent is relaxing. People from all walks of life are also present (Socialites, Social Climbers, People who study in a coffee shop with headsets on, People who takes pictures of themselves holding a frap showing that they are on this particular coffee shop, Koreans, Business woman who works on ledgers and journals, cute yuppies and grandmothers).

So I checked out the menu, saw some pastas and sandwiches. Price is acceptable, I must say that its cheaper compared to other coffee shops.

The Waiter/Barista greeted us with a smile and took our order. I know its part of their job to smile and be perky with customers even though they have bad times, they still need to wear that happy-perky-face-mask. I appreciate it though. It also sets the mood of the customers. I'll give them a kudos for that.

So we ordered Eggs Ben with a cup of hot brewed coffee (Rosemary focaccia bread with cheese, turkey ham, poached egg, Hollandaise sauce, a couple more slices of bread, butter and jam, apricot and prunes) and Spicy Tuna Linguine with Mango Ice Blend.

They have this UFO looking thing. "SEE YOU AT THE PICK UP COUNTER WHEN I LIGHT UP AND BUZZ". First time I saw something like this in a coffee shop  Its good, I don't need to wait in the pickup counter for my order. This is also beneficial to the baristas so they don't need to shout and call the names of the customers with an accent or have it slanged or over enunciate.

The Eggs Ben were amazing, it taste so good. The turkey gave a different taste on it since Filipinos are not that fond of eating turkey. The eggs were buttery tasty, sweet and salty at the same time and has this Greek herb taste because of the rosemary. The apricot and prunes serve with it are fresh! It doesn't taste that it just came from a can from the supermarket.

The Spicy Tuna Linguine, I am surprised with the serving. With the price of 195 pesos, they serve alot. Seems like i'll be full after I finish this. The taste is also surprising, its spiciness is perfect for Filipino taste (Its not Indian spicy or Mexican spicy), Filipino customers will like it. The amount of tuna is alot also, Its not an ordinary tuna, it is made for this pasta. I'll say that it is similar to a Spanish sardine but yes ofcourse its not a sardine (I just remember how disappointed I am when I ordered a sizzling tuna in Padis Point and they served us with a century tuna in a sizzling plate! I won't go back there again its not even sizzling and hot). I enjoyed the Spicy Tuna Linguine.

The Ice Blended Mango, Taste is fine, just perfect for a spicy meal (ofcourse I know a coffee and a spicy pasta wont be a good match). Only bad thing about it is the container, the cup doesn't fit, the mango ice blend is starting to spill on its own, my table got messy and sticky. They gave only two tissues.

Overall experience is good. Customer service is there, ambiance is good, quality and taste of food is definitely worth coming back for and price is reasonable.

Here's my rating
1 - Lowest // 10 - Highest
Food: 8.5/10
Drinks: 8.5/10
Customer Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Value for Money: 9/10