chowpau

[chowpau]

U DON’t Like It? I Love It!

Together with my friends, we ate our dinner in Marugame Udon located at SM Mall of Asia. Since our plan is to try new cuisine, we selected this Japanese restaurant.

I had a long time choosing what to order since all of the food in the menu was new to me and looked delicious. Fortunately, we have all decided to order a variety of food so we can share and taste five of their food. My order was Teriyaki Chicken & Beef Yakiniku (Php 220) while my friends ordered Katsudon (Php 190), Curry Udon (170), Teriyaki Chickendon (Php 175), and Beef Yakiniku (Php 190). However, the drinks were a little bit overpriced so we didn't order. Luckily, there's free water near the counter where we can get unlimited. We waited for at least 20 minutes until we ate our food. 

My order tasted good and as a teriyaki lover, I highly approved and will recommend it to my family. Also, I liked the taste of udon noodles which I tasted for the first time. It's like a normal noodle but soggier. 

Aside from that, we also took pictures inside since the place is very Instagram-worthy. You can feel that you're in Japan since the aesthetic of the place depicts the said country.

Overall, I will definitely come back here to eat since it's budget-friendly for me. I also hope that they will offer drinks that are also budget-friendly. Still, I will give Marugame Udon a score of 9 out of 10.

[chowpau]

Is Horchata Hola Boba Worth It?

The only reason we dined here was because of its unique interior. We sat outside so we could see the view of the beautiful Venice Grand Canal and also, the performance of the night. We were expecting Mexican cuisine and they didn’t fail us to deliver that well. 

As usual for a restaurant, you will choose your food based on the menu given to you in your seats. The prices have shocked me to the core. Luckily, the waiting time is not that long as the appetizers we’ve ordered were served immediately. We tried their Fiery Nachos (Php 408) which is amazingly yummy but I think pricey. This is their best-seller and it’s my first time tasting colored nachos. Its sauce satisfied me because its cheesiness is overloading. 

For the main course, there is a variety of food selection and its titles are cool! The section of the food I’ve ordered is called Combinationes and each food combination is labelled as Combo Uno, Combo Dos, and so on using the Spanish language. I tried their Combo Cinco (Php 278) which contains Grilled BBQ Pork Ribs, Grilled Corn, Onion Rings, and Java Rice. Unfortunately, I find their way of cooking disappointing because the pork ribs tasted charred. Because to this, I requested my mother's meal, the Fiery Sisig (Php 338), which is surprisingly tasty.

Overall, I'll still visit this place, but it won't be a top priority. They provide good customer service, but the food's deliciousness is what matters most to me. If I go back, I'll order their Boba Milk Tea, which costs between 88 and 158 pesos. Hence, I give Horchata Hola Boba a score of 4 out of 10.

[chowpau]

Is It Really the Maddest Café?

Mad Café is really mad, as implied by the title. The café really goes above and beyond to deliver excellent customer service, top-notch cuisine, and Instagram-worthy surroundings.

It's a terrific idea to work or study in this café. One of its distinguishing characteristics is the double-deck design of three of its dining tables. If I were to describe it, I would actually compare it to a double-deck bed that requires stairs to access the top bed. We sat there since I wanted to try it because I had never seen that kind of table before.

Moreover, their selection of food is the best. They're really the definition of what you see is what you get. They will definitely serve you the exact picture of what's in their menu. Since it's lunch time, we ate one of their rice meals together with milk tea as a drink. Our first course was their Nachos (Php 180), which are highly recommended due to their abundance of toppings and salsa. My cousins and I shared the Angus Beef Sinigang (Php 190) and Bicol Express for the main course (Php 190)

Aside from that, their prices for the drinks are budget-friendly for me. Compared to other cafés that sell 200-peso milk tea in small cups, their price range for their drinks is 80 to 120 pesos. Although we waited for 25 minutes, it's still worth the wait.

Their staff accommodated us well throughout our time there. I love how lively and approachable they are. They're not rude and they treat their customers well.

So all-in-all, this is my favorite café so far. If I will rate Mad Café, then it's 10 out of 10.

[chowpau]

THE Wing Zone

It's actually funny that we only ate here because it's the only restaurant that is not crowded. Since it's the day to bond with your families and we went to a famous mall which is the SM Megamall, there are lots of people roaming around. And after we ate there, we were not regretful for choosing Wing Zone.

It's like a normal fast food chain for me but in other interior design, of course. I think the only uniqueness they offer is their variety of wing's flavors. Here, my uncle ordered two of the Family Pack (Php 1499) which you can choose three flavors of wings. This pack includes 35 flavored wings, two jumbo wedges, and two dressings. I hope they’ll consider including drinks in their group bundles since it’s pricey to separately buy drinks. The flavors we chose were Honey, Sweet Samurai, Thai Chili, Cool Ranch, Lemon Zinger, and Liquid Gold. 

I tasted all of the ordered flavors and my favorite is the honey flavor. We ate with our gloved hands and it turned out messy for me. Fortunately, their customer service is good since the waitress offered me another set of gloves.

Overall, we didn’t regret dining here. It satisfied me and my family so I’ll give Wing Zone a 8 out of 10.

[chowpau]

Don’(u)t You Love It?

One night, I was scrolling on my TikTok feed then the next clip I watched was a vlog of mouth-watering and humorous donuts. It is being sold by Randy's Donuts and when I searched for its location, its branches are too far.

But after that night, my cravings were fulfilled when my family went to Venice Grand Canal. We ate there after I jokingly recommended that we spend our merienda time at Starbucks. I was startled when I unexpectedly spotted Randy's Donuts next to Starbucks and I suddenly believed in destiny. I playfully beg my father to get some there since of course I won't let this opportunity pass, and they actually bought a half dozen.

The donuts are really pricey and I think it's somehow worth it. These are sold per piece which is worth 105 to 120 pesos. I tried three flavors which are the Froot Loops, S'mores, and Nutella. Moreover, the donuts' sweetness is exactly to my liking. However, the dough is somehow tasteless and the only one giving flavor to it is its toppings—unlike other donuts which are tasty as a whole. The top-tier flavor for me so far is the S’mores one. For its appearance, those who like taking pictures and posting these to their Instagram accounts will definitely love it since their donuts are aesthetically pleasing. There are also good spots to take pictures with.

If I saw this first and not Starbucks, then I would try Randy's Hole in One where the donut is placed on the straw of the drink. Overall, I'll rate their products as 8 out of 10 and I would definitely return.