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[enzoandmay]

The Big Transfer!

Hello, foodies!

Thank you for the support and interest in our food blog.

We've transferred to Blogger, just visit http://mymatakawgirlfriend.blogspot.com :)

Bigger, better, and still delicious!

See ya! :)

[enzoandmay]

Mercato Pig Out Night

To celebrate the end of one of the most difficult and trying semesters of our college lives, May and I had decided to go out after the exams and pig out at Mercato in Taguig. I had already heard of it from my parents and some other people, and May and I were eager to try out food that was relatively cheap for it's quality and taste. I had prepared around a P1000.00 for food alone, but I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of the food there.

Upon arriving, the first thing we did was go around and have a look at all the food before we bought anything. There was so much food! Almost any kind of cuisine you could think of was there. We saw Middle Eastern food, Spanish food, pizzas and pastas, Japanese, Korean and Chinese food, burgers and steaks, and even Filipino classics like lechong kawali and even street food like isaw. We had a really hard time picking out what to get and I think we went around twice because of the sheer amount of food on display.

Casa Goni - A LOT of paella flavors to choose from! Everything's around 80 pesos

Mozzarella Chicken Teriyaki Paella

Mozzarella Chicken Teriyaki Paella

Wagyu Paella

Street Food

Big stick of isaw

Baby Back Ribs

Baby Back Ribs

Cheesy Potatoes

Turkey (next time :>)

In the end, we decided to get BBQ ribs, a stick of isaw, mozarella chicken teriyaki paella, wagyu beef paella, beef kebab, cheesy potatoes, and lasagna. The ribs were so tender, the meat just tore of the bone without any trouble. The Mozarella Chicken Teriyaki Paella was so good, and the cheese and the herbs combined beautifully. The Wagyu Paella was kind of a disappointment, though. It wasn't bad, but it just lacked any real defining flavor. The Cheesy Potatoes we ordered were a really pleasant side dish to everything we had. There wasn't really anything special to it; they were just baby potatoes covered in a cheese sauce, and it's that simplicity that made it all the more endearing. The Beef Kebab, to me, was the best of all, even if May didn't enjoy it as much. It tasted very authentic; I felt like I was in the Middle East or something. It had a great grilled smoky flavor, and the beef and vegetables were great together. And lastly, was the Lasagna, which was May's favorite out of everything we ordered. I'm a sucker for good lasagna, and safe to say, we weren't let down. The pasta was cooked just right, and the sauce had so much flavor.

Beef Kebab

Lasagna

For the drinks, there were certainly a lot of options, but we chose the special flavored lemonade, although we only ordered the regular house lemonade. They also had a spicy lemonade flavor, but sadly, they were all out.

And as for dessert, there were just as many options as there were for the main dishes. There was a lot of ice cream and cakes and stuff, but I decided to go for the Red Bean-flavored Ice Cream Mochi that I had been craving for a long time. May, on the other hand, decided to go for something more unique: Candied Bacon Ice Cream from Merry Moo! Whoever thought of that one is a GENIUS. The ice cream was sweet, and the bacon bits were big enough to taste properly, yet small enough so that the texture doesn't interfere with the taste. I actually went back for more bacon ice cream when my stomach had time to settle a little.

Mochi

Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream

Candied Bacon flavored ice cream

At the end of the night, may and I were already super full and extremely satisfied at our glorious feast, and safe to say, we'll be going back to Mercato very soon. And as for our total expenses, we only spent around 700 pesos, and that's already for the both of us. - Enzo

[enzoandmay]

Noriter

After we had dinner at Persia Grill, it was already getting late and we were planning to head on over to Cha Time at Archer's Place but decided against since it might already be closed by the time we get there. So while we were looking for a place to just sit down and chill out at, May remembered this cafe, Noriter, that had she read about somewhere that serves great iced coffee and frappes and stuff, so we decided to go there.

A wall full of paper cups

And the other wall, also full of paper cups.

Paper cup robot

The place was really hidden from view and is kinda hard to find, but when I asked my brother about it, he told me mostly everyone he knew at Taft knew about it. Once got up to Noriter, we immediately noticed the interior of the place. The walls were white and they had wooden furnishings, but what really got our attention was the wall of paper cups on near the counter. Each paper cup had drawings on them designed by the patrons of the cafe, and they chose the best ones to put on the shelves, and everything else was arranged on another wall next to it. There were also sections of the cafe where they had pillows you could sit on while you were on the floor, and even the wooden floor part of the cafe had writings from the patrons.

They gave us colored pens and paper cups to draw on while waiting for our food!

Enzo's Monster drawing

May's rainbow/robot cup

But enough about the interior; this is a food blog, so before I forget, here's what we thought of the stuff we ordered: The frappes were okay, they were delicious without a doubt and a bit cheaper than what you'd normally pay for them, I'd rather go get a frappe at Starbucks or something. As for the banana split, it was actually really good, the ice cream was, well, very creamy, and the chocolate syrup and bananas really completed the dessert. So for anyone looking for a place to just sit down and relax at, if you're in the DLSU Taft area, we recommend that you stop by Noriter for a bit and chill out.

Banana Split

Frappes (Caramel and Cookies & Cream)

[enzoandmay]

Persia Grill

Persia Grill has been on our hit list for quite some time, but we just never got around to eating there because we were always so busy with school and everything. So when our 2nd anniversary came up, despite the limited time we had because we had classes that day, we decided to go out and eat at the Taft Avenue branch of Persia Grill.

The atmosphere of the place was very fitting for such an authentic (well, mostly, anyway) restaurant, and also because there wasn't anyone else around. Since we were also on a tight budget, May got the Beef Kebab, and I got the Chelo Kebab Kubideh. May, being the more adventurous eater between us, decided to get Ox Brain, while I only got Nachos as a side dish.

Nachos

Ox Brain

Chelo Kebab Kubideh

Beef Kebab

The beef kebab wasn't really the best I've had, but it tasted really authentic, so it was great enough. The Chelo Kebab Kubideh, on the other hand, is basically just a beef kebab, but spicier and with added herbs and flavoring. I really enjoyed it, the flavors were spot on. The nachos were okay, nothing special. As for the Ox Brain, I actually didn't taste it, but May said it tasted like eggs. It looked really gross, but she enjoyed it. The verdict: Persia Grill offers authentic-tasting Middle Eastern cuisine, along with a few more familiar food items, but all in all, it was a great dining experience.

[enzoandmay]

Buffet 101

To celebrate May's birthday (in advance), we decided to eat at Buffet 101, a restaurant at the opposite end from Vikings at SM MoA's San Miguel by the Bay. We got there at lunch time so that there woulen't be as much people. Once we got in, the first thing that struck me was the look of the place. There were beautiful chandeliers, marble counters, and fine wooden tables. It looked like a 5-star hotel, which added to the ambience and overall dining experience. When we got settled in, we couldn't wait any longer and we went straight for the food. We didn't know where exactly to start, so we went around randomly and started picking food out.

For my first plate, i got pasta in meat sauce, nothing fancy but it wasn't bad either. I also got two sticks of Dynamite, which were green chilis that were cleaned out and filled with cheese and a bit of pork, and then deep fried in lumpia wrapper. There was also Portuguese Pork, which, despite being tender and juicy, was just a pork curry, although it had a southern europe taste to it. I also got some Broccoli in cream, Pasta, French Fries, and some bread. May got Paella, Mussels, Oysters, Crispy Pata, a Bacon-wrapped thing and Fish Fillet.

For the second plates, we decided to go easy and get just steaks and a few other things. We got us Prime Beef Ribs, and after requesting it to be cooked well done, they did it perfectly. The kicker of the second plate was the Lamb Chop. I hadn't eaten lamb before, so it was a nice experience for me because the lamb chop i ordered couldn't have been cooked any better. It was so tender and the cut was huge, I just had asuch a great time with it. Though we didn't go through them that much, they had a Chinese and a Japanese section, though the Japanese section was mostly sushi, sashimi, tempura and soups. The Chinese section looked the more diverse of the two, and there was even a shrimp tank where you could pick your prawns and have the chefs cook them.

They also had a nice dessert bar with the buffet-staple: the chocolate fondue fountain with marshmallows on sticks. They also had cheesecakes, jellies, candies, and even a make-your-own-crepe bar. They also had fruit shakes and a halo-halo bar, and even frozen yogurt. To be honest, they didn't have a whole lot of food, just enough to keep you busy. But overall, the food was really good and the whole dining experience was so enjoyable that you'd want to come back again very, very soon. And that's exactly what we plan to do. - Enz :D

The center buffet

Chinese section

Maki corner

Soup with bread

Salad section

Bottomless drinks (coffee, water, mango juice, blue lemonade, iced tea, draft beer, soft drinks, root beer)

Station for shakes, milk teas, and Halo-halo

Chocolate fountain and fruits

Dessert

Crepe station

Enzo's first plate

May's first plate

Blue lemonade

Enzo's second plate

May's second plate

Lambchop

Frozen yogurt

Blueberry crepe

Marshmallows dipped in chocolate with sprinkles

Kiwi Jelly and Blue Lemonade Jelly

Toffee Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

[enzoandmay]

Bon AppeTEA

On our quest to find the best milk tea places around UST, we traveled as far as P. Campa street to check out Bon AppeTEA and see if their drinks were a cut above the rest. The place itself looked okay; it didn't look appealing enough. They had WiFi access, so they could accomodate students looking for a place to study or just chill out. The drinks, on the other hand, spoke for themselves.

I ordered the Himalaya, which was Assam Black Tea and Caramel, while May got the Nirvana, which was Assam Black Tea and Wintermelon. Mine tasted great; it tasted just like Assam milk tea, but with the added sweetness of caramel. I loved it. May's, on the other hand, was also yummy, and the sweetness was just right. Unlike other milk tea places, you can tell that the two milk tea flavors are different.

The Verdict: Bon AppeTEA is a great place to get milk tea, but it doesn't deserve to be called 'The Best' yet. - Enzo

[enzoandmay]

Ma Maison

After dropping my aunt and cousins at the airport, we - my lola, my lola's brother, my cousin Nikki and I - went to Greenbelt to eat lunch. My lola wanted something Japanese so we went to Ma Maison. Ma Maison serves Japanese Western Food. A fusion, I guess? The place was cozy and I liked their floral table cloth. Also, the staff were very friendly and always wore a smile on their face.

Bread sticks

Pineapple Juice

I ordered the Hayashi Rice, which consisted of beef and a richly-flavored sauce. But, it didn't quite taste Japanese to me. The beef was tender so I guess it was satisfying enough. My cousin ordered the Tonkatsu Curry Rice while my lola and her brother ordered a dish which I forgot the name of. I got to try theirs and all tasted great.

Hayashi Rice

Tonkatsu Curry Rice

I forgot what this was

For dessert, I got the White Chocolate Mixed Fruit Tart. It was so yummy (even if I HATE white chocolate). Although it could've been better if it was served colder.

White Chocolate Mixed Fruit Tart

Overall, Ma Maison serves good food, has a cozy, feel-at-home ambiance, and good service. But since it's a fusion restaurant, I'd recommend restaurants at Little Tokyo for those who want something which is really Japanese. :) - May

[enzoandmay]

Chili's Big Mouth Burger Day

Photo from Chili's Facebook page

Chili's Annual Big Mouth Burger Day offers their burgers for just P120, so it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Despite the 2 and a half hour wait, the burgers were definitely worth the time we spent waiting outside Chili's.

Bacon Burger (The fries made us really full agad. Next time the fries will be eaten AFTER the burger)

May and I both ordered the Bacon Burger, and we got our orders straight away. The burger was huge and it had a lot of fries. The patty was perfectly cooked and the bacon was nice and crispy.

May couldnt finish hers and I ate all except a bit of the bun. The price tag made it all the more great. Next year, we're getting there earlier. - Enzo

Oh, bacon.

Halfway through. May's leftover.

May looks small here.

And because I like to eat burgers using my hands.

[enzoandmay]

Chew York Grill

Once again, May and I faced the age-old dilemma of where to eat for lunch. After 5 minutes or so of arguing, we decided to just walk down Asturias to see if we could pick out a place to eat. We were about to go to 1236 Grill, but sadly, they were closed. So when we turned to the other side of the street, one of the menus caught my eye for a reason; it had Beef Salpicao, my absolute favorite. That was the decider for us.

Chew York Grill doesn't have that big a menu, but it offers more than the usual type of food, having dishes like Gambas, which May ordered, as well as steaks and so on. The Salpicao was good, the beef was nice and tender, but it was saucy, which isn't something i prefer on my salpicao, and while it was satisfying, it didn't really live up to its astonishingly expensive P100.00 price tag. May's Gambas was the better dish in my opinion because aside from the fact that it was cheaper, it tasted better than the price suggested. The shrimps were cooked just right and the sauce had just the right amount of spicy and sweet.

Overall, Chew York is an okay place to eat, but not exactly a place you'd be dying to go to any time soon. - Enzo

Beef Salpicao - P100

Gambas - P70

[enzoandmay]

Cha Dao

While we were walking down Dapitan, May and I noticed a new milk tea place next to 7/11, so we decided to check it out after our lab work. Cha Dao just opened a week ago, so they had a soft opening promo of a free drink upgrade and a free cookie.

May got the Wintermelon Creme Milk Tea and I ordered the Assam Creme Milk Tea. At Cha Dao, drinks that end in Creme have double the milk. My drink was milky and creamy and very refreshing, while May's Wintermelon Creme had a tinge of sweetness to it.

The milk tea was great, no question, and I'm sure more and more people are going to go get milk tea at Cha Dao in the coming weeks. - Enzo

(They have branches all over Metro Manila, too)

Assam Creme and Wintermelon Creme Milk Teas (Prices are P55 up, add P10 for sinkers)

Free cookie!:)

[enzoandmay]

I Love Milk Tea

I noticed this new milk tea shop along one of the eskinitas of Dapitan. I couldn't help myself but to try it out. It was just a small stall, with a signage and their menu displayed outside. Prices range from P55-P95. They even have Rock Salt and Cheese flavors! (Hmmm. Happy Lemon, is that you?)

I ordered their Wintermelon Milk Tea. It was too sweet. For me, at least. I noticed them put a syrup from a bottle labeled "Wintermelon". I think they overdid it. But, after a few sips, the sweetness kinda went away.

I think I'm gonna stick to Moonleaf, Joe Monkey and D'Cream when I'm craving for milk tea while in UST. I <3 Milk Tea still needs some improvement, and needs to get the flavor balanced out just like the other milk tea stores around the campus. Maybe their other flavors could change my mind, though. :P - May

Wintermelon Milk Tea - P55 (with your choice of sinkers)

[enzoandmay]

Red Cinnamon

Of the many food options along V. Concepcion St., Red Cinnamon is definitely a place to try. The place isn't great, but its food more than makes up for it.

During our second trip there, May ordered the Chicken Parmigiana while I got the Salisbury Steak. The steak was good, nothing special. It was served hot on a sizzling plate with buttered vegetables. The mushroom sauce on the steak gave it all of its flavor. But the Chicken Parmigiana, on the other hand, was way better. The tomato sauce on the chicken had chunky tomato bits and a distinct taste, I remembered it from somewhere, but I just couldn't recognize it. The taste is great, no question about it. The chicken was cooked just right and the breading was nice and crunchy.

Next time, I'm trying something else. I'm sure it's going to taste great. Overall, Red Cinnamon is a great place to eat around UST if you're looking for good food at affordable prices. - Enzo

Salisbury Steak - P75 (with rice, vegetable side dish, and red iced tea)

Chicken Parmigiana - P75 (with rice, vegetable side dish, and red iced tea)

[enzoandmay]

A Day With Razena

It was a Sunday and I really wanted to go out since I've been stuck in my dorm for a week already, doing nothing. So, I decided to meet up with Razena at Makati since I was craving for Indian food.

We had lunch at New Bombay. We both got the Mutton Curry. I loved it so much and it definitely satisfied my craving for Indian food. The lady asked us if we wanted it mildly, moderately, or very spicy. Of course, I wanted it mildly spicy since I couldn't handle really spicy food. It was so flavorful, with all the spices playing inside my mouth.

Mutton Curry (Sorry for the messy photo, I was so hungry that I forgot to take a photo of it when it still looked neat)

After lunch, we went to High Street to get some milk tea at Happy Lemon. We both got the Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. Yummy. The frothy part on top is actually the cheese, which you can't taste much of when you've mixed it with the cocoa. Nevertheless, it still tasted great.

Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese

After chilling for a while at Happy Lemon, we went back to Glorietta to watch the Princess and I mall show. When the show ended, we passed by Starbucks and they gave out these cute little Choco Java Chip Frappucinos. 

Cute little Choco Java Chip

[enzoandmay]

Greenoz Pizza

It's Razena's birthday / Black Saturday and Razena decided to celebrate at Greenoz. She came home from Manila for the weekend just to treat us (awww:">). I guess we're fasting on other things! We went to Greenoz' Lacson branch, at 6th Street. Greenoz is know for its huge pizzas for big groups. The place was kinda big, with a Filipino theme because they used bamboo for the walls. Also, there was a window showing the inside of the kitchen where you can see them make the pizzas and calzones.

Razena ordered a pizza and a calzone. The pizza was super delicious. The sauce, the vegetables, and the meat tasted beautiful together. The calzone, on the other hand, was just okay. It lacked a certain "oomph". It had a creamy tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions, and beef. My friends and I almost finished the pizza, and we left a huge part of the calzone for the late comers. :P

Pizza! (and Jairus, Kit, and Raz)

Calzone

[enzoandmay]

Cupcakes at Flibby's

After lunch at Grill Guru, my friends and I went to Flibby's for dessert - CUPCAKES! They now have a second branch at Lacson Street. The interiors were really, really cute (but I still think Sonja's is cuter), with stripes of pastel colors and walls with cupcake wallpaper.

I got the Black Bottom Cupcake, which had a moist cake part and a cream cheese frosting. The "black bottom", for me, was very hard and my fork couldn't even cut through it. But, it tasted okay because the inside part was moist.

My friends got the Kahlua cupcake which had a small coffee taste; the Quadruple Chocolate Cupcake, which, aside from the chocolate cake part, had chocolate filling and chocolate icing; and the Chocolate Chip Maple Cupcake, which had that maple taste (reminds me of pancakes with maple syrup) and icing topped with mini kisses.

It was great hanging out at Flibby's. It's definitely a cute girlfriends' hangout place. Will come back next time! - May

Black Bottom Cupcake

Kahlua Cupcake

Quadruple Chocolate Cupcake

Chocolate Chip Maple Cupcake

[enzoandmay]

Grill Guru

Planned a lunch date with my girls Femar, Krystal, and Jane. We decided to eat at Grill Guru, which is almost right beside La Salle's Gate 6 (Balay Kalinungan Gate). It used to be a house which they converted into a restaurant. It wasn't there during our high school days so we wanted to give it a try.

Jane ordered potato chips as a sorry gift since she was really late. She also ordered a Grilled BLT Panini which had classic bacon, lettuce and tomato in panini grilled french bread. Krystal got the Grilled Chicken Sate which had barbecued chicken in Sate sauce. I got the Aglio Olio, which is an Italian olive oil based pasta with herbs. Femar got a Mongolian Rice Bowl, which is rice in Mongolian sauce with bean sprouts and bell peppers.

Overall, the food was great, and the atmosphere was quite nice, too, with the view of a swimming pool outside. The waiters were really nice and accomodating. I'm definitely going back to this place the next time I'm in Bacolod. - May

Potato Chips

Grilled BLT Panini

Grilled Chicken Sate

Aglio Olio

Mongolian Rice Bowl

[enzoandmay]

And Again... Calea

I could say cake nights have been often these days. Went with my mom to Calea for cakes again since she was craving.

This time, my mom got her all time favorite Mocha Sans Rival (which I really hate because of its butter-ness). It had this really crunchy and yummy inside part. Not the usual Sans Rival; a touch of mocha was added for that caffeine-like taste.

I got the White Chocolate Cheesecake, one of my favorites. The cheesecake part had a sweet twist to it because of the white chocolate. Also, it tasted yummier with the tangy Raspberry sauce which complements with the white chocolate.

Last, my mom and I shared a Blueberry Cheesecake before going home. I guess it's everyone's favorite. :) - May

Mocha San Sival

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake