My friend and I were starving as we haven’t had breakfast that saturday.  We wouldn’t want to spend more time travelling so decided to have lunch nearby.  I immediately remembered one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Coral Garden.

I asked my friend if it’s okay to eat there but the ambiance wouldn’t be that nice as most restaurants.  She agreed as I swore that the food is good and that she won’t regret it 😛

Coral Garden is located at Banawe avenue where car repair shops are located.  I actually thought that it might close some day.  I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see that they’ve renovated.

Whew!  Now I know that Coral Garden will stay for long in Quezon City.  I can go there whenever I want to!

Service is pretty fast in Coral Garden.  We didn’t have to wait long for our food orders.  Like the time that we had lunch, we were already starving.  We were just glad that for only a few minutes wait, the food were served.

• Salted Fish Fried Rice (Php 210)

From all the restaurants that I’ve been to, there are only 2 restaurants which I consider have the best fried rice.  One of them is Coral Garden.  I can literally eat their fried rice without any other dishes and I can still feel that I’ve eaten something awesome.  Their salted fish fried rice is my favorite!

• Sizzling Spareribs (Php 325)

Whenever I order spareribs, I always prefer the salt & pepper one.  It was my friend’s preference to order the sizzling spareribs.  I was just pleasantly surprised how good it was!  The red sauce with tons of garlic were delightful!  The pork was fatty, I must say, but it’s that part that’s really delicious!

• Crispy Bean Curd (Php 240)

Coral Garden is known for their delicious crispy bean curd.  You’ll never fail to see this dish in every table of customers in the restaurant.  Their tofu is the Japanese soft one but the real secret is Coral Garden’s sweet black sauce.  I still cannot figure out what the ingredients in the sauce are.  But the sauce was just too good that I sometimes just pour a whole spoonful of it in my every bite of crispy bean curd.

• French Beans & Shitake in XO Sauce (Php 260)

The newest item in the Coral Garden menu.  It was highly recommended by the server when we requested for recommendation of a vegetable dish.  It’s basically french beans with shitake mushrooms cooked with XO sauce.  If you’re wondering what XO sauce is, it’s a seafood sauce that’s spicy.  I loved this dish!

• Black and White Gulaman (Php 70)

A combination of my two favorite drink ingredients: black gulaman and almond gulaman.  The two different ingredients put together, I can say, is a perfect combination!  This drink can also be considered a dessert.  I, however, always use Coral Garden’s black and white gulaman as a drink.

I might just drop by Coral Garden tomorrow to order take out.  I remember that I called the restaurant one time to order for delivery but was too shocked to find out that the minimum amount is Php 800!!!!  I cannot eat that much in a single meal alone!  I wonder if they’ve changed this rule though as it was months ago since I inquired about their delivery.  I hope it changed.  I’ll ask when I go back to Coral Garden.  I’m sure it won’t be long.  The salted fish fried rice is calling me already hahaha!

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Coral Garden
96 Banawe Street, between Quezon Avenue & E. Rodriguez across Children’s Memorial Hospital, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 711-0255

There was a time in 2008 when I always go to Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles to get my fix of beef noodles.  However, when the restaurant decided to move to a new location, I didn’t get the chance to visit it until last week.  Their new location is a bit far compared to before but the place is bigger and has better parking space.

I admit I missed it.  I’ve always known that Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles serve very good noodle soups considering how generous they put the toppings in the dish.  Not to forget the cheap price!  A great value for money, indeed.

I wondered after 3 years, is the food still the same?  After dining at Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles last week, I can answer a definite yes!  My favorite beef noodle was as good as before!

I still ordered the same menu item but this time around, we also tried out an appetizer.

Here’s the list of our orders:

• Wong Lo Kat (Php 40)

If Coke is the Filipino’s favorite soft drink then Wong Lo Kat is China’s version of it.  It’s basically a herbal drink.  I tried this once in a restaurant.  After that, I never fail to order it whenever I discover that a restaurant serves it.

• Jellyfish with Century Egg (Php 85)

Unfortunately, this dish was a big disappointment.  I guess they dipped the jellyfish too much on the sauce 🙁

• Dry Shanghai Beef Noodle (Php 90)

Some people don’t appreciate noodle soup, just like my friend, so she ordered Dry Shanghai Beef Noodle.  It’s basically the same Shanghai Beef Noodle but this time around, the soup was separated from the dish.  I tasted it and I actually liked it too!  I might just order this next time.  All types of noodle soups being served in Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles have this option at no additional cost.  So you can take your pick.

• Shanghai Beef Noodle (Php 90)

Same as the above menu item but I ordered the traditional noodle soup.  I really like Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles’ dishes.  Their noodles are created in-house.  What I really appreciate the most is their generous serving of the beef.  Even the small-sized beef noodle is more than enough to satisfy my hunger 🙂

I feel sad that there weren’t too much people dining in the restaurant when we ate there.  I really hope it wasn’t the case during other days as I want to go back to Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles really soon.

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Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles
411 N.S. Amoranto Street corner D. Tuazon Street, Sta Mesa Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 743-0286

I was set to meet a long-lost friend of mine and other friends.  They asked me to decide which restaurant to go to as they are aware that I blog a lot about food.  I wanted to try out a new restaurant because I rarely write about a restaurant twice in HeaRty’s Haven.

I asked from friends in Plurk if they could provide some suggestions of good restaurants in Tomas Morato.  Most, if not all, suggested Restaurant Uno.  It’s actually ironic that I never heard of it.  I asked for directions and found out that Restaurant Uno is tucked inside Scout Fuentabella Street near Tomas Morato Street.

I followed my friends’ recommendation and we met up at Restaurant Uno yesterday.

Parking was a bit of a challenge.  Luckily, there was a space available at the left side of the restaurant.  As I observed, the owner of Restaurant Uno converted the apartment into a restaurant.

I hesitated a bit when I arrived at the entrance.  I wondered if it really was the door in front of me hahaha!  Anyhow, I got it right.  Whew!  It must have been embarrassing if I got it wrong 😛

The design of Restaurant Uno is very traditional.  You can see wooden tables, wooden chairs, clean table cloths and big windows.  Most of the light coming in are from the outside.  It gives a homey feeling.  Somehow, we stayed for 3 hours which explains how cozy Restaurant Uno is.

We were first served bread.  While we browse through the menu, we can already taste the freshly-baked bread by Restaurant Uno.  You can also buy if you like to bring some home.  The bread being served in the restaurant when you dine in is free though.  You can get more servings too if you like more.  Butter was provided on the side as well.

I was told that Restaurant Uno changes their menu quite often.  However, all feedback that I got are all positive which means that the food is really good.  I knew then that we would have a good dining experience.  Seeing also so many people dining in the restaurant proves that.

We had the following:

• Fresh Calamansi Juice (Php 60)

I was planning to order fresh fruit shakes but I was plain shocked when I was told that Restaurant Uno doesn’t have it.  I ended up with fresh calamansi juice which was great still.  I love anything fresh.  I’ve been drinking too much soda nowadays.

• Orange, Feta, Olives, and Chickpea Fatoush with Lime Coriander Dressing (Php 290)

There were only 2 choices available in the menu: this orange salad and the tuna sashimi salad.  I’m not a fan of raw food and I refuse to eat raw.  I shared that concern with my friends so we ended up with this yummy salad.  Honestly, just by looking at the dish, you can already see how delicious it is.  When I tried it, I was so satisfied.  The combination of the ingredients was perfect.  The dressing was poured all over the dish that each spoonful of the salad was flavorful.  I still hated the olives and opted to separate it.

• Baked Salmon Fillet “Jambalaya” (Php 510)

I’m not fond of Salmon but Restaurant Uno’s salmon was made of awesome!  I actually never thought salmon this thick can have such great flavors.  What was more intriguing is that the salmon wasn’t dry at all.  I wonder how the chef did it but this was admirable.  The vegetables and jambalaya rice complements well with the salmon.  Can I say it again?  This salmon was made of awesome, AWESOME!  Yummy!

• Roasted Breast of French Duck with Limoncello and Ginger Gastrique (Php 710)

When I got to taste this dish, I was already writing Restaurant Uno in my mind as one of my go-to restaurants in Tomas Morato.  Gee, this duck was heavenly.  I appreciate that they sliced it up thinly.  I’m not sure if this was baked but the temperature of the meat was perfect.  It was perfectly cooked, not raw and not overdone.  How lovely!

• Shrimp with Lemon, Capers, Garlic and Paprika (Php 290)

While I loved this shrimp pasta, I was thinking it lacked sauce.  I remember that if I get to eat homemade spaghetti, I always make it a point to put so many sauce in the pasta.  So I guess my comment earlier is mostly personal preference.  My friends loved this dish.  You can see that Restaurant Uno was generous with the shrimps.  Not a bad dish at all!

• Butter Rhum Cake (Php 55)

I’m surprised as to how reasonably priced the cakes are.  Come to think of it, I kinda felt it’s underpriced considering how delicious the desserts are.  Well, not for the butter rhum cake as I didn’t like it.  It wasn’t tasty as I thought.  It wasn’t sweet too as I thought it would be.

• Creme Brulee (Php 45)

Nothing special but it’s the creme brulee that we all love.

• Cheesecake (Php 65)

I was expecting something different but I was pleasantly surprised after I tasted it.  It was definitely a genuine cheesecake and shall I say, this should be how a cheesecake is.  Full of cheese and baked to perfection.  This is a must-order!  I bet this menu item stays in Restaurant Uno.  I believe only their main entree selection changes quarterly.

Delicious food, cozy ambiance and great company of friends.  What else can you ask for in a meal?

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Restaurant Uno
195-C Tomas Morato corner Scout Fuentabella, Quezon City
(02) 374-0774

Yoh-Gurt Froz is celebrating its 6th anniversary this year.  And they are taking it to the next level by upgrading their brand to ……. Yoh Froz!

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the launch at their newest branch located in Banawe, Quezon City.  I’ve actually noticed Yoh Froz in Banawe as it has a nice welcoming ambiance and the place is really, really big!  I was wondering why a yogurt place would open such a big branch if they are only serving yogurts?

Apparently, I was wrong.  Yoh Froz is way more than just serving yogurt.  While I hear the owners explain the history of Yoh Froz, I was totally in awe.  I admire the passion of the Gatchalian family!  Just look at their vision & mission:

• Vision – To become the country’s no. 1 frozen yogurt brand that will passionately promote health by integrating yogurt into the Filipino lifestyle through our products and services.
• Mission – with our vision as our driving force, we aspire:
  • to offer the most satisfying frozen yogurt experience to our customers through continuous product innovation, excellent customer service and quality control.
  • to provide our employees a workplace that is grounded on integrity and inspired by the pursuit for excellence.
  • to expand nationwide and allow passionate entrepreneurs to share in our vision by creating profitable franchises and working closely with our franchisees as we grow our business together.

Do you know that it all started with a simple family discovery in one of their trips abroad back in 2004?

They were successful as yogurt is now part of our lifestyle.  It became one of our favorite dessert!

As for Yoh Froz, from one tiny cart in 2005, they now have 17 branches in the Philippines.  Wow!
The branches are in the following locations: ABS-CBN, Alabang Town Center, Banawe, Bonifacio High Street, Dagupan City, Davao City, Eastwood, Greenbelt 5, Greenhills, Marquee Mall, Rockwell, Robinsons Place Manila, San Juan, Shangri-La, Shangri-La Supermarket, SM Las Pinas, SM Mall of Asia, Tomas Morato and Trinoma.

Health is definitely their philosophy (Do Your Health a Favor).  You can see all sorts of reasons why yogurt is healthy at the walls of their stores.  It makes you wanna eat more without feeling guilty since we’ll be getting so much benefit from eating yogurt.

Yoh Froz’ main product is the Froz.  The Froz, formerly known as Classic Fro-yo, is a 98% fat-free creamy indulgence that is loaded with prebiotics, probiotics and all the health benefits found in yogurt.  It’s low-calorie, has zero cholesterol and is safe for lactose-intolerant consumers.  Apart from all those descriptions, the Froz is actually delicious based on the products I’ve tasted yesterday during the launch.

In connection to their rebranding, Yoh Froz has expanded their menu offerings in order to provide us new ways to enjoy the Froz.

• We can have our Froz in Plain flavor or in the flavor of the season.  We can also create our own Froz by choosing the toppings from their big selection of fresh fruits, cereals, nuts, pastries and candies.

The favorites: Chocolate Jungle Froz (chocolate dip, rice krispies & banana) & Fruit Mania Froz (Strawberry, kiwi & mango).

• Yoh-Gurt Pasta & Sandwiches

• Belgian Waffles (Php 135)

• Yoh-Gurt Parfait (Php 175) – you can choose from Mango Parfait or Strawberry Parfait.  The Yoh-Gurt Parfait includes Plain Froz, almond nuts, banana, granola clusters and mango or strawberry (according to your order).  This looked so appetizing!

• Yoh-Gurt Smoothies – you can choose from Mango Banana (Php 125), Peach Mango (Php 125), Merry Berry (Php 135) or Strawberry Banana (Php 135)

Two more products will be offered very soon.  We were all so lucky to be the first ones to try it.  Actually, they were trying to get our feedback so they can improve the recipe before rolling it out in Yoh Froz.  Honestly, both items were sooooooo good!

• Yoh-Froz Mochi

I’ve eaten ice-cream mochi before and the combination really worked!  I’m glad that Yoh-Froz is trying that out as well with their Froz.  They are offering it in 7 flavors.  I was able to try out their coffee and strawberry flavors.  Both were delicious.  Loved it!

• Yoh Pops

This was definitely my favorite!  See the smile on my face there.  The pinipig pops was just too good!  Shall I say, PERFECT!  It was jampacked with Froz and the coating was yummy!  I will definitely wait for Yoh Froz to finally offer this in their stores as I will be getting it for sure.  This was the best item I’ve tried during the Yoh Froz launch.

I had a great time during the launch.  I enjoyed the different Yoh Froz products I tasted too!  Since Yoh Froz Banawe is near my place, I’m sure that I’ll be back soon.

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Yoh Froz
Banawe Avenue, between Sta Catalina and Scout Alcaraz streets, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 373-9651