Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 9, 2010
Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House
Eastwood City Cyberpark, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 421-2046
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After having our holy week break at Cebu, we got back to Manila & had our lunch at Pho Hoa. I’ve always been very fond of Pho Hoa food because it’s really always perfectly balanced and rich in flavor! Though Pho Hoa is known for their noodles, I’ve always ordered their rice dishes. I’m not a noodle person anyway.
We ordered a lot and even ordered most of their dessert menu items. Not even one dish disappointed us. Wow! I’m actually ranking Pho Hoa higher in my list of most yummiest restaurants after the visit.
Here are what we ordered:
- Fruit Shakes (Php 105)
In the picture are dalandan shake, green mango shake & cucumber shake. My order was the cucumber shake and I must say you should try it. I do not eat cucumber but I love the drink a lot! It’s healthy too!
- Goi Cuon (Php 127)
Their best-seller starter dish which is a combination of vegetarian & shrimp & pork fresh spring rolls. The peanut sauce is just perfect with it.
- Chien Mut Ot (Php 220)
The dish is fried Squid w/ Chili & Green Onions. In short, the vietnamese version of calamares. Still best with vinegar! yum! 😀
- Minced Chicken & Mushroom w/ Lettuce Wrap (Php 225)
What kind of food taste better than tacos? For me, it’s this dish! I believe this is a chinese specialty wherein you put chicken & mushroom with fried noodles plus peanut sauce in a lettuce and wrap it. Just eat it like how you would eat any wrap, but perfect and not too heavy because of the lettuce wrap used instead of just more carbs. Tasted sooo yummy!
- Dau Dua Xao Tom, Tep (Php 190)
String Beans w/ Ground Pork & Shrimps from Pho Hoa is definitely a favorite of mine to order. I can finish it w/ rice all by myself. I have a big appetite I know but this is just too good to pass up. It’s not your normal string beans but cooked with such spices & ingredients makes it more perfect. It’s cooked perfectly, as can sometimes be the case when other restaurants cook it too long, and it loses a bit of its flavor. In this case, hat’s off to Pho Hoa for a simple yet delicious recipe. Try it out when you go to Pho Hoa. You won’t regret it!
- Buco Pandan Salad (Php 95)
- Pandan Mongo Cake (Php 55)
This is the dessert that I ordered. And I love it! I don’t know how I can describe the taste but geez I was like “hey, this is delicious!”. I immediately convinced them to try it out too! It’s sticky cake made of pandan and mongo. Great recipe by Pho Hoa. The taste lingers, and this is a dessert that you may even want second portions of. Not too sweet, and your taste buds will really shout for some more.
- Mango Crepe w/ Ice Cream (Php 145)
Always a favorite dessert to order in Pho Hoa. The ever-famous Mango crepe w/ Ice cream. Again, the balance in this dessert is what makes it outstanding, along with the great combination of flavors. Not too sweet, nor is the mango overpowering. The bit of chocolate drizzled on top gives it a more appetizing look as well as also giving it that extra flavor too.
- Green Pearl w/ Ice Cream (Php 145)
The Green Pearl with ice cream dessert is a nice touch to the otherwise normal halo halo, not too many flavors competing, but oh so great because of its simple flavors. And even the ice cream was above class.
There were just the 4 of us but we were able to finish every single dish that we ordered. It just proved how satisfied we were with the food. Okay, I think raved too much.. Blogging this during lunch time didn’t help too hahahhaa!
I do believe I blogged about Pho Hoa Noodles sometime back though, my post can be found in this link.
WiniLa – Spend Small, Win Big
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 7, 2010
I stumbled upon The WiniLa auction site today and I wasn’t even aware that there could be an auction site like it. It was all new to me but I opted to share with all of you today since I really do find it very unique. We can discover the site together.
WiniLa is an online auctioning site where people can bid for the gadgets & accessories in the market.
The concept is really fairly new to me. Since the bidding increment is set in each auction you take part in, it makes the bidding process even more simple, and actually a bit more fun too.
With this process, the average daily discounts on the hottest electronic goods & accessories can be as high as 80% on products like Playstation 3, Wii, XboX, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod, Mac Mini, Apple TV, Sony digital cameras, and Nokia mobile phones.
There’s just 3 easy steps to remember when joining WiniLa:
- Register for free.
- Choose & buy a Bid package.
- Select a Product & Bid on it.
The auctions can be on 1, 2, 5, or 10 cent increments, which makes the bidding process a bit more fun since you are most likely to bid more than once, twice, or even a greater number of times. The process seems complicated, until you really think about it and try it out yourself.
From the Winila Website:
Bids cost only $0.50 each. If you place a bid for your desired product the auction price increases by 1, 2, 5 or 10 Cents. To give another user the chance to win, we reset the clock to a maximum of 20 seconds. When the clocks goes down to zero and noone else placed a bid – congratulations, you are Winilished: you’ve won!.
It’s a unique auction experience, because you already know by how much each bid will increase the total bid price by, which is really very innovative compared to other auctions sites out there. And plus, where else can you participate in penny auctions that go up by only a penny each time!
If you have time on saturday (April 10, 2010), WiniLa will have its launch at the Domination IV event at the SMX Convention Center. A special live auction will be held at the WiniLa booth for its registered users. The products up for bid this Saturday will be iPods, Skullcandy headphones, Samsung 19†LCD, Sony Playstation 3 Slim, PSP Go, and other items.
The ff. are the list of features of being a registered user in WiniLa:
- Choose from different bid-credit packages that suits your budget
- Engage in auctions that start at a price of zero
- Buy an item outright without bidding
- Use an automated Winbroker who will do the bidding for you
- Ease of use with multiple bid windows
Sounds interesting right? Since registration is free, why not give it try? I’m registering now as I write this post. Looking forward to place my first bid.
All About Money Seminar
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 7, 2010
Remember how impressed I was with Randell on his No Nonsense Seminar on Finance last November? Well, he’s going to give another seminar this April 24, 2010.
This time around Randell will be joined by 2 popular personalities & mentors, Chinkee Tan & Cito Beltran. The 3 men will guide us how we can live life we can afford.
All About Money will be held on April 24, 2010 (saturday), 9am to 1pm at the Victory Ortigas, Level 4 West Wing, Robinsons Galleria.
The ff. topics will be covered by the distinguished speakers:
- Learn how you can get out of debt! by Chinkee Tan
- How to guard your financial future! by Cito Beltran
- Learn how you can have a road map to financial peace by Randell Tiongson
Lessons that we should acquire to live a more comfortable and stress-free life. The ticket price for All About Money is only Php 400 which is very very cheap. I’m actually quite surprised with the amount of information that we’re getting, and all we need is to pay is such a small amount.
Php 400 for a life-changing event? It’ll be worth it. I won’t miss that chance. I hope you won’t too!
I suggest you call or text Jen Ignacio-Magalong at +639301177856 or send her an email at jcignacio.magalong@gmail.com to register or for further inquiries about the seminar.
I’ll be attending so I’ll see you there! 🙂
Shakey’s – Good Food, Bad Service?
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 7, 2010
Shakey’s
89 Neptune St., Makati Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 890-0903
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Newport City, Unit R11, Newport office Bldg., 1 Andrews Ave., Pasay City
(02) 836-3680
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In a span of 1 week, we visited Shakey’s twice. Mainly because the food is just too good but unfortunately both visits were really a horrible service experience. On our 1st visit, which was at the Makati avenue branch, the ff. mishaps happened:
- we were given the wrong variant of pizza
- we were given the wrong chicken parts TWICE
- didn’t refill promptly our bottomless drinks
On our 2nd visit, which was at the Newport branch, it was even worse. When we entered the place, we asked for a booth, but unfortunately it was still not cleaned and full of dirty dishes. We waited for the table to get cleared for 10 minutes, and I had to ask them three times before they actually started clearing the table itself.
During that time, we weren’t asked for any of our orders or even what we wanted to drink, nor did anyone even bother to look our way. When they finally saw that we were waiting for so long, they finally cleared the table, but not before some new customers came, and they offered the table to them knowing that we’ve been waiting for more than 10 minutes already. I called them out on that, telling them that it was our table they were offering to the other customers. To make things worse, when we got to the table, they didn’t even bother to clean it! They just cleared the plates & stuff. So, the booths were still dirty, the table was still dirty, and a used newspaper was still left on the seat.
When we sat, again nobody bothered to get our orders. We had to call out the server again to take our order.
Another thing, was that I asked for the wifi password but they gave us the wrong password TWICE! Then when I tried to ask another server, she just said she didn’t know what it was and then left. I had to call her out and ask her to ask from her colleagues. Geez! What is Shakey’s doing? No training for their staff?!?!?!
The customer that entered the restaurant 15 minutes after us were seated promptly, their orders taken before ours & order was provided earlier too!
They also delivered the food first without drinks. And when they delivered the drinks, there were about 2 pieces of ice!!! I had to request for more ice. It was just obnoxious! It’s supposed to be iced tea! We were trying to be cool but deep inside, I was already composing this blog article in my mind.
Okay, enough of the rant. Yes, the service was really bad but the food was too good. How ironic is that? With that kind of service, we should already boycott the establishment. The food is just too good that we can’t give it up.. So I’m almost positive, I’ll still go back to eat Shakey’s delicious food. But boy, I’ll be expecting another round of bad service so I have to psyche myself up so it doesnt affect my mood when I dine in at Shakey’s.
On our 1st visit we ordered the ff.:
- Basket of Mojos (Php 202)
Shakey’s is nothing without Mojos. Mojos are fried potatoes cooked Shakey’s style. It’s just the best potato snack ever! Can’t get enough of it!
- Large Thin-Crust Pizza (Php 298)
Brick-oven backed pizza… we ordered the large one and glad that we can choose 2 flavors in 1 order. We chose the pepperoni crunch & ultimate cheese n garlic (if you noticed, they forgot to put the crunch in the pepperoni crunch).
- Buddy Pack Chick ‘n’ Chips (Php 359)
Flavorful chicken by Shakey’s served with a couple of Mojos. Too bad, we can’t choose just the thigh part of the chicken. Seems like they’re following KFC’s lead that we can’t order all thigh parts.
- Lemonade (Php 471)/ House Blend Iced Tea (Php 76)
We can order the drinks by glass (lemonade- Php 47, iced tea- Php 60), bottomless or pitcher (lemonade- Php 126, iced tea- Php 136). We opted for the bottomless one.
On our 2nd visit we ordered the Family Meal Deal 1 (Php 549). The meal is good for 3-4 persons but we ordered it anyway even though it was just the 2 of us. Guess what? We were still able to finish everything. That is how much we love Shakey’s food. I really really hope they work on their customer service though, because the dining experience is as important as the food.
The meal includes the ff.:
- Solo Pack Chick ‘n’ Chips
- Large Thin Crust Manager’s Choice
11-inches pizza that is good for 3-4 persons. Shakey’s thin-crusted pizza is really the best out there. I’m not fond of pizza but I’m willing to eat Shakey’s pizza anytime.
- 1 Pitcher of House-Blend Iced Tea
See the volume of ice in the cups? We had to request for more ice. Their house-blended iced tea was good.
Shakey’s food & marketing are already perfect. I hope they do something about their service. I’m still craving for Shakey’s food, must resist!
Babe, I Love You Movie Review
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 7, 2010
After being so disappointed with Miss You Like Crazy, here I am truly loving Babe, I Love You. Thanks Star Cinema for the save!
The story is about a guy and girl who are from different worlds, one is educated and the other is not. Will a relationship like that work out? Babe, I Love You was unpredictable and it’s truly rare with movies nowadays. Very nice twist in the movie, never even thought that there would be that kind of angle in the story.
The stars Anne Curtis & Sam Milby truly have this genuine chemistry that you can see in the movie. Suffice to say, Anne Curtis is one of my favorite filipino actresses and I wouldn’t miss seeing any of her movies (especially with the guy she loves in real life :P).
Great cast, great story, great acting… what can I say? You should watch it! It’s a very cute movie with less kissing scenes, just good story. I loved it!
Just to give you an overview, Sam plays a professor who is focused on becoming assistant dean. However successful he has become, his reckless past still haunts him as his mother still blames him for the death of his father.
Anne plays a promo girl who met Sam’s character in a bar where she instantly fell in love. The series of events that happened next was too cute, romantic & touching as they become close, they struggle to fight against outside factors such as what others might think about their relationship since they come from different worlds.
A big twist near the end also threatens to end their relationship. I shed quite a few tears as there were some scenes that I was able to relate to. I think the overall question that is asked in this movie is if you are willing to accept the person you love for who they are, including their past mistakes as well. It is also about reminding us that relationships is not without struggles and problems too, but that you have to also work on them.
Here’s the trailer:
I suggest you watch this movie! It’s as good as Paano na Kaya but the story is different. I actually think it’s cuter as the drama is less strong 🙂
My verdict for Babe, I Love You: 4 out of 5 stars.