Tag: restaurants

Sumo Sam

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 24, 2010

Sumo Sam
2/F Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St., Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 729-6292

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It was my 1st time to try out Sumo Sam. I thought I was about to try something new but was surprised when I actually saw the menu. I asked the server “Do you have the same menu as John & Yoko?”. She answered, “Yes”. I wonder why the owners did this, having the same menu with just a different name & different restaurant interiors. They can just make this another John & Yoko branch right? Weird.

Their signature short dresses for the girls are still there. I feel bad coz it seems like they have to make their female servers wear that kind of dress which I think is soo wrong. Sumo Sam is a restaurant not a girly bar.

Anyway, this time we ordered a lot of dishes hahaha! Actually more than what we can take into our stomach 😛 We could have just ordered 1 fried rice but the other dishes were all okay. So pretty satisfied still. The food was just alright, not spectacular but still okay.

Here are what we ordered:

Crunchy Squid Teriyaki (Php 158)

If you go to traditional Japanese restaurants, you’d see that they serve crunchy dilis. Sumo Sam’s Crunchy Squid Teriyaki actually tasted the same. The main ingredient though is squid. Very unique, we all loved the dish!

Japanese Fried Rice (Php 178)

Just the typical Japanese fried rice. I wouldn’t recommend you to order this one. Their other fried rice are better (my recommendation? See my review on John & Yoko Wagyu rice).

Meat Fried Rice (Php 178)

This meat fried rice, I really love. It was very tasty & I think it was just enough for us 5 friends. The waitress told us that their fried rice is good for 2-3. So we also ordered the Japanese fried rice. But honestly, I think this is good for 4 people.

Chicken Teriyaki (Php 228)

This was also another good dish from Sumo Sam. I loved how they presented it. Loved how the sauce was perfect for the chicken. Loved how the chicken was cooked. If you’re a fan of Chicken Teriyaki then you should order this when you go to either Sumo Sam or John & Yoko.

Lychee & Rose (Php 148)

Don’t be fooled. This is just lychee shake with cream & red syrup. There’s no rose perse.

Gyoza Soup (Php 128)

My least favorite. Didn’t even eat the gyoza. Just tasted the soup that’s it. I felt this is just way overpriced.

Tofu Miso Soup (Php 98)

Mt. Fuji Steak (Php 368)

Sumo Sam’s Mt. Fuji Steak was a disappointment. I was actually raving about it to my friends coz I was able to try the same dish over at John & Yoko. This one that we tried last sunday? Meat was not tender, it wasn’t delicious at all.

Ika Fry (Php 208)

Great presentation! The squid ring was just okay but I think I was the one who finished this dish. The dish was placed in front of me. Can’t help but just eat that one hahaha!

California Maki Salad (Php 208)

Japanese style salad indeed. Pretty decent.

Assorted Sushi (Php 388)

Ebi Teppan (Php 368)

We got 1 piece each. It was just your normal teppan shrimps w/ Japanese sauce.

It is nice that we have so many different restaurants to choose from when we plan to eat out. I do feel though that the food is getting more expensive. I feel that Sumo Sam’s prices are a bit on the high side. Bringing down their prices like Php50 per dish is more reasonable considering the quality of their dishes.

More pictures from our lunch here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

The Aristocrat

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 16, 2010

The Aristocrat
432 San Andres Street, Malate, Manila
(02) 524-7671

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Last Sunday morning, I had a girls only breakfast with my old college friends. I haven’t seen them for such a long time and it was great to have breakfast!! So nice to spend 1st part of your day with your closest friends. Anyway, since we all live all over the place, we decided to just meet halfway and this is in Manila. Aristocrat being very popular among Filipino-Chinese was our chosen venue.

I arrived at 8AM and oh boy, the place was packed! Good thing there was still 1 table available for us! So I sat and ordered soup while I waited for my other friends to arrive. After 30 minutes, we were complete and by that time, everyone was starved. Now, I had to control myself from ordering too much as I have this tendency to do so when I’m really hungry.

Here are what we ordered:

Melon Shake (Php 74)

I was about to order buko juice but then, the server mentioned that their melon juice was better. So I took his advice. I felt though that too much water was put in it and I really thought that it didn’t feel fresh though it was freshly made.

Sotanghon Soup (Php 53)

This is just my favorite soup of all time. I don’t know how they made this but I’ve always loved the taste of sotanghon soup. I know it has sotanghon, meat, onions but there’s just something that made me not forget to order this dish whenever I visit Aristocrat. IMHO, this is the best soup the restaurant offers.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Php 58)

My friend said the soup was a bit salty.

Native Chocolate (Php 51)

If you’re fond of chocolate, then this is for you. I wondered why I ordered this considering I’m not a chocolate person. I ended up just taking a sip and just left it at the table. Though don’t get me wrong, it was good. I’m just not a chocolate person. I bet all chocolate lovers would appreciate this drink..

Brewed Coffee (Php 51)

Pork Spareribs Barbeque (Php 172)

Boneless Chicken Barbeque (Php 149)

Since the meal was for breakfast, I opted to order their breakfast meal. But if ever I’m there for lunch or dinner, this is surely something I will order. It was nice that you don’t need to exert some effort taking the meat out of the bones as this has already been prepared beautifully by Aristocrat.

Cheese Omelette (Php 120)

One of my friends is a vegetarian so this was the dish that she decided to order. Cheese omelette, I wonder how this taste like.

Combination of Longaniza & Adobo Filipino Breakfast (Php 239)

This was my order. Honestly, their presentation sucked! Geez just look at this dish! It looked weird. It wasn’t even sumptuous at all! I ordered the combination meal which included pork & chicken adobo, longaniza, 2 pieces eggs, garlic rice & 1 drink (either coffee, chocolate, tea, iced tea). The food was just normal. I appreciate the home-cooked one better though.

Sinigang na Baboy (Php 281)

Customer Service is of utmost importance for any company. One thing that was very much noticeable in Aristocrat was their lack of servers. It was really hard to find any waiters available for orders/requests. Plus, the servers looked sooo stressed that we rarely even get any smile from them. Our water didn’t get refilled. Something that really disappointed me. It was too bad that the food was good. Owners of Aristocrat have to learn to hire more servers. Because look at what happened? Their customer service was failing due to their employees being burned out or stressed.

Still, I would personally go back to Aristocrat along Roxas Boulevard when I have craving for filipino food. I really just hope the restaurant would improve their customer service. Still one of the best filipino restaurants in Manila.

More pictures from the breakfast here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Ikabud Pagkaing Pinoy

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 15, 2010

Ikabud
G/F Marquee Mall, North Luzon Expressway, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines

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After such a tiring but enjoyable day at the 15th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, we proceeded to Marquee Mall to have oru lunch. Can I just say, “Wow!”. Marquee Mall was such a nice place! It looked like they recently just opened. So I researched and found out that they opened just last October 2009 and one of popular restaurants in the mall is Ikabud.

I’ve been told that if you go to Pampanga, you really have to try Ikabud. So we did 🙂 Boy, the food was delicious! I wonder why they haven’t brought this restaurant to Manila. I’m sure it will be a hit! There are many Filipino restaurants all over the metro but Ikabud is definitely different.

Here are what we ordered:

Bulalo (Php 180)

There was only one item that I look for whenever I order bulalo, bone marrow. Without it, the dish, IMHO is just a failure! Ikabud’s bulalo? Definitely didn’t disappoint. Apart from having the bone marrow, the meat itself was just tender. The taste of the soup was yummy. I couldn’t ask for more.

Nilasing Crablets (Php 75)

The nilasing crablets was a hit! Truthfully, we all wanted to eat the dish especially with vinegar! This is a must-order when you go to Ikabud. We just loved it! As in super, super!!

Family Garlic Rice (Php 150)

If your party is at least 3 people, I suggest you order the family sized rice. They’re more affordable. I found it quite surprising that even with just a simple dish, it made me feel like it was better than most offered by restaurants. Maybe it was the oil or the garlic. Maybe it was the rice.

Salpicao (Php 190)

When we ordered this, we really thought that it was beef salpicao. The server explained after we said, “salpicao,” but I didn’t pay much attention. When the order came, I understood what the server was trying to explain. Apparently salpicao is sizzling seafood! It doesn’t matter that we misunderstood what it was because it was definitely worth eating! This was delicious! Sizzling shrimps, tahong, fish, mushrooms, hotdogs, squid and young corn… hmmm yummy!

Crispy Pata (Php 320)

The crunchy rectangular pieces garnished with crispy pata was not chicharon but kropeck. I was almost fooled by that hahaha! Anyway, we ordered way too much for 4 people. That’s fine though. The food was delicious and we don’t have ikabud here in Manila.

Tutti Fruiti Shake (Php 65)

Combination of Mango & Cherry shake. My colleagues said it was super yummy & better than the Guyabano shake we ordered. We also noticed that all their fruit shakes have this “Stick-O” (the chocolate snack). IMHO, that gave the drink more umpph! hehehe

Guyabano Shake (Php 55)

It is rare that we see fresh Guyabano shakes being offered in a restaurant. When I saw this in the menu, I immediately ordered it! It was super rich. I was very impressed! Most of the fruit shakes we ordered in the restaurant had too much water in it. This one, it was very fresh! You can feel that we do get what we paid for.

What a great morning this was! We had a great balloon ride, great sites and great food! We went home very satisfied and happy! 😀

More pictures here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Mister Kabab

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 11, 2010

Mister Kabab
2nd Level, U.P. Ayala Land Technohub, Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 332-3935

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If you have been following my blog for awhile now, you would know that I love Persian food. I don’t know why but kebab is definitely something I always crave for. So when we visited Avilon Zoo & since I parked near UP, we decided to drop by UP Technohub.

When we were asked which restaurant to try out, I immediately said, “Mister Kabab!” I’ve tried Mister Kabab but not at UP Technohub branch. Wow!!! The ambiance was just waaayyy better than their other branches! It was very clean and it looked very classy. The view was superb!

On the other hand, Mister Kabab’s West Avenue branch didn’t have aircon and you had to sit in an uncomfortable chair. Not only that, you couldn’t stay too long because there is usually line outside of people waiting to get in to be seated. So after eating, you really got to leave.

We ordered the ff.:

Shrimp & Mushroom (Php 95)

This was good! I always order their Chelo kabab. I’m glad that I was able to try the other dishes at Mister Kabab. This one was shrimps fried with mushrooms with some sauce, garnished with tomato and cucumber.

Beef Chelo Kabab (Php 135)

They really call this Special Chelo Kebab! This is tenderloin kebab and beef kebab. I’m not really fond of tenderloin so I requested if I can just have two beef kebabs. They gave it to me for the same price. So it is possible. They called it beef chelo kebab. Can I tell you that this is my favorite when coupled with rice and butter? Perfect!

Fresh Fruit Shake (Php 40)

You know before their fruit shakes were just priced at php25. But their cups were a bit small. I can say that they’ve improved! They now put their shakes in a bigger cup. The price got raised a little to Php40 but still affordable. 🙂 🙂

Rice (Php 25) & Butter (Php 10)

Rice with butter just puuurrfeecctt! We should do this at home too!

Shawarma in Plate (Php 85)

Shawarma is usually wrapped in bread but Mister Kabab offered this Shawarma in Plate. You’d see shawarma then the sidings (onions, tomatoes) put in a plate. So you can either just order a bread or rice to go with it. According to my friend, it was just okay. She preferred this dish to be crispy.

Bread (Php 15)

Keema (Php 60)

This is actually not our order but this is minced beef served with calamansi. I tried this and it was actually good too! My favorite though is still the beef kebab! 🙂

Hahaha! So I just finished writing this and to be honest, I just wanna drive and go to Mister Kabab and eat again! You can find the rest of the pictures from our lunch here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

The Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 5, 2010

The Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak
Level M1 Trinoma Mall, Edsa corner North Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 916-7040

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My friend Stef and I had dinner before I went to Malaysia for vacation. She knows I blog so she let me decide where to eat. Anyway, we decided to eat at Sizzlin Pepper Steak, I could have chosen a different restaurant but Stef wasn’t in the mood to eat Filipino food.

I’ve always known that Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak is an imitation of Pepper Steak. Obviously, Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak’s dishes are a bit cheaper. The style, the menu were kinda the same though.

Maybe I just didn’t see it when I last ate at Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak. But it seemed to me that there was a change with how we ordered in Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak. So we are given like an order slip, we checked the items in the menu then write down our orders in the piece of paper. I personally think this is great, more efficient and we, the customers, have ample time to choose our orders without any pressure whatsoever.

Here are what we ordered:

Creamy Corn Soup (Php 55)

This dish had corn kernels in rich, creamy corn soup. I’m not really a fan of creamy soups but Stef ordered this and said that it was just fine. So I’ll take her word for it.

Mushroom Gravy Hamburg (Php 160)

I loved this better than their famous pepper rice. It is their own version of burger topped with mushroom gravy. Served w/ yummy yummy vegetables. I just love this! So juicy & so tasty!

Orange Juice (Php 75)

This was not freshly squeezed orange juice. I think this orange juice was too expensive for something that was not prepared fresh.

Beef Pepper Rice (Php 195)

The ever-famous beef pepper rice is the best seller in Sizzlin’ Pepper steak. They even have a video that they play over and over again on the monitors at the restaurant. Basically, this is just thinly sliced beef sukiyaki marinated in their special sauce. Served in a sizzling plate. One tip, once served, turn the beef upside down so it gets cooked then put the sauce and mixed everything together (including the rice). 🙂

Iced Tea (Php 55)

Usual bottomless iced tea that people order 🙂 Nothing special.

This was another thing that I liked that Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak did recently. They had this sign in every table. They call it “Moo Flips”. So you just flip it either Red Stop or Green Moo-oove! Stop if you don’t need anything & Moo-oove! if you need any assistance. Pretty cool, no need to keep calling for servers!

stop move

More pictures from our dinner here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Malaysia, Manila, Philippines and Asia.