Yo! Panda

We purposely went to Yo! Panda strictly for dessert. We wanted to try their bubble waffles which they are famous for.

I ordered the Peanut Dulce de Leche Twist while my wife wanted the Mango Cheesecake Vanilla flavor. It took about 30 minutes for these to be served! We wondered how come it took that long and then realized that they had to prepare the bubble waffles from scratch.

Both desserts that we ordered were tasty! Mine even had a piece of choc-nut included and my wife's had pieces of ripe mango as well. The bubble waffle was warm and crispy and delicious.

Overall rating: 4.0

mango cheesecake vanilla

peanut dulce de leche twist

Cafe Shibuya

My wife and I received as a gift a couple of coupons (worth P1000) for Cafe Shibuya. So off we went to the U.P. Town Center to have lunch at this restaurant.

We were promptly seated and as we pondered on what to order, our server, Sasha, was standing beside us giving suggestions and answering the questions that we had.  We decided on Honey Lemongrass Chops for me and Baked Salmon for my wife. For our drinks, I had regular coke and Cynthia had the Pink Passion fruit cooler. For dessert, we ordered a slice of the Caramel Pecan Crunch cake which we shared.

It took a while for our meals to be served - about 15-20 minutes.

The pork chops were cooked well and were tender and juicy. The java rice, however, wasn't up to par and the tomato corn sauce was very minimal. My wife's baked salmon still had that slight fishy taste and the mushroom cream cheese sauce that went with it was quite overwhelming. The Pink Passion fruit cooler was also a bit bland. Their redeeming factor was the cake! It had the crunchiness that we hoped for and the sweetness was just right.

Again, I'd like to reiterate that the service given by our waitress and the cashier was excellent. For the food, I'll give a 3.5 rating, for the service, 4.5. The price range was also a bit on the high end - about P300+ for the meals (good thing we had coupons).

Overall rating: 4.0

Ba Noi's

My wife and I went to Ba Noi's at the U.P. Town Center for lunch. The servers were very polite and attentive. When asked on what our orders were going to be, I pointed to the posting on their wall about their all day brunch menu and said I wanted the Bo Luc Lac. The waiter said that that was only good from Monday to Friday. When we got home, I checked their menu online and found out that the all day brunch was  served everyday! That was minus point number 1. 

I also ordered the Iced Vietnamese Blended Caramel. A few minutes later, I was informed that they don't have whipped cream. So I canceled that order, after all what good is iced blended coffee without whipped cream. Minus point number 2.

My wife ordered Banh Mi. However the side dish of lobster crisps were not crispy at all. She had to inform the servers about it. To their credit they replaced it. The Banh Mi though was very good and my wife enjoyed it.

My order was Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crepe) with chicken, beef, and shrimp sauteed with bean sprouts. The taste was quite good, but not outstanding.

Service: 3.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5

Sizzlin' Steak

Every Sunday, after church, my wife and I pass by this restaurant. Recently, I noticed that they have a new entree called "Mi Gusta" which seemed appetizing. This morning, my wife relented to my pestering and agreed to have lunch here. Of course, I ordered the dish I so wanted to try while my wife had their bestseller, the Sizzling Beef Rice.

When our orders came (which was quite fast) my wife noticed that the beef were not fully cooked yet. The waitress explained that the reason the plate was sizzling was for us to cook the served meat. She even showed us how to do it. My wife enjoyed what she ordered and I can only say to my entree: "Mi gusta!" ..I like! Very much!

The prices were very reasonable - P219 and P249 respectively. We only had to add P20 for the Iced Tea (P40 if bottomless). The servers were very nice and courteous. The ambiance just right.

The only reason why I did not give it a perfect 5 was because of their the chairs. They were rocking. A bit difficult to enjoy your food if you're moving to and fro.

Overall rating 4.5

chicken

pork

beef

me gusta

soup

Mongolian Quick Stop

Mongolian Quick Stop moved to the 4th level of Robinson's Galleria. My wife and I love Mongolian food so we decided to give this place a try. We both opted for the single bowl.  The first thing we noticed was that there were only a few tongs to use in picking the variety of vegetables and the rice. Also when it comes to choosing the meat/seafood, the server will do the picking - you just point out which ones you like. It was the servers also who will put in the sauce after asking which you prefer - spicy, sweet, etc. For me, that method is so different from the other Mongolian buffets we've been to where you do all the picking, including the sauces.

The  cooked food is then delivered to your table. The taste is not that outstanding, primarily for me, because I was not able to put the amount and type of sauces that I would have wanted.

I guess it's all because the cost is relatively cheaper than the other Mongolian restaurants.  It is just P165 for the single bowl.

Overall rating: 3.5

Banapple

It has been a while since my wife and I last visited this place so we thought it would be a good idea to have breakfast here. Our orders of choice were Savory Longanisa with caramelized onions for me and Boneless Bangus a la Pobre for my wife. It took about 20 minutes before our orders were served perhaps because the place had a lot of customers that Saturday morning. Anyway, my longanisa was just perfect! It had that certain crispiness that I thoroughly enjoyed! My wife also was delighted with her bangus. The only nit we had was that the garlic friend rice had some unfried chunks in it. In both our orders! The Cafe Mocha was great too!

Ambiance was so-so and as I mentioned earlier, the place was crowded. The servers were nice and attentive though.

Overall rating: 4.0

Pizza Hut - SM Marikina

Their menu for 2 (which included a bacon cheeseburger pizza, a hawaiian supreme pizza,  spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti carbonara, 2 bowls of mushroom soup and 2 glasses of pepsi) was tempting so my wife and I decided to try it with a bit of trepidation. I say that because about 4 years ago when we first patronized this place we had to walk out because after sitting at our table for almost 15 minutes no one paid attention to us.

Thankfully this time the server was very attentive and took our orders right away. She even asked us if it is ok to wait for 15 minutes before our orders can be served. We said that it was ok. A few minutes later she came back and apologetically asked if it was ok to substitute macaroni to the spaghetti mentioned in the menu. Again we approved of the change.

Now for the food: The cream of mushroom soup was delicious - the croutons still crunchy. 

The baked macaroni bolognese tasted similar to the way Filipinos prepare spaghetti: with a bit of sweetness to it. Since the bolognese was sufficient for both of us (the serving was quite generous), we bypassed the carbonara and decided to just take it home. By the way, both pasta dishes were served hot! 

The two pizzas were tasty with ample meat toppings.

Overall we were happy that the service had changed for the better. The supervisor and the servers were always smiling and very courteous. Could this be the reason why? 

The food was quite good too!

Overall rating is 4 out of 5.