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

8 Cuts Burger Blends - SM Megamall

I am definitely a burger fan so when my wife suggested we have lunch at 8 Cuts Burger Blends at the SM Megamall, I quickly agreed. This is a relatively new restaurant but we have heard some good recommendations about it from our friends.

We were greeted enthusiastically by the staff and we were seated quickly. We have heard that long lines were more of the norm here during lunchtime, especially on weekends. Since it was a Thursday and some thirty minutes before noon, I think we got lucky that we got a table right away. The name stands for the 8 cuts of beef they use in their different burger patties; chuck, rib eye, short rib, sirloin, brisket, hanger, flank and ox tail.

We were intrigued looking at their menu. It seemed complicated to us. First, you have the option to create your own sandwich, choosing the type of bun, the kind of meat(s) and what you want to go with it. Not being the adventurous type, we settled for the Fishy'wich (fish sandwich) for Cynthia. and good old Cheeseburger for me. For drinks, my wife ordered an Arnold Palmer and a bottomless Iced Tea for me.

The drinks were served first and quite honestly the best word we can use to describe both was "bland". It took a while for our sandwiches to arrive, perhaps it was because the patties were prepared right there at the restaurant - you could even watch them do it.  After about fifteen minutes, our orders finally came. 

Cynthia loved her Fishy-wich and gave it five stars. The cheese and homemade creamy coleslaw made the crispy fish fillets even more delicious. The sesame seed bun was also tasty.

My Cheeseburger, on the other hand, fell a bit short of my expectations (perhaps I have set my expectations a little bit too high?). Anyway, it had the standard TLC (Tomato, Lettuce and Cheese {cheddar}) and Sauce. Let me explain the Sauce part: You have a choice of adding Sauce #3 -original house dressing, or Sauce #4 - a tangy, slightly spiced sauce with a classic red relish base. Not wanting anything spicy, I opted for Sauce #3. Over all the sandwich tasted good, however, the meat was not well done - something that I wasn't quite happy about. The interesting thing was that the waiter never asked how I wanted my burger patty done. I guess medium well was their norm. Compared to those served at Charlie's (for me the standard from which all other burger sandwiches are measured) 8 Cuts still fall short. I'll give the Cheeseburger only 4 stars.

The idea of making your own burger sort of intrigues me so maybe next time my wife and I would be more adventurous and innovative. 

Overall, it was a good experience dining at 8 Cuts. The service was commendable so that earned 4.5 stars. The ambiance was just right. The blandness of the drinks and the less than expected taste of my burger also deserves a total rating of only 3.75 in my opinion.

Please check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/8cutsburgerblends

Mesa Filipino Moderne - SM Megamall

Mesa is not like most restaurants serving Filipino food. Their recipes are innovative - it's like modernizing the traditional way of preparing the regional dishes.

This was our first time to eat here so we were curious as to how the food will be like. However, being on a diet and not that adventurous, we decided on ordering the laing, garlic chicken and pork barbecue.

Laing is basically taro leaves cooked with coconut cream mixed with pork and shrimp paste topped with adobo flakes. They served it in the traditional and crispy way. My wife and I are laing fans and this was the best we have tasted so far. It wasn't spicy and the adobo flakes added some pizzaz to the overall taste. Five stars for sure.

The way the garlic chicken was prepared was a surprising delight. The mixture of honey and garlic glaze gave the meat a certain degree of deliciousness. My only nit was that there were quite an amount of bones included. Because of that I will only rate this at four stars.

Their pork barbecue was not much different from the usual fare found in every Filipino restaurant. The serving was quite generous though. 3.5 stars

To go with these entrees we had garlic rice, again not much different from most Filipino restaurants. I will also rate this at 3.5 stars.

Service was outstanding! The waiters and staff were polite and attentive to the needs of the customers.
Five stars for that.

One distinguishing aspect of Mesa is their quaint tilted glass which I find rather cute.

Price-wise, an entree ranges from P180 and up. Our total order came to about P750

Overall, considering the quality and taste of the food, the service and the ambiance, I'd rate Mesa at four stars.

Please check out their website: http://mesa.ph/main/3000/index562b.html?pageid=107743

Holy Cow - Atrium, SM Megamall

Holy Cow is a Western Ranch type restaurant. The ambiance is of course Cowboy style, or at least trying to be. Even the hosts/hostess and servers wear jeans and cowboy hats. Basically the service is quite good - the servers attentive to the needs of the customers.

This is the second time my wife and I tried this place and if memory serves me right we were quite satisfied with our experience then. Today, however, was a little bit different. 

Let's get to the soup first. For an additional P49 they will serve bottomless iced tea and unlimited soup along with your main order. I decided to avail of that. It didn't take long for them to serve the Creamy Clam Chowder. The first thing my wife said when she tried it was "It's not hot!" I took a spoonful and agreed with her. Warm would be a better description. Then there were the little bits of skin of the red pepper mixed into the soup that somehow kept getting stuck to our lips. Definitely not edible! The clams themselves still had that fishy taste. I'd rate this 2.5 stars out of 5.

My main entree was the Cowboy Ranch Style Porkchop. This one was sizzling hot! I had to wait a few minutes before I could get my first bite. Somehow the pork wasn't that tender. The garlic rice was good but not that delicious. The side veggies were OK though, cooked just right - not too tender and not too crispy. 3.5 stars.

My wife's order was the Beer Battered Rodeo Fish Fillet. Despite the fancy name, it was basically breaded Cream Dory with white cream sauce. At least this dish was up to par. No fishy taste and just the right crunchiness. I don't know about the "beer" thing because my wife and I never did taste any hint of it. 4 out of 5.

Our experience today was a bit disappointing food-wise. The efficiency of the servers was the Holy Cow's redeeming factor. Therefore I will give an overall rating of 3.5

Check out their website at http://holycow.com.ph/

Dads Kamayan Saisaki - SM Megamall

October 24, 2013

Allow me to beg for your indulgence for not being very specific in my review of this restaurant and for the lack of photos. Two reasons: First of all there's just so many dishes offered that even those that we partook of were simply too much for a detailed discussion. Secondly, today is my birthday.

Originally, Cynthia wanted to celebrate my birthday at Vikings Buffet restaurant at SM Marikina for the simple reason that birthday celebrants eat for free! However, we were at the Ortigas Center for some errands. While my wife was visiting her friends at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) I was checking out the restaurants at SM Megamall. After she finished her chores, I met up with my wife and told her that Dad Kamayan Saisaki (which serves a triple cuisine type buffet) also had the same offer. 

We were escorted to our seat by the friendly hostess clad in Japanese kimono. After explaining the "house rules" she told us we can start getting our food. The vast array of delicious entrees, from sushi to Kare-kare made choosing what to get a daunting task. Please realize that for the past three weeks we changed our diet regimen to a minimalist style. However, since it was my birthday, we both agreed that we can temporarily set that aside for today. 

Our first selection was a mixture of Japanese/Chinese cuisine - yang chow fried rice, shrimp tempura (for me), fish tempura (for Cynthia), hot chicken salad (for me), fresh mandarin salad (for Cynthia), fried egg rolls, fried calamari and a beef dish (I forgot the name - too much food does that to my brain). For round two, my wife and I concentrated on Filipino dishes - morcon, embutido, lechon macao, and seashells: kuhol (snails) for Cynthia, tahong (mussels) for me.

Then for desert, let me just say one thing: creme brulee. There were dozens of other choices, and we got some of those, too, but for both my wife and I, creme brulee it was! And oh, there was even a cream puff made in the shape of a swan!

Now let me tell you about the service. It was excellent! The waiters were very attentive! They would even carry your plates to your table for you. The bottomless tea glass always got filled almost religously. Used plates were removed promptly.

The highlight was when a quartet of musicians (two guitarists, one bassist, one vocalist) came to our table and sang "Happy birthday" to me. When asked if we have any requests, Cynthia suggested a song sung by the Trio Los Panchos. As they sang Besame Mucho, tears fell from eyes. I can't explain why. I'm sure these were happy tears. Perhaps I was reminded of the times when we visit my children in California. We always go to Mijares, a Mexican restaurant, where a trio (2 guitarists, 1 bassist) sang Spanish ditties. Maybe those memories of times with my family made me a bit nostalgic and sentimental.

I was still sniffling after we left as I told my wife that I was glad that it was here that I had my birthday lunch. And that was not just because my meal was free.

Please check out their website: 
Dads Kamayan Saisaki

French Baker - SM Megamall

October 21, 2013

For me The French Baker is close to being synonymous to Chicken Cordon Bleu. Almost always that is what I order at this restaurant because arguably it is their best entree. Although we usually go to their branch at SM Marikina due to its proximity to home, this time we opted to try the one at SM Megamall. 

As soon as we were seated, I promptly gave my order to the waitress to which she apologetically explained that they were all out of Chicken Cordon Bleus. It was like cold water was splashed to my face. I was so looking forward to enjoying my favorite dish! Scanning their menu for the next best thing, I then ordered the Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa. Cynthia, surprisingly, also deviated from her usual Soup on a Bread Bowl and ordered Chicken Salad Croissant instead.

In a few minutes, my wife's sandwich was served. She said it was flavorful, meaty with no aftertaste that usually comes with chicken salad. The barbecue flavored potato chips were good although the ones that I tried were, to me, not crispy enough. 5 stars for the sandwich, 3.5 for the potato chips.

It wasn't until after 30 minutes of waiting and several reminders to the waitress that my order finally came. I was already starving that I immediately dug into it forgetting to take a picture. The grilled chicken was tender with enough barbecue-y flavor to make it interesting. The Mango Salsa was just a tad too sour for my taste. 4 stars for the grilled chicken, 2.5 for the mango salsa.

Overall I was quite disappointed by the length of time I had to wait for my entree to be served, not to mention the fact that the dish I wanted was not available. This situation never happened in SM Marikina.

The prices, at least, were quite reasonable. We spent about P450.

Check out their website:
http://www.thefrenchbaker.com/ourmenu.php