Cafe France

One of Cafe France's branch is located inside the Philippine Heart Center's compound.  My sister-in-law's dad was confined here and since children are not allowed inside, my mom and I volunteered to be the ones to watch over my almost 2-year-old niece instead.  We decided to spend our waiting time in Cafe France.  Being first timers, the very jolly attendant by the counter helped us to decide what to order.  She didn't had an irritated face even if it took us a while to view their menu and order.  She had a very genuine and infectious smile that left me feel lighthearted all through out our stay.

Anyhow, here's what we ordered:

Seafood Marinara (P279.00)
comes with your choice of juice drink

The seafood marinara tastes great! The pasta is cooked al dente.  They didn't scrimped on the seafoods and the cheese as well, which I sooo love!  The pasta came with 2 slices of garlic bread that are not too crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside.  Just the right consistency that I want in garlic breads.  I chose to have an orange juice with it.  I didn't liked how it tasted, though. Can't exactly pin point what it tastes like but it just doesn't taste like an orange juice at all.

Grape Frappe (P125.00)

Since my mom is fond of anything ice-y, she tried Cafe France's grape frappe.  This is what I liked.  It very well tasted like real grapes. The whipped cream on top tasted very good in itself already, what more if it is paired with the blended grapes and ice? So refreshing, I tell you.

racks of freshly baked breads

After realizing that she wasn't able to order anything to eat together with the frappe.  My mom looked by the racks of freshly baked breads displayed near the counter.  She's a pizza lover so it's not surprising for me to see her looking at one. The hawaiian pizza is packed by two slices inside a take out container (lower left corner of the photo above).  While I was about to pay for it, the jolly cashier diligently offered for the pizza to be heated.  I don't know if it's a must for them to do those kind of things for dine in customers but it was really something that I didn't expected.  I mean we're ready and 'cowboy' enough to eat it as is from its plastic packaging.  But we're glad she offered because they made a so-so looking meal be this:

Hawaiian Pizza (P109.00)

I'm sorry the photo above doesn't do any justice to the presentation that was made.  Let me just describe it then, aside from them heating it, they made it a point to add cheese and pineapple on top to make it more visually appetizing and of course yummy (because of the cheese, lol).  How I wish I took a before photo so that you'll be able to appreciate it too.

Overall, the dining experience was enjoyable.  The food was great and the service was superb! 'Will definitely visit if we happen to be within the area again.

Cafe France
Philippine Heart Center
East Avenue, Central,
Quezon City
Tel. No.: 927.9477

Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe

Whenever I go home from work, this establishment's inviting interior never fails in calling my attention.  They are always packed with customers enjoying their conversation in what seems to be a large living room.  In the past 8 years that I'm working, I was only able to dine here twice.  The first experience was okay but I didn't feel the need to write about it since I'm on blogging hiatus not that adventurous with food yet.  This blog is from my second visit wherein I was able to try some of my brother's their must-tries.

THE AMBIANCE:

"The floral wallpaper and the couches scattered
around the area added  to the homey feel
of the establishment"

Aside from the type of service and the food, it is the ambiance that I'm after as well.  If it is cozy enough for me to feel comfortable eating and having an enjoyable conversation with the persons I'm with then I'm good to go.  And Mom and Tina's is one of them.  The floral wallpaper and the couches scattered around the area added to the homey feel of the establishment.  The attentive and the always smiling attendants is a plus 1,000 points too.

they make sure that at least one (if not most) of their attendants is by the cashier area
wherein he can easily see everyone who asks for assistance

THE FOOD:

Most of the foods that we ordered.
From top left (plated): Mom's US Roast Beef with rice,
Bro's Baked Chicken Macaroni, Shepherd's Pie
 (both are served with freshly baked breads)
and Bro's US Roast Beef with rice.

My mom and younger brother ordered their U.S Roast Beef (P385.00).  I remember asking them for a bite sized piece of it so that I can at least describe how it tasted but then my order came right after and before I knew it, it was all gone. Well maybe it just goes to show that both my mom and brother enjoyed what was served.  For the serving size, I can say that it is enough to satisfy a hungry tummy.

My elder brother ordered their most talked about Shepherd's Pie (P210.00) with Baked Chicken Macaroni (P140.00) which I was not able to taste as well, haha!

I know I was not able to deliver what was expected of this blog entry, which is to describe my personal take on how their food tastes, aside from their good service.  I know I can't do anything about it but to say sorry and blame it on the culprit:

The culprit: Lamb Shoulder Chops (P435.00)

The serving is pretty big that I was still able to give a big chunk for my mom to taste.  I didn't liked their mixed veggies, though.  It seemed as if it wasn't properly thawed before cooking. Anyhow, the taste of the lamb itself paired with the mint sauce that they serve already made up for it. Their mint sauce doesn't have the same consistency as those that I previously tried but is still at par with the taste.  I'm more familiar with the thick ones--theirs isn't thick at all.  At first I thought that it is just vinegar with basil leaves.  I was actually surprised when I had the first slice of the lamb with it.  Well, Isn't it already obvious? I'm a mint sauce fan :) Based from my own taste buds, compared to other mint sauces, theirs is more on the sweet side unlike those thick ones that I was able to try that are more on the minty side.  Anyhow, it was able to still complement the taste of the lamb. The food was gone in minutes :)

THE VERDICT:

Overall, the experience was great. It was as if we were transported to a different place once we entered their establishment.  The food was great as well, based from each of my family member's opinion and mine.  With the ambiance, service and food, I can say that we truly got what we paid for.  Even more.  We won't mind spending our hard earned money dining here again.

Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe
FRDC Building,
106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.,
Pasig City, Metro Manila
Philippines
T: 914-0833

Yabu: House of Katsu

Just last week we were able to try out Yabu, the most talked about katsu restaurant in Manila for the past months.  We're actually settled on having lunch at a different restaurant beforehand but for some reason we ended up trying Yabu instead.  From the parking area, I remember walking inside the newly opened Robinson's Magnolia, passing by the food court, finding our way to the restaurant that we want to have lunch at, seeing Yabu from outside, looking from afar, was fascinated by the interior and lighting of the area, walked nearer, then before I knew it we're already seated inside and looking at their menu. Haha!

They have a wide selection of katsu dishes to choose from: pork, chicken, seafood, veggies, name it.  Being first timers, we didn't had a hard time choosing what we want.  Every detail about a particular dish is described in the menu that they give to guests. We ordered their chicken katsu set.  Every katsu set comes with a DIY katsu sauce:

"black and white sesame seeds that you have to crush  'til your hearts content"

The photo above is a cooler (and lighter) version of the mortar and pestle.  It comes with black and white sesame seeds that you have to crush 'til your hearts content.  After the seeds are crushed, it is now time to pour your desired amount of tonkatsu sauce.

I find it nice that they ask guests if it is their first time dining in their restaurant because they really give extra attention to you if you are.  Since it is our  first time, our food attendant familiarized us with the sauces and dressings on our table.  He informed us what each is used  for--which I already have forgotten.  Sorry :)

sauces,dressings and other condiments

Our food attendant, Jerry, is very accommodating to all our requests even if he had other guests to attend to.  Their manager took his time to go around and visit each table to ask if everything is okay as well.

After about 10-15 minutes our food arrived:

The visually appetizing Chicken Katsu Set

Each dish in their menu comes with miso soup, japanese pickles, shredded cabbage, and a  couple of fruit slices.  Their presentation is pretty nice that it made me not want to touch any of it.  But, hunger took over and before I knew it everything was gone! well, except for the plates :)

THE FOOD

I'm not really a fan of tonkatsu but I find their chicken katsu very good.  Its softness didn't gave me a  hard time biting into it.  The chewiness that I don't like in tonkatsus isn't present either.  Its melt in your mouth goodness is something that I want to go back for.

And did I mention that their rice and cabbage is unlimited? Yes, it is.  The moment I knew about it I actually thought of Mang Inasal and Chickboy in an instant.  They are the very sosy version, though :)

THE VERDICT

I'm actually planning to bring hubby here when he gets home. Robinson's Magnolia is too far from where we live but I hope that they have the same kind of service, and food for that matter, in their Megamall branch when we visit.

YABU: HOUSE OF KATSU

Lower Ground Floor, Robinson's Magnolia,

Aurora Blvd. cor. Dona M Hemady St.,

New Manila, Quezon City

Philippines

Buffet 101, Mall of Asia

greens in front of Buffet 101

 Buffet 101 is located along Seaside Blvd. of SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.  It is located near the very big ferris wheel that is visible once you're within the bay area.  Since buffets are hot these days, we thought of giving Buffet 101 a try.  The feel of the restaurant is just the same as Vikings, the price range is almost the same as well:

rate varies on days of visit... and height?

Forgive me but I think you'll be reading a lot of comparison from the two until the end of this post.  And so here it goes: Compared to Vikings, Buffet 101 looks and feels more spacious and is not very crowded even if all tables were occupied.  We actually went there on a rainy Thursday but still the establishment is full and we can still see guests waiting outside for tables to be emptied.

buffet area from the dessert station

They are full but still their buffet table doesn't get uber crowded.  They were able to allot one side of the establishment for their foods, and the rest for the guests tables.  I was able to ask one of their attendants about the guest capacity, and she told me that the restaurant can accommodate up to 500 guests.  Imagine that? There were almost 500 guests when we dined in the area but it still doesn't look congested unlike in Vikings.

an area in the sushi bar

appetizers

more appetizers

hot dishes

candy bar and chocolate fondue area

crepe station

they have a big enough counter that's allocated for desserts only.
On this corner  are fresh fruits and the chocolate fondue section.
On the other corner are wide selection of cakes,
dessert in various shot glasses and crepe made on the spot

The photo above shows their crepe station with lots and lots of filling available.  And not in photo is the ice cream station beside it.  Nice no?  Right after having your crepe done, you can get a scoop/s of ice cream and put it on your fresh and newly made crepe :)

Ate making my crepe

my mango blueberry crepe with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
The mango isn't sweet, though :(

They have a little bit of every cuisine served on their buffet spread.  Aside from the unlimited drinks, they also offer unlimited fruit shakes.  

Just like Vikings they have seafoods that you can have cooked the way you want.

display isn't that inviting, though

I've been imagining of eating lots of baked oysters since the first day that I learned that we're going to dine here.  Imagine my dismay when I learned that they can't accommodate my request? :(  According to the stiff and unenthusiastic staff that takes orders in the seafood area, they don't bake oysters.  He just pointed to the area where an oyster dish is available--that's clearly not what we asked for and said "yun lang ang meron" ("That's just what's available").  I then asked for buttered shrimp, again with a "here-we-go-again" facial expression, he unenthusiastically told us that they don't make buttered shrimp. His attitude made me not want to ask for anything anymore.  I just settled with what's available and ready on other areas.

The unenthusiastic staff on his back.
If I were his manager, I will just assign him behind the counter in front of him
where there will be no curious first timer guests, like us, that can annoy him.

I remember not having a hard time asking for seafoods and other stuff cooked on the spot when we went in Vikings.  They are always willing to do what is requested from them. I don't see anyone that seems to not like what they're doing.  They may lack in the number of staff that collects empty plates from guest's tables but no one from them made us feel that we're not welcomed. 

Going back, speaking of empty plates, that's one of the good things that I noticed with Buffet 101. They don't let empty plates standby on your table for a long time.  There wasn't any situation where a number of empty plates are on our table while we're eating.  They're that attentive, well except for that person above that made me not fully enjoy my dining experience.

buffet area from the other end, dimsum station

 I wasn't able to take pictures of their tempura, it tastes really good.  The thin-batter-all-shrimp type of good.    Their tempura station is on the rightmost part of the photo above.  Sorry no closer photo :)

Did I mentioned that they have nice lighting fixtures? Here are some of it:

lighting fixture above the table where we're seated

a number of this above the buffet table 

I wasn't able to take pictures of the drop crystals that served as a curtain, but it can be slightly seen on the photo below:

It is not a lighting fixture but it served as one because the light kind of reflects on it.

Overall, I can say that they can pretty much handle the number of guests that they can fit in their establishment.  Their food tastes great.  Parking space won't be a problem because a number of parking spaces is available within the area.  Some of their staff could use a smile, though.


BUFFET 101
Seaside Blvd.,
San Miguel by the Bay,
SM Mall of Asia Complex,
Pasay City, Philippines
Contact #: (632) 556-2888; (632) 556-3888; (632) 556-9888

Paradise in Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort

After spending our company outings in Boracay, Palawan and Bohol in the previous years, our company decided to spend it in Davao this year.  We stayed in Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort in Samal Island, Davao. 

Unlike most resorts that we've been through before, this resort is a 'never heard' for us. So when we learned that we're going here, what we did was rushed in front of our computers and googled everything that there is to know about the beach resort.  We found a lot of interesting stuff but personally, compared to the well'known resorts that we've been to in the past, I didn't really put my expectations that high.  It's still a good thing, though, because when we were there I was really amazed with what Paradise Island can offer.

From the airport, we rode a van going to their port. They have very polite and helpful staff in the port that had wooden carts ready for our trolley bags to be transported from our van to the boat.  The walk isn't that long but isn't short either, but with the sandy walkway that they have a push cart is really a great help.

From the port, we traveled by boat for about 15-20 minutes to arrive Paradise Island.  Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the resort's staff with a lively serenading band that seems to really enjoy what they're doing. It made me shift my mood from being tired of the very early travel to being giddy about our whole 3 days and 2 nights stay.

the band

No foods and drinks from outside are allowed so don't be surprised if they ask you to check your bag.  Corkage fees apply to any food / drink that'll be brought in their premises, which is not new to us since almost all the resorts implement the same rule.  As of our visit, their cover charge are as follows:

day tour and overnight rate as of May2012

room rates on the right most side as of May2012

In fairness, they offer reasonable entrance fees for both day tour and overnight stays.  Their room rates aren't that bad too.

Countless tables and chairs are situated right after we entered the beach resort.  We were informed afterwards that it is where they serve meals for their guests and it also serves as their entertainment area at night. 

this photo doesn't do any justice to show how much tables are by the beach

The photo above shows the first half of the numerous tables and chairs situated by the beach area.  The second half is on the far end right after the reception area.  It is the area for day tour guests.  The area above is for long-staying guests, if I'm not mistaken.

A couple of tables were reserved for our group.  Those served as our designated area during meals, which is a very good thing because it is just a few steps away from where they set up the buffet table and a few tables away from the stage.

as were getting our room keys.  

 The resort staff in pink (photo above) is the one who assisted us during our 3 days and 2 nights stay.  I remember asking him his name but I'm so sorry I can't remember it now.  Anyhow, from day one until the last, his attentiveness didn't waver.  He can be seen everywhere we are in the resort making sure that we're okay. He was there when we checked in, he was there assisting us when we're having group activities. He was there making sure that we doesn't run out of cups and water when we had a volleyball game in the afternoon. He was supervising the staff during dinners and drinks right after that lasted until the wee hours of the night.  And if it's still not enough, he was still present the following mornings to supervise our early breakfast--all with the same energy that we seen he had on our first day. On our last day we thought, this is serious. We're here for leisure, he's here for work but still this person doesn't want to be left out! haha! We actually had the notion that maybe this person doesn't sleep.  

I had to commend their staff as well.  None of them failed to greet us whenever we come across to one any time of the day (or night).

Going back, after getting our keys we're all set to go to our rooms.  The walkway to the rooms are full of greens and directions to the different areas of the resort are very visible.

Directional signs.  More directional signs as you walk along  the way

Aside from the numerous outdoor activities, they have this bird country too.

Lush greens

THE ROOM

Just like the service, the room didn't disappoint either.  It may not be as luxurious as those we've been to before BUT it has everything that a guest needs.  I think every element in it is well thought of. Just the fact that they're complete with the basics is already comforting.

nice and neat walkway going to the rooms

Duplex bungalows with door bells

Their duplex bungalows are designed with a private veranda.  I love that each room has their own walkway.  It's as if the sign where your private area starts. I find the door bell by the entrance in front a nice touch.  I love that they didn't squeezed in rooms in an overcrowded way still making room for lots of greens around.  It actually added to the relaxing feel of the whole resort. 

Wet clothes hanger before reaching the veranda.  Photo made bigger for it to be seen.

You're maybe wondering why have I come up with something like it was "well-thought of" statement? For one, they have this cool wet clothes hanger.  See the two green posts by the room's walk way? those that are joined by a blue nylon rope behind the 3 plants? That's the wet clothes hanger.  Now we don't need to hang our clothes by the veranda for everyone to see. I actually didn't know what it is for at first, I just thought of it as a cute touch to the pocket garden area of our space until I saw how guests from other rooms used it.

private veranda

Next of course is the private veranda.  Who wouldn't want their own private veranda? Now let's discuss what I liked about it.  I don't know if it's just me but I, personally, was happy to see an electric fan in the veranda. A very nice idea.  How come other's didn't thought of doing the same thing?  I remember complaining about how hot it is in a certain resort's veranda a few summer outings ago. Smokers will be delighted in this area, they have ash trays ready by the table.  They have more than one trash can situated in every room. This resort didn't scrimp in placing furnitures to place in their guest rooms as well. It may not be those luxurious ones but it is comfortable. It's just in the little things, really.

chairs and table inside

three of us shared in this spacious room.
The extra bedding is at the far right 

ENTERTAINMENT

When we went there a live band plays every night while we're having dinner.  Right after dinner fire dancers performed as well.

3 fire dancers.  It will be much better though if they have something like a, dance number, maybe?
'Cause when we watched them they seem like challenging each other for the audience's attention

They really want to make sure that their guests will feel comfortable anywhere they are in the resort.  And I think their management is considerate enough to think about their guests in this way.   They made sure that everything that they can provide for the guest is already available.  We don't even remember calling one of their staff to ask for something that we needed.

They have lots of activities available within their resort so I don't think anyone will get bored while being here.

I would definitely go back here given the chance :)

P.S.
Their beach is great :)  I'm sorry I wasn't able to take pictures of it :)

Visit www.paradiseislanddavao.com