Starbucks' Grilled Chicken with Pesto and Shiitake Mushrooms Sandwich

If there is one thing that can make me visit  Starbucks,   that wouldn't be their coffee;   (because the pressed coffee I make at home is way better than SB's!)   but the Banoffee Pie!   SB banoffee pie is one of my guilty pleasures.   A bit steep at php110 for a small sized pie  (6-inch???),    it is worth every cent for me.  

But when hubs and I went to Tagaytay for a quick breakfast just recently,     I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Pesto and Shiitaki Mushroom sandwich for him.   And,  surprisingly,   while I did enjoy my banoffee pie that morning  (yes,   I had it for breafkast.),    his sandwich made me salivate more than my pie!    The scent of the pesto filled the entire coffee shop as the barista warmed the sandwich in the micro.     After a tiny bite just to taste it,    I was almost ready to exchange orders with my hubs!

This is really really great stuff.   And healthy,   too!  I would definitely be back at SB if only to have this again.  And soon!

Magnolia Ice Cream Classic Medley: Black and White

If it is from Magnolia, it has to be good!

And you can bet that it is.

Two of the most popular flavors swirled into one tub. What can be better than that!

I hope Black and White is here to stay. Please, Magnolia?

Cyma

My bad. I forgot to blog about this and I cannot understand why! I've even forgotten most of the names of the food we had that day when we celebrated my hubs' birthday in December last year. Food this good should have been "shared" right away! :) Anyway, it is better to be late than never.

I am not a very adventurous person when it comes to food. I usually prefer my old favorites to new ones. That is unless a much raved, tried and tested restaurant like Cyma gets recommended by friends I trust. And my friends are seldom wrong. ;)

Hummus with Pita bread...


Cyma Ceasar, was this? Anyhow, this was fresh, crisp and tangy good!

Meet our main dishes... we had baked salmon (Psari Fournou).... Short Rib Beef Stifado...

Pork Souvlaki and Lamb Chops...

And for the sweet tongue, it is Skolatina, Cyma's Molten Chocolatecake! The different textures and flavors blend together to give one that gustatory treat! And that roasted chestnut sauce is just divine.

I wish I had photos of the Flaming mangoes we ordered for the birthday boy but I only had a video that showed the servers shouting "Opa!" as they served it. It wasn't just the presentation. The mangoes were delicious, too!

I think it might be tough to find another Greek restaurant in the Metro that's this good.

Dynamite Cheesesticks

"Dynamite" is simply siling pang sigang and cheese in a roll, deep fried. I made my own at home after I tried it at a suking street vendor the other day and really really liked it! His version had a little meat inside each roll but I wanted to make mine simpler but a lot cheesier, more similar to Kitchen Cow's version. And no, it wasn't good... it was smokin' hot good! Thanks, Kaoko, for sharing the recipe!

Gerry's Grill II

Told you... we love tripping back to dining places either to try new items on the menu, or just to sink our teeth into old time favorites!

It is not Inihaw na Pusit for me if it isn't Gerry's Grill's.

Who doesn't love GG's Sisig!

And this is Tinomok. Similar to Laing but it has a lot of meat. More of meat wrapped in gabi leaves, actually. I sometimes order this To-Go when we get cravings. Glad to note that Gerry's Grill's food quality hasn't changed.

Burgoo II

We try our best to come back for more good food at restaurants we enjoyed dining in to try the other items on their menu. Burgoo is one of them.

Manhattan's Best salad had red apples, pineapple bits, croutons and honeyed walnuts in a bed of crisp lettuce with light dressing... pretty good. generous servings...

N'awlin's Classic Platter turned out to be very similar to their Jambalaya... still good, though. But, honestly, I could hardly tell the difference.

Prices seem to be getting steeper and steeper. I think a third trip would not be anytime soon.

Rai Rai Ken, Again

We were happy that Rai Rai Ken opened a branch at SM Bicutan! We were already running out of places to dine in at SM Bicutan and RRK is a welcome addition to the mall!

We were extra happy with the restau's opening promo deal ..... for every single order of their Gyoza (either 3 pcs or 6 pcs/order), you get their huge bowl of ramen of your choice at 50% off!

And so we did! Hubby and I shared an order of their Gyoza (6 pieces) which was delightfully good and filling! I love the sweet salty soy dip that came with it.

The seafood ramen we picked was big enough for sharing! We asked for two extra bowls and split the ramen. Hot and delicious, we finished everything in no time! The ramen was rich in flavors of the sea.... shrimps, squid, clams, different kinds and colors of seafood balls!

It was a very hearty and filling meal for two. At only less than php300, (already with a soda for each of us) it was really worth the visit.

Bacolod Chicken Inasal

It was a rainy Sunday last week when we went to see the Orchid Show at the Quezon Memorial Circle. For lunch, we decided to eat at Bacolod Chicken Inasal right at the Circle's grounds.

We liked the ambiance. It was bright and roomy with high ceiling and glass windows surrounding the entire restaurant. And again, set meals are offered which makes ordering for a group of people much much easier.
The set meal we chose was super sulit. We each had, of course, chicken inasal, and we got to choose the chicken part we preferred.

We ordered two pechos and two legs.

Their chicken was meaty and cooked well. Tender and juicy.

The set meal came with a bowl of molo soup for four. Hot and tasty. And a sizzling plate of bangus sisig which was suprisingly good!

The set meal didn't come with a vegetable dish, though, so we opted to order their chopsuey, not the best looking nor tasting chopsuey around, but was good enough. We washed everything down with glasses of iced tea; yes, still part of the set meal.

Ending the meal, and included in the set was buco pandan for each of us. Again, not the best tasting buco pandan around, but the sweetness helped cap off the meal . I would think paying only a little over a thousand bucks for this entire set was so worth it.

Should you decide to dine there, don't forget to check out their corner of Bacolod's famous delicacies. You would surely grab a bag or two of this and that.

Mann Hann Revisited

There are restaurants you love going back to. And there are those you swear never to. Mann Hann is one restaurant we enjoy revisiting over and over. We almost have a readied set menu of our favorite dishes we have grown to love thru the years. And it never fails to fill our tummies with delight every time.

(Lechon Macau and Yang Chow Fried Rice)

(Fish fillet with taus and Mixed Vegetables)

We sometimes vary our pancit order... alternating from cha bihon to chami to seafood chami to miki bihon.

We are glad that Mann Hann's food has remained great.... and prices have not gone up that much either. No wonder people still patiently line up at the door just to get a table.

Our table always ends up looking like this. And us, with big smiles on our faces.

Nestea Fit with L-Carnitine

Whatever flavor or twist they come up with, only Nestea makes iced tea mixes the way they should be. Refreshing, natural tasting and delicious. I won't make the same mistake of trying other brands anymore.

Lays Stax Cheddar

I needed my Pringles Cheezums fix the other day but SM Bicutan didnt have 'em on their shelves so I decided to give Lays Stax a try.

I had a much easier time opening its seal than Pringles'.

Actually, they do taste the same. Sarap. But I find Pringles crisps much thinner and crispier. Nevertheless, we weren't able to stop when we popped! :)