~ Restaurant reviews by big-appetite ~

Showing 1 - 10 of 16 reviews

  • 1 of 1 people found this helpful:
    the treat and trick for this place..
    Cosa Nostra, Malate
    Rating - 4.5 - 4.5 - 4.5 - 4.5 - 4.5
    Food - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Service - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Choose your poison?? Haha. I like that.. That's funny! =D

    Give it a second chance. I happen to like this place in Malate... one of the few good old 'rustic' malate hole-in-the-wall place that is still open. For food, have you tried their fried mozzarella? And the pizza can be ordered with a combination of 2 flavors. Well, if you're not too happy with the food, you can probably request for 'something' to be added to suit your taste bud. If they have it, I'm sure with the kind of service they got, they will gladly do it for you.

    Guess what? If you love italian with your wine. Bring your bottle. Bring a cheap table wine or better yet, the premium wine you got. You'll be charged the same amount. For a corkage fee of P100, they will nicely serve your bottle in their house wine bucket and wine glasses. Really lovely... just be sure to bring a lovely date with you too.
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  • 5 of 5 people found this helpful:
    Man, you should try their Ramen!
    Shinjuku Ramen House, Pasong Tamo
    Rating - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Food - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Service - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    This branch in Pasong Tamo seems like the newest restaurant among their 3 branches. The interior is nicely done. Very modern and clean.

    I tried the Man Ten Ramen.. as it was suggested by the waiter. The regular bowl is BIG! It comes with generous servings of ramen in a thick-base soup, a crab stick, prawns, baby corn, black mushrooms, and i remember seeing some bits of pork (or chicken) in it.

    I was so hungry when I walked in this restaurant. Waiters act fast to serve guests and were knowledgeable of their menu. They were very attentive to my needs. I didn't wait long for that delicious ramen.

    It was the perfect place and the best treat to silence my grumbling stomach!!!
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  • 3 of 4 people found this helpful:
    Oh MY! OHMI WAGYU STEAK!
    Tsukiji Restaurant, Pasay Rd.
    Rating - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Food - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Service - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Ambiance - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Value - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Food
    - Love Love Love the Wagyu Ohmi Sirloin Steak!!!
    - The ebi tempura..
    - Mackerel isn't a thing I would usually call for if I do the ordering.. but their Shime Saba is the best I've tried!

    Service - fine dining indeed! The basics are offered even before you can ask.. very attentive yet unobtrusive.

    Ambiance - Very neat.. though I personally find some other Japanese restaurants' more low profile, busy yet cozy ambiance do increases my appetite more.

    Value - the best Japanese food I've tried. I'd love to go back..again and again. But, my C-A-S-H!!! Don't forget to bring your credit card.. and don't be surprised when you see your billing statement!

    I would reserve it for special occasions.. Good things doesn't come cheap! =)
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  • 4 of 4 people found this helpful:
    Remembering Josephine..
    Josephine Restaurant, Tagaytay
    Rating - 4.25 - 4.25 - 4.25 - 4.25 - 4.25
    Food - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Service - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Josephine.. who's gone to Tagaytay and never tried this restaurant?

    When i was younger, I remember this as a restaurant we would frequent with my family... once upon a time when the horses were still strong, healthy and massive in Picnic Grove.

    Even the branch in Manila was patronized by my parents. It was good.. til they expanded to Manila and eventually closed their branches.. maybe due to labor problems..? I duno for sure.

    When they opened again, it's gotten better. A LOT BETTER.. Place is bigger and finely done.. fancy looking place now. Looks like it was built for functions. More servers. More food choices. All finer details improved without the high price tag.

    It's the place to go to with the family. Big groups would swamp this place... Despite the enormous dining area, i find it always packed and have to wait to be seated!

    Who would forget the cool wind and the view of Taal from here..? Most people would've probably seen it from here. They deserve the award.. The write-up is true about this place.

    It's been awhile since the last chow. I wonder how it's like to eat there now..
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  • 2 of 2 people found this helpful:
    My Little Japanese Gold Mine
    Little Tokyo, Makati
    Rating - 4.75 - 4.75 - 4.75 - 4.75 - 4.75
    Food - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Service - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Little Tokyo is not really a restaurant.. it's better!! It's what I call a gold mine of delicious japnooks. It's a compound of small Japanese restaurants and bars.

    I love the place and I didn't want to share the info to keep it free from getting crowded.. but it's gotta be tried.. (i'm starting to feel the guilt of being selfish).

    Inside Little Tokyo are bunch of restaurants and bars that serve good jap comfort food & drinks like ramen, sushi, makis and of course, sake. Some are like a small reading room with a collection of manga comics. Others are woody japanese dining place with sushi bar and booths that provides a cozy private space. It's nothing fancy really.. I just love this place because of it's diversity. So many choices... Yummy 'authentic' Japanese treats to unearth!!!

    Japanese frequent this mine.. i'd like to think that the food is close to authentic as you can get.

    Gems Inside Little Tokyo:
    Niko-Niko Tei
    Noda Sho
    Hana
    Kagura
    Urameshi-ya
    Oishinbo - my favorite!!! =)

    Outside Little Tokyo: (section that's more famous)
    Seryna
    Fuji Health
    Yamazaki
    Shinjuku
    Kiku Fuji
    Sekitori

    Told 'ya its a GOLD MINE!!!
    More stories on each one next time! ;P
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  • 4 of 4 people found this helpful:
    A walk into Angel's Kitchen...
    Angel's Kitchen, San Juan
    Rating - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Food - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Service - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Ambiance - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Value - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    A walk into Angel's kitchen is like walking into a relaxing haven that's simple yet elegant...minimalist finely done. Lighting is perfect with the neat furnishing. Ambiance is perfect for a date, family gathering, friends get-together or a business meeting.

    Food is like home-style cooking deliciously served with a twist... i tried and loved the taste of Pinakbet Rice with Lechon Kawali (with it's real crispy and tender meat, it's good for a vegan's cheat treat) and Chocolate Bagoong. This is REAL GOOD!!

    The Crispy Steamed John Dory Fish Fillet with shiitake mushroom is perfect for fish lovers... it's served with a cup of rice, but the dish portioning can be shared by 3.

    Serving is bigger than my big appetite.. For P800, a group of 3 would leave with a satisfied tummy and maybe a doggy bag to bring home.

    I only tried these 2 dishes.. will definitely go back to try their other specialties!
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  • 3 of 3 people found this helpful:
    No kidding!!! This place deserves a 5 star!
    Chefs' Quarter, Robinson Place Manila
    Rating - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Food - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Service - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    I finally got to try Chef's Quarter... a nice restaurant surrounded by glass outside Robinsons Place. A fine dining place in Malate... It may look expensive.. reserved only for special occasions. That's how nice the place is.. many may feel intimidated but it's what makes it such a gem. A place I wouldn't mind going to Manila for... reserved only to those who believe they deserve the best in dining.

    Seeing 5 stars in reviews that I've read made me think 'Whoa! is it really that good??' Maybe overrated.. It took me awhile to try it.. but a big regret. I see now I've been missing a lot in those times I just past through it.

    It such a wonderful and delicious dining experience..I just had to share it!

    Let's start w/ the salad.. Tessie Tomas was a BIG delightful surprise! Fresh veggies topped w/ thin slices of salmon and big roasted prawns. We split it into two and the serving was still perfect for each others big appetite!!! Perfect portioning and perfect combination of quality seafood and greens!!

    For main course, we had the lamb shank. I love lamb shank over lamb chops..and would order shank when i see it offered in restaurants. With all those I've tried so far, this is the best I've feasted on! Tender and delicious meat cooked w/ the best sauce I've ever tasted w/ lamb shank. It is also paired w/ perfectly cooked and tasty risotto. For a typical Asian's food intake, this dish is meant for sharing!

    The complimentary red wine I got.. perfect with the lamb shank!!!

    *Ambiance - just look at it when you pass by RP, obviously 5 star!
    *Service - perfect execution of attentive yet unobtrusive service!
    *Food - delicious!
    *Price - the best value you can find in the country!

    No kidding!!! This place deserves a 5 star.

    *I was thinking the reviews might be bogus given the 5stars.. I couldn't help clinking all the reviews as useful after realizing all those written reviews would honestly describe chef's quarter.

    I seldom give a 5 star and I hope everything I mentioned here (food quality and standard) would be maintained or I will erase this review! =P
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  • Wake-up Call for Mr. Gerry
    Gerry's Grill, Banawe
    Rating - 0.25 - 0.25 - 0.25 - 0.25 - 0.25
    Food - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1
    Service - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
    Ambiance - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
    Value - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
    I've been patronizing Gerry's since they opened in T. Morato years ago. I love their scallops, the crunchy sisig, the bulalo steak, the kare-kare.. so many filipino food I remember salivating for.

    Unfortunately, I spend my last birthday in this branch since it was a stormy night and my family wanted to dine somewhere near..plus my dad wanted to eat crispy pata.

    It was a big disappointment!!! I thought it was just an isolated case...

    Every detail m.jim mentioned is so true! I hated my last experience there.. I wish I didn't celebrate my birthday at all. Waste of money and time to be going out braving the storm for such a lousy service, noisy dining area (banging of utensils and waiters talking are causing irritating noise than guests talking among themselves and the a/c has been our problem too when we were seated at the 2nd floor.. we requested for it to be adjusted but they have no way since they reasoned 'naka set na ng ganun' yet nobody even tried adjusting it so I had to stand and do it myself!!!), and not so good cold food.

    I hope Gerry would look into this...

    Never going back to this restaurant. Maybe I can consider other branches, but honestly, Gerry's would be the last restaurant I'll think of after the experience. I wouldn't want to be wasting money like that again.

    This branch tainted Gerry's good name. I hope he gets to read this and do something about it.

    1 star for food..coz of my fond memories of Gerry's good food. But service, ambiance, and value for me is worse than 0! Such a bad experience to be of any value.
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  • 2 of 2 people found this helpful:
    Oldies But Goodies!
    La Scala Cafe, Malate
    Rating - 3.75 - 3.75 - 3.75 - 3.75 - 3.75
    Food - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Service - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Ambiance - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Value - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    There's actually no need to -n/a- the prices in the menu. At first, I was thinking... yikes, this must be an expensive place to dine. But no... Don’t be scared to try, the food is reasonably priced. I remember paella that's good for sharing at P500+ and beef salpicao less than P300. We paid for P800+ for 2.

    Prepare for the distinct 'smell of antique' as you walk in the 2nd level of La Scala, where 95% of their (owners) Dad's vintage collection is displayed. Once you walk in, you'll see several glass covered display of those stuff. I saw a cool 'working' jukebox (lucky for coin collectors, bring some old coins to play it!), a gramophone, coca-cola memorabilia, san miguel old wooden signage, an old bell & howell motion picture projector, matchbox-like truck cigarette lighters, and a lot of cool vintage trinkets!!! On the walls, you see a huge collection of LPs dating back from the 40's. There are 2 function rooms that also display more collection.

    Wow... in an era of cheaper and more technologically advance digital media, how i wish 'Dad' will play the LPs in his Gramophone...and listen to the original sound of classic crooners like Frank Sinatra and other '19-kopong-pong' singers. I can only imagine how nice an experience it would be if so...

    Food, Wine & Service:

    * Food menu and lay-out (of the list) can still be improved suitable for fine-dining restaurant or like that of their website.
    * Availability of food (listed in the menu) should be more consistent. It can be disheartening to hear 'not available' when you find something you want to try from looking at the menu.
    * Wine list can still be improved. This place is perfect to carry better quality wines and liquors. It will suit the woody ambiance and character of this ‘oldies but goodies’ place.
    * Servers are very accommodating and warm, but they can still be trained to achieve a higher, more elegant standard of service to attract even nitpicking wealthy senior guests.

    Over-all, this place is quite a find (reminds me of the good 'ol Malate days!). Very unique and interesting... with a bit of refinement in service and food presentation, this can be a unique 5-star restaurant cafe and music bar!

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  • 4 of 5 people found this helpful:
    Why I love Chocolate Kiss...
    The Chocolate Kiss Cafe, UP Diliman
    Rating - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Food - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Service - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3
    Ambiance - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
    Value - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5
    Chocolate Kiss has been a favorite of mine since they opened years ago... This cafe is located inside the UP campus, in Bahay ng Alumni. They occupy a space at the ground floor and at the 2nd floor. I see they have been slowly expanding since then...
    *(wow... munchpunch, I’ve gone there many times but I didn't know they have a special menu exclusive only to g/f or the 2/f - thanks for the info!)

    I've never been disappointed since the first time I tried it back in college days. Of course at first, when they were still starting out, it was considered the only 'matinong' (close to upscale dining) restaurant/cafe inside the campus; and only a handful of 'scholars' can afford to dine there... Professors, alumni and writers finally had a place to hangout and dine comfortably, who would complain right? So service wasn't why people go there nor was it of good standard as it is now.

    From appetizer to dessert... food is good here. I love their fresh tomato soup, the pasta puttanesca, the eggplant parmigiana (I know... I love tomatoes!) They have a lot of desserts to choose from. The breakfast meals are a great way to replenish those burned calories after a morning jog.

    *This you should try at least once - go for a morning jog at the field beside Bahay ng Alumni – breathe the closest to fresh air you can get in the city. And as you run, feel the rush of air and let it brush against your skin, seeing the green field and blue sky in a blur... a moment of transcendence...and a satisfying healthy feeling to prepare you for the day isn't it?

    What better way to cap it off than a hearty breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee! This is why, on top of being a good cafe, I love and will keep going back to Chocolate Kiss.

    *By the way, when you order coffee, don't be shy to ask for that 2nd fill! ;D
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