Sumo Goodness at Sumo Sam!

Mom have been raving about this restaurant ever since she ate here with a friend she treated to before she left for the US. She said it was really good, a bit pricey, but good! For us, as long as the food's really good, spending a few extra bucks is worth it! Plus Mom and I are huge fans of Japanese food, especially Mom who is ADDICTED to Miso soup!

Sumo Sam is also one of Marvin Agustin's (actor turned restaurateur) babies. In Greenbelt, BFF Trency and I have tried eating at Marciano's.

So last Sunday, after hearing Mass and before watching No Other Woman, we decided to eat at Sumo Sam's newly opened store at Greenbelt 3. It was small but cozy, and the interiors were so bright. They had drawings of sumo wrestlers on the walls, and it reminded me of the anime drawings over at the Ramen Bar!

So here's what we ordered. Of course Mom had her favorite Miso Soup which they served piping hot!

She also had Beef Teppanyaki Don. She said she liked because the beef was tender.

On the other hand, I had my favorite Katsudon. It was really good, and it made me miss other favorite Katsudon over at World Topps in Valero Street, Salcedo Village.

I loved how Sumo Sam have HUGE and generous servings! If you're hungry, this is the perfect place to load up! Check out their menu for other dishes. They've got lots of other stuff to choose from.


Sumo Sam
3rd Floor, Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No. 903-0847

Mother-Daughter QT @ Banana Leaf

Mom had been really, really stressed the past couple of weeks. She was working on a project on a souvenir program for a glee club's upcoming anniversary benefit concert, so she had been writing non-stop and coordinating stuff with the people in-charge.

So when she finally had the chance to breath, she told she wanted to just go out and have a nice dinner with me. So on a nice Wednesday night, Mom and I met up in Greenbelt 3 to look around for a nice place to eat.

Our quest for a nice dinner took us to Banana Leaf, a Thai restaurant in Greenbelt 5. I've eaten here a couple of times before, and have really nothing against the food. But of course nothing beats the real-deal Thai food in another restaurant in Rockwell.

We were both hungry so we sorta ordered a lot. So we had the usual star of any Thai meal - Pad Thai (Thai Style).

It was semi-hot, although I would've preferred it to be a bit high up there on the spice level. It was freshly cooked, and the hotness went really well with the slight twang of the calamansi.

We also ordered my favorite, Deep Fried Pandan Chicken.

It's always fun unwrapping the chicken from underneath those woven pandan leaves. Plus those leaves always gave the chicken this great aroma making it even more enticing to the palate. The chicken meat was soft and cooked just right. It was perfect just the way it is you don't need to dip in the sauce that comes with it.

New to our usual Thai fare was the Thai Style Marinated Pork.

Just a little note, when they say Thai style it's a bit spicy. But since I've been sort of accustomed to really SPICY food, I was slightly disappointed with their spice level. But this pork dish was good, meat was easy to cut-up into tiny pieces because of its tenderness. And they must have really taken a lot of time in the marinating process because the meat was tasty - it must have sopped up the marinate. A must try!

And since my Mom's a vegetable fanatic we had the Stir Fried Chinese Kangkong with Sambal Sauce.

This dish was also a bit spicy, but not that much. It wasn't too salty either. Since Mom has officially joined the hypertensive club last year, she really couldn't eat salty food. But this one was particularly okay since they did a good job in not making it too salty. Whatever that sambal sauce is, it's really good! Totally recommended for those who can't live without veggies on the table!

For dessert we had the Sticky Rice with Mango.

This was a total FAILURE because we remembered it wasn't the season for mangoes. So when this arrived I took the first dibs to check on the mango, and true enough it was as sour as sour could be! But the sticky rice was good (hahaha!), not too sweet. Although the one at SOMS is better. I don't know why, maybe because of the milk they use. The milk they use at SOMS is tastier than the one in Banana Leaf.

Since we were there around dinnertime, the place was packed with yuppies and other families having dinner. But Banana Leaf's seems to have gotten the right groove because they were able to serve our orders (and the others') in a jiff! Good job!

Oh and even saw an officemate in the next table! Hello, Steph! :) She's the girl busy eating at the right-side. :p



Banana Leaf
2/F Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No. 729-3333
Website: http://www.bananaleaf.com.ph

Soho Feel @ Marciano's

Last Friday, Trency and I decided to eat out for lunch. She was resigning that day, and so she wanted to pig-out before handing over her resignation. Our growling tummies lead us to Greenbelt. At first we wanted Japanese, John and Yoko came to mind. But we were disappointed because they didn't have any seats outside. Other choices were Chili's, Mr. Jones, and Fish&Co.

After much fiasco, we ended up eating at MARCIANO'S. A restaurant in Greenbelt 3 co-owned by actor-turned-restaurant guru, Marvin Agustin. I've passed by this place a hundred times but never got a chance to try it out.


Trency and I opted to stay outside, but I still couldn't help but be amazed with the inside. It had cute chandeliers on the right side. It's like an intimate date place because they had curtains which you can pull down to give you and your date your privacy. It had a very Soho-feel to it. It's like an Upper East Side restaurant in the heart of Greenbelt.

Trency told me that they show old black-and-white movies here. Too bad they weren't showing that afternoon.

We were both so hungry since we got there at around 2pm. Upon our server's recommendation, Trency ordered their lunch special: Pork Ragout with salad and iced tea. (P228)

It took some time before it came. But the long wait was worth it as it was really, really good. Their pork was tender, really easy to chew. The sauce, gravy-like, was really tasty and totally complemented the pork and mashed potatoes. It was a great meal, and how I wish I ordered that as well. Totally recommended. :D

Here's mine: Legally Blonde pasta (penne noodles in tomato sauce, P268) and ripe mango juice (P148).



The pasta was good, with authentic tomato sauce, but the penne was undercooked, still a bit tough. But, I loved the mushrooms, and kept picking on them. And the cheese was mmmhhhmmm good!! :D The ripe mango was LOVE. It was a hot day, and it was really refreshing. A must-try.

A bit expensive for lunch. But like I said, our barkada spends a lot on food. Since I was with a great friend, I think it was all worth it! :D And it was my treat for myself after a grueling, hectic, Thursday! Great way to end the week. Thanks Trency!! :D

Marciano's
2nd Level, Greenbelt 3
729-0467