Flapping Time at Flapjacks

It all started last Sunday while hearing mass. The priest was going about his homily when I look up and see this FLAPJACKS poster hanging from a lamp post. I was already hungry, and that poster made me hungrier.

Right after the mass, I dragged Mom to the said restaurant which seemed to be God's gift to my hungry stomach. Mom's very picky with her food, she likes the very basic stuff and isn't very much into the fancy shmancy ones. She doesn't eat American, Greek, and other food which has too much in them. But when we saw the menu and the Vigan Longganisa, I knew it was game on!

I loved the interior's cool colors. It was soothing to the eyes. And like any typical American diner, it has the usual graffitti on the walls. We sat on the couch and it was really comfortable. And a cool plus was WIFI!



And don't make a fuss out of this. But when I used their banyo, I liked it a lot! It was ORANGE - my fave color! And it was clean, like you could lick off the sink or something. Restaurants with well-maintained restrooms should be given two-thumbs up!


Anyway on to the food. Mom ordered the Vigan Longganisa. She was particularly excited about this because she hasn't had longganisa in a long time.

It looked really good. But you see, here's the problem when you know a certain food's authentic taste. Remember my blog about the bagnet? It's all about being ILOKANO! We get Vigan Longganisa straight from the makers way up north. So we know it's the real deal even when you blindfold us.

Mind you, it is longganisa, just not from Vigan. There's no salty twang to it. No oil which makes it tastier. It's a bit disappointing. Good thing Mom was really hungry so she ate the entire plate. She told me if she weren't THAT hungry she won't even touch it.

On the other side of the table, there I was enjoying and having fun with my super Cheesy Mushroom Burger! It reminded me of the Mushroom Burger of Burger King. I loved it because the juices were dripping off the sides, and it was (sorry to steal KFC's tagline and for my lack of originality) finger-licking good! :D I loved the cheese!!!!! The fries with the Heinz ketchup was just a bonus to this meal! Loved, loved, loved this!


I'd give this a 6 out of 10. Food-wise we did encounter some slight problems, but ambiance-wise it was relaxed. :) But that burger sure was memorable, if I were to come back to Flapjacks, I'd definitely be having that again! :)

Flapjacks Greenbelt 2
Greenbelt 2, Greenbelt
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center, Makati
729-9121

Cyma: Perfect Way to Cap Off The Week

There are some statements about food I regret saying too soon. I said before I don't like Thai food but ended up going to one particular Thai restaurant more than thrice already.

Then there's Greek food. I said, "Me. No. Likey!". But then last payday Friday, Trency wanted Greek, so off we went to Eastwood Mall to chomp on Greek food in CYMA. Since I knew nothing about Greek food I had to check out their website and look at their menu for something familiar. Good thing I saw a lot of meat..so it was safe!

If there is one thing I thank for having a group that's dead set on consuming good food is that it has opened my eyes..and taste buds..to a wider variety.

Anyway got there earlier than the rest, and thank God for early reservations! I sat all by my lonesome for about an hour. So what's a lone blogger to do but take pictures of the place.




I love how informative their menu was. There was a short history, a map, and pictures of Greece. It made the feel very authentic. And I also liked the statement from CYMA Executive Chef, Robby Goco.
"When the raw products are of such flawless quality, as they are at CYMA, covering them up with sauces and forceful flavours is exactly what should not be done. CYMA prides itself on its delicious food - the idea is perfect simplicity. To preserve each ingredient's distinct flavour and nutritional value. Why interfere with what nature has already mastered?"

Seriously after reading that, I felt all my Greek food inhibitions disappear. There was so much power in Chef Goco's words. All I had to do was wait for the gang to arrive and order. My eyes, stomach and mind were already focused on one thing - Lamb Gyro!

Trency arrived first, and as always hungry. So we started ordering like there was no tomorrow. Here's what we had, first stop was Roka Salata. I'm not a veggie person, and if there's salad, the only thing I'd eat is Caesar's Salad. But Trency said this was her family's favorite. Aside from the veggies, it had nuts and I think cheese (Quezo de Bola type).

Then we had this totally awesome appetizer which will blow you away. Saganakai - Mozarella. Served like this:

Yep FIRE! It was so cool because the servers all had to yell OPA! Whatever that meant! The effect was definitely worth screaming OPA over and over! After all the fire tricks, it looked like this. Served on a sizzling plate, the mozzarella cheese was so good with the white, soft, buttered bread that comes along with it! I am such a sucker for all things cheesy! :)

For our main course we had Pork Souvlaki with pita bread. The pita was really good, but the pork was a bit hard. I remember Trency complaining about it. But it sure was tasty!

We also had pasta because no one ordered the famed kouskous. This was the Angel Hair Baby Clams. There was more clams than pasta.

And this was the motherload, for me anyway! Lamb Gyro! You see, Gyro made CYMA famous. Although their best seller was the Chicken Gyro, I just had to have LAMB! What's so cool about this was when I ordered, the server, Kuya Jerwin, said they ran out of Gyro. I think he saw the distraught look on my face, and he said he'd have it specially done for me! Hooray! And it did not disappoint. It made me remember my LU experience - LAMB on Rigatoni! Seems like lamb is the way to go! Uber yummy! And no lamby after-taste.

Since we all felt so grown up, and since it was Trency's belated birthday treat, Amanda and Mike capped off our gluttony with WINE. Yes, WINE complete with the chilled glasses! We all felt very chic! Mike and Amanda nrought the White Zinfandel from California. And this bottle came along with a little trivia: Claudine Barretto allegedly bought all the stock of this little sucker (in some wine depot) because it was THAT GOOD!




But being the beer drinker, my taste buds did not conform with the supposedly good taste of the White Zinfandel. On a good day, I'd still have beer.

My first Greek experience was not traumatizing after all. And this teaches me to taste first before saying something. CYMA you made my first Greek food trip totally exciting. Really good food! :) Can't wait to try out the other entrees from CYMA! Now if I could just drag Mom to a CYMA store, that would solve it.

Oh and if in CYMA Eastwood Mall, look for Jerwin, our server. He was the best! You'd see him present in some of the photos in this blog. He was the one holding the Saganaki and the one pouring wine in Mike's glass. He was just so cool. He even took pictures of us using Trency's brand spanking new Canon 550D. He will make your time at CYMA a great time! :)

CYMA Eastwood is located at the 2nd floor of the new Eastwood Mall in Libis, Quezon City. Call them at 709-1955.

To know more about CYMA and its other branches simply visit their website at www.cymarestaurants.com.

Remember to have your seats reserved. Having reservations usually mean a quicker way to get a seat and a server! :)

New Food Trip: Peri-Peri Grill House

Bez and I can't seem to get over each other that we met up for the 3rd time this week. This is a major feat for us since I already transferred to Cainta last month. Funny because she was in Greenhills waiting for the traffic situation along EDSA to improve, and since it was just near my usual route home, we met up. I had to wait out the traffic as well, so spontaneous date was at The Promenade.

The usual noshers that we are, she wanted to go back to Peri-Peri Grill House to eat. I was excited because this was a new food haunt for me.

Trency said that the place looked different already. The last time she ate there was 3 years ago, and they have improved the look of the place. Cool addition to the restaurant was WIFI! I absolutely love establishments with free wifi..agree with me on this! :)

And so the starving Trency ordered the same food I did: Peri Chicken Combo 1. A delightful 1/4 chicken platter with 2 side dishes. Trency's side dishes were Jave Rice and Buttered Corn and Carrots. For me, I had the French Fries and Buttered Corn and Carrots.


Besides the free gravy that comes along with your dish, there are other condiments you could try to make the chicken flavor come alive! Just choose from any of these 3 Peri-Peri sauces - Hot Peri-Peri Sauce, some oily sauce thing, and Mild Peri-Peri Sauce. :)

The chicken was really good! Since it's grilled, it's supposedly healthier than deep-fried. The meat was really tender and full of flavor. Something I'd recommend to chicken addicts out there. :)

The only thing I didn't like about the restaurant was its confined space. We stayed outside, but when I went in to use the bathroom, I got confused. Upon entering, to the left there was this huge mirror that reflected the other side. So you'd think there was an extension. Sure mirrors are used to make something look bigger than it actually seems. But I just found their use of mirrors weird and unnecessary. Pictures below are from Click The City.



They don't have service charge, so if they please you with their service and out of the kindness of your hearts, give 'em a little something. We didn't have problems when we were there, except that the server forgot my french fries.

Come to Peri-Peri Grill House if you want fantabulous chicken! They have other stuff on the menu that looked really enticing. Just be prepared to pay up, it's a little pricey. But I guess it's worth it, cos the food was good anyway. :)

Peri-Peri Grill House
G/F Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan
725-5270
Visit their website at http://www.periperigrill.com/

Happy Birthday Bez!! :)

Last Sunday night I get a late-night call from Trency telling me to sleepover at her house on Monday night. She wanted us to make salubong her birthday which was today (August 10) at their Rockwell condo. Excitedly, I said yes.

Despite having menstrual cramps, a very painful wrist (no thanks to carpal tunnel syndrome), and back pains (again, no thanks to my foam-less bed), I happily drove to Rockwell after work. The happy birthday salubong plan was beer, sosyal (posh) pulutan (beer chow), and movies.

It was so weird, because of all the times I've gone on a drinking session, the usual suspects were greasy peanuts, greasy barbecue, sisig, and anything with oil and grease that is known to man! But last night, this drinking session called for beer chow that even the Zobel de Ayala's might partake of.

Here's the lowdown: 3 kinds of fromage (cheese), assorted nuts (almonds, pecans, and the like), cold cuts, and assorted crackers. All of those partnered with Gilbey's Premium Strength (DEFINITELY NOT for men only!) and Tanduay Ice.


We also watched Aladdin, just so we could feel like kids again! :D

At the stroke of midnight, we went up to their condo's terrace to officially welcome in the 10th of August and Trency's 24th birthday. Wishing her all the happiness in the world, we let her blow her ESPERMA candle. Sorry, we all forgot to bring a real birthday candle! :p


As for Trency's cakes, we had sugarless, flour-less chocolate cake and Heaven on Earth. All from Starbucks. The Heaven on Earth was so good, we ate it before I had the chance to take a photo of it.

It was a great night, a great way to celebrate yet another year of endless possibilities, another year to grow! But we all had to retire early (at 2.30am) because we all have certain responsibilities today. We didn't even finish the 2nd movie (The Boat That Rocked).

So Trency, my one and only bez, happy, happy, happy birthday! We love you so much! Always remember we're here for you. And I know we were talking about this while you were washing the dishes, how hard life is now that we're adults, but I know you can get through anything. I wish you luck in your interior design endeavors, I know you can do it. I wish for you to have more theater stints, so we can all watch you act in your plays with pride only true friends could do. Amanda may not have been there last night, but I'm pretty sure, she'll wish you well. We may not have a love life right now, but I'm sure you'll find that right guy someday.

Love you bez! Happy birthday! *hugs* :)

Cats: Now and Forever

After almost a year of waiting, we finally got to attend the Jellicle Ball last Saturday (Aug.7). Thanks to Citibank's promo, Mom was able to buy discounted tickets. Along with two of Mom's friends, we excitedly met up at the Cultural Center of the Philippines for the matinee show.

Unfortunately since I came from a late-Friday-night thing, I was so tired and sleepy, there were parts I fell asleep in. I know, sorry! But I couldn't stand it any longer. But during those times I was wide awake, I was AWED by the dance numbers. The cast had some SERIOUSLY WICKED routines, and to top it all off, they had to SING while dancing. I just have to salute the cast members for their endurance.

I also loved how the cats interacted with the people. It was sorta creepy because their make-up actually looked like that of a clown. But it was so cool how they went around the theater to get cozy with the audience. And they also acted like real cats. It was so funny to see them "clean" themselves like how real cats do it, how they jump around on stage. They were in-character for almost 3 hours! I was getting tired just by watching them!

And then of course, there was Ms. Lea Salonga. Her voice, as usual, was perfectly clear. But I have to say she the most un-cat-like. Unlike her co-cast members who looked like they were possessed by cats, Lea looked like a human in cat costume. She played Grizabella, a Jellicle cat who left the group to search for something better. She tries to come back, but gets shunned by the other Jellicle cats. Thanks to her rendition of Memory, it made her stint with CATS memorable. But I'd have to say that the other cast members overpowered her usual dominant acting and singing capabilities. I think she should stick to Ms. Saigon. :)

Watching CATS was just like watching a song and dance number, except 10 million times more explosive. My gosh, the energy was just so high. Too bad it didn't rub off on me. And maybe because I was busy dozing off in some parts, I missed the plot of the musical. But according to Mom, it really didn't have a story. It was just like they wanted to prove that CATS were like humans in a way. So the dance and song numbers were all smoke and mirrors to cover up the lack of story.

Andrew Lloyd Webber must have been seriously hooked to T.S. Eliot's, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. They say that this is the longest running musical, starting off with West End in 1981.

Hopefully you guys were able to grab yourselves a ticket, heard it sold like pancakes. Since it was such a big hit here, they extended it for 2 more weeks. By any chance they're still selling tickets, click on Ticketnet and get a chance to witness the Jellicle Ball. :)

This Is Starting To Annoy The Crap Out of Me!

I wasn't an active Twitter user. But the past few days have been somewhat laidback in the office, so it was the perfect time to catch up with those people I've been following. But there is just one thing that has started to annoy the crap out of me, and I'm sure those who have Twitter accounts could relate to this:

Every time you look at someone's Twitter page or refresh your own homepage, this freagen thing comes out! I first saw this at Chico Garcia's Strange Fruit blog entry, but I didn't really care. But now that I've been using my Twitter account again, it's been crazy annoying. The first time I thought it was cute, seeing the whale being lifted from the sea by a flock of birds. But now, it's like a virus alert on brand spanking new Macbook!

Is this how cramped our net space is already? Must be cramped as hell! I think that's how much junk there is in the world wide web nowadays. It's like people in the shanties. They start building their homes in an empty, vacant lot. It's just one or two houses, but before you know it, it's an entire community, multiplying by 5 dozen every two minutes. And it's not just the squatting families, it's the dirt and trash that contribute to the pollution.

The problem lies in control. Once they've squatted on that land, they think it's theirs even if you slap that piece of paper that tell them it's yours and you have the right to make them leave. Similar to the net, people just keep inputting, downloading, uploading stuff to the net. It's cramped, crowded, overpopulated. And it's hard to tell people to go away.

And I think I'm part of that. How ironic! (sarcastic laughter in the background)

Lovin' Gino's Eats and Beats, LU, and Trency

One of my bestest friends in the world, Trency, is single..uhhh just like MOI! The other bestest friend in the world, Amanda, is quite busy with the boyfriend, so she's usually MIA (missing in action). My point in saying this is that most of the time it's just the two of us getting together on pseudo dates, spending moolah on great food! :) Here's an account of what me and Trency have been up to recently, starting with the recent food haunt I have found heaven in.

Presenting, Gino's Eats & Beats, THE place to eat in when craving for really good food that's well within your budget. I've read really good reviews in this place, so I thought I'd experience it first-hand. And oh my God did it not disappoint!

We ordered three meals: The Greatest Salpicao, Chicken in Mushroom Sauce, and the Pork BBQ Platter. Photos are in order. :)



Every bite I took from these three dishes warranted "mmm", or "ang sarap" (delicious!) comments, all with 5 million exclamation points. It even came to a point where Trency had to calm me down after every bite! I can't remember the last time I ate really, really tender meat in a restaurant! Gino's proved to me that you can still have tender meat away from home. While I was chewing on these mighty meaty meals, I swear, I wanted to cry in delight. It was just too good to be true.

My favorite would have to be the chicken in mushroom sauce. This was gone as soon as the waiter put the dish down. Trency and I wanted to lick the sauce off the plate. It was creamy, not too thick, and really, really tasty. And they're very generous with the sauce I must say. The super tender chicken was covered with it's creamy goodness. And they also had a generous serving of mushrooms. If there is one thing I got from my mom's vegetable-eating habits, it would be her love of mushrooms! :)

I'm not a big fan of salpicao, mainly because of the garlic they use as garnish. But this salpicao kept me going at it until there was no more. Although it was swimming in oil, the dish was full of flavor. And like I said the meat was soft and easy to chew on, so it's still highly recommendable.

Lastly, the pork BBQ. My oh my! This was a surprise. I love the barbecue from Amber's Best (the one near Cash & Carry in Makati), so I usually compare other barbecues with it, and the others aren't usually at par with Amber's. But Gino's pork BBQ, in its own right, is beyond comparison. For me, a good BBQ should be marinated for about a day (or longer), so that the meat absorbs the juices, and it should be cooked just right. For me, BBQ that's been overcooked loses its taste and hardens the meat. And it seems like Gino's has perfected the craft of BBQ-making! Two-thumbs up!! :)

Gino's Eats & Beats, makes a good hang out place. It's small and cozy with good acoustics. They play music blasting on two humongous speakers. Not too loud though. You and your friends could still hear each other perfectly. And they also have this huge-ass flat screen TV hanging by the see-through kitchen, which shows other meals from the resto.



Trency had something to say about the interiors though. The colors are light green and white, soft to the eyes, but definitely not an all-around color. It would be nice in the morning, but at night, it makes the place look a little weird. They had yellow pin lights which went against the green color.

Oh! And the menu, is a bit disconcerting. I arrived earlier than Trency so I had more time reading the menu. It was weird that the desserts came early in the menu, and you just can't seem to find what you're looking for. I don't know. Maybe it was just us. Why don't you tell us about your rendezvous with their menu when you get to hit Gino's! :)

And one cool thing about this place is that the owner, Gino, seems to be very hands-on. He even served us our menu, and fixed the tables. He was with a group of friends, and it was quite funny and humbling to see the owner eating while standing up. Really cool Gino!

Next stop, was LU. Yep, I'm back, just as I promised! Last time I ate here was when I treated Mom for Father's Day. I just had to try out other dishes at this restaurant!

So on that fateful day, Trency and I ordered their Truffled Mac and Cheese, Mexican Frites, and the notorious DiabLU!

It was funny because Trency and I were the only girl group in the restaurant that night. Most of the customers were couples, business people, and other groups, but they ordered the dainty dishes in little plates. But NOT FOR US! The mac and cheese was just fine, but when the Mexican Frites came by, the others started looking! Sorry dudes, but we LOVE our meat!! :)

I have never eaten mac and cheese that smelled so damn good. And I have not eaten mac and cheese in a sosyal kind of way. LU redefines your concept of the ole mac and cheese, with their truffles, and rich, tasty cheese. No umay factor for this creamy dish! Highly recommended to creamy, cheesy, pasta addicts! I'm sure you won't get enough of this! :)

After a few minutes and stories to share, this is what became of our meal: an empty bowl, and an empty wooden platter. Who says girls can't have man-sized meals? :)

Oh! And the DiaLU is a must-try for those who love alcohol. I loved how the mint went well with the alcoholic concoction. It was more like a spiked mint slush, very refreshing! A very nice way to end the meal. And the alcohol wasn't too strong. For alcoholics just like us, get the DiabLU, and you'll never be sorry!

This is how Trency and I roll. We love good food, and we know where to get it! If this blog enticed you to come on over to the beautiful city of Makati, I suggest you give these glorious restaurants a call. Both these restaurants are just small, and since they're becoming quite popular, they get filled up easily. Reservations are a MUST! So grab that phone and make your reservations!! :)

Gino's Eats & Beats
G/F Valdecon Building, 20 Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati City
Tel No.519-1272
Cellphone No. 0917 885-6969

LU
G/F Joya Bldg., Joya Drive, Rockwell, Makati City
Tel No. 403-3991