Night out at Cafe-UK Co.

I've been cutting back on my sugar intake since the year started to prepare my body for summer but when my sister told me she'd treat me to cake and tea, who am I to refuse right? (Note: My sister only treats me once in a blue moon so better take advantage of this and just pay it off with a couple more sit ups lol)

Anyway, after work and a light dinner of veggies, we went on our way to visit Cafe-UK Co. This cafe is situated at P.Noval corner Barlin St. near Rufos and is strategically located near a school so it's not a surprise that most of its loyal patrons are students.

Business is indeed blooming!

We entered the shop and is quite surprised that it is packed with people. We did managed to score a table outside. I was quite disappointed though that I didn't get to try their Ferrero Rocher cake and their Salted  caramel chocolate cake because it's already sold out. The next best option is to try their Cheesecake. I paired it with Blueberry tea. When I said Blueberry tea I was thinking of the hot drink, not the cold blended one. But I guess it's a bit my fault for letting my sister order. They must've misunderstood what I really meant. I didn't let that small issue bother my night though. It was a clear crisp night and all I could think of was that, "The night is young and so are we". We took a couple of pictures to put in my blog and oh Wi-Fi is readily available in this cafe. You just have to hand your gadget over to the counter so they could type in the password for you. After a couple of minutes, my Blueberry blended tea arrived. 

It looks and tastes like Starbucks' frappe. I was really hoping for a warm drink that night because of the cold weather.

We had to wait a couple more minutes for the other orders to arrive. When it did, I was actually impressed with the Cheesecake's plating. It was an added bonus for me because I like that my food appeals to my eyes as well as my palate. So good job to the one who did the presentation. They also added a whip cream-apple with cherry on top presentation at the side of the Cheesecake topped with whipped cream. I was watching Master Chef Season 4 the week before so I kind of want to raise the bar for the food I eat (kind of imitating the way Chef Gordon Ramsay judges a food) so I took a whiff of the cake before I put it all in my gob. It tasted really mild, the cheese not overpowering the sugar and vice versa. It's like a gentle swing. And it's not nakakaumay, mind you. the whipped cream is also light and fluffy and it really compliments the cake itself. It's really a treat to behold. The Blueberry drink tasted OK for me. I was still a bit bummed for not getting a warm drink but hey, it wasn't that bad! I do hope that they'd put in real Blueberries instead of the syrup.

Doesn't this look appetizing? I really love their plating! <3

My sister on the other hand ordered a Spicy Tuna sandwich and Solomon's tea. They sandwich had hefty portions of tuna that when you lift it off the plate, some would ooze out. It's filled to the brim! It also has lettuce, cheese and pickles and a bag of  Lays. The portions are hefty. Super sulit! I personally like the tuna filling as it is not that spicy and definitely not dry. The bread also added a nice crunch to every bite. Her drink on the other hand is not your ordinary iced lemon tea. There is definitely a hint of orange zest in it. 

This serving is supposed to be for one person only but we ended up sharing it. We didn't even get to finish this!

We stayed for a bit because we were taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi and of course updating my PZV2 game (lol). I had to use the Powder room before we leave and was pleasantly surprised that it is air conditioned. It's freezing inside! When I washed my hands I can definitely feel my hands turning blue hahaha. What also caught my eye is that they have a bookshelf with actual readble books! Next time, I'll be staying inside to take advantage of the books available. They also have this UK inspired wall decorations. And I'm just getting at the best part because they put an Ipad at each table! Isn't it amazing?

The verdict: 

Place- 4/5 i'll give it a 5 if my stay next time (inside) will also be a good experience

Food- 4/5 Just 'cos they got my drink wrong. I'm definitely making it clear next time

Service- 5/5 The staff were friendly and they assisted me with everything I need. No complaints here!

So will I go back here? I definitely am! I got lot of things I want to try on their menu and my boyfriend and I are sucker for sweet treats. Cheers!

Subway's Wow Sulit sub Rave Review

If you're tired and done of eating at the same fastfood resto over and over again, then Subway has a better and fresh approach to your routinary meals. For only 69php, you get to enjoy a 6 inch (15 cm) Spicy italian sub which normally costs 130php. talk about savings! Not only that, you can always guarantee the freshness of your food because it is made right in front of you. I personally tried this promotion at their Shopwise Cubao branch and got my personalized sandwich in a jiffy (Kudos to their well-trained and professional staff). To start off, you have to choose the bread they will be using on your sandwich. they have 4 choices but I only remember 2 (sorry), Parmesan Oregano and Wheat. I chose the Parmesan Oregano for my bread and they stuffed it with the spicy Italian ham. Next, they asked me to choose the toppings for the bread. I chose tomatoes, onions, pickles and lettuce. As for the dressing, I asked them for their bestseller ( I believe it was a garlic type of sauce). They even heated the bread to make it a bit crunchy on the outside and warm on the inside.

I had a very satisfying lunch I might say. This promo only runs until March 28, 2014 so if I were you, I'd take advantage of it every now and then. 

Get 'em while you can! 

The verdict: 

Place- 4/5 because of the limited space they have. But hey, the food's awesome so...

Food- 5/5 I love the sandwich they prepared. I'll be trying their Egg Mayo soon.

Service- 5/5 The staff were friendly and they assisted me with everything I need. No complaints here!

So if I'm asked whether I'll go back or not, I definitely will. I'm already urging my boyfriend to spend one of our lunch or dinner dates there. 

My quick Korean food fix at Seoulia

Well hello there! This weather is really taking its toll on me. It's making me crave for something hot and filling. One thing that came to my mind is of course, to eat. And right about now, I'm craving Korean :) Here's my Seoulia experience.

Seoulia is located just inside St. Francis Square at Morayta near FEU. So if you're looking for a quick Korean food fix and you happen to live near the area, then you're in for a treat. I always look at this resto whenever I pass by. I was really hesitant then to go alone but I managed to drag my sister along to try and rate this resto :)

Here's my sister enjoying her Samgyeopsal :)

When we entered the resto, the staff immediately greeted us with their usual Korean spiel. We were about to settle in one of their corner tables when one of the staff told us to use a different table instead. I don't want to cause any trouble or whatsoever so we chose a different one. 

When we sat down, we were then given their menu. I really wanted to try their Dak Galbi (Dak galbi, also romanized dalk galbi, is a popular Korean dish generally made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a gochujang(chili pepper paste) based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions, ggaennip, and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate) but it wasn't on their menu. I asked one of staff if it is available since they have a banner outside their resto saying that they do offer it. It seems that the girl I asked wasn't briefed by the owner since she still verified if they offer that kind of dish (sheesh). I then asked her if it is good for sharing which she again asked the owner. Unfortunately, it is good for one person only and my sister wants to eat Samgyeopsal(Samgyeopsal (삼겹살; Korean pronunciation: [samɡjʌp̚sal]) is a popular Korean dish. Commonly served as an evening meal, it consists of thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat (similar to uncured bacon). The meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned, is cooked on a grill at the diners’ table. Usually diners grill the meat themselves and eat directly from a grill. It is often dipped into a spicy pepper paste).. Good thing they offer a couple set which includes Samgyeopsal, a noodle soup with beef which is really flavorful and yummy ( sorry I forgot what it's called :p) plus Kimbap (Gimbap or kimbap is a popular Korean dish^[1] made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices). I'll probably try their Dak Galbi next time. We then waited for our orders to arrive. 

The main dish! Samgyeopsal and the tasty beef noodle dish!

They gave us two glasses of water and what I'm waiting for, Banchan! I really thought that the Banchan was refillable but boy was I wrong :( Don't be fooled by their Banchan. Even if they have a variety of it, the serving is really small! Their Kimchi cannot satisfy even one person. That's the saddest part of our meal since I love Kimchi and can eat it on its own even without eating any main dish. Good thing the owner noticed that our table doesn't have table napkins. I would've gone berserk that time since the customer service is really bad.

Banchan!!!! I would've given a higher rating for the service if those are refillable

So enough about that. Our orders arrived one by one starting off with the Kimbap, followed by the Samgyeopsal and lastly the noodle thingy. The food was OK. It wasn't that great and not that bad either. Enough to satisfy my Korean food cravings for the day. The Samgyeopsal though could use a little more frying since their hot plate provided minimal heat and did not cook the meat that well.

 All in all, it cost us 500 bucks for the meal. Not bad since i was really full by the time we left. We even left 2 pieces of Kimbap cause I am really feeling light headed by the time we left.

The verdict: 

Place- 3/5

Food- 3/5

Service- 2/5

Will I go back to eat again. Maybe. Since it's the only Korean resto near my place.