Magnolia Flavor House ( SM North EDSA - Skygarden ) CLOSED

The fun and eye catching facade of Magnolia Flavor House will surely make people want to come in and have some ice cream while relaxing. That exactly what happened when we passed by.

The interior design gives the place a light and fun ambiance. They have enough tables and chairs to accommodate a large group of people.

The Black and White is made up of scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate bits and drizzled with chocolate syrup. For only 200 pesos, you can enjoy this delicious dessert. It would be better if the cream on top is served cold.

They also have other entrees on their menu aside from ice cream, so you can also have your meals here. The service is good and fast. Magnolia Flavor House is a must try.

RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining 

Cuisine: American

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M - Su: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Contact Number: 

Branches:

-robinsons magnolia

-sm city north edsa

-robinsons place las piñas

Bagnetified ( SM City North EDSA - Annex )

Bagnetified created such a hype with all the banners and facebook advertising. Now that it is open, we decided to give it a try. They specialize in bagnet and they incorporate it into other dishes.

We wanted to try their smoothies however, the waitress said that they already ran out of the main ingredients for all the variants of their smoothies, so she suggested that we try their Cucumber Juice and Bits instead. The ice cold cucumber juice with a mild taste of lemon is really refreshing. It is a must try due to its unique taste. We had the xl size for 69 pesos, while the medium size costs 59 pesos.

The Bagnetified Rice is basically a fried rice with vegetables and chopped bagnet. The bagnet bits are crispy. The rice is a bit too salty. It is good for three to five persons and costs 199 pesos.

One of their best sellers is the Bulalo Bagnetified. It is the usual beef bulalo with added bagnet slices on top. The bagnet is still crispy even if it is served on top of the soup. The beef is very soft which is nice, but not so flavorful. The vegetables are not over cooked which is also nice. It is served with the bones but the bone marrow isn't there anymore. The only problem is the soup itself, it is too salty and it tasted like they just used broth cubes instead of the natural beef stock. We decided to add calamansi into the soup to neutralize the saltiness of the dish. For 399 pesos, this dish is good for three to four persons.

The place is nice and clean. Service is good and fast. They offer ample servings of their dishes. This restaurant still needs some improvement on their dishes for them to compete with other restaurants.

RATINGS: 

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M - Su: Mall hours

Contact Number: 

Branches:

-pasig

-sm city north edsa - annex

Sausage and Eggs ( SM North EDSA - Skygarden )

Craving for sausage and eggs? Give this place a try and you wont regret it.

They have a small place but it is nice, clean, simple and quiet. They have a take out counter outside, just beside the entrance.

The Smoked Bratwurst tastes like a Hungarian sausage. It is served with your choice of egg and rice, together with two thin slices of sweet corn with chopped  tomatoes and onions on the side. This one comes with the java rice and sunny side up. For the sausages, it's 155 pesos if you want it whole and 85 pesos for just a half of it. You can choose from Smoked Bratwurst, Cheddar Link, Chipotle, Garlic, Hot Links, Pineapple and Chicken Italian. They have a wide variety of choices on how you want your eggs to be served. The sunny side up and scrambled eggs are free, while the salted egg salad and egg salad costs 20 pesos, the omelet and eggs Benedict costs 35 pesos. You can choose from four rice variants like plain rice and garlic rice for 20 pesos, they also have bagoong rice and java rice for 25 pesos. Each serving is enough for one person but it is most likely that you would want to consider an additional cup of rice

The Lucban Longganisa tastes really good, I do not know if they really serve it the way that the other one is toasted and the other one cooked just right, but I prefer the toasted one. Like the sausages, you can also choose from different variants of longganisa. They have Vigan, Lucban, Skinless, Jamonado, Cabanatuan and their Special of the Day. It's 110 pesos for three pieces of longganisa and 80 pesos for two pieces. I opted for scrambled eggs and garlic rice for this meal. The garlicky and a bit salty taste of the Lucban Longganisa really goes well with their spicy vinegar. You might also want to consider an additional cup of rice for this meal especially if you order three pieces of longganisa. It is also served with chopped onions and tomatoes.

They also serve coffee and hot chocolate since they serve breakfast here. Cold drinks like bottled water, juice and soda in can are also available.

If you are looking for a budget friendly restaurant that doesn't sacrifice the quality of their food and service, Sausage and Eggs is one of the place to be.

RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino / American

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: 

Contact Number: 

Branches: SM North EDSA -Skygarden

Teriyaki Boy ( Trinoma )

Teriyaki Boy has been around for quite a while. It is one of the many Japanese restaurants in the Philippines.

The Yakimeshi is a Japanese fried rice with vegetables and ground pork. The rice is sticky, fragrant and well seasoned. With lots of meat and vegetables, you can eat it on its own. It costs 54 pesos per bowl.

The Buffalo Tori Karaage is their version of deep fried boneless chicken with buffalo sauce. It is served with chips and some nice dip. The chicken is so crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. The buffalo sauce really goes well with it. It can also be served sans the buffalo sauce. It costs 181 pesos for solo and 330 for sharing. While the one with the buffalo sauce costs 196 pesos for solo and 351 pesos for sharing. 

The Tonkatsu is a breaded pork fillet that is deep fried to perfection. It is crispy and really goes well with the katsu sauce. It also comes with coleslaw. For 222 pesos, this can be enough for two persons.

They also serve all natural fruit shakes for 70 pesos.

The place is nice and clean even if it's a bit crowded. The crew also offers good and professional service. 

RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 4/5


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
Delivery: 
Operating Hours: M - Su: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Contact Number: (02) 588 2468, (02) 901 3613
Branches: 
-gateway mall
-trinoma
-sm mall of asia
-eastwood city walk 1
-robinsons galleria
-robinsons place ermita
-katipunan ave.
-banawe
-sm city north edsa -annex
-sm megamall
-tomas morato
-petron bel-air square
-paseo center
-market market
-subic freeport zone
-greenhills shopping center
-sm marikina
-dela rosa
-festival supermall
-madison square
-sm the block
-harbour square
-alphaland southgate mall
-bf homes
-sm city fairview
-cash & carry
-sm city cagayan de oro
-ayala fairview terraces

Banapple ( SM North EDSA )

They say that if you want to know where the good food is, just go to a restaurant that is always crowded, we did just that and it lead us to Banapple.
This place is always full, and most of the time you have to be on the waiting list just to be seated inside. They also have tables outside but it is more comfortable inside.

The Fettuccine Jacintha is basically the classic carbonara with some herbs and spices. It has a rich and creamy sauce. The added herbs and spices really made it more flavorful. For 200 pesos, you will get an ample serving and it comes with 2 slices of their pesto butter bread. This dish is definitely a must try.

The Lasagna Roll-ups is also a must try. The lasagna strips are filled with herbed cream and parmesan cheese, it is then rolled up and smothered with tomato and meat sauce with mozzarella cheese. You can also get ample serving of this dish for 210 pesos. It is served with 2 slices of pesto butter bread.

The Banapple smoothie is also a must try. It's a good and refreshing drink. From its name and taste, it is most probably made by blending banana and apple together with some milk and sugar. This healthy drink costs 125 pesos.

The Blueberry Cheesecake is good. It is soft, moist and not too sweet. You can have the whole cake for 1,140 pesos and 125 pesos per slice.

The Classic Pecan Pie is free that day. Nothing special about this pie, but it's not bad at all. You can try it for 125 pesos per slice and 920 pesos for the whole pie.

Banapple is really a bang for the buck. The good food, big servings and reasonable price will surely keep foodies coming back. 

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 2/5 very slow service

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: pastry shop

Cuisine: American, pastries

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M - Su 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

Contact Number:

Branches: Katipunan, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Tomas Morato, Alabang Town Center, Market Market, Greenhills, SM City North EDSA, McKinley Hill, Ayala Fairview Terraces, The Veranda

Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee ( SM City North EDSA )

Need to satisfy your caffeine cravings and your sweet tooth? The Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee will surely get your attention when you pass by the sky garden at SM City North EDSA. 

They offer a wide variety of cakes that you can choose from. You can also choose from their hot and cold beverages.

Their own version of French cheesecake, called My Best Cheesecake is soft and moist. It almost melts in your mouth without a very strong flavor. It costs 730 pesos or 100 pesos per slice. You can have it with fruit toppings for 830 pesos or 110 pesos per slice.

The Decadent is a moist chocolate cake with coffee pasty cream and chocolatey ganache on top. It's not as sweet as it looks. You can have it for 680 pesos or 90 pesos per slice.

The Montezuma is one of the chocolate drinks that they offer. You can have it hot for 105 pesos or cold for 115 pesos. It tastes like the regular cocoa drink which is bitter sweet. We had the iced version but I think they added just a few ice cubes or it just melted so fast because you can't consider it cold or warm, it's in between, like room temperature.

They also have a small space inside which can only accommodate 4 tables that seats 2 persons each. It's also warm inside. They have other tables outside if you want to have a little bit more space. The service is not that bad. The food is good. This is one of the restaurants that still needs a little bit more improvement before it can compete with the others.

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Price: 4/5 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: cafe and pastry shop

Cuisine: coffee and pastries

Delivery:

Operating Hours: M, T, W, Th, Su: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; F, Sa: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm

Contact Number:

Branches: SM City North EDSA, Tomas Morato

Army Navy Burger & Burrito (UP Ayala Land Technohub)

This branch is located at the 2nd floor of the technohub building, and is open 24 hours a day. It has a small space inside but it does have tables outside, both at the front and the back to accommodate more customers.

Their Tortilla Chips is a good side dish and is served with a great tasting mayo and cheesy type of dip. For only 35 pesos, you can munch on it while waiting for your food.

Their Classic burger is still one of the best burgers in the market. Maybe it's because of the quarter pound beef patty that is so flavorful and juicy. It also comes in big servings and only costs 165 pesos. You also have the option to have 2 or 3 beef patties. Add ons are also available like, egg for 17 pesos, cheese/bacon for 30 pesos, jalapeño for 20 pesos and sauteed onions for 15 pesos. You can never go wrong with this burger.

The Chipotle Crispy Chicken Sandwich is made up of fried chicken fillet with chipotle pepper sauce topped with crispy onion rings and mayo on toasted sesame seed Kaiser bun. It also comes in big servings and costs 185 pesos. Like all of their other burgers, it is also freshly cooked and served hot. The chicken fillet is crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside.

Army Navy Burger and Burrito is definitely worth a try. Despite the small space that they provide, the good food that they serve at a reasonable price is enough reason to keep you coming back.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: American casual dining

Cuisine: American

Delivery:

Operating Hours: 24 hours a day

Contact Number: (02) 651 6801

Branches: Sky Garden, La Salle Taft, Solaris One, Tomas Morato, Katipunan, Bonifacio Global City, Harbour Square, Glorietta 2, Tagaytay, Emerald Ave, Alabang, Valero, Greenhills, McKinley Hill, UP Ayala Land Technohub, Trinoma, SM Megamall, UST, Quezon City, BF Homes, Better Living, Shaw Blvd, Ermita, Session Rd, Cainta, The District, Ayala Center Cebu, Nuvali, Camp John Hay, Eastwood City Walk 1, Jupiter St, Harbor Point, Boracay, Asiatown IT Park, Abreeza Mall, Two E-com, SM Lanang Premier, Marquee Mall, Centrio Mall, Acqua, Pavillion Mall Biñan, SM Clark Pampanga, Talisay City, NAIA 3, Ayala Fairview Terraces

Chickiting Inasal Express ( Visayas Ave, Quezon City ) CLOSED

Visayas Avenue in Quezon City is home to a lot of budget friendly restaurants. One of them is Chickiting Inasal Express. They serve meals below 100 pesos and it comes with unlimited rice.

We tried their Chicken Sisig, served on a sizzling plate, it is made up of finely chopped chicken meat, sprinkled with crushed chicharon and served with egg on top. It doesn't have the best presentation but it does taste better than it looks. The serving is good for one person but it is enough for 2 to 3 cups of rice.

The Inasal na Liempo is also good. The pork is grilled well and flavorful. It is also good for one person and 2 to 3 cups of rice.

If you are on a tight budget this place is for you, they serve food for a cheap price and you can have as many cups of rice as you want, for free. However, since the place is located along a very busy highway and is not air conditioned, expect noise and air pollution while you are eating. It does have a parking space outside. 

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining

Cuisine: Filipino / grilled

Delivery: 

Operating Hours:

Contact Number:

Branches: Visayas Ave, QC

Gerry's Grill ( V. Llanes Laoag, Ilocos Norte )

This is a late post from our previous trip to the wonderful province of Ilocos Norte. Gerry's Grill needs no further introduction as it is one of the well known establishments in the Philippines.

They have a nice and spacious interior, and tables that can accommodate large group of people. 

The Chicken Kebab is really good. The meat is well marinated and well cooked but not dry. It is tender, juicy and flavorful. For an affordable price of 195 pesos, you'll get four sticks of this nice dish which you can eat with rice or with a few bottles of ice cold beer.

The Lechon Kawali is also good. It is served freshly cooked so you can expect it to be crispy. It is also flavorful and will surely go well with rice or beer. It costs 245 pesos and is good for one person.

The Inihaw na Liempo is also a good choice to go with rice or beer. It is perfectly grilled, tender and flavorful. It's almost the same size as the lechon kawali, but this one costs less for just 195 pesos.

Since we went here for lunch, the Veggie Rice would be the best match for all the meat dishes that we ordered. It is good for 2 - 3 persons and costs 155 pesos.

Aside from the nice place and good food, the service is also good. They give out survey forms to their customers to rate the dining experience. All in all, we had a great lunch here at Gerry's Grill.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining

Cuisine: Filipino, grilled

Delivery: yes

Operating Hours:

Contact Number: (077) 230 3132

Branches:

Wendy's Salad Bar ( SM North EDSA Annex )

Great news! Wendy's salad bar is back! We have always been a fan of Wendy's unlimited salad, so the moment we heard the news that it's back, we immediately went to  Wendy's to satisfy our salad cravings that weekend.

All it takes is 199 pesos and you'll get to experience what the hype is all about. Wendy's at SM North EDSA is one of the six Metro Manila outlets who ushers the return of the salad bar. Customers can choose from an array of fresh ingredients that were chosen by people, by voting on Wendy's facebook page. Such as lettuce, cucumber, macaroni, carrots, gelatin, tomatoes, cheese, potatoes, egg, bacon, fruits, etc. There are 3 choices for the salad dressing, caesar salad dressing, thousand island and strawberry vinaigrette. For 150 pesos you can also enjoy a trip to the salad bar if you avail any of their sandwich combos.

Customers are only allowed a single trip to the salad bar, so you have to be creative and smart in order to get the most out of it. Since the plate can't hold that much content, it would be wise if you bring your tray when creating your salad. The results may not be picture perfect, but your taste buds will surely enjoy it.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: fast food
Cuisine: American
Delivery: yes
Operating Hours: M, T, W, Th, Su: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm F, Sa: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Contact Number: (02) 332 2606 to 07, (02) 332 2604, (02) 533 3333
Branches: Makati Ave, Trinoma, SM Megamall, Boni Ave, SM San Lazaro, Glorietta 4, Gateway Mall, SM City Fairview, SM City Manila, Robinsons Place Manila, SM Bacoor, Sta Rosa, Sta Lucia East Grand Mall, SM City Pampanga, SM City North EDSA, SM Mall of Asia, SM Southmall, Greenbelt 1, Park Square, Kalaw, Festival Supermall, Nagtahan, Dapitan, Cubao, Ferguson, PGH, SM City Baguio, SM City Marilao, Robinsons Place Imus, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Antipolo, Buendia, Calamba, Taguig, Robinsons Cybergate 3, Net Plaza, 168 Mall, Pasig, Glorietta 3, Jazz Mall, Asian Hospital, S&R Shaw Blvd, Ayala Fairview Terraces, Duty Free

Zabo Chicken ( SM City North EDSA ) CLOSED

It was dinner time once again and looking for a place to eat with available seats is such a chore. We passed by one of the new restaurants located at SM North's Sky Garden it wasn't crowded during that time so we decided to try what they have to offer.

They have a nice, clean and well lit place although it's not that spacious to accommodate huge group of people. 

One thing that is unique about this place is their rice buffet. You can choose from different varieties of rice that you want to be served together with your rice meal. They have garlic rice, spicy rice, brown rice, etc. You can also add 29 pesos to avail of their  unlimited rice if you order one of their rice bowl meals.

We had the Beef Rice Bowl and opted for garlic rice to go with it. The beef is tender and well cooked. However, it's not that juicy and flavorful as I've expected. It is drizzled with something like a sour cream on top. The beef tasted more like a Mediterranean cuisine. The garlic rice doesn't have the garlicky flavor that I was expecting. The slice of fresh tomato does a good job to add a fresh taste to the dish. This meal is yours for just 149 pesos.

We also had the Zabo Chicken meal and opted for spicy rice to go with it. The chicken tasted good. It is flavorful especially the skin. It is also well cooked. It is served with sour cream and gravy. I preferred the gravy over the sour cream. The spicy rice is too spicy for me but those who like spicy foods will surely enjoy it together with the chicken. Not bad for a 185 pesos meal.

Customers can avail of their bottomless ice cold lemonade for just 50 pesos. 

Zabo Chicken is one of those budget friendly restaurants that offers its customers wide variety of dishes and rice meals. Their dishes are worth trying. They also have courteous staff that is attentive to the customers needs. Things that a restaurant should have in order for its customers to return and dine here once more.

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine:
Delivery:
Operating Hours: 
Contact Number:
Branches: SM Jazz Mall, SM City BF Parañaque, Glorietta 4, SM The Block North EDSA

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak ( Trinoma )

Craving for some hot and sizzling dish? Try Sizzlin' Pepper Steak it's one of my personal favorites. They serve good food and provides good quality service. They also have a nice and cozy place where you can relax and just enjoy your
 meal.

They have exhaust fans installed over each table so you don't have to worry about smelling like you've just came out of a kitchen because of the smoke from the sizzling plates.

You can enjoy their Creamy Corn Soup for 60 pesos while waiting for your food to be served. It's creamy and served hot. Just right to warm up an empty stomach before a nice and heavy meal.

We had the Gyuniku Pepper Rice. The ala carte meal costs 235 pesos, you can opt to add 22 pesos and it will be served with a glass of iced tea. The steamed rice is served with egg on top. The beef is well cooked, tender and flavorful.

We also had the Herbed Chicken Steak. For 198 pesos, you can enjoy an ample serving of nicely cooked and flavorful chicken steak. It is topped with several herbs and spices which really complements the taste of the chicken. It is served with vegetables that adds a fresh taste to the dish.

We have dined here a number of times and we were always served with good food and was provided with good service. It is also budget friendly. Considering those things, Sizzlin' Pepper Steak will always be one of our choices when looking for a place to eat at Trinoma.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Japanese

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M, T, W, Su: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

                                T, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Contact Number: (02) 916 7040

Branches: Trinoma, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Resorts World Manila, Glorietta 5, Robinsons Galleria, SM City Fairview Annex, Eastwood Citywalk 1, Times Square, The Venice Plazza, BF Homes, Festival Supermall, SM City North EDSA, Katipunan, Southgate Mall, Promenade, Harbour Square, Robinsons Magnolia