Cafe Mediterranean

Ok lang.


Powerplant mall, Makati
April 11, 2009 / 6:00pm


We started the meal with the Soup Au Pistou. A simple vegetable soup kicked up with the french version of Pesto -- Pistou (i had an aha! moment right there). It was simple and pretty satisfying specially with the crusty bread that went with it; a good start for the upcoming meal.



We then had Turkish Feta & Tomato Salad. It tasted very much like an old Filipino favorite -- salted egg & tomato. It went with slices of toasted bread, which neutralized the strong taste of the salad. I recommend this dish next time you eat at Cafe Med. (We ordered 2. hehe)]


We then had an old regular: Chicken Kebab with Whole Wheat Pita. The chicken was dry which I remedied with plenty of garlic sauce. By itself though, the dish was pretty bland. This isn't the first time we ordered it though and it was just as dry the first time, but we keep coming back for it. I don't know why... maybe it's because of the...

Service was pretty good that night with the manager really overlooking everything. It may have had something to do though with Tita Annie telling them that we were writing about them in a newspaper (sic). From previous experience though, service has always been pretty good.

Over-all, Cafe Med has always been a convenient, comfortable, reasonably-priced restaurant with friendly fast service. It's definitely good for a quick office lunch but if you're looking for a gastronomic adventure, go somewhere else.

***

Average price per person: P300 - P400
Locations: Alabang Town Center, Greenbelt 1, Greenhills, PowerPlant Mall, Robinson's Galleria, SM Mall of Asia, Podium
Payments Accepted: Cash & Credit Cards

AMICI

One word - Dissapointing!

Amici
3rd Level Megamall
6:14 PM, April 11, 2009

Gino had to return to our table twice as what we wanted were not available. There was no PANINI of any kind, no "spaghetti al pomodoro," no "spaghetti alla bolognese," no "vegetariana" (white pizza with artichoke hearts & arugula), no 1.5 liter diet sarsi. The store manager must have been wishing he was on a beach somewhere!!!

We ordered "mozzarella frito"(cheese logs with tangy pomodor sauce), salsicce italiana (italian sausage), prosciutto e funghi (pizza w/ mushrooms & prosciutto), spaghetti carbonara, 1.5 liter coke light. Total bill P890.


The pizza was soggy, the Italian saugsage tasted like what I had one week ago, i think it was vigan longanisa. Spaghetti was OK. Over-all, the food was not worth the amount paid.

Never got to eat at the original "Don Bosco" place & people kept saying then that it had great food. Maybe something was "lost in translation" when it became "commercialized."

Yoga Styles and Where to go

Since my wedding's coming, Ej and I have been trying to get into the fitness groove. One of the activities that we wanted to do regularly was yoga. I first enrolled in Bikram yoga at Eastwood with my sister. EJ didn't find it comfortable since heat and sweating profusely gave him migraines. We then tried out Vinyasa at Strata 100 in Ortigas. Before I continue with my assessment, let's first learn about the different styles of yoga from some great resources on the web:

• What is Yoga?
• Yoga Styles
• Hot Yoga/Bikram
  
• Vinyasa/Flow
  

Where to go?

For Vinyasa, you can visit the Vinyasa Yoga Center. It is located at the 17th Floor Strata 100 Building in Ortigas Pasig. It's very convenient for those working in the Ortigas area. Classes in the evening start at 6:15 pm and the next one at 7:30 pm, which is apt for an office worker's schedule.

They have three instructors: Pio Baquiran, Jevimer Lobitana and Gemma Magtibay. I have tried Pio and Jevimer's classes. Both were quite accomodating to the new comers and they really guide you well when you do the poses.

The floor area can accomodate around 15 people so you really have to call to have a slot reserved for you.

More information about the center and its guidelines can be seen at the Vinyasa Yoga Center Website.

Contact Details:

Unit 17-F Strata 100 Building
F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center
Pasig City
Philippines
1600

yogacenter06@yahoo.com

+(63 2) 637-9003 /+(632) 2329189

+639209475915/+639152920989

For Bikram yoga, you can go to Biktam Yoga Manila or Bikram Yoga Eastwood.

I have tried the one in Eastwood but I haven't tried the one in Makati (though I heard about the one in Makati first, it was far from my place of work.) They have exceptional teachers in Eastwood. I have tried Joy (the owner), Lorrie and Julie's classes. What you will need for the sessions there is your mat and a towel to place on top of your mat. The classes are done in a heated room, more than 30 degrees, i'm assuming. I can become pretty hot, so remember to stay well hydrated before you join any class.

Since the class is an active meditation, unnecessary movements (even wiping off sweat) should be avoided. I loved the classes there but the classes are more expensive than the classes in Vinyasa.

Prices:

Vinyasa: They don't have trial classes and the new rates are as follows:

One time trial/session 450.00

12 + 1 free session 4,800.00

18 + 2 free sessions 7,200.00

21 + 3 free sessions 8,400.00

*SERIES EXPIRES AFTER 2 MONTHS

Yoga Manila: Trial of 7 days: Php 1000; each class is roughly between Php350 – Php400 for regular attendees. For those who take their practice seriously and attend often (i.e. 4-5 times a week), the cost is about Php250 – Php300 per class

Contact details:

Makati Studio
15F, 88 Corporate Center,
141 Valero Street cor. Sedeno St.
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Tel. no.: 8890126
Tele fax: 8891011
E-mail: info@bikramyogamanila.com

Quezon City Sutdio
5/F CKB Centre
203 Tomas Morato Ave.
Quezon City
Tel. no.: 3764632
Tele fax: 8891011

Bikram Eastwood: Trial of 7 days: Php 700; each class is around as much as the one in Makati or a little bit cheaper. I took the 20 sessions for 2 months and it was around Php 4,250.

*Series expires according to the duration that was specified in the rate

Contact Details:

Unit E One Orchard Road Condominium,
Eastwood City, Libis
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Tel. no.: +632 9721838
Mobile no: +63 922 8819955
E-mail: jgeronca@bikramyogaeastwood.com

Bikram Yoga Eastwood Website

Fire Lake Grill

simply the best steak I've ever had

Fire Lake Grill is found in Cliff House, Tagaytay. As with most restaurants on Tagaytay's cliff side, the views are beautiful, if not entirely new. :)


Ok, let's get straight to the point... how was the food?

Ginger ordered the duck (forgot the name on the menu). It costs P650+, but add P230, and you get a serving of the Tagaytay Garden Salad and Pumpkin Soup.

I ordered the Grilled C.A.B. Steak Rib Eye (from hereon end referred to as "the steak"). It costs P890, plus P30 Red Wine Shallot sauce. I also ordered their House Iced Tea at P75.

We were both still pretty full from a late breakfast at Cafe Verbena (review coming soon!) so we didn't order any appetizers.


The Tagaytay Garden Salad was... ok. It doesn't really stand out from the other salads you'd get in most good restaurants. The pumpkin soup was a different story as it was better than most.


The duck was beautifully prepared and was pretty good. Ginger enjoyed it and the bed of couscous that comes with it.


The steak... oh where do I start. It was simply the best steak I've ever had. I had it prepared MEDIUM and it was grilled to perfection. It was juicy, very soft, and very tasty. The Iced Tea was too sweet and distracted from the taste of the steak.

The service was also impeccable, with the waiters offering great suggestions and being responsive and proactive. I'm a stickler for good service and I'm happy that they delivered.

Price-wise -- it's pretty pricey so be prepared to spend around PHP 1000.00 per person. Order the steak and you won't go wrong. Great date place!

The meal ended with Chef Paul Huang himself coming over to deliver the parking validation. Not being able to help ourselves, we asked if he really is Paul Huang (as his uniform suggested) and he confirmed that it was his uniform he was wearing. :) He was friendly and eager to learn how we enjoyed our food. Nice guy. Sayang we didn't get a picture with him.

Verdict: Come here for the steak!!! The other dishes are also good though so if you're not a steak person, you won't come home sad. :)

Enjoy!
EJ

Details:
Fire Lake Grill Website

Driving Directions from Manila
Take SLEX to either the Southwoods, Carmona or Sta. Rosa Exit
Head on towards Tagaytay and the Tagatay Rotonda
Fire Lake Grill is only 2 km from the Tagaytay Rotonda going
towards Nasugbu on the lake side.

Address
Unit 3 Cliffhouse Tagaytay General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite

Hours
Monday to Friday :
serving lunch (11 am to 2 pm) and dinner (6pm to 10pm)
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays :
serving meals the whole day from 11am to 10pm

Reservations
Call 046 483 2069 or 0927 914 4604

Free and secure parking available.
All major credit cards accepted.