CFoncourse Level
PowerPlant Mall
I had the "FULL AMERICAN CHEESESTEAK" classic again. The first time I ordered this sandwich was maybe a month ago but in a paper bag "to go". I liked it then and so I ordered it again, but I had it cut in half - one half to be eaten already & the other in a bag to be saved for later.
Yes, the orders here are quite big. The classic has approximately 350 grams of meat plus the cheese, for P320. One can have the ""Hoagie" a 6 inch sandwich with 300 grams of steak for P240. no soda yet.
Others are steak sandwich (Classic@P290, Hoagie @P230), Provolene cheesesteak (C @P390: H@P310), Pizza Cheesteak (C@P420, H@P340) Quite pricey but the "FULL AMERICAN CHEESESTEAK" was very good. The meat was tender & the bread was good.
One can eat on tables set up in front of the counter made of stainless steel designed to inovke the "diner" look.
They also had "fries & soda combo for P80 and one can order extra sides.
Quite pricey but a classic sandwich is quite filling and this is at Rockwell so maybe it is alright, price-wise? Maybe, not sure. But will surely return for more.
Forgot to take pictures, was so hungry that the sandwich was just one more bite away from extinction when I remembered that I should have taken a picture.
Next time.
Hotrocks, Libis
Sunday found me and Dan at one of our old reliables, which to us means cheap good food! We've been coming to HotRocks in Libis for several years and has always been a good place to come for
a fast steak fix.
HotRocks has two floors, the first is airconditioned and houses the place's wall of fame.
HotRocks has two floors, the first is airconditioned and houses the place's wall of fame.
The second floor is al fresco and is also the smoking area.
Their wall of fame, where the famous sign on HotRocks plates :)
That's Pacquiao you know
Hotrocks serves unpretentious grilled steak that is, steak plus rice and that's it! You can choose the doneness of your steak though and if you'd want a regular or a large cut.
Hotrocks has since expanded their menu to include pizzas, salads and pinoy staples like kare-kare, salmon belly sinigang, etc and burgers.
For me and the hubs, our usual order would start with two to four sticks of Tenga (Pig Ears) from the Pinoy Barbecue menu, we always order them extra crispy. For drinks, we'd always order a pitcher of green iced tea or neon green tea in this case.
Crispy Tenga
Green Iced Tea
I usually just order the regular cut of their steak but the waitress informed us that every sunday lunch, the large cuts at HotRocks are 20 percent off!! so two large medium well T-Bones were ordered for our table.
Medium well
The steaks came in two white plates with popsicle sticks. They were grilled just right with the right kind of char.
We finished our plates and our pitcher of green tea full and satisfied. Cheap and predictable, we'll be coming back very very soon.
HotRocks
Club 650 E. Rodriguez, Jr. Avenue, Libis, Quezon City
Remember! Large cuts of steaks are 20% off every Sunday Lunch!!
Galileo Enoteca
For a dinner night out, a friend suggested we try Galileo Enoteca for good Italian fare. The restaurant has two locations but our friends chose the one in Mandaluyong. Going to the place, my hubby and I got lost and we had to navigate the confusing side streets of Mandaluyong since we chose to go there via the Makati Mandaluyong way. There are no visible signs leading to the restaurant. Finding Calbayog Street was only made possible when we finally stopped and asked for directions.Coming into the restaurant, you will be greeted by a freezer filled with deli and shelves of Italian pantry essentials. The walls of Galileo is lined from ceiling to floor with shelves that are filled with wine bottles, cans of lentils, tomatoes, boxes of pasta, italian soda, fiji water and a lot more. The rest of the store is lined with red bricks. The whole feel of the place is that of an old wine cellar. There are no formal dining set-ups here, just tables and benches that reminded me of those that you find at a park.
All of these come together so that you can enjoy the food and the company in a fun and casual atmosphere. Just like a big family gathering as you see in those movies about Italian families.
The interiors did not disappoint but what about the food?
For the antipasto, we ordered a cheese platter, calamari, and a bread basket which came with sun dried tomato pesto, olive oil with balsamic vinegar and tomato paste.
The bread was soft but not soggy and was just perfect. The tomato sun dried pesto was a winner and tasted really really fresh. The calamari was ok, the crunchy breading came right off but the squid itself was tender and tasty.
For the main course, Dan ordered the Italian steak while I had the Pollo Prosciutto which was Chicken wrapped with Prosciutto.
Dan's steak turned out to be a dud. The steak was tough and had the consistency of old leather. The taste of the olive oil was very overpowering and was all that he could taste in his steak.
My chicken however was a winner! The chicken breasts were wrapped with reaallly crispy ham. Hearing the crunch of the prosciutto while slicing into really juicy chicken breasts won me over. To counter the oil and fat, the dish came with a side of salad that was dressed in a light vinaigrette. The sourness and crunch of the salad and the tenderness of the chicken plus the greasy fat from the ham made this a really complete dish!
Our friends ordered a shrimp and garlic pizza and an all meat pizza. They were both good but not memorable. Another friend of ours ordered the Chicken Picatta which was tasty and which also came with a salad similar to what I had. The Eggplant Parmigiana that another friend ordered was declared to be very good as well as the Pasta with Porcini mushrooms which was creamy but still retained a very light consistency.
Galileo had a promo on their red wines where you could buy two bottles for the price of one. We got that and drank to our sanity and health.
In the end we spent about Php 400 per person which already included a glass of wine and a soda.
Service wise, the place could use more waitstaff but the ones that they do have are courteous and polite although there was a time when we had to call on several waiters to have our drinks refilled.
All in all, this is a place we would love to come back to and we would gladly recommend to our friends and family.
Galileo Enoteca
website
Ground Floor, Reyes Gym
Calbayog corner Malinao Streets
Mandaluyong City Philippines
Tel. No.: 532-0482
Ground Floor, La Fuerza Plaza
2241 Don Chino Roces Street
Makati City Philippines
Tel. No.: 817-9118
Mobile: 0917-8470061
Expect to spend at least 400 for food and soda per person (price as of May 2009)
Paseo Uno, Mandarin Oriental
An old reliable for end of season team lunches, Paseo Uno at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has always been a favorite go to for the people in our office.
The place is just the right size and its interiors are on of my favorites, with the hard wood and the green glass. However, the place can get crowded during lunchtime and the layout of the place might be too cramped for some. Our table was near the hotel's large lobby window and we had to somewhat squeeze ourselves in between the rows of tables leading to ours.
The place is just the right size and its interiors are on of my favorites, with the hard wood and the green glass. However, the place can get crowded during lunchtime and the layout of the place might be too cramped for some. Our table was near the hotel's large lobby window and we had to somewhat squeeze ourselves in between the rows of tables leading to ours.
The Paseo Uno buffet is not the largest nor the most varied in food choices.
the pretzels on this stand is a cute idea though and it saves space
the pretzels on this stand is a cute idea though and it saves space
an assortment of salads, terrines, shrimp cocktails...
However, you can afford to skip this station, and go straight to the carving station. For buffets, I think the general idea is to go straight for the high priced items. Save your dimsum, noodles and liempo for another time. So, following this philosophy, I ordered a slice of prime rib. However, the lady who was behind the carving station sliced a pitiful piece of rib with a hole in the middle so I had to ask for a thicker slice. I had it grilled medium well and scooped red wine sauce on the side. I'm not a fan of pouring gravy or sauce all over grilled meat, the meat loses its flavor and most of the time its' own juice is its' best sauce. Before I sat down, I also took two rolls of roast duck with hoisin sauce.
the satay station
steak sauces, i'm a big fan of mustard on steak, well of mustard in general
I need to point out this sad bowl of cold (!) and underseasoned miso soup. I love a good miso soup so it's sad to see this one not finished to slurping.
my main course
The prime rib was dry and a bit tough. Not to sound like a hotdog commercial but I was expecting to bite into a tender, juicy, really meaty slice of good prime rib but I did not get it. It was disappointing. I finished off the other food in my plate before I finished off my rib.
The roast duck too was pretty average, it tasted like the regular duck you could order at any other Chinese restaurant. I gave the other roll to my friend who after eating decided not to get one from the buffet station anymore.
The buffet's dessert station had your usual fare of chocolate mousses, mini-cakes, crepes and a halo-halo station. The cutest thing about the whole thing though was the candy buffet, it was a delightful and colorful counterpoint to all the "serious" food out there in the other stations.
The next best thing I ordered for the day (the first being the egg appetizer) was this calamansi sherbet which was a really refreshing palate cleanser. It was just the right kind of sour for me. The girls in our team loved it but the boys hated it. At least though, the buffet ended on a right note.
We just had water with our meals but ordered coffee and tea afterwards. The total bill including a 12 percent service charge and an 8 percent food tax came to about Php1,700 per person. Quite a steep price for an uneventful buffet lunch.
Service wise, the staff and the waiters were very helpful, courteous and attentive. Sometimes good service makes up for an average meal but in this case, Paseo Uno is in a hotel and good service is expected. I could only wish the food was up to par.
Paseo Uno
G/F, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Makati Ave. cor. Paseo de Roxas
Makati City, Metro Manila
750-8888
Expect to shell out at least Php 1,700 for food and drinks per person (price as of May 2009)
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