I can't think of any better title for this entry even though the current title Food Hopping doesn't make sense at all but oh well...
This entry is not for bragging the fastfood chains or restaurants that I have tried for the past weeks since the start of my first job. After all, you might say that I'm such a loser for listing the restaurants that I have tried. Calm down, they're not even many and some of these restaurants that I've tried were only my first time so it's kind of a big deal for me to list all these restaurants. Probably when I look back to this after sometime, it may not be as big of a deal when I first wrote this blog.
I love eating and if you have read my previous blog, you'd know how much emotional I was when I deprived myself from eating fatty foods. But from the moment that I got my med cert for my job, unfortunately, I went back into my hobby which is eating like a monster. I am currently working at Mckinley Hill, Taguig and it's been a month since the start of my job. I noticed that I've been eating a lot and spending lots of money for food in several restaurants around Mckinley Hill specifically at Piazza at Venice and in Makati area as well. You can find lots of fast food chains and restaurants around this area and I, being the person who used to only eat in my favorite or usual food chains and restaurants such as Jollibee, Mcdonalds, KFC, Tokyo Tokyo and Maxs, I find myself discovering new restaurants to satisfy my cravings for food and trust me, some of these restaurants are not new at all but I've only recently tried them. This is because of the help of my office mates and my other friends from high school and college. Add to this the fact that I am earning my own money now and when it’s about food, I don’t mind spending huge amount of money for it.
So since then, I have tried the following restaurants, only 1 or 2 of them aren't new to me which is Gilligan's Island and Yellow Cab but since they're not really some of the restaurants that I used to eat at, I'll still include them in this list so this list is probably more of the restaurants that I've tried since my first day at work.
First up is…
-Aveneto Pizzeria Restorante at Glorietta 3 - It was my friend, Pia's first pay day and I didn't spend a coin when we ate here since it's all her treat. We ate Chicken Alfredo, pizza, very cheap but satisfying buffalo wings and Spaghetti with meatballs na lasang Nilagang Baka. I got a taste of all of this food and eating with only 2 friends helped me eat more than the usual food gatherings with many friends. Since then, I found a new appreciation for Italian cuisine. I wasn't a fan of Italian dishes before but because of this place, I keep on telling people to try to eat there and experience how great this restaurant is. They have huge serving, very affordable cost of delicious food.
-Gillgan’s Island at Glorietta 5 – There was one time when my office mates Steve & Rai and I randomly decided to eat somewhere. It’s one Friday night and I can’t remember the details but we just went with the idea of eating somewhere probably since it’s Friday. I wasn’t in favor of eating here because I wanted to try a different resto but if I’m not mistaken, Rai hadn’t tried eating at Gilligan’s during that time so I just went with the flow, and I realized that I have a discount in that restaurant from the benefits of my alumni ID card. We ended up not using the discount benefit anyway. We ordered a combo meal good for 3-4 persons but we ended up craving for more so we ordered another combo meal. So all in all, we ordered food good for 8 people. I recall that we were really hungry that time so it was worth it and my tummy was filled with joy and satisfaction. Gilligan's Island is not the best restaurant but since it’s my first time eating dinner with Rai and Steve, The experience was cool. After we ate there, we had time to get to know each other as we strolled around Greenbelt and shared different stories and experiences.
-Reyes Barbecue at Piazza at Venice – Yes, I haven't tried eating at Reyes Barbecue before and it’s my first time to eat there just recently. I’ve always wanted to eat at Reyes Barbecue because I’ve heard a lot of positive feedbacks from my friends who already ate there. I like this restaurant but the food is actually, quite common. The food is delicious although I think it’s overpriced judging by the quality and quantity of their servings but oh well, I probably won’t suggest to eat there again except if I miss it which is very unlikely.
-Dencio’s at Piazza at Venice – Yes, I can hear you! I just had my first time eating in this restaurant just a few weeks ago. Dencio’s is everywhere but as I have mentioned, I’m not really the person who tries new food when I already know the meal that I’d like to order which most of the time, are the usual Chickenjoy, Twister Fries, Maxs Fried Chicken etc and this fact also goes with my family who rarely tries new stuff so when I tried eating here, it's okay. I didn’t really like it. There’s nothing special with their fried chicken which is my only order, lulz and they have slow service that lead to being tardy at work. The only thing I liked about Dencio’s is their fried camote which is saying a lot because I rarely eat camote. Yummy
-Super Bowl at Festival Supermall – When I first ate at Aveneto, I told my companions Pia and Mica to continue trying new restaurants to spend our salaries from our pay days. It was my turn to treat them and we ended up eating at Super Bowl. At first, I was kind of hesitant to eat here. This restaurant was Mica’s choice and I don’t really like Chinese/Japanese/Korean food. I’m not entirely sure of what I’d expect in this restaurant but I just trusted Mica since she also suggested Aveneto before which is now, one of my favorite restaurants. When I looked at the menu, I saw foods that I really love, pork and chicken. I was really hungry that time so I ordered many food that made the waiter chuckle, because for him, I ordered too much for 3 persons. I ordered a platter of rice good for 8 people that I really thought we could finish. I also ordered soup for Mica, 2 main dishes –chicken with lemons and pork asado, and when they served my first order, I added another main dish which is 1 fried whole chicken. I thought at first that we could finish all of this food since I was starving but we ended up not finishing everything. We’re not even close. Takaw tingin ika nga.
-Yellow Cab at Olivarez, Biñan – I told my mom that I’ll treat them on a weekend after my first pay. The time came and my whole family was present. My two sisters suggested Yellow Cab and I started to think that these 2 didn’t really treat my family during their first pay days. Well, they did in some occasions and they had their share. It’s not that I think it’s unfair but the moment they suggested Yellow Cab, I started to worry about my money. But then, I gave in since I thought that it would probably be so cool to treat my family since I’m the youngest. I felt like a total badass that as the youngest in the family, I get to treat them with the fruits of my labor. LOL. So this attitude got the best of me and when we got there and they start ordering, I kept on biting my tongue. At the back of my mind, I was saying, “Hala, ang dami nilang inoorder. Pano yan?” but my ego prevailed. They ordered the most expensive pizza of Yellow Cab, I can’t remember the exact size but they ordered the largest for sure with four flavors. It’s Four Seasons if I’m not mistaken, then, they ordered chicken, and another chicken something and 2 pastas. It cost me 2,000 plus bucks and I’m a self-proclaimed kuripot so it’s already a huge amount for me. Well, it really is. My dad offered that he could share some of his money but I declined his offer due to my stupid ego of thinking that I’m the badass son who can treat his whole family into an expensive fast food. In the end, I made them full and probably, made them proud. In my opinion, Yellow Cab is not really that great, well it’s great but whatever. In the end, I said to myself that I won’t treat them again anytime sooner. Who knows? :p
-Sicilian Express at Mckinley Hill – It was a regular lunch time when me and my office mates ate here. It was my first time eating here and it’s not their first. Hehe. I ordered chicken alfredo which I immediately compared to the chicken alfredo of Aveneto. It made me full but I still prefer Aveneto’s Italian servings.
-Flapjacks at Greenbelt – I went here with Rai and Steve again. They would like to drink and the first time we passed the hall where Flapjacks stood, we saw in one of their ads that they serve 1 pitcher of beer for only 99 pesos. Again, it was a Friday night and we wanted to kill time before going home since we know that Friday nights are rush hour nights. So we went here, they drank and I ordered their Vanilla Sundae, all I can say is that it’s alright. The food isn’t that memorable but the conversations that we had there, are.
-Krazy Garlik at Greenbelt 5 – It was the night before the Barangay Elections and me and my high school friends, Jo, Wil, Nero and Poch decided to go somewhere, not necessarily to eat but we ended up eating anyway and yay, we ate in a new restaurant. I don’t know if it’s literally new but I haven’t heard this restaurant before. Damn, I love the food here. From gambas, to calamari, to Crispy Pata to Pizza, we spent our money right for this restaurant. Yes, the price is kind of expensive but I left the restaurant full and with a smile on my face. Good thing is that we all have money to contribute to our overflowing order which satisfied me most because I ate more compared to them. HIHI.
Oh and just to add another first-time-thing, I tried the Manong Taho's taho and I didn't like it. LULZ
-Carlos Pizza at Venice at Piazza – I just tried here yesterday and I was with 6 of my office mates. It seemed like it’s a regular restaurant for them but once again, it was my first time eating there. We ordered 2 different kinds of pasta and 2 different kinds of pizza. I must say that their Pesto was absolutely fantastic and the rest is great too but I still prefer Aveneto. Huhu
Now, I’m looking forward to other restaurants. I know that Mica’s turn to treat Pia is fast approaching, we’re going to a food event at NBC tent next week and I’m sure that there are more to come with my other friends. Looking forward to Chili’s, Racks, Sbarro etc etc etc.
So there it goes and I can’t wait and I look forward to add new restaurants in this list next pay day. :)
