family collage

Friday, April 26, 2013

D' AMBURGER GASTRO PUB

Up to now I still remember my first official date with my husband Eric, aka the Yubhub, aka the Chinese Stalker:

We had dinner at Glorietta's California Pizza Kitchen (see our first blog about that restaurant HERE) and I remember trying my best to be all prim and proper plus applying all that I have learned on table manners. 

I think I should have realized I got for meself a keeper which I did not need to impress anymore when he made these comments while we were enjoying dinner :

a. While I was raving about my pasta, he remarked "Para lang yang pansit habhab sa Lucena ah!" (That seems like the "habhab" noodles from Lucena!)

b. When I complimented that he looks a bit like Kenneth Peralta, he answered "Actually, mas madaming nagsasabing kamukha ko si Mark Anthony Fernandez" (Actually people say I look like Mark Anthony Fernandez more).

By the way if you want to see whats pansit habhab and who Mark Anthony Fernandez is click HERE).

Yeah... I know... !!!

I seriously think he put something in my drink then because based on that first date, I don't know what possessed me to marry that guy afterwards! Ha ha ha ha! Kidding!

Anyway, my hub and I heard a lot about these special burgers at this new restaurant hub which we haven't tried yet. Being the burger lovers that we are, my guy and I decided to forego the usual mall or fast food outlets to have dinner after he picked me up from work.

Did we enjoy the food? Well yes, because the burger was indeed an experience to try.  Let me just say though that I am thankful for 2 things after our dinner there :

  1. At least when we had our  messy meal in D' Amburger, where I almost forgot all that I learned in "etiquette" school, we are already married and Yub did not have a choice but to stay with sloppy me.
  2. Remembering his very cocky remarks during our first date, got me thanking the internet that I could post some pictures of him making a mess of his food. 
Revenge may be sloppy but TRULY sweet. :)

Har de har har!







D' AMBURGER!




D' AMBURGER meynuh!





D' AMBURGER meynuh two!




My yub was helping me transfer contacts to a cellphone that would work in Hong Kong (as I was flying out there with my officemates the next day). Don't you just love it when guys smile sweetly while they are transferring contacts to another phone book? Doesn't it look SO convincing? :)


(Jaz - See our meal in BUTAO RAMEN in HK HERE !!!)




Besides serving their special burgers, D' AMBURGER is also a gastro pub at night. While we were eating there, the restaurant was empty because most of the patrons were outside drinking and smoking. 




I have always been a fan of high ceilings and I marveled at the simple idea D' AMBURGER had for their light bulbs. It worked on the look don't you think? I'm not sure though if it WAS working since it was just not turned on.

Me channeling John Lennon : "I'd love to turrnnnn.... You..... On......"




Check it out! The guy outside was busy with his beer bottles while my guy inside was busy acting like a technician from Greenhills tiangge for my neanderthal cellphone.

Life is really good :)






Yub ordered the D' AMBURGER Juicy Lucy (P200.00) for himself. 

It was all nice and warm! I cannot wait to get my bigger half piece (tee hee) from my chinese guy.

If you think that it just looks plain and meeh, it is because my hub, being his usual finicky self requested EVERYTHING on the side again.




And I am impressed that D' AMBURGER peeps plated everything oh so nicely for me! he he he he!




My hub and I were so clueless as to what type of burgers they served at D' AMBURGER that when we sliced the burger in half to share....




... HELLO! THIS greeted us! Ha ha ha ha! We did not know that D' AMBURGER made their burgers EXTRA special by nummy gooey cheese inside their patties!!! This was such a mouth-watering surprise!




The cheese from the D' AMBURGER was almost bubblin' hot. You would think they ladled it from a fondue pot then piped it into their burgers (like a meaty twinky!!!)




I ordered a D' AMBURGER chili dog (P137.00) and was again extra delighted with the hot cheese oozing from my hotdog bun!

HELLO! Can I lick you now??




Let's EAT at D' AMBURGER!





My chinese stalker got his naked D' AMBURGER half and scraped the cheese that sludged on the plate...




D' AMBURGER cheese was extra milky gooey... I could just imagine how messy this would be to eat if we were to bite it...




Like so... Ha ha ha ha! 

I opened my big mouth for my D' AMBURGER dog!



My husband struggled with his D' AMBURGER greasy burger and got cheese plus meat juices everywhere on his fingers!




I love how he looks like a cross between Quasimodo and Ken Jeong here eating a messy burger. 

So where's Mark Anthony now huh? 




Here's another one with extra zoom...




A face only a mother could love. 

The picture may not be much but THIS is for being all cocky on our first date!

Ha ha ha!

Kidding! Love you Yub! I guess he did not mind how unflattering he looked while savoring the burger because it was all good!

LET'S EAT!





D' Amburger Gastro Pub
Greehills Town Center
Greehills Town Center, 2 Granada St
Valencia, Quezon City
(02) 654-1395




Tuesday, April 23, 2013

LE CHING TEA HOUSE

Who does not love Chinese food?

Well probably the Japanese but that is because there may be a mini-cuisine rivalry going on but anywhooo....

I think almost EVERYONE I know loves Chinese food! What's not there to love about it? You have there the flavorful carbs (noodles), steamed proteins (dimsums), and nutritious vegetables (WHICH you may find in your noodles or garnish... he he he he).

Heck I love Chinese food so much that I married a Chinese guy!

Not that he tastes anything like the cuisine but... at LEAST I know he won't have an aversion to Chinese food. Ha ha ha!

Which brings me to my all time favorite Chinese Dimsum place... LE CHING!

Now who does not love Le Ching??

Probably the owners of another restaurant starting with the letter L but that's another story... :)




One of my all time favorite restaurants is LE CHING. Even as a kid, I would relish the times when my family would go here and have their fill of simple Chinese food. I'm glad that they have stayed put in their same location in Greenhills Shopping center even if more flashy Chinese restaurants have sprouted up in Promenade.




The meynuh.... Cheap eats right?




Meynuh... part 2... I don't really look at the meynuh though because I know already what to order after 25  years....




Uh... not THAT Chinese grub. Ha ha ha ha!




Le Ching is one of the simplest Chinese Restaurants I know. It is even reminiscient of how the guys do it at Binondo wherein it is more like an eatery rather than a restaurant.

But it has air conditioning and GREAT food so that is what really counts.




... but eatery or not LE CHING gets packed with ALL kinds of people at ALL hours. 

When I said ALL kinds of people I did not mean the Edward Cullen or Jacob Black type of people but rather individuals from different walks of life. 

So whatever salary bracket these guys check on, they all troop over to LE CHING hungry and hankering for simple but delicious Chinese food!




I did mention that I have been going here for 25 years right? AND for 25 years, I always order LE CHING's SPARE RIB rice (P148.00). It has been my default order ever since. What only changes are the other munchies that go with it.

When I was younger, I would usually have extra rice and a plate of Pork Siomai (P85.00). Now since I'm older with slower (boo) metabolism, I would just have the SPARE RIB rice with their SIOMAI.

Yes... that was a significant change in my diet already.




When we're in the mood to pig out, we would usually have some wanton noodles to go with our Spare Rib rice... But if we're feeling a bit full, we would just have some extra soup (P35.00) and this would really hit the spot!

I DID say that they have veggies here right? he he he he!



I had better tasting Pork Siomais in other restaurants but I also cannot seem to get enough of LE CHING's version. Their Pork Siomai is meaty, flavorful, simple but something you would not risk NOT ordering here because a meal would be incomplete without it. 




LE CHING'S chili garlic oil is the best there is in the Metro. You could just have this with soy sauce and calamansi on your rice, and you got yourselves a winning plate of gloriousness! 

LE CHING'S chili garlic oil has the right amount of spice that would be tempered perfectly by their noodles, dimsums, and even on just plain rice. What I love about their version is that the garlic still maintains that slight crunch for a more appetizing dipping sauce.

Eto ang sawsawan pa lang, ulam na!




I know some people who are turned off by the serving ware LE CHING uses with their food (I heard somebody claim it looked like hospital utensils) but I am not complaining. At least the food is kept warm and personally it adds a certain je ne sais quois appeal to the whole thing.

Ooooh using french for a Chinese restaurant? That's variety for you!





My lovely plate!




Happy little ol' me!

I cannot say the same though for the ladies at the back. Stood up by their dates maybe? He he he he!





Yub is trying to get more veggies into his system so we would usually order vegetable rolls in Chinese Restaurants. He was happily disappointed though with LE CHING's Crispy Spring Rolls (P85.00) because it was filled more with meat and taro rather than vegetables.




See? But it was deliciously crunchy, meaty, and oily nonetheless! This now goes into our usual orders in LE CHING!




LET'S EAT!





My husband is such a fast eater that I suspect he barely chews his food before swallowing. So while I was still feasting on my 4th spoonful (yeah yeah because I talk a lot while eating hence my slowness get over it), he was already busy with something...




WHY YOU?? What level are you in already?




Done! Wiped out clean and as our parents would often say "parang dinaanan ng bagyo!"



... and here's that storm's "damage"... Very cheap right considering the great meal earlier! No wonder Chinese Food is one of the greatest grubs of all time...

Yes, because of LE CHING. I'm sure that because of its great food at a cheap price, it made more individuals veer towards the cuisine.

That is my belief and I am strongly sticking to it.

 And I'm glad that after 25 years of eating here, I'm sure it is here to stay. 

LET'S EAT!


LE CHING
Greenhills
Ground Level, Shoppesville, Greenhills Shopping Center
Ortigas Ave., Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number
(+63 2) 721-3179, (+63 2) 726-3677







CRAVINGS


I am such a sucker for romance....

Proof of that is I know Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant's special dialogue near the conclusion of "An Affair To Remember" word per word. I could even act it out for you if you want. I will just sit like a little kitten at the end of your couch and try my best to say "I was looking up and then I said to myself it is the nearest thing to heaven..." without tearing up. 


(photo tearfully grabbed from the net)

Actually, I'm choking back sobs right now! :)

The other half of Ericjaz foodies, my husband Eric, is DEFINITELY not a Romeo. For our 10th wedding Anniversary he did not give me flowers, nor greet me, nor make any referral about that supposedly special day.

Except, what I got was THIS on my facebook comments 2 days after:

 Eric John Yap Happy 10th anniversary yub, sorry ngayon lang ako ulit nagfb, love u mwah...

Aarrgggh! Ha ha ha ha!

Anyway maybe the reason we go so well together is that even though we are such opposites we meet in the middle in that little place called LOVE.... (told ya I'm the romantic)!

Which brings us to why we love going to CRAVINGS. The restaurant is simple but it gives out that semi-romantic vibe at a price my husband will be willing to get emotional about. We have celebrated our Valentines there before and what I am always willing to return to is their meals with the salad buffet. 

See? Everybody happy. My husband gets the cheap grub while I get the romance via the buffet! He he he he! Oh it makes me wanna cry again... 



CRAVINGS!




We went to CRAVINGS on a Monday so we were able to get good seats. I loved also that it is not as crowded compared to other restaurants in Shangrila Plaza. I wonder though if the same could be said during weekends?


Others may not share the same sentiment but what I love about CRAVINGS is their soup and salad buffet. It is reasonably priced at P295.00 but it also comes free with any order of their entrees

Now isn't that a helluva good deal?

When we got to CRAVINGS, we asked the waiters if it's okay that my husband will order the entree while I have the soup and salad buffet that goes with it since he does not eat vegetables.  The waiters were very considerate and warmly led us to a seat.

I love service people who do all that they can to make your meal more enjoyable. Kudos to Cravings Shangrila Plaza for that!

See? Even Yub was surprised. Check out the fezzz....  




Their meynuh...




The simple but lovely soup spread!




The "spreads" spread... he he he he!




The vegetable spread with their scrumptious dressings!




Some more add-ons...




Ever since I was a little girl the size of a basketball, I have loved CRAVINGS boursin spread. I could slather a ton of that creamy, cheesy, salty goodness on any bread the size of a football and shove it all in my mouth. 

YUM!




But, I am on a diet now so just reasonable servings for me! Har har  har!




My first plate of appetizers consisted of the bread with boursin spread, macaroni salad, veggies, and caesar's dressing. 

Don't judge how I just piled everything into my plate. I am so hungry this way!




My hot bowl of creamy asparagus soup. I was just planning to drop a few croutons into my soup but the waiter suggested I add some potato skins... Weird?

One spoonful of it and I was like... I don't care! Gimme more!




Boursin baby!




... and THIS is the face my husband is stuck with for the rest of his life!




Some more carbs... I especially loved the fried wantons with cheese spread!




Yub's ordered CRAVINGS SIZZLING CHICKEN ALA POBRE (P335.00).




Finally, it is also his turn to eat!




Happy Ericjaz foodies!




"I was looking up and I thought to myself it was the NEAREST thing to heaven..."




"... YOU were there..."

I love you so much Soup and Salad buffet!!!




When Yub finished his winner of a chicken dinner, he ordered a slice of my childhood favorite CRAVINGS Warm Chocolate Caramel Cake (P170.00). My dad loves this too and we would always order a whole cake of this for his birthday!




If my husband had the cake, I was going for another serving of that wonderful soup with potato skins!




So many plates on my side! He he he he!




I would banish my embarassment over that with a spoonful of their delicious soup again!




Our bill! Not much of a "damage" right? 

I think Ericjaz knows where to go on our next Saturday Night Date Night when we are going for a cross between "Romantic" and "Deadma" prices! he he he he!

Let's EAT!


Shangri-la Plaza Mall
5th Level, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shangri-la Mall
Shaw Blvd. cor. EDSA
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number
(+63 2) 635-6672, (+63 2) 635-6087, (+63 917) 866-9710)



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