Date of visit: September 30, 2011

One of the many things that I missed during Mark's absence is our Friday dinner and movie dates. He would pick me up from the office after work on Fridays and then we'll head to a place for our dinner and movie date. So when he got back, after a week's worth of vacation from work, I was very much looking forward to our first Friday dinner and movie date. :)

We both wanted to dine in a restaurant we haven't tried before so we chose to dine at the Spaghetti Factory. We had a hard time in choosing what to order because their menu was very inviting--the dishes look so delectable and the prices were very affordable. But having pastas as their specialty, Mark and I decided to just do away with rice and the rest of their menu and just have pastas instead.

Mark and I, on our first Friday dinner date after more than a year :)

Mark went on the safe side and ordered their Alfredo Fettuccine, while I was a bit adventurous that time and chose their Homemade Ravioli Ricotta Spinach. We both were frustrated at the sight of our plates when our orders were served. We were expecting something that is but enough to fill our tummies, but we were served with the opposite. Their servings weren't really that generous, not even reasonable for their price.

Alfredo Fettuccine - Php 179.00

We tried to be optimistic and gave their food a chance but we, once again, failed. Mark's Alfredo was just plain tasting. The garlic toast was rock hard and the sauce was not enough to even coat the fettuccine.

My Ravioli Spinach wasn't also a hit. I don't know about the fettuccine, but my raviolis were not al dente and were a bit hard to chew. My dish was overflowing with sauce, though not so tasty. I'm not sure if I was just frustrated with the serving and all, but I didn't really find mine delicious.

Homemade Ravioli Ricotta Spinach - Php 239.00

Their service wasn't also impeccable. Their staff were inattentive. We had a hard time calling their attention just to follow up our orders. :|

With food that is not something to die for and service that is not so good, our first time at Spaghetti Factory will also definitely be our last.

Mark didn't really enjoy our dinner so we decided to take out some food before our movie date. He didn't want to play safe this time, so he had burgers at Taters. :p

Here's Mark eating burger before No Other Woman starts

Our first Friday dinner date was a disaster, good thing our movie date was definitely awesome!

SPAGHETTI FACTORY, Glorietta 5

2/F Glorietta 5, Ayala Center

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 501-3176

Had a very fun night with my college friends last night. It was Karen's birthday last February 15, and she invited us over for her birthday dinner treat at North Park in Glorietta 5.

I had been eating so much the past weeks so I was trying to get back to my diet but well, it's Karen's birthday! I wouldn't want her to feel bad so I decided to set aside the diet first (excuses! hahaha!).

I don't know what to choose so I just let them decide what to eat. Karen suggested that we try out the Boneless Honey Lemon Chicken. I just love how the sweetness of the honey jives with the tangy taste of the lemon. And I can say that North Park's version is the best lemon chicken that I've tried.

Jes suggested the Salty Garlic Squid. I love how tender the squid was. When eaten as is, the dish is just like an ordinary breaded fried squid. What made it extra special was the vinegar that comes with it. It somehow tasted like the Sukang Iloco, but sweeter, and it also has garlic bits which gave it its distinct taste.

Wymer suggested that we try out the Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumplings. Just like the squid, the dumplings will not taste good without the sauce. It's sweet and sour sauce gave the plain prawns a delectable taste.

We also had their Fried Noodles and Yang Chow Fried Rice, the two dishes that would never be left out of the list when eating in Chinese restaurants.

And being the health buff that Mark is, he really didn't want to eat rice so he had a separate order. He opted for the Nanking Beef with Wanton. I think it tasted good too because he was able to finish the whole dish, even if he kept on telling me that I should share with him because he might not be able to eat all of it. Haha! I got to try the wanton though, and I can say that I liked it too. :)

For the drinks, I ordered Lychee Shake and Mark got the Fresh Lemonade.
North Park may have the scrumptious dishes, but I think they should try to improve on their poor service.

After dinner, we headed to Seattle's Best Coffee in Greenbelt 3 for some chit chat and catching up.

We all enjoyed reminiscing about our college experiences, but what made the night more fun and enjoyable was when we started playing Pusoy Dos right in SBC. Haha! If not just because Mark and I would still have to travel to Antipolo, I guess we wouldn't mind if we stayed there 'til morning. :P

Thanks Karen for the dinner and to all the rest for the super fun night! 'til next time! :D