Okay, my backlogs are still piling up, I know, but here's one which I can finally cross out from the list. :p

A few weeks back, Mark and I decided to have dinner first before going to the wake of our friend. I fetched Mark from work and then we headed to the Ayala Triangle Gardens for dinner.

Mark was already watching his food intake since he's preparing for an upcoming bodybuilding competition, so after rummaging the Ayala Triangle for restaurants and their menus, we both agreed to dine at Wee Nam Kee. Steamed, boiled, or grilled chicken and fish are the usual dishes that Mark eat when he's on a diet so he got one order each of the restaurant's steamed chicken and fish.

Marks first order was the Chicken Rice. You can have it roasted, steamed, cooked with soy sauce, or try a combination. It also comes in personal set, quarter, half, and whole sizes. I am not a fan of steamed food, and it's my first time to try Hainanese chicken, and I must say that this dish is okay. The meat was cooked well and I liked that it didn't have that stench of raw chicken. The chicken chunks were laid in a bed of sauce (which somehow had the taste of soy sauce and a little lemony/citrus taste) with cucumber slices. The sauce had just the right amount of saltiness which is perfect for Mark's diet.

Steamed Chicken Rice (Medium-Half) - Php 488.00

The dish is also served with chicken soup. It's actually a chicken stock seasoned with pepper and spring onions, which I must say was so good. Being the restaurant's signature dish, the Chicken Rice I think was a good choice since Mark enjoyed this dish and finished it all in no time. :p

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

Date of visit: September 29, 2011

Mark paid me a surprise visit at work one Thursday afternoon. We were actually supposed to have lunch but something came up on his side so it didn't push through. I was really feeling sad about it, until I got a text message from Mark around half past 3pm asking me out for some snacks. I initially thought it was just one of his practical jokes when he instructed me to come down to the lobby to meet with him. Though very hesitant, I still went down and when I got to the ground floor, there he was, at the building entrance, smiling sweetly as I approach him. :p

We both wanted to try out some new restaurants and I thought the Ayala Triangle Gardens would be the perfect place. We walked around the area and this Filipino-home-style ambiance caught our attention the most.


It was late in the afternoon and there were only a few people dining in so we had the liberty to choose our seats. We chose the seats at the leftmost side of the restaurant, which gave us an ample view of the whole place.


Mark and I both loved Kanin Club's simple yet homey interior. Everything was just so Pinoy. The colorful stained glasses and the sliding windows and dividers were what I loved the most. The place actually reminded me of the houses and structures in Vigan.


Okay, so much with the restaurant's interior, let's now go to what we really came here for...the food! :D Our drinks were served a few minutes after we placed our orders. I had sago't gulaman while Mark had dalandan juice.

Dalandan Juice (Php 67.00) and Sago't Gulaman (Php 90.00)

We were in a Filipino restaurant so I already knew what Mark would have---his all-time favorite Kare-Kare. Unlike other kare-kare dishes that are just overflowing with veggies, Kanin Club's kare-kare had a generous amount of tender beef tripe and pork leg chunks. The veggies were also cooked just right, not too soggy and just had the right crunch. It's rich peanut sauce was also perfect as is but was made more delectable when paired with bagoong. There's actually no surprise that this was a hit for Mark (even if eaten with sour rice). :p

Kare-Kare - Php 358.00

It actually took me a while to finally decide what to have. I've been hearing raves and been reading a lot of good reviews about Kanin Club's Crispy Dinuguan and Sinangag na Sinigang. I don't eat dinuguan but I was a little curious about how the Crispy Dinuguan was proven to have convinced non-dinuguan eaters to actually love the dish, but I guess I still wasn't adventurous enough so I opted for Sinangag na Sinigang.

Sinangag na Sinigang - Php 224.00

It was actually my first time to see a dry sinigang. I was still trying to contemplate on how this dish would be like, and was amazed on my first spoonful. It really tasted like the sinigang that I grew up with. And that distinct sour taste that I really love was really captured by the dish. To whoever is behind the birth of this dish--the sinigang-inspired fried rice, the pork liempo, and the vegetable tempura--you are such a genius! Some of the veggies were a bit hard though, but there's no denying how innovative this dish is! :D I just wish they were not a little carried away when adding in green chili. :p

By the way, here's another photo of Mark and I. I'm still not convinced that Mark's photo from my previous posts increased my blog traffic, but I'm still posting another photo of him anyway haha! :p

Mark and I in our very late lunch/super early dinner at Kanin Club :p

With a restaurant with an ambiance that is so cozy and relaxing and with food that is perfectly delicious, who would have thought that a very bad service would come with it? Yup, I would love to give them a perfect 10 but because of their unresponsive waiting staff and not so good service, I don't think they deserve such rating. :p

We had to follow up our orders many times. You would also hardly see a waiting staff roaming around to check for customers request because they were all busy stamping those paper place mats, and to think that it wasn't even lunch/dinner time. *sigh*

But then again, I think there are still a lot of good food here that we have yet to try so we'll still be coming back. I just do hope their service would improve on our next visit. :)

KANIN CLUB, Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati Ave., Bel-Air
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 621-6109


      sweetnothings.kriskamarie
       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie

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

Being the health buff that Mark is, and whenever he's prepping up for an upcoming competition, just like the one this December, he is very strict when it comes to eating right. And whenever we would go out, he still sees to it that he watches what he eats.

At first I thought we would find it hard to choose on where to eat since there aren't any restos or fast food chains that offer hard-boiled eggs minus the yolk, boiled sweet potatoes, plain oatmeal, tuna soaked in water, or boiled chicken breast fillet without even a pinch of salt..hehe..But thank God there's World Chicken. They offer a variety of dishes that very much suits into Mark's diet.

Last Friday night, before meeting up with some friends, Mark and I decided to have dinner first at Glorietta 4. Knowing that he would opt to eat again at World Chicken, we headed straight to the Food Choices at Level 3. I must say that I also like their dishes, but having to eat the same thing or just having to go to the same resto every time we go out could be annoying at times (haha! sorry Mark ;p).

I was heading towards the very long line to World Chicken, when Mark suggested that we go around the area first to look for something to eat (whew! I just felt a sign of relief! haha!). We stopped at every food chain, but we still can't decid what to eat. We already reached the end of the chain, so Mark just decided to try it out at Go Greek!.

He ordered their Gyro Chicken Platter, and I, being the not-so-adventurous-when-it-comes-to-food type, just decided to order the same. ;p The dish comes with a generous serving of roasted chicken strips on top of pita bread slices, fresh garden salad, and a choice of baked potato wedges or rice.

Gyro Chicken Platter

And for the drinks, Mark had Fruit Magic's Strawberry Yogurt with Vanilla Whey Protein, while I opted for their Melon Shake.

Strawberry Yogurt with Vanilla Whey Protein and Melon Shake

Both of us were really not into Greek cuisine, until after we tried out the dish! We both enjoyed the dinner and we both loved the food. And the next time that we go out, at least I know that there's another resto that we can eat from. :) Good thing Mark decided to 'Go Greek!'. :D

Go Greek! and Fruit Magic
Food Choices, Level 3 Glorietta 4
Ayala Center, Makati City

Left(bottom to top): Boyet, Jerellt, Joie, Jeff
Right(bottom to top): Mark, Kriska, Marwin, Tang, Chrisel

We had our get-together dinner last Friday at Capricciosa. Reservation was at 7pm but Mark and I arrived early, as usual..hehe..We both were hungry at that time so I immediately agreed when Mark suggested that we place our orders while waiting for the rest to arrive.

I wanted something healthy so I opted for their Sauteed Mixed Vegetable in Butter Sauce.

Sauteed Mixed Vegetable in Butter Sauce

I was expecting a traditional mixed vegetables dish--with broccoli, cauliflower, young corn, and carrots--but what I got was fried eggplant, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and bell pepper. Ugh! I really didn't want to eat it but I decided to give it a try. I ate a piece of broccoli and I swear, I really regret having decided to go healthy that night! ;p

Good thing Mark ordered the Lasagna Capricciosa and Pizza Capricciosa. These two delicious dishes really saved my night! :)

Lasagna "Capricciosa Style"

Pizza Capricciosa

Big thanks to Jerellt for the photos and for organizing the get-together! :)

Capricciosa
3/F Greenbelt 3, Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila