Dark Specialty Roast: My last foodie find for 2018

After partying left and right just before Christmas Day, I found myself tired of eating meat. So I decided to take a break from pork, beef and chicken for one whole day on the last Saturday before the 25th of December and stick to fish and veggies. It would be a bit of a challenge as I had to go out to do some gift shopping, I thought, as not all restaurants have fish on their menu. Fortunately, I found Dark Specialty Coffee at SM North Edsa because it's where I discovered a fantastic pasta dish with smoked milkfish or tinapang bangus which is one of my top favorite all-day breakfast food. Yay, goodness without red nor white meat! As a bonus, they serve good coffee, too, although I chose a cold coffee and tea blend as thirst quencher.

My lunch at Dark Specialty Roast:

Pasta Maria Ana, P165.

This has milkfish flakes, fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Iced Cafe Matcha, regular, P160.
Green tea and coffee in a single cup, and the combination of flavors was awesome! 

Dark is my last foodie discovery for 2018 and I was glad to know about and be able to try it. It's a small coffee place with not much on the menu (three pasta dishes, I think, and some meat pies and cakes plus drinks) and shares space with Onesimus men's wear store. Don't let the size of the physical store keep you from visiting this coffee shop, however, as I guarantee, you'll be in for quite a nice surprise, based on 
my first impression of the food and drink.
Will I go back? I would love to! That tinapang bangus pasta would be 
something worth coming back for!

Meal time, fun time at Genki Sushi

When I first read about Genki Sushi, that restaurant at the SM North Edsa that serves food riding on a "bullet train", the first words that came to my mind were 

"fun" and "play". Only kids would think of those, I know, but hey, 

it's good to be child-like and have fun once in a while. 

It took me a long while before I actually made it to Genki Sushi since it reached Philippine shores from Japan in 2015 (if I'm not mistaken), but you know that popular adage: better late than never! It was in between Christmas shopping with my daughter earlier this December when we decided to have Japanese food for merienda and I thought of none other than Genki Sushi. Finally, "fun" and "play"! And it all started when we ordered food using the touchscreen monitor, up until we made our own green tea, and finally, using electronics again to view our bill and ask for our check. 
The highlight of our visit, however, was in between, of course: excitedly waiting for the train carrying our orders to arrive. For once, something 
beat the excitement of eating!

Our orders:

Shoyu Ramen, P250.
My daughter loved this, saying the noodles itself was already flavorful and tasty. I had some 
and liked the savory broth, which was comforting to the tummy. 

Fried Maki Salmon, P160.
We both raved over this -- luscious even to the eyes, and when you put it in your mouth -- an ensemble of delightful sapid flavors! On top of being savory-sweetish, it's spicy -- sure to titillate the taste buds! I could imagine it perking and lifting me up when I'm having the blues. 
Love, love, love!

Norwegian Fresh Salmon Nigiri, P90.
Loved how the salmon glided very smoothly on the tongue with a creamy, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Delish! I could eat salmon whether as sashimi or nigiri 
from breakfast till dinner and not complain!

California Maki Roll, P160.
Good, too, although not a standout. 

DIY green tea
That's green tea powder on the round container. Hot water runs on the faucet.

After putting some green tea powder on your cup, pour some hot water from the faucet, 
stir and voila! Your healthy cup of green tea is ready for drinking.

Special food delivery on board a mini bullet train!

Menu

Genki Sushi at the ground floor of SM North Edsa's main building

Needless to say, we enjoyed mealtime and yes, "playtime" at Genki Sushi. Haha! The electronic system of food ordering and having food delivered by cute trains spell fun! I imagine kids having more fun than me, so bring them over 
and let them play at mealtime. :)
Happy eating!

Merry Christmas!

While most people are busy preparing their Christmas fare or Noche Buena at this time, there are those who are not -- those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or are sick, or are so poor they can't afford to put anything special on the table. 

Let's remember to reach out to them and help them in whatever way we can and include them in our prayers. Let's remind them of what God named the Lord Jesus when He came to earth by being born in a manger: Immanuel, which means God is with us! What a beautiful truth! God is with us! Through all our pains and suffering, the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth is on our side, and 
He said never will He leave us nor forsake us. 

(Thank you, Bible Verse Art for this photo)

Let us thank God today for His infinite love and kindness to humanity. He gave His one and only Son in His desire to save us from eternal condemnation because of our sins! Indeed there is no better proof that God loves us so very much. And because He loves us, He is always willing to help us in times of trouble and need. All we have to do is pray to Him and trust that He will answer. Let this be a reminder to those whose burden is so heavy they do not find a reason to celebrate the holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone and God bless us all.

Mokja! Korean Restaurant on Maginhawa St.

Lately, I've been craving for Korean food -- especially samgyupsal -- quite often and so been frequenting places where I could have it. One of such places is Mokja! along Maginhawa St. in Quezon City, which is a gem for having a side dish buffet so you don't have to ask for what you want from the servers every so often.

And the sides are aplenty! The last time I was there, two meat dishes were even included. My friend joked that we better cancel our orders 
and just feast on the sides. Tee-hee.

Anyway, there were also three kinds of fruits -- watermelon, papaya and pineapple, and even sweet potatoes and sweet saba bananas. There are two kinds of soup too and both are delish especially the kimchi soup. The meats for grilling have good quality and marinade so your Korean barbecue comes out heavenly and indeed, crave-worthy! 

You could order the Unli 4-Meat Combo at P349; 5-Meat Combo at P449 and 8-Meat Combo at P599. If you want cheese to dip your barbecue in, add P50 
to your combo for that satisfaction to the max!

I don't eat so much meat, though, so I, as well as my friends, always order the 4-Meat Combo, which is already a lot, we have a hard time finishing everything! Haha!

The side dishes on our first visit.

 Included here are two kinds of soup, fresh lettuce, baby potatoes, onions, tofu, kimchi, radish, fried eggplant, sweet-spicy anchovies, sweetened sweet potatoes and saba banana and fresh fruits, among others. For drinks, 
there's iced tea and cucumber juice.

Sides on our second visit.

 There are two kinds of meat dishes included this time while 

the rest are basically the same. 

The 4-Meat Combo, P349.
Consists of Sweet, Spicy and Original Samgyeopsal and Kalsamgyeopsal 
(the thick-cut meat).

Grill, grill, grill

Now, eat, eat, eat!

My sides on first visit.

My choices on second visit.

Inside Mokja!-Maginhawa
It's good we arrived early on two occasions 'coz the place would soon become 
full of diners, who mostly arrive in big groups.

Entrance

Mokja! at the 3rd level, #80 Maginhawa St.,
Diliman, Quezon City


It's always an enjoyable, extremely filling and satisfying meal that we have at Mokja! The meats and side dishes are delicious and you can have them without limit at unbelievably low prices! That's real value for money without compromising taste. No wonder the Maginhawa branch is always full. And it's obvious that they need to expand so no one would have to wait in line outside. My goal now is to also go to the Banawe branch with my family, which is 
bigger, I heard. These holidays, I hope!

Coffee Project glams up U-Belt

I first stepped into a Coffee Project branch in August 2017, choosing it as venue for an important writing that I had to make. It was their store at South Triangle in Tomas Morato, Quezon City--a place that seemed to have come straight from the pages of my favorite fairy tale book! Flowers were everywhere I laid my eyes on and the whole store just smelled divine. It was the chicest, sassiest place I'd ever seen. 

Fast forward to November 2018. I was on my bed browsing through Zomato and getting suggestions on nearby places to visit for coffee in Manila. And there it was, Coffee Project on España Blvd. -- very, very new and just a good 10 minutes from home! Was I thrilled! I was there just a few days later, ogling and enjoying another lovely, elegant and cozy place to finish a cup of coffee while 
reading a book or chatting with a friend. 
Since my first time there, I've visited the place for three consecutive weekends and it's always difficult finding a vacant table. Coffee Project--España is always jam-packed with students who have apparently considered the coffee shop their library, staying there for several hours reading through textbooks or typing on their laptop. Oh, well! Anyway, I was there alone on first occasion, with my son's girlfriend 
on the second and with my youngest child on the third. 

Here's what we had:

Caesar Salad, P155.
Fresh, crunchy lettuce and lots of bacon bits. I thought that the croutons 
were cut a bit too big, though. Still, this is yummy and filling, too!

Carbonara, P195.
I loved this one! It was creamy and bacon-y and the sauce was perfect in consistency -- not too runny and not too thick.

Bacon and Egg in Rye Sandwich, P130.

When I saw the piece of bacon on the plate, I thought, "How nice of them to give extra bacon" but I realize as I write this that it just fell off the sandwich. Hahaha! I was chatting with my son's girlfriend as I was eating this that I hadn't paid much attention. But I do remember that the bun wasn't as soft as I would have liked and 
that I was looking for some spread for added flavor.

Fold Over Pesto Cream pastry, P65.

Just lovely with coffee. It was two thumbs up on first bite for being flaky 
and crunchy on the outside and savory with the
tangy pesto spread inside.

Red Velvet Cake, P150.

This was divine. A slice of heaven! It's moist and not cloying; the level of sweetness was just right for me. My boy loved it too! I paired it with a hot cup of latte 
and my son, with his chocolate frappe. 

Oreo Cheesecake, P160.

This was too saccharine for me but my son's girlfriend loved it. 
A sweet girl with a sweet tooth!

Chocolate Cookie Frappe, P190.

My baby (my 12-year-old) always goes for a chocolate drink at coffee shops and this earned his nod. He wanted the largest size but that's a no-no for having too much sugar.

Mocha Frappe, P165.

I'm a coffee person but wanted it cold one hot Sunday afternoon (and it was November, quite unusual indeed!) so this was my choice. I would have given it some love were it not too sweet for my taste.

Caffe Latte, P125.

Coffee Project's cup of joe is a pleasure to have anytime. It's 
bold, smooth and comforting. Just perfect!

Cappuccino, P140.
Hot, delicious and the ideal cake partner!

 Counter

Assortment of cakes, sandwiches and pastries
A lovely sight to behold! Tee-hee.

Inside Coffee Project-España

  Coffee Project at the ground floor of Vista Residences, 
G. Tolentino St. corner España Boulevard

Coffee Project stores all have beautiful, relaxing interiors but the Espana branch is tops for me. Aside from being near where I live, I believe it's bigger and lovelier than the other branches. Try visiting when you're in the University Belt (near UST but on the opposite side) and enjoy chilling out while having some coffee or tea and good food. Hope you find a seat quickly, though. If you don't, 
remember that patience is a virtue. 
Hahaha!

Red Table for good, affordable Korean food

How often do you have that feeling of coming out of a restaurant happy and fully satisfied because you've just had a delicious, filling meal and without breaking the bank as a bonus? That's exactly my feels every time I have my favorites at Red Table -- that casual Korean restaurant that you find at SM Malls. I say every time I have my favorites because not every order left me truly happy. There are some things that were quite good and then there were those were really, really good 
that I crave for them from time to time.

I love Red Table for a number of reasons: One, they serve yummy, flavor-packed food. Two, their serving size is perfect for me. Not too little, not too much (I'm not a fan of "unli" restaurants because even though I love food, I don't and can't eat much). 
Three, I love Korean food for scoring high in the nutrition department

(there's always vegetables whatever you order). 

And four, I love the affordability. 

Well, here are the dishes that I've so far tried at Red Table. 
At the top are my favorites while at the bottom are those that are not.

Samgyupsal
I super love the flavorful, tender and juicy meat, plus lots of onion and garlic slices. The soup and kimchi are included in the set but the cup of rice is ordered separately. I often crave 
for this filling and very satisfying meal. Two thumbs up!

Bibimbap
This is one of my top favorite Korean dishes. Healthy and delicious, it's a complete one-bowl meal with meat and veggies coming in a frenzy of colors, flavors and textures. Delicious!

Osam-Bulgogi
I was impressed by this flavor-packed dish of pork, squid and vegetables. The combination of sweetness and spiciness makes the taste buds dance in a delightful hysteria! Be forewarned, you'd be eating a lot of rice with this, so gather up some self-control 
if you're trying to cut back on carbs.

Sundubu jjige
This is spicy soft tofu stew that I fell in love with on first taste. That kick 
is sure to chase the blues away!

Bulgogi sizzling pan

Bite-sized beef slices are tender and fun to eat. Cabbage adds nutrients to this delicious viand.

Bulgogi deopbap

I hope I remembered right the name of this dish. The sunny side-up egg makes 

the bulgogi one notch more filling and satisfying.

Japchae
Korean pancit with glass noodles, beef and veggie strips plus strings of fried scrambled egg. 
This one's yummy but a bit too saccharine for me.

Gimbap
Korean version of my favorite Japanese comfort food. I still prefer sushi, though.

Menu

 Inside Red Table at SM City San Lazaro

Red Table is my go-to place when I'm either at SM  San Lazaro or Manila and craving for my Korean food favorites. Most of their offers are really good and no item on the menu is above P200 per order.That means saving a lot of moolah compared to eating at unli-barbecue restaurants (That is if you aren't a big eater or not famished, I clarify). What's more, the place is nice and clean and servers are courteous. 
There's nothing that's hard to love at this place!