You Had Me With Your Steak, 7 Corners!

My Kuya celebrated his 29th birthday at 7 Corners, Crowne Plaza. The buffet was from 6-10 pm. Unfortunately, due to heavy traffic on a Friday night, we were stocked up in a bumper to bumper situation and was late for an hour. Good thing though, my Mom had an early reservation so we didn't have to wait in line for our turn to be seated.

Excited to eat

Seven Corners was named as such in representation of the seven stations found in the buffet. The moment we had our place, even though it was just a minute passed after we've seated, we immediately headed on to the buffet table. My first stop was the Japanese section. They had a variety of maki, sushi and of course they wouldn't fore go offering tempura. Of all the dish served there was this teeny tiny maki that really made a mark on me, because it was extremely hot, with a capital "H". It seemed like my tongue was really blazed on fire. This prompted me to cool down a bit and headed to the salad bar section (dessert on the early part of the dinner?). Their salad section was limited but I may say, their dressings were the ones that pulled it off.

The maki with orange seasoning was the one I'm referring to as HOT!

Fruits

After which, I headed to the Italian section where they cater a " do it yourself" pizza. After getting a slice of it, I also grabbed a bread as a compliment which was next to the pizza station.

Next, I tried their dessert section that offered home made ice cream with assorted toppings to choose from. I would love to try some of their cakes but sadly, some of it was serve only on an "a la carte basis".

My homemade ice cream. My buko pandan dessert is also seen.

The moment I felt I was ready for another gastronomic battle, I headed to the seafood area where they had crabs, mussels, oysters and clams awaiting to be exhausted. I also steered my way to the table of Thai entrees where they offered different viands of flavorful concoction of spices that zested up the lamb chops, chevon, beef and pork.

BF's foodams

But, the highlight of the night in my own opinion, was the US prime rib steak that was served at one corner of the buffet. We directed the chef as to the way we wanted it to be cooked. After how many minutes of waiting, the smoking meat alas caught my attention. It was so big, that the steak alone had already made our money worth it. If only I could squeeze in more in my tummy, I could have ordered, another slice of steak. Nonetheless, that one prime rib steak already satisfied my hungry palate.

The king of the night: US Prime Rib Steak

All in all, Seven Corners didn't claim the grandeur of being the biggest amongst the list of buffet here in our country but the taste and the choices of food is more than enough to claim being one of the best buffets in the metro.

Satisfied birthday celebrant!

Listen to the Beat @ Bistro Mateo

For the 52nd birthday of my Mom, she decided to have a dinner at Tiendesitas particularly at Bistro Mateo. The place reminded me of an old, rustic, vintage house coupled by incandescent bulbs lighting the place. We stayed at the second floor's veranda since there was a concomitant wedding reception held inside and also for the other reason that a live band was playing outside which was my mom's favorite part about dining out.

Outside Bistro Mateo

Mom's choice of entree would be chopseuy, beef caldereta, liempo and calamares on the side. Their servings were somewhat smaller than the usual. Nothing quite distinct about the taste. But even though the meals, were a bit ordinary, the live band made it extraordinary. My personal favorite would be that guy with a Jason Mraz like voice. He could pull it off so heavenly that I could imagine I'm in one of Jason Mraz's gigs. I love how cool Jason Mraz's voice could be. "hmm, well you done done me and you bet I felt it.." haha. Still couldn't get over the beat in my head..

Calamares and Caldereta

Chopseuy

Sadly, I don't have any pic of the wringer of Jason Mraz but their female lead singer is at the far part of the pic

Bistro Mateo is one of the feel good place where you and your friends could have a nice chat over a bottle of beer. Their viands may not live up to your expectation but the band and the ambiance could definitely pull it off.

Happy Birthday Mom!

===o===

Bistro Mateo

Tiendesitas, Fronte Verde

Ortigas Ave. cor. C-5

Bgy, Ugong, Pasig City

631-4367/0922 8148646

The Art of Maki @ Omakase

Japanese food is one of my top favorite dishes next to Italian cuisines. They have this tendency to make me feel full even by just eating around 8-10 pieces of maki. My subsection in Med once dined in at Omakase at Greenhills. Poor thing though, my BF wasn't around that time. He's a sucker for anything Japanese and of course wasabe. When we arrived at the place, we were asked to wait a little because there were no vacant seats yet (See, their place was really jam-packed!).

When we're seated a little later, the hard job of ordering my maki took place. Being a first timer, I'm at a loss of what to tell the waiter, provided the names written in the menu were somewhat bizarre, like: Crazy Maki, Jurassic Maki, Seabreeze, Rock n Roll etc. The pictures on the menu didn't help me either. It just made me crave to order all haha. :) So I asked my dear friends for any suggestions and they said American Dream would be one of customer's fave. So I ordered that, as well as a rice bowl topped with Katsudon.

After which, I eagerly took pictures of the different Japanese dishes found on our table. When I reached home and browsed thru all the pics on my cam, I suddenly forgot which maki is which. Oh poor memory (Don't be like that to me during exams!). Help me name these beautiful dishes ;) haha :)

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Eventhough I've totally forgotten their names, still, I would be confident enough to pick just any dish next time. Just like what this restaurant means which is "to entrust", I would gladly entrust my next food trip with this resto to be all so worth it once again. :)

===o===

Omakase

Ground Level Connecticut Arcade

Greenhills Shopping Complex

Ortigas Ave., Greenhills, San Juan

470-9807

Celebrating Our 3rd Anniversary @ Seoul Garden Buffet

My BF and I are undeniably big fans of food. Achieving that gastronomic satisfaction is one of the ways we bond. Honestly speaking, I noticed that we had fewer fights every time we were not hungry, or whenever we were criticizing some new food discoveries.

For our 3rd year of being together, we decided to try something fresh, which in general was also a recent addition to the list of buffets here in our country, the Seoul Garden Korean Buffet. Aside from the fact that I'm fond of Koreanovelas, I couldn't resist the Korean barbecues this restaurant has to offer.

The only Korean hint I saw. Haha.

We arrived at SM North Edsa at around 5 pm, 1 hour past the start of the dinner buffet. Yes! The dinner buffet starts at 4 pm and ends at 10 pm (haha, such a long time to savor the meals). The place itself has quite a modern look however it lacks any touch of Korean in it. The table is comparable to that of Yakimix wherein a grilling plate with a pot at the middle of the table was provided. They first asked what kind of soup we wanted. They explained that the soup will be used in preparing some of the food we've picked (just like the Korean way of cooking we see on TV).

The grilling plate with our kimchi soup.

The yummy sauces.

The buffet table was just a long table with different meats served soaked in a variety of marinades. We chose from teriyaki, bulgogi, curry, etc. I grabbed every dish I could, returned to our table and started grilling. I kept coming back to the long buffet table so as to have around the clock cooking haha.. The only thing though was that, once the meat was cooked, I couldn't recognize the name of it because it got mixed up through all the twist and turns on the grill. The only downside was that my armpit was like "ngawit na" with all the cooking I had to do, but nevertheless, it was all worth it. Once I took a bite of each, and every single meat, I could really distinguish that certain taste that differentiates one meat from the other. I couldn't remember how many times we came back to the long buffet table.

Before grilling..

After grilling. The product of our cooking

They served maki as well but my BF didn't like it.

Another heaven sent treat was that, it was a bottomless drink as well. In my case, I needed that! Their kimchi soup spelled H-O-T!! On one part of the long buffet would be an area where you can do your own bibimbap concoction. It's a "do it yourself" rice meal with egg on top. Lastly, the desert section had halo halo and ice cream. Even if this was only what they had to offer, it's enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

My pork bibimbap.

Our halo-halo.

Our ice cream.

Overall, Seoul Garden Buffet was worth the experience.

Busog na.

===o===

Seoul Garden Korean Buffet

Unit Ax1 225-226 The Annex 1 Level 2

SM City North Edsa, Quezon City

Tel. No.: 355-4006

Weekday (Mon-Thurs):

Lunch (10am-4pm)

Adult: 529.00

Child: 295.00

Dinner (4pm - 10 pm)

Adult: 585.00

Child: 325.00

Weekend (Fri-Sun):

Lunch (10am-4pm)

Adult: 585.00

Child: 325.00

Dinner (4pm - 10 pm)

Adult: 635.00

Child: 355.00

Student Meal (Mon-Fri exc. holidays):

Lunch only: 355.00

Just present your ID or registration card.

*Child are those 4ft and below.

: Prices are subjected to 6% service charge.

My Gambasetti Experience at TOSH

I have read different raves about TOSH's Gambasetti and lucky for me, I was fortunate enough to try it one time. Upon arriving, I already had my Gambasetti in mind even before the menu was handed to us.

Front cover of the menu. My BF was bullying me that I was that girl on the menu.

At this point, my BF on the other hand, ordered Peppered Crusted Fish with Spaghetti in Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (hmm, sounds yummy). For drinks, I had Pepsi Light while my BF had Pepsi Max. I don't know if it was just me, but at that time, I was clueless that Pepsi Light was served together with a glass with lime. We even asked the waiter about that, and he reassured that it was for me. Haha, pardon my ignorance for that piece of lime.

Can you see my glass with lime?

Alas my meal arrived. Hmm, honestly, I really don't have that "master" taste buds that could differentiate pasta sauces. The only thing I knew was to eat.. Haha.. Well, for this meal, the sauce was like a wringer of McDonald's spaghetti, through its tinge of a sour taste. The only difference was that gambasetti has a bit of tanginess compared to our dear Mc Spaghetti. Aside from that, my plate was a heaven for seafood lovers. I had about more than six pieces of shrimp on my plate. I just hoped that they completely remove the shell to facilitate ease in eating.

Gambasetti P175

I know you might be expecting a review on my BF's meal, but unfortunately, even before I had to get a taste of it, he was already finished with his meal. Oh well, I'll just try it next time haha.

Pepper Crusted Fish with Spaghetti in Sun Dried Tomato Pesto P170

===o===

The Old Spaghetti House

3rd Floor AnnexBldg, SM North Edsa

426-TOSH (8674)

Allows delivery

My First Fro-Yo @ California Berry

I am not really a fan of yogurt. I'd rather have green mangoes over a cup of yogurt. Putting my bias aside, my subsection once headed to calberry for desert. I just ordered the small one with two toppings, m&m's and oreo. The toppings helped in balancing sweetness with its sour taste. At the end, I could not proclaim myself as a yogurt lover. Maybe I still needed further motivation. However, surely this quaint little space should be included in the list of fro-yo lovers. I thought it was a "try again next time" drama for me.

Sorry for the messy pic. My fro-yo

Ubos na ;'D

===o===

California Berry

Tomas Morato

Steak at Stake @ Snackaroo

It' was one of those free Leg Med days again c/o Doc Rebosa. My subsec and I decided to have our lunch at Snackaroo to maximize our 4-hour break.

Upon arriving at the place, you will consider it as a hole in the wall dining place along Kamuning. You might mistake it for a simple carinderia but wait until you get to taste their steaks. Their meals ranged from about P110-130. With that fair value, who could resist a sumptuous steak for just a hundred bucks. Sorry for I didn't have any pics of the steak because we were busy munching on our plates. The few pics I got were the empty plates and satisfied faces on us all.

After which, I ordered a take-out steak for my BF. My only comment was it was hard to eat it using a plastic spoon, fork and a styro, so better yet, just eat it at the place itself.

===o===

Snackaroo

Address: Kamuning, Quezon City

The Signature Tomato

We first chanced upon Grilled Tomato when we were scouting the streets of Banawe for good food. At that time, we were almost the only customer eating (maybe because it was way past lunch time). The branch at Banawe is simpler compared to its branch at Tomas Morato. Interior wise, the one at Tomas Morato is more chic. Anyway, this is a fine place for cheap and affordable meals. For just a little over a hundred you will already feel satiated. I always order keema or korma. Just like what I have said in my previous post, I love their sauce to bits. The tanginess of the sauce made the meal more interesting.

Their name speaks for this pic: "grilled tomato"

Yummy keema

Their branch at Morato at the background

Keema lover

Beef Keema P80

===o===

Grilled Tomato

Address: Tomas Morato Avenue corner Sct de Guia Quezon City

Grilled Tomato

Address: Maria Clara St. cor. Banawe, Quezon City

Keema Overload At Mister Kabab

My boyfriend and I love to venture on food. One night, as he was about to drive me to Trinoma, I complained of a migraine attack. I really hate having one! I pleaded that we pass by a drugstore, so I could buy Doloneurobion (the only drug that is effective for me). We then headed straight to Mercury drugstore around West Ave. Since the drug has to be taken with food, we decided to dine in a nearby place. That's the time we found out Mister Kabab.

The ambiance was serene, edgy, yet classy. Lightings were slightly dimmed, which added to some of its drama at night. The place was jam-packed (as usual) when we arrived. We decided to sit by one table at the corner. I ordered keema while my boyfriend had some korma with beryani rice. To my surprise, even though the place was full of people, their service remained excellent. In just about how many minutes, the waitress was already serving our meals.

Sizzling Keema P100

Beryani P120

Sorry for the quality of pics. I loved both meals, especially when flavored with their sauces. I love Persian foods. They have that certain zzz-ing you're looking for in a blue plate. I appreciated how spicy their food could get. Quantity speaking, it was large enough to overload my tummy. Overall, dining in at Mister Kabab was worth our money. From the exteriors down to the taste of the food, it was two thumbs up for me.

I was very much satisfied! No more migraines after taking my medicine ;'D

===o===

Mister Kabab

Address: 31 West Avenue, Nayong Kanluran, Quezon City

Tel. No.: 373-5491

Open 24 hours