Burger Bar

Move over Chili’s I think I may have found a new favorite Burger joint – Burger Bar =P 

I’ve been hearing a lot of good reviews about this place so a friend and I decided to try it. 

I love the hip and cozy interiors. 

As I was deciding which burger to get, I started with their Warm Artichoke and Spinach Dip (P285).
Ok, I have to admit I liked the quality of Chili's tortilla chips more than this but the dip was just too good that I would rate it 4.5/5. 

I had a hard time deciding what to get and I was getting hungry so I got my first choice - The 4-Cheese Chuck Single Patty - parmesan-crusted beef patty blend of chuck and short rib with yellow cheddar, aged gruyere, mozzarella, arugula in a sesame bun (P245) and upsized it to Go Lunch Box Rated GP (with fries and drink) (P330). You could never go wrong with cheese and it sure didn't disappoint me. The bun was also soft and it didn't have 'unnecessary' condiments which sometimes disrupts the taste. It was simple yet it was soo good. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish everything so I saved the other half of my burger =P 

Take a peek inside my cheesy burger.

How they cooked the patty was just perfect! Since there were already 4 different types of cheese in my burger, I couldn’t ask for more.  My drink was a little bit unusual but at the same time refreshing. Imagine a ‘toothpaste drink’ (minty) with the taste of tea at the end.  It's something new and it's not too bad either but it's not one of my favorite drinks =P

I think the prices are quite reasonable considering the quality of their beef and the taste. You can also have your burgers fit to your own perfection as they offer customized burgers. You can choose your own bun, your preferred toppings and the type of beef. You can be your own burger boss =P

Unfortunately I didn’t have room for dessert so I made a vow to come back and try their famous pudding and their other bestsellers. 

A perfect place to hang-out and give-in to your burger cravings. I give this place a thumbs up! =)

Burger Bar is located at G/F of Greenbelt 2.

Conversation Hearts

Spent Valentine's day with my loved ones. A close friend gave me this cute and sweet treat last Vday.

 

Palmer Conversation Hearts Milk Chocolate Flavored

You can also rearrange them for a short and sweet message =P

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. XOXO

Chinese New Year 2013 at Binondo, Manila

It all started last year when a few friends decided to go to Binondo to celebrate Chinese New Year. Then I think it became a tradition. =) We came not just for the festivities but also to indulge in good food. 

1.) First stop is to buy my favorite hopia from Ho-land Bakery. You can also buy there other Chinese delicacies.

Address: 551 Yuchengco St. cor. Carvajal Binondo Manila

2.) We planned to eat lunch at Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant but unfortunately they were open for take-out only so we brought it home instead. Sincerity is known for their fried chicken and it was indeed full of flavor that you no longer need sauce.

Address: 497 Yuchengco St. Binondo Manila

While walking we saw lots of finger food, tikoy and lucky charms.

3.) Another place you shouldn't miss is Po-heng's Lumpia House. For P50.00 you can have a big healthy snack. It's quite hard to locate this place probably because it's hidden. They make the best lumpia with fresh ingredients. They also serve Maki Soup (P55) which is perfect for merienda. I'll try this in my next visit.

Address: Uy Su Bin Bldg.531 Quintin Paredes St., BinondoManila

4.) We had lunch at Awi's Cafe and Restaurant which was featured in one of the episodes of Cityscape (a travel and lifestyle show). We ordered their famous Lomi which was perfect (P130) and coffee spareribs (230) - both good for sharing. Their lechong kawali and chicken with lemon sauce were also great.

Address:  520 E.T. Yuchengco Street, Binondo, City of Manila 

5.) Cafe Mezzanine would be the most famous restaurant in Binondo because it is never empty and because all of the revenues are donated to Binondo Paco Fire Search and Rescue Brigade. It's a good business with a good cause. We had some light snacks -- french fries (P55) and siomai (P60) because we were still full with all the food that we ate from Awi's. We also watched the dragon dance from the second floor window. 

Address: 650 Ongpin corner E.T. Yuchengco Sts., Binondo Manila

6.) I kind of missed some of the goodies from my HK trip last year good thing Binondo has the Mandarin Supermarket where I could buy my favorite juice, canned coffee, biscuits and other favorite Chinese goods. Could you spot the giant lollipop? I'm sure you wouldn't miss it. 

Address: G/F Mandarin Square Bldg. 777 Ongpin St. Binondo Manila

7. My brother who used to work at Binondo told me about Crepe de Chine. He asked me to buy Taco Mexicano (P170) which was so huge and filling. My friends ordered desserts and I tried their Pizza Crepe (P140) which was so cheesy that's why I loved it. Their fresh mango shake was a great fix to end my merienda. The place was quite far from the busy streets of Binondo. It was a perfect place to hang-out and chill and enjoy their cozy swings.

Address: World Trade Exchange Bldg. 215 Juan Luna cor Dasmarinas St. Binondo Manila

I'm not superstitious but there's no harm in buying charms that could bring you luck right? Just in case it would work, I bought a charm bracelet for the year of the Ox for P80. =)

8. Aling Carina, our Chinese friend, used to bring us this famous Shanghai Fried Siopao. Everytime I go to Binondo I always buy this for baon and pasalubong. 

Address: corner of Ongpin St. and Bahama St.

The highlight of the festivities -- Dragondance.

We even saw Ivan Dy with his tour group. 

9-10. This pic was taken last year. I just wanted to share this since we're talking about the great food finds in Binondo. I loved the Kuchay dumplings from Tasty Dumplings and Waiying's hakaw.

Address: Tasty Dumplings - 620 Ongpin St. Binondo Manila

Address: Waiying - 810 Benavidez St. Binondo Manila 

It was again a fun experience with my friends. Every meal was delicious! Can't wait for 2014, probably by that time I would have tried every restaurant in Binondo (I wish!) 

I hope everyone would have a prosperous year ahead! =)

Modern Toilet

Modern Toilet 

by Allei for Discovgraphies

I’ve recently visited Shenzhen, China and found this very interesting restaurant called “Modern Toilet”. I never imagined that the word 'toilet' would be associated with food. My imagination went wild just thinking about what kind of food they serve. I wondered if everything in their menu stinks but tastes good? =P When we arrived at our hotel we hurriedly left all our stuff and started our search for this place (which I have to say was not easy). First, it was hard asking for directions because of the language barrier and the locals pointed us to different directions. Even though we had to figure it out by ourselves, I appreciated the fact that they were really nice and they made an effort to assist us. Another issue was that, we can’t understand the street signs since they were written in Chinese.=( We already lost hope in finding the place. But on our last day in China, we accidentally found it! It was just near our hotel and so near to the stalls we have asked. To our excitement, we just ran upstairs since it was on the second floor of a building in Dongmen=P

   

  

Every table has different centerpieces underneath a glass and all their seats are made of toilet bowls. (Don’t worry the seat is covered so your butt won’t have to feel stingy after) hahaha! I also loved their unique displays. It was like dining in a very posh and hygienic comfort room/store haha!

We had the Toilet Bowl No. 5 which was Chocolate Ice cream. We were really full after eating at Yoshinoya so there was only a space left in my tummy for dessert. If we had seen this earlier that day, we would surely have tried their meals and main entrees since they all look so appetizing.

Knowing what it looks like, it still looked appetizing =P

(Looking across our table) - I was so amazed how all their meals are served in toilet bowls =)

Rating:

Price: 4/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

I liked my dessert. It wasn't the best ice cream but for the price it was good. It was definitely an unforgettable experience having dessert while sitting on the 'throne'. 

When I go back in Shenzhen, I’m sure to visit this place again and try out their other food in their menu. Can’t wait for my next trip! =)

Location: 2nd Floor, JieFanlu 1004# Dongmen BuxingJie Shenzhen