"Let's check-in at a hotel in Makati and go malling!"
That was what we decided to do when we learned of the unexpected long weekend last August 2011 (4 days!!!!). Well, that's half true. The other half? Food trip!
So on Aug 28, we left San Pablo City at around 11am. Our original plan was to have lunch at Serendra but due to the fiesta-related traffic in Alaminos and Sto. Tomas, we were still at SLEX by lunchtime. We decided to have lunch at Pancake House instead. Our dilemma was we couldn't remember which gasoline station it was located. Being the worst navigator on the planet, Mayordoma said it was at Shell, the second station. As it turned out, it was at the last station, Caltex.
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| http://www.pancakehouse.com.ph/ |
We loved how Pancake House designed their menu. The pop-ups were cool. Made us want to order all those kiddie treats. But of course when you're near famished, all that would matter would be the food. Senyorito Lakwatsero had the Corndog and Fries. While the three of us opted for the beef menu. After all, their menu boasts of high quality beef. Driver - Roast Beef, Yaya - Salisbury Steak, and Mayordoma - Hamburger Steak. Let us just say, we enjoyed Senyorito Lakwatsero's food! The sour cream and mustard dip went well with the fries. As for our respective adult meals, well...nothing really much to say other than they were filling.
Since it was a holiday, the travel from SLEX to Makati was a breeze. We went straight to our hotel to check-in. For some reason, we were told that there was no reservation under our name and the room category we opted for was no longer available. Left with no choice, we decided to book a pricier room. There was another hitch. The room would only be available after an hour. Tough luck! After paying and getting our parking card, we decided to pass time at Bonifacio High Street, Serendra and Market! Market! We were there when we got a call from the hotel staff telling us that there was a mix up in our reservation and that there was actually a reservation under our name. To compensate for it, they still gave us the pricier room but at the promo rate of the room that we actually reserved. With the hotel booking problem already solved, it was time to go shopping! Or so we thought.
Because it was a long holiday, it was like "Christmas Rush" at Market! Market! In the end, we ended up buying two umbrellas. It was raining and we needed to cross to Serendra where our car was parked. By the way, despite the noise from the holiday rush and the rain, Senyorito Lakwatsero still managed to fall asleep in Yaya's arms.
Tired from all the walking and window shopping, we stopped by Gelatissimo to rest and have some gelato.
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| http://gelatissimo.com.ph/ |
Gelatissimo has a great selection of flavors. It's not your run of the mill gelato. Driver - Yogurt and Berries, Yaya - Choc Chip, and Mayordoma - Pistachio. It's a bit pricier than the gelato we will be mentioning later but its location made up for it. It's a good place to hang out with family and friends. We indeed were able to rest and relax. Senyorito Lakwatsero was asleep the whole time. Yes, Yaya has the talent of eating gelato on a cone while still carrying the sleeping child.
Driver bought cupcakes at Cupcakes by Sonja (this is the store that started the cupcakes craze in the country) then we headed back to the hotel. To our surprise, the parking spot given to us was that of the hotel's president!
After settling in and resting (again), it was time for dinner. We went through the restaurants in Greenbelt 5, Greenbelt 3, then ended up at Greenbelt 2 - at Tender Bob's! The place was a revelation and the meal we had would be best described as the highlight of our food trip.
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| http://www.tenderbobs.com/ |
Let us just say that we are more than once bitten and more than twice shy when it comes to ordering steaks. So when we ordered at Tender Bob's, we psyched ourselves that our orders will be no different from the other blah steaks we've had in the past that were in the same price range - Php250 to Php400. Surprise! Surprise! Our eyes almost popped out when our orders came. The servings were generous even if what we ordered were the basic size. Then, the meat was tender. It was not melt in your mouth but there was no need to struggle with the utensils and the meat itself. This came as a surprise since the beef used was the domestic variety. The taste? It was good even without the gravy. Driver - Porterhouse, Yaya- Fish Fillet (she did not enjoy the Salisbury steak she had for lunch so she opted for fish), Mayordoma - T-Bone, and Senyorito Lakwatsero - Spaghetti. Their french onion soup was also good. The taste was just right. It was so good that Driver wanted to try making one at home. All of us left the place more than satisfied. It was also worth mentioning that Tender Bob's crew were very accommodating, attentive and polite. Clap! Clap! Clap! to Tender Bob's Greenbelt 2.
Because we had Gelatissimo earlier at Serendra, we also tried Caffe Ti-amo at Greenbelt 5 because Mayordoma wouldn't stop yakking about it ever since she had a taste of their Dark Chocolate last month. The place was full even it was already near closing time, and there was still a queue at the counter. Despite the late hour, there were still kids who wanted to have their gelato just like Senyorito Lakwatsero.
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| http://www.facebook.com/CaffeTiAmoPH |
Driver - Peanut Butter and Banana, Yaya - Vanilla, Mayordoma - Mint and Non-Dairy Chocolate Rice Crispies, Senyorito Lakwatsero - Ube. Driver is partial to Gelatissimo because of the variety while Mayordoma chooses Caffe Ti-amo because of its smoother consistency and price - it's a few pesos cheaper.
With gelatos in our hands, it was time to go "home" to our hotel.
Earlier, Driver wanted to have Japanese food for dinner. But since we chose Tender Bob's, she just ordered to go Sashimi Moriawase (assorted sashimi) at Sugi in Greenbelt 2 also. Together with a couple bottles of Budweiser and Smart-C (for Mayordoma), it was our midnight snack.
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| http://www.sugirestaurant.com/sugi.htm |
The raw tuna, salmon, squid and shrimp were fresh and had that melts in your mouth goodness. Best of all, it did not have any after taste. It was very light.
The unlikely pair of the night? Sashimi and Strawberry Cheesecake from Sonja's!
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| http://cupcakesbysonja.com/ |
Over all, it was quite a satisfying day. Don't worry, we did a lot of walking in between meals. And do take note that we have a live exercise machine with us, Senyorito Lakwatsero!
