Tikim 62: Buffalo's Wings N' Things (Solenad)

Let me take you to our comfort zone, whenever we want to eat some comfort food we always opt to grab some buffalo wings to satisfy our appetite and on our top list is the famous Buffalo Wings N' Things in Solenad, Nuvali. It may sound so cliche but the most simple food gives you a nostalgic feeling and comfort to your taste buds! Let me take you down the South... 

  

Buffalo's Wings N' Things in Solenad

Their famous wings varies to the level of spiciness, which is really intense I just can't take it, but my my Bf always love their New York's Finest which is their best and recommended level of spiciness, for me I always love their non-spicy favorites, their honey bbq is the best! Finger licking good, its not KFC though, but it is really good!:)

            You can also try their meals which is served with their NY Dirty rice which is very affordable!:)

      Here are the stars of the night we ordered the Triple Sampler394php! You can ask to do a separate flavors.

Non-spicy favorite Honey BBQ

New York's Finest

Bleu Cheese 

I love Bleu Cheese, but for those who don't like the sharp,strong taste and smell of it, you can also try their other sides, buffalo ranch which is really good also with their buffalo wings.

Chili n' cheese fries

I must recommend this to all you folks! The spiciness was not that dominant, the chili con was really good plus the saltiness of the cheese is a really good combination.. though, you should eat it ahead whenever it was served first because it tends to be soggy.

Basket of fries 

 Ohhh.. carbs carbs, carbs!!! How can you resist their awesome fries! It is a big bite sized fries and it's a good price for a basket, i love the kick of the pepper sprinkled on top.

Iced Tea

                                                 Lemony iced tea after your awesome food. 

Buffalo's Wings N' Things is one of our all time favorite buffalo wings served luckily in the South, it was really good! I can't spill any flowery words now, I want you guys to taste and enjoy their comforting foods. As far as I know they were all over, you can spot Buffalo's Wings N' Things anywhere!Get Buffaloed!

Taste: 4/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5

Buffalo's Wings N' Things
Address: Solenad 2, Nuvali Santa Rosa, Laguna 

Contact: (049) 302-0039
Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/get.buffaloed

Tikim 61:Tim Ho Wan, Best Bbq Pork Buns (Central, Hong Kong)

I was lucky that I got good friends from Hong Kong, they take me to dinner whenever I visit them and vice versa when they are here in Manila. On my recent Hong Kong trip, I asked my friend if we could eat at a local dimsum place because I haven't eaten dimsum (yam cha) since I arrive in Hong Kong. Super happy that she brought me to Tim Ho Wan! 

Tin Ho Ma, Central Branch 

You know the saying "It's worth the wait?" Expect a line when you arrive at the restaurant because a lot of locals and foreigners really flock to Tim Ho Wan to eat some dimsum. 

Best Bbq Pork Buns I've tasted so Far!

I am not a fan of pork buns but this changed my opinion! This pork bun is also the reason why my friend brought me to this restaurant; the pork bun gained the restaurant 1 Michelin star and it's the only Chinese restaurant to have a Michelin star. This is a must order! I even took home some pork buns before flying back to Manila.

Spring Roll

Their spring roll is not the usual ones you eat at Chinese restaurants here in Manila. Their spring roll is made from sautéed vegetables which I like and it's the healthier option.

Turnip Cake 

They cook their turnip cake (known as raddish cake in Philippines) traditionally.

Shrimp Rice Roll 

You add light soy sauce or Worcester sauce to your liking.

Beancurd with meat inside

The only thing I didn't like was the beancurd with meat inside just because Im not a tofu fan :)

When you are passing by Hong Kong make sure you get some of Tin Ho Ma's barbecue pork buns! Just thinking about it makes me hungry! Tim Ho Wan is definitely a must stop for meals!

Taste: 4.5/5

Quality: 4/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Tim Ho Wan
Address: Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1), IFC Mall, Central, Hong Kong
Contact: 852-23323078

Tikim 60: Mushroom Burger (Tagaytay City)

A long drive down the South, away from the busy city. We went to the South to find a solidarity moment together with my best buddies. As we hit the road of Tagaytay. We saw this intriguing food signage "Mushroom Burger". We heard a lot of good feed backs with their less guilt and less calorie burgers, so we opt to drop by and grab one of their famous burger.

Mushrrooom Burger, along the road side of Brgy. Kaybagal, Tagaytay

 The place is an old fashioned diner, nothing fancy. I wish they can make an improvement to make it more appealing to the customers. But, further than that.. Lets go on and find something to drool on.. The smell of their patties were really enticing....

 If you don't feel like to eat their mushroom burgers, there's other meal that you can order, though we haven't taste it, because we go after their famous burgers, maybe some other time:)

 As we look at the place we saw their mushrooms,they use oyster mushroom and alabone mushrooms. they have their own mushroom farm and cultivate their own mushrooms. Which is something more appealing for me, because you know it's fresh and more liable to eat.

Of course when you know something is big.. You'll go after their King burger which is in my surprise was really good! The smell and the mixed of pure beef and mushroom really goes well.. I really recommend this burger for all you folks!

                                                          Mushroom King Burger (126php)
The King's staggering size, a double deck mushroom and beef patties, they say it is their crowning glory!:)
It has pickles, tomatoes,ketchup and mayo inside and of course their yummy patties! It will also come with fries and drinks (meal) I will not forget their fires, it was really crisp and tender on the inside a plus for them! Next time I will try their  Mushroom Royal Burger which is really looks good. Please go and try their burgers! You won't regret it!

Mushroom Burgers one of the best burgers that I've ever had.. First it is less guilt and less calorie, second the smell is really good something that's not cliche whenever you enter a fast food chain that has burgers they have this distinct smell. Third, it is really affordable and worth the wait.. This a must try stop over when you're in the South! Something new, fresh and healthy!

Taste: 4/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 2/5

Mushroom Burger
Address: Km 60 Brgy. Kaybagal Tagyatay, Philippines
Contact: 483 1330
Operating Hours: Monday- Saturday 7:30am-11:00pm
Website: www.mushroomburger.com.ph

Tikim 59:Spaghetti + Chopsticks in Yomenya Goemon

I am a big fan of Japanese food and for some reason Japanese style pasta are always delicious. It must be their spaghetti sauce --- not too sweet and strong tasting! Check out this new Jap Pasta restaurant, Yomenya Goemon, and you'll eat spaghetti with chopsticks!

Yomenya Goemon

When I arrived at Yomenya Goemon, it was full so I had to wait about 20 minutes before I got seated. As I waited, I started to pick out what to order. Their menu was very helpful because you get to see a pictures of their offerings so it made life easier in choosing what's for dinner. They have 2 main categories for their food, it's pizza and pasta and since I want to try both, I ended up ordering a dish from each category.

I ordered one of the legend favorite/house specialty, Carbonara meat sauce with onsen egg, which comes with a teacup of wafu soup. The serving is good for one person only. I wish they had a sharing size for couples and families. Taste wise, the sauce was subtle and nice, the mushrooms added texture, and the noodles was smooth and tasty! I just wish it had more ham/meat in it.

Carbonara meat sauce with onsen egg (beef&pork) P325.00

Up close, spaghetti sauce looks awesome

Literally, a teacup of wafu soup

The restaurant has around 8 pizza flavors, I ended up ordering their smoked chicken with 4 cheese because it is also a legend favorite and if you know me well, I'd choose chicken over red meat/seafood. Their 10" pizza dough was soft and baked fresh, it was served hot and you will end up eating all parts of the pizza (even the crust!) because the dough is soft and hot!

Smoked chicken with four cheeses P350.00

For drinks, I got curious with how their milk tea tasted, 2 comments: it was bland and the glass is so small for its worth. Next time, I'll just buy from Serenitea/Gongcha/Happy Lemon instead.

Iced Royal Milk Tea P80.00

Great pasta and pizza but I find serving small, you might want to order double if you are really hungry!

Taste: 3.5/5
Quality: 4/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5

Yomenya Goemon
Address: 2nd floor, Greenbelt 3, 1228, Makati City
Contact: +632-7290586
Website: https://www.facebook.com/YomenyaGoemonPhilippines

Tikim58:Yamato Bakery Cafe (Jupiter St; Makati City)

Are you fond of Pastries? Or maybe want to try something new? Here's a newly open Japanese Bakery Cafe!Chaley and I went out to grab some lunch along the street of Jupiter in Makati City, we opt to drop by on some of the newly open restaurants in the said street. So, if we were not mistaken Yamato Bakery Cafe (Japanese bakery) beside the Mitsuyado-Seimen Japanese Restaurant  just open recently, and we tried it for the first time. 

As we enter the cafe, we immediately looked around to find something to drool on.

These are the arrays of pastry, just pick your tray and thong, and you're free to choose your pastry. (self-service) but the crews are very accommodating and of course they will let you know and try their best sellers and most recommended pastry.

A spot for the sweet tooth

The place is very open, you can see their oven, and you can watch them while they take good care of your food:)

Japanese pudding for 80php/slice only and P600.00 fot the whole cake

 Chox Cream for P65.00/pc.

  Here's our order (clock-wise) 2 salad rolls, Okonomiyaki and Chocolate Danish

Okonomiyaki P55.00/pc)

This is their most famous pastry and one that they'll recommend you because of its complete balance taste, you'll taste the saltiness of the dried fish toppings but its not that salty as it is, just a pang of saltiness. It also have slices of sausage, ketchup and mayo for its dressing.. A complete meal pastry!

                                                             Salad Roll P45.00/pc.)
This pastry is for vegeterians out there, but surely will recommend for others who's not that a fan of veggies,the veggies are not that overpowering neither its dressing. I guessed they used lite dressing to compliment the pastry and veggies.

Chocolate Danish (50php/pc.)

 For something sweet, we also recommend their Chocolate Danish which is not that too sweet because of what they used for chocolate, I guessed they used dark chocolate to lessen the sweetness and get more depth flavors. It reminds us the Chocolate Danish in Starbucks which is more sweeter because of its confectionery sugar and almonds that give it more texture. I suggest, if they make it more special, like put something that will compliment its bitter sweet taste chocolate for its maybe their trademark when it comes to its sugar level, so add something for texture and taste, to make it more special.:)

                                                                   What's inside...
You can always ask to re-heat your pastry, the Danish really looks good in this shot as well as its taste..:)

                                            Chaley decided to take out a slice of Japanese Pudding P80.00/slice)

Amazingly, we liked it. It wasn't that sweet unlike the typical Filipino pudding which is also known as "leche flan" it was over the top caramelized brown sugar. The best for this kind of pudding is it's very light and you would probably would like to have another slice..

Yamato Bakery Cafe will be a very big hit soon, as it will surely grow fast.. Because of its delicious pastries. We were actually surprise on how many customers they've got in such a day. It's not even weekend yet what they've got there is a very well start as an exposure and a great find for loyal customers. For those who wants and fond of pastry out there, you can try this cafe for a new spin-off for Japanese's Pastry. Though, they still haven't got drinks to offer, we hope that they'll come up with beverages soon.The place and crews are good. Good service, good pastries and very affordable for as low as 50php you can already experience their sumptuous pastry! Let your taste buds experience something new!:)

Taste: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Ambiance/Service: 3/5

Yamato Bakery Cafe
Address: #22 Jupiter St. Brgy. Bel Air, Makati City, Metro Manila
Contact: 8230960

Tikim57: Wangfu (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)

I noticed that there's a few Chinese restaurants in Tomas Morato area, so when I saw in Il Terrazo that there's a new Chinese restaurant, I asked Evan to accompany me here. Wangfu opened just months ago and I am excited to share with you my food experience in this new Chinese restaurant!

Wangfu

First impression before entering: wow! it's a modern Chinese restaurant. I wonder their price range. Why my thoughts was such? The place looks like an clean-upscale-modern fastfood with simple wooden accents so I wondered if their interiors made food prices higher.

Inside the restaurant

Ordering was a breeze, the menu has pictures of house specialties!

Menu

Menu

Ordered the following:

Shanghai dumplings P58.00

It has 3 pieces of dumplings that aren't actually siomai filling. The dipping sauce is not soy sauce, Im guessing it's light soy sauce with vinegar.I liked it and I ordered 1 more of these guys!

Black pepper beef rice P158.00

The serving size is good, it has enough meat for you to finish with your rice. You can really taste the black pepper sauce; it would be awesome if it's served un a sizzling plate.

Cha Chang noodles P120.00

Evan ordered this, he didn't say anything about it. So it's just a normal dish.

Chili potato strings P128.00

I was carving for fries yet avoiding them to have a better diet; so when I saw this I wanted to order it. Evan told me that it's not worth it but I didn't listen to him. Taste wise the potatoes were a bit sour instead of it being spicy. I think they were cooked with light vinegar that were just topped with chili. Well I wouldn't recommend this dish unless they do something special with it.

Honey Lemon Tea P58.00

This drink is on the sweet side. I thought it would be more citrusy but I guess the honey overpowered the drink. My suggestion got this is to have a small sauce cup so the customer can control the sweetness level.

Food and plate serving was appropriate with their pricing thus answering my thoughts on their first impression. If you want something FAST (sit-down restaurant), friendly to the wallet, and Chinese cuisine in Tomas Morato then go for Wangfu!

Taste: 3.5/5
Quality: 3/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5

Wangfu

Address: Unit G5 Il Terrazo building, Tomas Morato avenue corner scout madrinan street, 
south triangle, Quezon City

Contact: 7090569

Tikim 56: Double date at Ninyo's (Katipunan, Quezon City)

Ninyo was included in Spot.ph's top 10 most romantic restaurants (2nd placer) and in its top 10 must-try wine bars (5th placer). For a double-date, I wanted to bring my friends to Ninyo so they can try out a Japanese-French fusion cuisine. It was raining when we went there,  so the alfresco dining was a no-no. If it wasn't raining, I'd choose to dine here because of its lovely ambiance.

Indoor dining at Ninyo's

Alfresco dining; perfect for dates!

Alfresco Dining 

I just have to share this; the tables in Ninyo were old sewing tables with no machine! For a fashion design student, it really amused me!

Sewing tables!!!

Wondering what's is today's specialty?

Chef's recommendation

Here goes the food! 

For appetizer, ordered this baked sushi style prawn rolls served with salad greens for everyone on the table. One should get 1 roll each but I ended up eating 2 rolls (I got Evan's share) and Hanna and Lance ended up sharing because they were afraid that they might not finish their main entrees. I really like these prawn rolls because they were cooked. The rolls have caviars on top, which blends well with the prawn meet and baked seaweed.

4 rolls of these oven baked sushi style prawn rolls

Oven baked sushi style prawn roll P495

I like tasting French onion soup, so when I saw a Miso-based onion soup...I thought that this is a must try because it combined 2 soups that I love to order: Miso soup and French onion. The soup was in a small coffee cup, a bit pricey but once in a while it's okay to splurge on food. Taste wise, it is kind of subtle and sweet
because of the Miso-base. For the french flair, onion slices were evident and generous cheese completed its essence of its name.

French Onion Miso Based P295

Check out the cheese

Before the table's main entrees, we were served with lime sorbet to clear up the tastebuds. I wish they had this for dessert!

Lime Sorbet

For the main entrees, the table ordered the following:
Lance chose a Chargrilled U.S  hanging tender steak salad with Yuzu sesame-thai chili dressing in mixed greens and seasonal fruits. This combination of meat (protein) and greens is perfect for the health conscious person.

Chargrilled U.S hanging tender steak salad.P325

For me, I chose a Shitake mushroom udon since I am a fan of anything mushroom. Even if i am a rice eater, I had no regrets in ordering a pasta dish because the noodles were really flavorful. I also like the fact that
it's healthy dinner.

Shitake Mushroon Udon P420

Hanna went for the Ebi tempura soba. She got surprised when it was served because it was placed in a really big plate that was actually good for 2 persons.. She ended up sharing the tempura to us because it was heavy. Evan said that is the MOST delicious tempura that he ever tasted because these babies were wrapped in fish then fried with tempura batter. This is something to try on your next Ninyo visit!

MUST TRY: Ebi tempura soba P595

Evan went for a meat entree. He ordered a U.S hanging tender steak served with wine sauce with buttered seasonal vegetables and pumpkin risoni. True to its name, the meat was really tender, its also easy to slice and just goes well with pumpkin risoni. I didn't know what risoni is, its my first time to taste this and it's like risotto but  more creamy.

U.S hanging tender steak P650

To finish the awesome dinner, we ordered dessert. 
If you like vanilla ice-cream then this dessert is for you! It is like eating vanilla ice-cream in jelly form. The seasonal fruits however were not as inviting to eat because they are more of a decoration than actual food that you can eat.

Vanilla bean-infused panna cotta P200

Up close

Mango pavlova is a actually meringue that tastes like marshmallows. It is crispy on the outside but light and fluffy in theinside, topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh Mango. 

Mango Pavlova P245

Price is a bit steep but for special occasions, Ninyo is a must go to!

Happy customers!

Taste: 5/5

Quality: 5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Ninyo Fusion Cuisine

Address: Esteban Abada Street (behind Katipunan), Loyola Heights, Quezon City

Telephone: 426-0301/ 0917-5385813

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NINYO-Fusion-Cuisine-Wine-Lounge/212177541624