Tikim16: Yumemiya Cafe, Greenhills, San Juan

There is a new Café in town. A Japanese one this time, out to go toe-to-toe with the old chains that we were used to, such as Bubble Tea and Tokyo Café. Yumemiya Café is located in the new building right in the outskirts of the Greenhills Shopping Complex in San Juan. Around a block away from Fitness First, called the North East Square. There are several food chains here in this center, both old and new. We are sure to cover this in our blog so watch out for it!

Now back to the topic of Yumemiya, the outside of the Café has that oriental look, with food replica display on the outside of all the Japanese goodies. Now first thoughts on this would be the sushi and sashimi, but you’re wrong. This is a modern Japanese Café, so outside you’ll have the fusion of Italian pasta with added spices of Japanese cuisine. Very much like Bubble Tea. Inside the Café you’ll find the design is like a fusion of modern Café with traditional oriental feel. Place was very cozy indeed, a quality anyone would love for a Café shop.

The well thought of menu

Special menu for Kama-Age Udon

Dedicated page for Japanese Green Tea Dessert and Beverage

Going with the food, the menu was simple but well thought out. I like how they laid out the food in categories and the photos were mouthwatering. The menu comes in two, the other part was a dedicated menu for their signature “udon” dish, called Kama-age Udon. We have yet to try this as it cost a premium than the other food on the menu, and doesn’t offer a special appeal to the others. There is also the beverage list at the back of the main menu that felt like it was a tribute to the Japanese green-tea, very Japanese indeed. The Kama-age Udon and the green teas were absent from our order but definitely we will be trying it out on our next “tikim” in this place.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce & Bean Curd Miso Taste P278.00

Fried Prawn Bowl P298.00

Deep Fried Chicken P178

Our orders were our usual style, Pasta for him and Rice topping for her with an added ala carte to complete the order. The pasta, Spaghtetti with Meat Sauce & Bean Curd Miso Taste, was kinda like your traditional spaghetti in meat sauce but with added Japanese style white tofu at the top. The combination was a delight for all you pasta and tofu lovers out there. A bit of a healthy choice with the exception of the meat sauce, but don’t worry, the sauce is barely minimal, just how a pasta should be. The rice topping on the otherhand, Fried Prawn Bowl, a typical “Chahan” rice with tempura as its topping, presented in a very subtle way. The meal was good, along with the tempura taste, but nothing really special comes with it. To complete the order, we got a Japanese stlye deep fried chicken as an ala carte. The order was a result of our cravings from Hong Kong version of Ajisen Ramen fried chicken. You can blame the Ajisen Ramen sightings from the floor above on this one. The order came and as we expected, it looks a bit different. A lemon is included to add a little sourness to the chicken. It’s not your typical chicken but the taste did not blew us away either. A nice and so-so experience for us in this Café, besides the tofu pasta. Although we are not really doin any justice to Yumemiya if we are basing our review only on these orders. The next time we return, Kama-age Udon and Green teas will be served!

Rating 3.5/5

Upper Ground North East Square Building,

Connecticut, Greenhills, San Juan

Tikim15: Ramen bar (Eastwood, Quezon City) by Rich Tiu

Slurp. As their shirt says, you need not be shy in slurping the night (or day) away in this ramen place. The name says it all... Ramen Bar. Simple. Clear. Direct to the point.

Minimalistic interior

Menu is clean and direct; don't forget the side dishes! :)

If like me, you love spicy food, then I'd recommend the Spicy Karaage Ramen. It is a spicy shoyu based ramen topped with fried boneless chicken. 

Spicy Karaage Ramen

Up close and personal

The other one that we had was the Sapporo Miso Ramen, miso infused ramen topped with tamago, naruto, negi, chasyu, butter and corn. As the name implies this one taste like miso soup.

Sapporo Miso Ramen

Last but not the least, do try their gyoza! Their version is deep fried, you'll feel some crunch as 

you bite into it. All in all, two thumbs up.

Gyoza can be fried or steamed

Quality 4/5

Price 4/5

Ambiance 4/5

Ramen Bar

G/F Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City

570-9457

*restaurant review by my brother, Richmond Tiu

Tikim14: Fruitea Mix, another tea-place (San Juan, Manila)

After scavenging art materials in National Bookstore, I suddenly craved for some cold drink. At first I wanted to buy lemon yakult in Happy lemon but due to traffic, I decided to try the new tea-place beside Konbini, Fruitea Mix. The concept is just like the other tea-places in Manila ~ choosing a drink and the add-ons/sinkers, adjusting the sweetness level, and/or ordering snacks.

Nice ambiance

Fruiteamix's menu

I decided to order Passion Fruit Yakult with Coco jelly just because it is my favorite drink in Serenitea. (This also gives me a point of comparison between Serenitea's and Fruitea Mix :))

Passion fruit yakult drink my Fruiteamix

My notes...1) I noticed that their menu has fruit bits on their drink but unfortunately it was just for presentation and identification of what drink is in the menu. Real fruit bits included in tea drinks can actually be their U.P.S (Unique Selling Point) that will differentiate them all other tea-place. 2) The Passion Fruit Yakult I ordered almost tastes like that of Serenitea's but it is less sweet. 3) Fruitea Mix has more add-on options (Pearls, Coco Jelly, Grass Jelly, Red Bean, Black Bricks, and Egg Pudding but i recently visited Serenitea Banawe branch and noticed their variety of sinkers increased!) and snack foods that actually don't use peppers ( Potato cheese balls, crisscut fries, fresh potato chips, and chicken strips). This makes me excited to try on the other snacks and add-ons especially the grass jelly ^.^

Cheese balls: Will taste bland after 3-5 bites 

I will be coming to Fruitea Mix to try on their milk tea, if it's better than Bubble tea, Chatime, GongCha, Cobo, and Serenitea. I'll let you know soon! :) Remember to ask for their loyalty card (unfortunately I didn't get one as I didn't know about this prior to a blog I read just minutes ago :(..minus points for service!)

Quality: 3/5
Price: 2.5/5
Ambiance + Service: 3/5 

Fruitea Mix
Address: 57 Connecticut St, Noetheast Greenhills, SJ
Contact Number: 6550011

Tikim13: Jolibee Chicken Nuggets vs Chicken Mc Nuggets

 Me and my classmates from SoFA went to Jolibee to buy lunch. Before entering the main door, I saw a new poster marketing Jolibee’s new product, chicken nugget crunchers! I got excited wondering what it will taste like, so I ordered one out of curiosity. My lunch consisted of 5 pieces of Jolibee chicken nuggets (P75.00) and cheese fries as a replacement for rice (the chicken nuggets isn’t a rice meal :( ) I was hoping it would have the option of a rice meal because Filipinos are used to eating rice for lunch.

The sauce is not packaged well, it doesn't look appealing

Tasty but flat. The chicken nugget crunchers boasts of having carrot bits

I can’t help but compare this with Chicken Mc Nuggests. Taste-wise the Jolibee chicken nuggets  crunchers have more flavor; not sure why but it may be cooked in Lard that gives it a lasting flavor. The size of the Jolibee chicken nuggets is more flat than the Mc Nuggets which seem to have more meat.  For the dips, the barbeque sauce of Jolibee nuggets goes well with it but it doesn’t give variety or options unlike the 2 dipping sauces, sweet & sour and barbeque, of Mcdo’s nuggets. Lastly for the price, Mcdo is more expensive; if you are on a bugget go for Jolibee it not then Mcdo! :)

Tell me what you like better! :) 

Tikim12: X.O Kitchen (Bel-air II, Makati)

X.O Kitchen seemed like a new restaurant to me in the few times that me and Evan passed by Jupiter street. Since our first choice of dinner "Mickey's Delicatessen" was already closed :(, the bright lights and big windows of X.O Kitchen attracted me to try out the place.

X.O kitchen seems a high class restaurant from outside

First thing I asked Evan, "what is X.O sauce"? Neither of us knew about anything about the sauce except that it is served in Chinese restuarants. Here is a definition by Rhonda Parkinson of about.com

 "X.O Sauce -->  is a flavor-packed sauce made with dried shrimp and scallops and spicy seasonings, including chile and garlic. The exact origins of X.O Sauce are unknown, although it is said to have originated in Hong Kong, where it is served as a table condiment at higher-end restaurants. In cooking, X.O sauce is used in stir-fries, particularly seafood dishes."

The restaurant offers a lot of food variety; I just think that the X.O sauce was not given justice as it was not highlighted in their menu. Food was served quickly [except fot the Ferrero butchi] and in small serving. We were both a bit dissappointed with the serving size and the food tasted "normal --- nothing special about it".
We ordered the following for dinner:

Egg Chinese Sausage Rice Meal P120

X.O Kitchen Special Beef P230

Asparagus with Oyster Sauce P120

From my dining experience here, all i could remember was the little serving we had! I guess the price compensates with the quantity of food. I ordered Egg Chinese Sausage Rice Meal which costs only 120; I was excited at first but disappointment took over when I saw how little meat/Chinese Sausage there is in the meal :( I also think that the restaurant uses some kind of flavoring because even if there is not much meat in my rice meal, the food was so tasty! In fairness with the X.O special beef, I like this better than my original order. The beef brisket was tender and it highlights the X.O component in its sauce :)

Buchi Combinations with various chocolate filling

Ferrero Buchi: Hot warm and a new kind of buchi

For dessert, me and Evan got intrigued with their specialty buchi combinations so we decided to give Ferrero buchi a taste. When it arrived (it took a while for it to cook so I suggest you order this at the beginning, not after eating your main meals), I excitedly took a bite..hmmm...warm..the chocolate has melted with the buchi was fried..can't really describe it properly since   I am not a fan of chocolates but you might like it! Give it a try! Let us know what you think of X.O Kitchen :)


Quality: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Ambiance: 3/5


X.O Kitchen
134 Jupiter Street,
Bel-air 2, Makati City
Telephone: 519-1238

reference: 
X.O sauce - Glossary of Chinese Ingredients and cooking terms, Rhonda Parkinson, http://chinesefood.about.com/od/glossary/g/xosauce.htm (June 2011) 
X.O sauce - Picture, Chokeedee, http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chokdeedimsum.com/menu-pics/xo-sauce.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.chokdeedimsum.com/en/menu.php&usg=__FNB_7sDJNKCs8DTBYyzQgyL_JZU=&h=600&w=400&sz=138&hl=tl&start=5&sig2=stBHZ_UpbMxEEVyJWhD_sA&zoom=1&tbnid=xUhnWV0xChH0MM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&ei=e4XvTauGJI6-vgPSxN2VCQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dx.o%2Bsauce%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dtl%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D624%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1 (June 2011)

Tikim11: Siomai at Chocfull of nuts (Greenhills, San Juan)

Chocfull of Nuts

Tasty with toyomansi

Walking and shopping around Greenhills can be quite a challenge. It does not stop in finding a parking slot. So when your stomach starts to growl, tame the beast inside with some siomai of Chocfull of nuts!
I suggest you head to the Shoppesville area, 2nd level near Kamiseta, and order some home-made siomai ^.^

I love the siomai here. It's homemade, steamed fresh, not full of pork fats, and I think there is not a hint of MSG in it. To top that of, the price is good; 3 pieces for only 39php! When you put some toyomansi (soy sauce + calamansi) on your siomai, the combination is perfect ---hot siomai with a bit of saltiness and sour elements from
the calamansi!

By the way, the kiosk is also known for its cuapao's; my mom likes to take out those so it must be good!


Taste 4/5
Price 4/5
Ambiance 3/5


Chocfull of Nuts
2nd level, unit 39, Shopsville, Greenhills Shopping Center,
Ortigas Ave; Greenhills,
San Juan, Metro Manila
Telephone: 632-7243784

Tikim10: Eat Fresh Hong Kong Famous Street Food (Banawe, Quezon City)

Hong Kong, as known by many is a shopping mecca but for me its also a food haven. Various cuisines from big restaurants to fast food stalls tastes great; food tripping is actually just around the corner! Whenever I go to Hong Kong, I always make sure that I eat their street food ~ siumai, hotdogs, takoyaki, egg waffles, fresh fruit shakes, and what not! Fret no more, Eat Fresh offers authentic Hong Kong street food in Manila!

Outside the Eat Fresh restaurant

As their specialty is Street Food, one might have the impression that you will be eating your stick snacks out in the heat/rains. This is not the case in their Banawe branch because you will be eating you're well missed Hong Kong street food at the comfort of an airconditioned restaurant. ^.^ Their kitchen is placed in front of the restaurant, where a passerby can take out food with no hassle and a customer who will dine in will have the comforts of not eating while standing.

Ordering in Eat Fresh is very tempting because the price is very affordable (student friendly prices)! Seeing those familiar street food names will make you feel you want to try them all! Evan and I, ordered the following for starters: Fried Stuffed Tofu, Fish Balls dipped in curry, and Fish Tofu dipped in curry.

You will have the choice of having your street food fried, dipped in curry (to add spice), or both. I like spicy food so I dipped mine in curry sauce. If you are not that adventurous, you can still opt for the traditional soy sauce with chili garlic or none!

Radish Cake

Fried Stuffed Tofu

Fish balls and fish tofu dipped in curry

For those who want to try Hong Kong dimsum, Eat Fresh also serves 5 varieties of dimsum all at P48.00 only--- Pork Siomai, Taosi Spareribs, Chicken Feet, Raddish Cake, and Kuchay Dumplings.

Pork Siomai

For our main course, we definitely wanted to try the claypot rice meal. I like this very much because food is served warm. The claypot rice comes with a special sweet sauce that makes the meal feel like its a big fried rice. The serving is quite generous for one person, it will surely make you feel full!

Chinese Sausage Claypot Rice

Lastly for our drinks and dessert, we went for the pancake balls (called kai-tan-zai or egg waflfles in Hong Kong), almond shake, and milk tea (nai-cha in Hong Kong). The pancake balls took a while to cook but it is all good --- it was a favorite!  

Pancake balls

Almond Shake

Milk Tea

Taste 4/5
Price 5/5
Ambiance 3/5


Eat Fresh Hong Kong Famous Street Food
100-A Maria Clara Street,
Brgy. Sto. Domingo, Quezon City
Telephone: 5168022, 4750789
Email: eatfreshph@gmail.com