Reminiscing Malaysia

spicy version of Nasi Lemak's char kuey teow

Coupons is perhaps the latest craze that hit the Philippine market. It is where you get to enjoy perhaps the best deals in town. A few weeks ago he stumbled on this interesting deal, a half-price deal on a voucher in Nasi Lemak. It's a restaurant located in the east lane of the minotaur-friendly Robinsons Galleria. I personally found the name of the resto very interesting because it bore the name of the dish we stumbled upon while waiting for our return flight at the airport in Malaysia. When I ordered nasi lemak, I actually didn't have any idea what it was. I just saw the label "wraps" so I thought it was a sandwich. When we finally settled in the airport, after all the check-in procedures, voila! It turned out that nasi lemak is a dish that's got rice with sweet satay sauce, anchovies, pickled papaya, salted egg, and bagoong (shrimp paste). We were then non-rice eaters but we pretty much enjoyed the dish.

Going back to Nasi Lemak restaurant in Robinson's Galleria, we ordered the Nasi Lemak set, his all-time favorite char kuey teow, and milo dinosaur for the drinks.

Nasi Lemak's nasi lemak set

Food Ordered: Nasi Lemak set, Char Kuey Teow, Milo Dinosaur

Location: Nasi Lemak Restaurant, East Lane, Robinson's Galleria

Cost: Nasi Lemak set P260, Char Kuey Teow P220, Milo Dinosaur P118

Milo Dinosaur...
baka kasi mukha siyang brontosaurus

She says...

I really enjoyed the char kuey teow here. It had just the right blend of sweetness, spiciness, and yumminess. The noodles was firm. It was not a very oily dish. Compared to the char kuey teow in other restos, I liked this one the most. This one reminded me of the char kuey teow we had in Genting Highlands in Malaysia. He really liked the dish so when we got home, we've been shopping around several asian cuisine restos just to get a taste of the char kuey teow. This perhaps for me is the "one."

The nasi lemak set on the other hand was alright. The satay sauce was sweet and creamy. It had the essentials to make the dish a true nasi lemak such as the peanuts, anchovies, pickled papaya and shrimp paste although instead of the small sardine fish, they served a bigger fried fish and along with it a grilled chicken. The grilled chicken was very dry. The fish was unremarkable. The rice was sweet and creamy. It was perhaps a great dish but it just really didn't measure up.

Our drinks, the milo dinosaur was very delicious. It reminded me of the free milo served during sportsfest in my elementary days... The extra milo powder toppings was remarkably nice. I used to do that when I prepare my iced-cold glass of milo.

She rates: 3.5/5 Nasi Lemak; 5/5 Char Kuey Teow; 4/5 Milo Dinosaur

found another resto with char kuey teow on their menu!

He says...

Char Kuey Teow!!!!!

That pretty much sums up my feelings about this whole dinner. I first had the pleasure of having this fine meal when we were in Genting Highlands in Malaysia where we ordered 3 big plates of this dish. I ate two and a half of them. The Char Kuey Teow here is even more delicious than in Genting so I enjoyed myself even more.

When we ate the Nasi Lemak at the Airport in Malaysia, I disliked it because it was weird looking and weird tasting so I gave it to Anne and ended up eating round two at a popular international fastfood restaurant with a clown for a mascot. The Nasi Lemak here though was a different story, it was surprisingly good! It is no wonder they named this restaurant as such. The rice mixed with the satay sauce and peanuts and anchovies was freaking awesome! Of the two dishes, this was the more delicious one, the other dish just one ups this because I loved it in Malaysia and I have much love for char kuey teow.

The milo dinosaur was... meh. It was a stupid  finish to such a wonderful meal. Maybe we should have stuck with some coffee or maybe water.

He rates: 5/5 for the meal. 1/5 for the milo

In The Company Of The Fishes

It was the first day of showing for the second part of Harry Potter and theDeathly Hallows (a.k.a. HP7) and we took the last schedule for the show. We were both hungry so we decided to return to one of our favorite food shops in Trinoma -- Fish & Co.

This restaurant's specialty is, you guessed it, fishes and sea foods. Although they also offer pork and other meat based food in their menu, don't expect too much from them because they're really all about fishes. Which is why we tried two items: one of fish and another of pig. Another way to look at it is: one of specialty and one of experiment.

Location: Fish & Co, top floor,TriNoMa Mall

Food Ordered: New York Fish and Chips, Barbecue Pork Ribs ("Just for me" size)

Cost: 441.96 each (VAT Excluded)

She says...
Fish & Co.'s New York Fish and Chips have always been our favorite. I personally loved the parmesan cheese that is in every bite of this treat. The outer shell was crispy but it's amazingly soft and juicy in the inside. The blend of tartar sauce, pickles and garlic plus the squirt of lemon juice enhances the taste even more.

The fries siding is just your usual fried potato but with a less salty taste. Not sure though if it has lesser sodium content.

The barbequed pork ribs on the other hand was not so pleasing. The meat itself was bland. It tasted like boiled meat without even a hint of salt in it. Dipping it in their bar-be-que sauce gives it an average taste that appears notably to have had too much Worcestershire sauce added into it. Just maybe not my type. The seafood rice siding on the other hand was like jave rice, plain tasting, purely turmeric I guess. t didn't have a hint of seafood in it. All you can notice is the overload of red and green bell peppers.

She rates: NY Fish and Chips 5/5, Bar-be-que Pork Ribs 2/5,  Seafood Rice 2.5/5
He says...

As I said above, this is one of our favorite places to go to in Trinoma Mall. Their specialty here are their fish and chips, which they have three variants, and we found, through repeated visits, that the most favorable (for us) is their New York Fish and Chips. It has the taste of Parmesan Cheese all over it. The taste is still mild but you can remedy that by adding some of their special dip. You control the proportions of the dip's ingredients are but however you want to do it, it has the same taste but only differ in intensity.

Also, as said above, pork is not their specialty so I didn't expect much but their pork was still delicious anyway. It still had that flavor that could almost rival some very good steak houses but it has some flaws. The flavor isn't as full and the meat isn't as soft.

He rates: 5/5 New York Fish and Chips. 4/5 BBQ Pork Ribs

An Evening in Muang Thai

half serving of pad thai noodles @Muang Thai

Just finished a session of Aikido at the Philippine Heart Center dojo and we were so hungry. We thought of eating in the nearby concessionaires like Jollibee and Chow King but felt we needed something new, something different on our palates. Thus just a few strides behind Philippine Heart Center, along Malakas St. I think, we found a resto, Muang Thai, that looks like a cute house. It's just close to McDonald's (which is currently on renovation) and just right beside Pancake House. They serve authentic Thai cuisine as well as sell embellishments that bear Thai influence like pots and serving bowls as well as other goodies. 

We ordered half binagoongan rice, half pad thai noodles (yes, although not stated in their menu, they do allow you to order just half-a-serving), and grilled pork. We also had house iced tea for their drink.

half serving of binagoongan rice @Muang Thai

grilled pork on a hot plate @Muang Thai

Location: Muang Thai, Malakas St.

Food Ordered: 1/2 Pad Thai Noodles, 1/2 Binagoongan Rice, Grilled Pork, 2 Bottomless Iced Tea

Cost: Total of P508 (Can't give you a breakdown, my apologies)

in my favorite corner spot...

She says...

I loved Pad Thai noodles. The texture of the noodles was just right, 'al dente' perhaps. It was really flavorful and had a certain nutty taste owing to the crushed peanuts that topped the the noodles. The binagoongan rice was just as yummy. It was topped with caramelized pork, strips of green mango, and strips of egg omelet. The different textures and tastes was just perfectly in harmony with each other. The grilled pork on the other hand tasted like any other marinated pork, however, when we poured the sauce over the pork, which was served in a sizzling pan, there was a significant difference in taste, a bit sweet, a bit salty, and truly meaty taste. The iced tea on the other hand was just your normal sweet cold iced tea.

third refill...

What I like about the place on the other hand was its homey feel. It was like an old house with tables and chair made of hard wood (seats were not cushioned). The large water fountain on the side added a relaxing feeing to the total ambience of the place. The people there were pleasant and most of all, they give additional discount to PHC employees!

She rates: Pad Thai: 5/5, Binagoongan Rice: 4.5/5, Grilled pork: 4.5/5, Iced Tea: 3/5, Place: 4/5, Service: 4/5

He says...

I love this place. The food is very compatible with my taste and yet so unique in its own way. The Pad Thai noodles was especially delicious. I cannot recommend it enough. It is one of the most delicious pasta-like food stuff out there, even better than our own pancits.

The Grilled Pork was also delicious if you mix it with their vinegar mix. Without the vinegar it tastes just like an average steak but with it, it becomes the most delicious.

He rates: 5/5 for the food. 3/5 for the iced tea.

Japinoy Lunch @Pinoydon

Pork Katsu @Pinoydon

We were at Podium when we decided to grab a late lunch at Pinoydon, a resto at the 4th floor near the cinemas which serves pinoy foods with a japanese twist, or was it the other way around? We had Pork Katsu, Bistek Teppanyaki, and Pinoydon Fried Chicken with supposedly terriyaki mayo sauce but they had served it with gravy thus I had to ask for the terriyaki mayo sauce which they did produce eventually.

Bistek Teppanyaki @Pinoydon

Pinoydon Fried Chicken @Pinoydon

Location: Pinoydon, Podium

Food Ordered: Pork Katsu, Bistek Teppanyaki, and Pinoydon Fried Chicken

Cost: Pork Katsu-P115; Bistek Teppanyaki-P120; Pinoydon Fried Chicken-P140

Is this the beef steakI've been longing for?

She says...

the place was quite, conducive to eating. The serving size was just the usual small portions. Customer service was poor. Even though there wasn't any other customers, we had to call twice to have our order taken. it was furthermore displeasing when she (the waitress) had to make a side comment which was within hearing distance when I asked for the terriyaki mayo sauce for their chicken karaage despite the fact that it was stated in their menu that they're serving the chicken with such sauce. As for their food, it was not so remarkable. The pork katsu had a more than acceptable taste, although the side dish of vegetable salad was not so delightful as it had ketchup-mayo as dressing. The bistek teppanyaki had a watered-down taste. The beef itself was tasteless. The sauce was like sweet soy sauce with a whole load of water. Didn't really taste nice. The chicken... geez... poor tasting fried chicken. It didn't even have even just a slight hint of crispiness. Guess, I should say, I'm not going back to this poor excuse for a resto.

She rates: Pork Katsu 2/5; Bistek Teppanyaki 1/5, Chicken 0.5/5

He says...

We often overrate food when we're very hungry when we eat them. Not for these foods. They tasted so bland and watered-down I might as well have eaten at home. We ordered 3 just so we have a second and third opinion. I would never return for any more.

He rates: 1/5 for all dishes