FOODIE FRIDAY : Sebo Pacific

Saw this a few days ago on my FB timeline:

FOR REAL?!? I am pretty sure gastro-delight places like BF and Kapitolyo started one great dining place at a time in the neighborhood. Could this be the start of something big in garage-based restaurateur in Bacoor? I instantly got curious and checked their FB page. Found out that the place is just a mere 10-minute leisurely walk from my house and also took a quick look at their menu:

photo grabbed from Sebo Pacific's FB page

So I together with my sister, 2 nephews and of course, my ever loyal foodie companion Ken went there at around 1920H on a Thursday. The place can comfortably seat at most 18 dining guests. When we got there, we saw a couple and 2 other guys seated on opposite tables who were already done with their meal, there was a family of 4 waiting to be served, and a group of 3 people who have yet to place their orders.

We wanted to seat together so we opted to wait for the other diners to finish. While waiting, copies of their menu (similar to the one above) were handed to us. My first instinct was to check the back of the laminated menu sheet that they gave us, hoping to find other options. But that was it, but I figured it is fine, after all they just started a few days ago.

When the couple left the table, we immediately helped ourselves to be seated. My sister knew one of the guys who just finished eating and exchanged pleasantries with him. She also asked what was Sebo Pacific's specialty and she was advised to try the crispy dinuguan. This confirmed my gut feeling that this is the dish that they are most proud of since it was listed first on their menu list.

Since me and Ken still had other plans for the night, we went to place our orders first. Ken chose the crispy dinuguan and I opted to try the sizzling bulalo. We asked the guy taking our orders to describe the dishes. The guy was knowledgeable enough and explained that crispy pork bits similar to lechon kawali will make the dinuguan crispy and that the bulalo will be served in their specialty white sauce.  My sister and 2 nephews each ordered something different. We ended up ordering everything on their menu except for the longanisa. We also ordered a pitcher each of iced tea and dalandan juice.

A few minutes later we were served soup. I am not a huge fan of soup so I politely declined. I don't know but maybe if they can have soup served upon request, it could help lessen cost and spoilage as most of us did not even touch the soup. Sayang naman.  Drinks came next, together with glasses with ice cubes.

After a few minutes the person who took our orders served the pork steak, burger steak and the buffalo wings. It was also around this time when my sister-in-law came and placed an additional order of buffalo wings. At this point Ken and I were starting to get pissed. How come their orders came out ahead of ours when we placed our orders first? At 1950H my sizzling bulalo was served. The first thing i tried was the white sauce. It tasted good... I mean really good. It was creamy and buttery, at first look, i kind of felt that it will taste like salty-starchy but I was wrong. I really liked it. The meat was also very tender. Overall i think it was priced just right for PHP 140.00.

Ken was growing impatient, after all, my sister was done with her first serving of rice and was waiting for her extra rice to be served and my nephews have already finished their meals but Ken's crispy dinuguan was still nowhere in sight. I offered to share my sizzling bulalo and told Ken to just share his crispy dinuguan with me once it arrives. We were almost finished with my sizzling bulalo when Ken lost hope and decided to just have his crispy dinuguan for take out. So I advised the guy who took our orders to not serve the crispy dinuguan anymore but I was informed that they did not have take out containers and would just place it inside a plastic bag. Oh well that was the last straw, we decided to have the order cancelled. And barely 2 minutes after Ken's order was cancelled, my sister-in-law's buffalo wings order was served. Like seriously?

A lady went to our table to apologize, it was a very nice gesture but the excuse given was so flimsy it did not help at all. Ken was told that the reason why his order was taking too long to prepare was because they were making sure that it was crispy. No. Not buying that crap.  I think what can help them is a little tutorial from my 2007 hometown hero Flo.

We left the place in a rush, just left the money to pay for our meals meal with my sister.

I liked the food, the white sauce was impressive,  the place : nice and cozy. Their service? Not quite there yet. Maybe they can hire an assistant too like what Flo did?

FOODIE FRIDAY : Blenderbox

Saw this  along Aguinaldo Highway (right after SM Bacoor) on my way home one night:

Was not quite sure what they serve, so one drizzling Saturday afternoon, I together with 3 much younger yuppies, went to the place to check it out. 

Upon entering the place, I was greeted by this fresh sight:

Impressive! and looks expensive too. I must admit I was a bit intimidated and immediately presumed it is going to be a pricey merienda. But I'm glad we did not back out and  decided to see what the place offers. We arrived at the place a little after 4 pm. Luckily it was still empty (they open at 3 pm) so we were able to take some photos and really see every detail without annoying other diners. The place was well ventilated, couches comfy and I really liked the brick accent wall. 

Turns out blenderbox serves Milk tea as their main product, as evident on their menu board. I took a closer look and saw that they also have milkshakes, sandwiches, pasta, salads and rice meals yes rice meals... steak at that! 

Here is what I ordered :

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP : Grilled cheese sandwich , fish and chips and hot nutella

The grilled cheese sandwich (Php 119.00) was what it was, a grilled cheese sandwich. What was special about this piece is the fries. They used parmesan cheese instead of salt to season it so it added a little more flavor. The salad was a nice touch too, but I am not really a huge fan of green leafy things. 

The fish and chips (Php 119.00) was something I loved... specially the way the fish was prepared. Not too salty and crisp just right.  The tartar sauce was nice too. I would have wanted just plain salted potato chips instead of cheese-flavored. Maybe next time I would state my preference. 

Hot Nutella (Php 95.00) Now who does not love Nutella? I was not in the mood for cold drinks so I opted to try this drink. Milk + Nutella = a sweet tooth's delightful drink. You might want to think twice about the sugar packet though, mine got too sweet because I did not taste the drink first before adding the sugar. Oh well I guess I am not one to risk having sugar -related unhappiness. 

I am not a certified food critic,it is either I love it or I don't.  so I will just let you drool at the other items that we ordered:

Carbonara (Php 199.00)

Caesar Salad (Php 129.00)

Blenderclub Sandwich (199.00)

Red Velvet Cake ( I forgot how much we paid for this but this was real, authentic red velvet cake! Cream cheese icing!)

Milk Tea ( Php 90.00 to Php100.00)

and last but definitely not the least. This:

Oreo Milkshake!!! Served in Mason Jars! I love Mason Jars! (php 95.00 to Php 105.00)

If you just want to hang out and enjoy a little lazy afternoon catching up with friends, then this could be a good place. Much like how one would hang out at Starbucks, except this place is not crowded and  over populated with high school students taking selfies with their fraps! 

Oh before I forget, should you want to visit the place, pin a little note on their corkboard, something like this that I saw on their FB page. 

don't you think the penmanship looks awfully familiar?

FOODIE FRIDAY : Jameson's Gelato

Went to the Great Luxe Sale last June 1 at SMX. Got me 2 dresses, an insulated lunch kit, a few pairs of boxer shorts and a new sweet favorite. I saw this:

At the corner of the bazaar was a freezer and a beside it a stall that was selling fresh lemonade. I am not a huge fan of ice cream, but since they were offering free samples, I went to try it. I was with my cousin and each got a tiny ice cream sample. He tried the lemon, I tried the cappuccino. The lemon was really nice, but I opted to buy the pistachio. It was soooo good. I felt like I was eating pistachio nuts from the shell itself. It was so creamy and with just the right amount of sweetness. I kept saying "ang sarap" with every little scoop I ate.

We stayed in the bazaar area for a little over 3 hours, not because there was a huge selection, but because we were waiting for my cousin's mom who will pay for the thing he needed to buy. When I learned that we were about to leave, I rushed to Jameson's corner again. I told myself I would not leave the place without having another serving. 

The guys manning the booth were kind enough to let me sample almost all the flavors! I bought 1 scoop of the white one with chocolate swirls ( i asked what it is called but it was something I can not pronounce) and 1 scoop of cappuccino. 

Each scoop costs 100 pesos, looking back now, of all the items I purchased that day, it was the ice cream that was the priciest. But I am not complaining, it was worth it! Just found out now that they have a branch in Robinson's Otis. 

Now excuse me while I try to google where Otis is.

FOODIE FRIDAY : My (not so) Happy Bundle

Eversince I have started reporting for night shift duty, this little drawer that holds numerous flyers for food delivery has been a good friend of mine. See this promo from McDelivery 

I am a huge Mcdo Fan... I have mentioned this before here . Some time last August, I also tweeted this :

So last November 8, me and my staff decided to dial 8-Mcdo and ordered for a happy bundle. Service was really fast and efficient, our order arrived 25 minutes after the 8-Mcdo girl asked me to synchronize our timepieces. Too bad I didn't know back then that I could send a photo of us enjoying our happy bundle and we could get a chance to win J Lo concert tickets! This in mind, 7 days later, with money to spare as it is payday, and with the same group of people, we decided to again order a happy bundle. This decision was made after we had our early dinner . I will always make room in my tummy for McDo, moreso if it means getting a chance to see Jenny from the block perform live!

We placed our order at 7:45pm. But our food arrived at 9:20pm! 

8:50pm  - I dialed 8-Mcdo to follow up on our order. From the lady I spoke with, I learned that, they received our order at 7:45pm and that it was dispatched at 8:05pm. I asked the lady what time is it on their system and she replied 8:50pm. An hour has elapsed since the time our order was acknowledged but we have yet to receive our food. The lady said our food will be coming from their branch in Airport Road, a 15 minute jeepney ride from where I work. The lady gave me the branch's contact details and advised me to directly forward my inquiry to that store.

As soon as our conversation ended, I dialed the number she gave me and a girl took my call. I explained that I called to inquire about our delivery that was dispatched from their store. I was asked to stay on the line. I waited for a few seconds and another girl talked to me and all she said was that our order has been dispatched and that it is on the way. I asked if they have a way of getting in touch with their delivery guy so as to know what happened. The girl said "walang pong cellphone yung rider" (really?).I asked if their time is synchronized with their 8-Mcdo system and before she answered, I was again placed on hold. This time it was a guy who spoke to me. I was getting upset by the minute, I was only asking if their time is the same as that of their delivery center and now I have another person to talk to again. Upon hearing a different voice from the other end of the line, my first reaction was " Wait you're a different person, need I tell you too the reason why I called?" This guy now told me that they are trying to locate their rider and told me that he will call me back in 10 minutes to update me. And he just kept saying pasensya na po for the delay. 

9:02pm - I received a call from Eric. Telling me that their rider returned to their store, with our food. He allegedly sent a message to the mobile number we gave asking for our location. Huh? At first I was told that the rider does not have a cellphone, now he texted us? Oh and right, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is a very difficult place to find, especially for McDonald's Airport Road Branch!!!

I told Eric that I wanted to speak to their rider so I can give him instructions. It turned out that delivery guy was not familiar with the place because he was just a reliever. And meron siyang cellphone, I guess the fact that he is just a reliever, the people from that branch just  didn't know his number. Eric said I should expect my food in 20 mins. He also assured me that the food has been replaced. For all its worth, he was apologetic. I also asked for the branch manager's contact details. I know I was starting to sound AMALAYER-ish over the phone.

9:20pm - Our food arrived. But we were too pissed to take a photo for the J Lo tickets promo. We didn't order for an apple pie, but 1 was given to us. Nice touch, not really an apple pie fan but it was a thoughtful gesture. But wait! A hotfudge sundae is missing!!! I checked the receipt :

Yup we were charged for the sundae. I have decided to just let it pass, it has been a long day, I don't want to stress myself any further. It was a happy bundle gone sooo wrong!I have to admit that I was tempted to storm to their branch and do my own AMALAYER rant. Good thing I was not yet done with some paper works that I wanted finished before I go on day off.

After 5 minutes, Eric called, he was asking if we received his goodwill apple pie. I said yes and thanked him. I also informed him that a hotfudge sundae was missing. So he said he will again send his rider to deliver the sundae. 

I have had my fastfood chain days. Spent more than a year working for KFC so I know things like these happen. Delivery guys lose their way, incomplete orders being dispatched...but both things happening to the same customer? Am I that jinxed? 

FOODIE FRIDAY - cafeteria foodtrip

I had grand fitness related plans for Friday. I was supposed to wake up early to jog and then proceed to the badminton court for at least an hour of shuttlecock-smashing-calorie-burning activity with my cousin Ken. But Ken's dad ( whom I fondly call my fake father), was rushed to the hospital Thursday night and had to spend the night there. Needless to say, Ken can not join me with my fight-the-bulge plan so I just went with him to the hospital.

I was not able to take a decent breakfast and was already hungry. Ken munched on a piece of oily bread he purchased at ministop while we were on the bus and had with him a pack of roast beef flavored potato chips. We arrived at DLSUMC a little before 10am, Ken's mom was waiting for us. My fake father seem well, and really did not look like he needed any assistance. He was ready to drive himself home but has yet to obtain a clearance from his doctor. Before Ken's mom left, she told us to have our lunch at the hospital's cafeteria. We nodded but in my mind I was already placing my order for twice baked potato halves at the pizza place just across the hospital building. An hour later, 2 of my fake father's siblings arrived. Ken and I decided to check out the hospital's cafeteria. Ken's mom was right, there really was a lot going on in the cafeteria. Aside from the usual rice and ulam stalls, there was a hotdog stand, a fruit shake stand and also a nook that sells RTW's. I decided to eat an early lunch, fish fillet and tortang talong cooked on banana leaf while Ken who had rice for breakfast just ordered lugaw with egg. All these for just 125 pesos, I find that reasonable. While waiting in line to check out our food, I asked Ken to grab a bottle of lemon iced tea from the chiller, he said we should try the fruitshake.

I had this feeling that it was one of those fruitshake stands that uses fruit-flavored powder mixes. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that they use fresh fruits. Being starved, I ate while Ken was still waiting for his mango-strawberry shake. The fish fillet was nothing fancy, it was so crunchy I thought I was eating fish crackers,the tortang talong was too oily. And I think their food warmers are not working since everything I ate, including the rice was as cold as a healthy puppy's nose. When Ken returned to our table, it was my turn to get my shake. Avocado is my favorite, but it is out of season so I was not surprised to see "not available" across the photo of the avocado on the fruitshake stand's signage. I spent quite a while looking up at the pictures of possible shake combinations when something on the menu piqued my curiosity.

Cheese? Fruitshakes with cheese?  Seriously? This I got to try. I ordered for a mango-peach-cheese shake. The lady preparing my shake grabbed a pack of presumably mango and peach slices and tossed it in the blender, then she took a thick slice of cheddar cheese and tossed it in too. She added a cup of crushed ice, evaporated milk and sugar syrup and turned the blender on. I paid 50 pesos for my shake ( 20oz with fresh fruits... Very reasonable...) and told Ken that my shake has cheese. He took a sip and liked it too. 

I found my shake to be a bit sweet, the mango dominated the peach. But i love the way the cheese made my shake creamier. The cold cafeteria food may have disappointed me but this fruitshake managed to put a smile on my chubby face. 

After 2 hours, we went back to the cafeteria for merienda. We both ordered a hotdog sandwich.  30 Pesos for a king size tender juicy hotdog... not bad . The best part was we get to put our chosen condiments. Lucky for me since I am not really fond of mustard. They have thinly sliced cabbage and carrots available too. This time Ken ordered a mango-cheese shake, i opted for bottled water. We went back to my fake father's room and watched The Grudge. I wanted to go back to the cafeteria before going home to get a fruitshake again. But I think my conscience whispered "glutton".

Going to the hospital is not something I find very enjoyable, it can get very depressing. But the cheap cheap cafeteria food ( talking about the hotdog sandwich here) and the yummy fruitshake made my day not as gloomy as I expected. 

FOODIE FRIDAY - say it with donuts

I am ignoring that red line under the word donut. I will spell it the way I grew up associating everything that is colorful,round with a hole in the middle and diabetes-inducing sweet with Dunkin' Donuts. 

For a time Dunkin' dominated the my donut world. Mister Donut was also a part of that world, because it was readily available at 7-11 branches. Then came Go Nuts Donuts, and I really went nuts for their amazing glaze and pastillas flavored donuts. Then came Krispy Kreme DoUGHnuts. What's with the UGH? Goodbye amazing glaze for this additional UGH gave me the "world-famous-melt-in-your-mouth-doughnut" ... Krispy Kreme's original glazed.  I have yet to try the newest kid on my donut block... J. Co Donuts. I always pass by their MOA branch and I am not exaggerating when I say that the lines are too long. Yes I am curious to try it, but patience is a virtue I do not have. It is still so hyped-up so everybody wants to be the first to try.  Besides, I have yet another donut place.

Not too crowded and serves me the best cheese flavored donuts. And it can get cheesier. I first learned about this place when my nephew came home with a box with little donuts spelling out I - L-O-V-E-Y-O-U ... or something to that effect. This was a present from his girlfriend. 

Sweeter that your average sweet without making your bloodsugar shoot up. I also did the same for my group. With the knowledge that we will be having burgers for dinner, and eventually will be needing something sweet for dessert, I asked my cousin ken to visit Cello's Doughnuts & Dips branch near Zark's burgers and had this 1 made:

Cute isn't it? I was able to convey my message of thanking my team and everybody got their fair share of dessert. I even got to take 2 donuts! I tried the A of "thank" cheese flavored, yummy , yummy , yummy and also the N of "NH", finely crushed m&m's ... I still like the cheese. 

I think they are famous for the cheese and oreo topped donuts. The usual round donuts are readily available. But if you want something like this done, you have give them at least 3 hours lead time. Each letter cost 30 pesos. Feel like shouting out your message? Get them in bigger letters for 45 pesos each.

Sweet Friday everyone!