Of course not.
But it sure felt like it, when my friends and I dined at Stella last night. :(
I'm going to China this October with some friends and friends of friends, and since we didn't know everyone, we decided to have a China group meet and greet to get to know each other before the trip. We decided to dine at Zong, at the Fort Square (previously Fort Strip), to start off the China experience on the right foot. After a savory and filling dinner, we transferred over to Stella for some Chocolate Almond cookie dough (one of my favorites) and some Vahlrona chocolate cake.
Stella usually has a very laid back ambiance, and targeted for casual dining and family meals. This is in stark contrast with it's neighbor, Rocket Room, their detached bar except for the small hallway that connects the two of them together. Now, I do understand that a bar like Rocket Room would have a different ambiance, music blaring from their speakers at sounds enough to shatter eardrums, it's totally fine since it's a bar. What's not fine was for that same ear-shattering music being played at the Stella side, making it difficult for anyone to carry a conversation without shouting.
I was seriously, seriously disappointed. This was the first time I've ever been to Stella where it felt like the restaurant owners were punishing it's customers by blasting loud music into our ears.
I actually requested one of the waiters to tone it down, since we weren't at Rocket Room, and they did turn off one of the speakers but it didn't help much. That was how loud it was. Even the waiters seemed frazzled by the loud music, and other patrons were obviously not enjoying the aural assault.
What's more disappointing, was that whoever was mixing drinks that night was probably a rookie, because my friend and I ordered the same drink (American in Ipanema), and it couldn't have been more different. The alcohol in my drink was so strong it overpowered other flavors, while Chie's was more fruity and had a better flavor. Maie's Grassy Knoll cocktail originally came out tasting like ginger water, and this was a drink that she used to like a lot. She sent it back, asking for some more lemon, when it returned, it still didn't taste like the normal drink she ordered, so she asked for them to make it again. It was still sub par, but she just stuck with it, figuring it wouldn't get any better.
The noise level became so uncomfortable, we had no choice but to leave early. I felt old.
Stella used to be one of my go-to restaurants, but after this experience, it would be hard to come back, let alone recommend it to my friends. What's the point in separating Rocket Room and Stella and giving them two very distinctive identities if you're just going to turn the entire place into a bar atmosphere anyway? I was so frustrated, disappointed and irritated...I don't ever want to come back.
Sunday, September 08, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Mitsuyado Sei-Men: Different, but not to my Liking
In an effort to keep up with my "try a new restaurant every month" goal, I'm always on the lookout for different and new places to try. Granted, I am on a diet, but I pretty much feel that if I don't cheat, I might give up altogether.
So, my sister (and cheating buddy) Tere recommended we try Mitsuyado Sei-Men along Jupiter. I was intrigued because it supposedly served really good tsukemen, which wasn't something I've tried before.
First, the good: I liked the ambiance, it's simple and different from the typical modern Japanese restos, with a "street food" feel to it and service was prompt and courteous.
Unfortunately, that's all I liked.
Again, it's not a ramen house, their specialty is tsukemen or dipping noodles. Basically, you dip noodles in a broth of your choice. I already read the reviews that their ramen was bad, so my sister and I opted to go for the specialties, the double cheese tsukemen and karash tsukemeni as well as their gyoza, which were all highly recommended. The double cheese, for me, tasted odd, and not Japanese at all. You can see in the picture that it was served with a topping of parmesan as well as two dips, a cheese sauce, not unlike the ones you eat with nachos, and a broth that was described as a tonkotsu broth with yuzu (citrus). The noodles, for their part were quite good and tasted fresh and of good quality, but I felt that the cheese sauce actually cheapened that flavor. The broth was a mix of sweet and sour which I really did not enjoy.
My sister's spicy Karashi was marginally better, but not by much, there was an overpowering flavor of (sesame?) oil, and it was a bit too spicy for me . Their gyoza was standard fare and nothing to rave about, I neither liked it nor hated it.
I'm not a fan and won't be coming back.
Cheat Score: Totally not worth it.
Where: 22 Jupiter St. Jupiter, Makati, Matro Manila.
So, my sister (and cheating buddy) Tere recommended we try Mitsuyado Sei-Men along Jupiter. I was intrigued because it supposedly served really good tsukemen, which wasn't something I've tried before.
First, the good: I liked the ambiance, it's simple and different from the typical modern Japanese restos, with a "street food" feel to it and service was prompt and courteous.
Unfortunately, that's all I liked.
Again, it's not a ramen house, their specialty is tsukemen or dipping noodles. Basically, you dip noodles in a broth of your choice. I already read the reviews that their ramen was bad, so my sister and I opted to go for the specialties, the double cheese tsukemen and karash tsukemeni as well as their gyoza, which were all highly recommended. The double cheese, for me, tasted odd, and not Japanese at all. You can see in the picture that it was served with a topping of parmesan as well as two dips, a cheese sauce, not unlike the ones you eat with nachos, and a broth that was described as a tonkotsu broth with yuzu (citrus). The noodles, for their part were quite good and tasted fresh and of good quality, but I felt that the cheese sauce actually cheapened that flavor. The broth was a mix of sweet and sour which I really did not enjoy.
My sister's spicy Karashi was marginally better, but not by much, there was an overpowering flavor of (sesame?) oil, and it was a bit too spicy for me . Their gyoza was standard fare and nothing to rave about, I neither liked it nor hated it.
I'm not a fan and won't be coming back.
Cheat Score: Totally not worth it.
Where: 22 Jupiter St. Jupiter, Makati, Matro Manila.
Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen - Rainy Day Comfort at SM Aura Premier
One rainy evening, I convinced my sister to try this newly opened ramen joint in SM Aura.
I ordered the Ajitama tonkotsu ramen and Tere ordered the black garlic tonkotsu. Both arrived promptly which was good because by that time (almost 9pm) I was ravenous.
The noodles were thinner than the normal noodles in other ramen joints. You also have a choice of normal or hard noodles, personally I prefer the hard (al dente) noodles. The ajitama was very flavorful, i loved it, but if you're not fond of eating eggs, stay away from this dish.
Tere's black garlic tonkotsu was a bit too oily for me, and the flavor tasty, but not to my liking. Tere preferred this over my Ajitama though, so I guess it's a matter of preference.
We also got gyoza and it was also very good, probably one of the best I've tried.
We ended the meal with a scoop of sea salt caramel and green tea ice cream, which were both so good and would be reason enough for me to come back.
And since I mentioned I'm on a diet in my last post, I'll be rating the cheat meals I post if they were worth it or not.
Cheat Score: Worth it!
Where: Level 2, SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
I ordered the Ajitama tonkotsu ramen and Tere ordered the black garlic tonkotsu. Both arrived promptly which was good because by that time (almost 9pm) I was ravenous.
The noodles were thinner than the normal noodles in other ramen joints. You also have a choice of normal or hard noodles, personally I prefer the hard (al dente) noodles. The ajitama was very flavorful, i loved it, but if you're not fond of eating eggs, stay away from this dish.
Tere's black garlic tonkotsu was a bit too oily for me, and the flavor tasty, but not to my liking. Tere preferred this over my Ajitama though, so I guess it's a matter of preference.
We also got gyoza and it was also very good, probably one of the best I've tried.
We ended the meal with a scoop of sea salt caramel and green tea ice cream, which were both so good and would be reason enough for me to come back.
And since I mentioned I'm on a diet in my last post, I'll be rating the cheat meals I post if they were worth it or not.
Cheat Score: Worth it!
Where: Level 2, SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Geekyobserver goes on a diet!
You read right, I'm finally serious about dieting.
I was never thin, but I do know that I was in better shape in the past. I mean that literally as well as figuratively. This isn't going to be a long post about me feeling the pressure to be thin or to lose weight, or that I felt insecure about myself or that I got a health scare that is forcing me to rethink my lifestyle. I just simply want to make it public that I am on a diet - I read that this would increase my accountability to the goal.
It's simple, I gained weight in the past because I love to eat and I'm too lazy to exercise and now I want to do something about it.
Two years ago, my older sister lost over 75 pounds in 6 months following the Cohen Lifestyle diet. I was definitely inspired, but wasn't inspired enough to actually follow it. That, plus there was a significant financial investment involved, but I think it was really because I wasn't prepared to go though with it. So, I waited, until I finally decided to start last July 1, 2013.
I still didn't go on Cohen, but I did reapply some of their "rules", nothing that you really can't find out on your own, so I might not have the "prescribed" amount of food that Cohen has, but generally I follow the basic rules of no sugar, no dairy, lean meat and veggies, drinking lots of water, no preserved foods and eating 5 hours apart (to digest the previous meal effectively).
I even break the rules on the no dairy rule but this time I choose non fat or low fat milk. :) This is really because in the Bon Appetit diet, and even in the nutrition seminar I attended, milk is considered as part of a healthy diet.
So, I guess I'm really just following a lower calorie diet, and I'm finding it quite manageable so far.
To date, I've lost 20 pounds since July 1, 2013. I'm targeting to lose another 10 by end of September, but I'm a bit off track on that goal - especially since I do tend to cheat a bit (weekends and holidays). :P
But hey, 20 pounds in 1 1/2 months? I deserve to reward myself a bit for that. :)
Oh, and I found this really good article on lifehack -> 10 Unconventional Diet Tips: How to lose 50 pounds in three months and I do agree with the tips he shared. Granted, I doubt I'll be losing 50 pounds in 3 months, but it's effective nonetheless.
I was never thin, but I do know that I was in better shape in the past. I mean that literally as well as figuratively. This isn't going to be a long post about me feeling the pressure to be thin or to lose weight, or that I felt insecure about myself or that I got a health scare that is forcing me to rethink my lifestyle. I just simply want to make it public that I am on a diet - I read that this would increase my accountability to the goal.
It's simple, I gained weight in the past because I love to eat and I'm too lazy to exercise and now I want to do something about it.
Two years ago, my older sister lost over 75 pounds in 6 months following the Cohen Lifestyle diet. I was definitely inspired, but wasn't inspired enough to actually follow it. That, plus there was a significant financial investment involved, but I think it was really because I wasn't prepared to go though with it. So, I waited, until I finally decided to start last July 1, 2013.
I still didn't go on Cohen, but I did reapply some of their "rules", nothing that you really can't find out on your own, so I might not have the "prescribed" amount of food that Cohen has, but generally I follow the basic rules of no sugar, no dairy, lean meat and veggies, drinking lots of water, no preserved foods and eating 5 hours apart (to digest the previous meal effectively).
I even break the rules on the no dairy rule but this time I choose non fat or low fat milk. :) This is really because in the Bon Appetit diet, and even in the nutrition seminar I attended, milk is considered as part of a healthy diet.
So, I guess I'm really just following a lower calorie diet, and I'm finding it quite manageable so far.
To date, I've lost 20 pounds since July 1, 2013. I'm targeting to lose another 10 by end of September, but I'm a bit off track on that goal - especially since I do tend to cheat a bit (weekends and holidays). :P
But hey, 20 pounds in 1 1/2 months? I deserve to reward myself a bit for that. :)
Oh, and I found this really good article on lifehack -> 10 Unconventional Diet Tips: How to lose 50 pounds in three months and I do agree with the tips he shared. Granted, I doubt I'll be losing 50 pounds in 3 months, but it's effective nonetheless.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
2012 Revisited
Time passes so quickly! It's almost the end of February, so I figured it was the best time to take some time, and look back on the highlights of the past year. Admittedly, this is very much delayed, but here goes. :)
To be honest, 2012 flew by so fast I could barely keep up, probably one of the most highlight-filled years of my life, and probably because I celebrated an important milestone last year, I turned 30!
I started the year on a pretty low note, with a bad viral infection that had me taking antibiotics going into the new year, missing a family reunion and being downright miserable. But it picked up...some highlights:
and last but definitely not the least, my biggest trip to date, to celebrate my 3 decades of existence, the Rome-UK trip. Thanks to our gracious hosts in Rome, tita Mildred and tito Enrico, and tito Sol, tita Elise and our Manchester hosts, tita Este and tito Tim. Also discovered one of the best tour providers, Expat Explore for our UK excursion. Definitely a separate post needed for this trip, but I still need to find the time to do it.
It wasn't all highs though... one of my cousins, Cathy, succumbed to a rare illness after over a month in the ICU. Rest in peace ate Kels, we'll miss you.
Now, 2 months into 2013, we're faced with new challenges, new highlights.. it's going to be a hell of a ride I'm sure, and I just can't wait to see what 2013 has to offer.
To be honest, 2012 flew by so fast I could barely keep up, probably one of the most highlight-filled years of my life, and probably because I celebrated an important milestone last year, I turned 30!
I started the year on a pretty low note, with a bad viral infection that had me taking antibiotics going into the new year, missing a family reunion and being downright miserable. But it picked up...some highlights:
- Mamma Mia @ the CCP, although I honestly think this could have been staged by Filipinos, it was still a fun musical to watch.
- PBA All Stars Game (DLSU vs ADMU), which La Salle won, btw. :) It was really great seeing the old 4-peat players play against their rivals, especially since those players were the ones I followed while I was still in La Salle.
- Anawim Outreach with the ASAP team, always a good, uplifting experience.
- La Luz sith the ASAP team
- Getting paid for a blog post, hahaha, hopefully won't be the last time.
- Bellarocca with Jeng! Santorini-inspired, and totally relaxing vacation.
- Getting my Asus Transformer!
- Ria and Fen's wedding.
- Forbidden Broadway @ RCBC, very, very funny!
- Rock of Ages @ RCBC, with Mig Ayesa. Total rock-fest, will definitely catch this again in 2013.
- Going back to DLSU to do interviews...first time back after 9 years, and there was a certain sense of accomplishment being there and interviewing soon to be graduates for prospective jobs.
- Diablo 3!
- Watching The Fray in Manila
- Boracay with the Family
and last but definitely not the least, my biggest trip to date, to celebrate my 3 decades of existence, the Rome-UK trip. Thanks to our gracious hosts in Rome, tita Mildred and tito Enrico, and tito Sol, tita Elise and our Manchester hosts, tita Este and tito Tim. Also discovered one of the best tour providers, Expat Explore for our UK excursion. Definitely a separate post needed for this trip, but I still need to find the time to do it.
It wasn't all highs though... one of my cousins, Cathy, succumbed to a rare illness after over a month in the ICU. Rest in peace ate Kels, we'll miss you.
Now, 2 months into 2013, we're faced with new challenges, new highlights.. it's going to be a hell of a ride I'm sure, and I just can't wait to see what 2013 has to offer.
Friday, January 04, 2013
2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge
In an effort to get back into the habit of reading, I took on the Goodreads reading challenge. For the year, I'm challenging myself to read at leas 75 books.
I actually bought a Kindle Paperwhite to help me with this goal. :) I just need to wait for it to be shipped, so for now I'm using the Kindle app on Jarvis (my Asus Transformer pad) until I get Snow, which will be the name of my new Kindle.
I also discovered that Amazon has a Bestseller list that lists down the top 100 Paid and Free e-books. This is a n excellent (and legal) way to score free e-books, or make a note of titles worth purchasing. The list is updated every hour.
Since this discovery, I already downloaded over 35 titles for free and bought around 15 titles from Amazon.com, and I'm expecting to get a lot more in the future.
So really, this 75 book target, should be easy for me. :) I actually wanted to go for a 100, but since I haven't been reading much lately, I decided on a more modest target.
Wish me luck! Happy reading!
I actually bought a Kindle Paperwhite to help me with this goal. :) I just need to wait for it to be shipped, so for now I'm using the Kindle app on Jarvis (my Asus Transformer pad) until I get Snow, which will be the name of my new Kindle.
I also discovered that Amazon has a Bestseller list that lists down the top 100 Paid and Free e-books. This is a n excellent (and legal) way to score free e-books, or make a note of titles worth purchasing. The list is updated every hour.
Since this discovery, I already downloaded over 35 titles for free and bought around 15 titles from Amazon.com, and I'm expecting to get a lot more in the future.
So really, this 75 book target, should be easy for me. :) I actually wanted to go for a 100, but since I haven't been reading much lately, I decided on a more modest target.
Wish me luck! Happy reading!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Expat Explore - 7 Day Great Britain Tour: Excellent Value for Money!
My older sis Maitz and I went on the Great Britain tour from Oct 3-10, 2012. I was celebrating my 30th birthday on the 9th and I thought what better way to spend it than travelling to places I've never been? So, I was on the lookout for tours and sample itineraries that we could go on, and I found Expat Explore. I was just blown away by how much cheaper it was than other tours, so I did my due diligence, checked out some reviews and booked it right away, months before our scheduled travel date.
We were a bit anxious at the beginning, but we shouldn't have worried. We were picked up at Ibis Greenwich on time, and from the moment we got on the coach, we knew it would be a good trip. When we did our introductions on the coach, almost a third of our group were "repeat customers" of Expat Explore, so we knew we were in good hands. Our tour leader, Paul and our driver Gary, were excellent companions, telling us about the sights, insider tips, places to eat and such, and took us from place to place with great efficiency. The trip was well organized, and it's an excellent way to meet new people.
There are some caveats, because of the number of places to visit, there are times you feel rushed, but I think what's good about the tour is that you get to "sample" the places and then you can decide which ones to go back to at a more leisurely pace. With the price, we were prepared to stay in small inns/B&Bs, but surprisingly our accommodations were quite decent, with Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Ibis and Caledonian hotel. Hotel locations were good too, especially the Premier Inn in Cardiff and the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. We were also pleasantly surprised that we had full English breakfasts all the way, and there were even some dinners included in the cost of the tour, and we also had great walking tours from local guides and got to ride a punt in Cambridge. Really, really excellent value for money, so I will not hesitate to recommend this to others, and am already saving up for the 17 day Western Europe tour. :)
Expat Explore Great Britain Tour
Day 1: London – Cambridge – York
Day 2: Hadrian’s Wall – Jedburgh – Scottish Borders – Edinburgh
Day 3: Edinburgh (Free Day)
Day 4: Edinburgh – Inverness – Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle – Scottish Highlands
Day 5: Highlands – Loch Lomond – Liverpool
Day 6: Liverpool – Stratford – Upon-Avon – Wales
Day 7: Wales – Bath – Stonehenge - London
We were a bit anxious at the beginning, but we shouldn't have worried. We were picked up at Ibis Greenwich on time, and from the moment we got on the coach, we knew it would be a good trip. When we did our introductions on the coach, almost a third of our group were "repeat customers" of Expat Explore, so we knew we were in good hands. Our tour leader, Paul and our driver Gary, were excellent companions, telling us about the sights, insider tips, places to eat and such, and took us from place to place with great efficiency. The trip was well organized, and it's an excellent way to meet new people.
There are some caveats, because of the number of places to visit, there are times you feel rushed, but I think what's good about the tour is that you get to "sample" the places and then you can decide which ones to go back to at a more leisurely pace. With the price, we were prepared to stay in small inns/B&Bs, but surprisingly our accommodations were quite decent, with Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Ibis and Caledonian hotel. Hotel locations were good too, especially the Premier Inn in Cardiff and the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. We were also pleasantly surprised that we had full English breakfasts all the way, and there were even some dinners included in the cost of the tour, and we also had great walking tours from local guides and got to ride a punt in Cambridge. Really, really excellent value for money, so I will not hesitate to recommend this to others, and am already saving up for the 17 day Western Europe tour. :)
Expat Explore Great Britain Tour
Day 1: London – Cambridge – York
Day 2: Hadrian’s Wall – Jedburgh – Scottish Borders – Edinburgh
Day 3: Edinburgh (Free Day)
Day 4: Edinburgh – Inverness – Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle – Scottish Highlands
Day 5: Highlands – Loch Lomond – Liverpool
Day 6: Liverpool – Stratford – Upon-Avon – Wales
Day 7: Wales – Bath – Stonehenge - London
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