Wee Nam Kee

I find it hard to look for delicious chicken rice in Manila. If I can find a good one, it's very pricey too. Good thing Wee Nam Kee is now in Manila where they franchised it directly from Singapore. Wee Nam Kee Singapore is in Novena.

I was able to convince by IBM friends, Tom, Shai and Anj to try it out at Ayala Triangle. An almost south day for the north people.

I liked Wee Nam Kee's cozy interior. The bird cage lanters were a nice concept.

We eached ordered the chicken rice personal set at 160PHP which comes with chicken rice and soup. Tom and Shai got the roasted one and for me and Anj we had the steamed chicken. All I can say is, rice pa lang ulam na. The flavors in the chicken rice was so good with a balanced texture. Both roasted and steamed chicken were very juicy and tender. There is another choice too which is soyed chicken if you want to try.

Check out the unlimited condiments. Finally, they gave us freedom condiments here in Manila just like the chicken rice places in Singapore unlike what we usually have here where they place small amounts in small saucers and you have to keep asking the waiters for extra ginger. And it's the first time to see the pounded ginger to be not oily at all!

Since the cereal prawns were out of stock (boo!), the waiter suggested the sizzling barbecue prawns (350 PHP). The menu said 4 prawns but we had 5! I'm thinking if this is a way of compensating for a lot of items on the menu that were not yet available. We were patient though since they were on soft opening.

The prawns had a nice barbeque kick to it and very crispy. Tom ate all the prawn heads.

The place had a nice view of the ayala triangle gardens especially in the afternoon. You may want to check it out during the holiday season where they have the symphony of lights.

Overall Wee Nam Kee was excellent. Some of the staff just needs to be a little more attentive. They may improve in the coming weeks I'm sure. I'll definitely come back for the Chicken Rice.

Wee Nam Kee is loacated in the Ayala Triangle Gardens. Ayala Ave. Makati City.

Sabroso Lechon

We first encountered Sabroso Lechon when we decided to have lunch first before my shift. Marlon was resigning at that time and decided to take the day off since he needed to finish his papers required by his next job.

In between my two previous jobs 2 months ago, I decided to get Sabroso lechon again before we depart for Tagaytay. I got the half kilo at 300 PHP for take out. They packed it nicely in styro and even gave me extra sauce when I asked for it.

We liked the soft and flavorful lechon from Sabroso and we go here when we have a lechon craving in Manila. The skin is also very crisp. I find their sauce to be just right. Not too sweet and just the right kick of the liver flavor.

Sabroso also delivers around Manila per kilo but may require an additional price depending on which area. They also accept orders for whole lechon. They have a nice ambiance too if you decide you want to dine in. They have a lechon meal available at 120 PHP that comes with rice, soup and iced tea.

For more information, you may visit their web site: http://lechonsabroso.multiply.com/

Sabroso lechon may be found at Timog corner E. Rodriguez Sr. Quezon City. It's in the same building as World Class Persian and Nomnomnom.

The Boutique Bed and Breakfast

In between switching jobs, Marlon and I took a short trip to Tagaytay and decided to have an overnight R and R at The Boutique B&B. It's been a while since I wanted to check out the place and this is my chance.

The place is the perfect place for couples who wants to have a relaxing and romantic time out of busy Metro Manila.

As we got there, the staff assisted us right away with checking in and then choosing our toiletries. This is inclusive of what we paid for in the room. Marlon chose the Melon mint soap, and I had Lavender. We also chose Lavender for the shampoo, conditioner, and the room scent. The basket also came with 2 toothbrushes and toothpaste, loofah, laundry bag and bedroom slippers.

We chose the iescape room which was the cheapest among the rooms at The Boutique. It has warm brown and beige tones. The bed has a lot of pillows in it but there was a pillow bag in the room if we don't want to use it. The bed was just right.

We were served native snacks of espasol and chocolate dip with iced tea when we got in the room. I think the chocolate dip was a good twist.

Each room has a flat screen tv with dvd player and speakers where you can plug your ipod. We also borrowed 2 dvds from their collection.

There were also complementary bedside nibbles of shingaling and yema which we really liked and placed in the side table along with the magic 8 ball.

We had dinner served in our room from Hawaiian barbecue. I loved the ribs. It was soft and tender and its sauce was just right. We didn't know that it will be that big that's why we ordered the pinaputukan na (i don't even remember the fish) which I don't recommend.

     

We had a serving of coleslaw which was just ok.

We had our midnight snack of hot chocolate and heart-shaped oatmeal cookies which came with a nice quote and a rose on the side. We were so full Marlon didn't get any and I had it all to myself.

Breakfast in bed was the best part. Just check out our breakfast tray. Aside from our orders, we had the complementary bread with jam, Mango with cottage cheese, multigrain cereal, fruit juices and hot chocolate.

Marlon had the Corned beef bulalo. This was very tasty and was perfect with the egg and garlic rice. I liked it a lot as well.

I had the pancakes with bacon and eggs. I liked how unique the heart-shaped pancakes were and I enjoyed that they placed grapes on it too. The servings of the bacon was very generous.

We couldn't finish the whole thing.

We had our 10 minute foot massage after breakfast. It was ok.

Too bad it was raining, it would have been nice to hang out at the viewing deck of Hawaiian barbecue.

Overall I think the Boutique B&B is a good place to relax and unwind. Every peso we spent was worth it. I think we should have tried the other rooms which should have a view of taal. I would want to come back to this place when we have the chance.5

Cafe Uma

Our last meal in Bacolod will never be forgotten. Tom and I were in a hurry so we can catch our flight so we ended up in Cafe Uma which is very near the place we were staying.

I liked how the natural lighting brightens up the place with interiors that are not too flashy. The ambiance was very cozy.

They had Big Mama painting in the walls which added a little twist.

I was craving for pasta so we had the Cafe Uma Special Pasta (400 PHP), This is spaghetti with pesto cream, bacon and smoked salmon. I love how everything blended together. The noodles were al dente, the pesto cream was light and both the bacon and salmon had a good play with my taste buds. I can't stop raving about this pasta until now.

We also had the Mediterrenean Chicken Salad (350 PHP). It was grilled chicken fillet with different herbs on a bed of greens with couscous, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The chicken was very juicy and I liked how the couscous added texture to this dish.

 I find the food a little bit pricey for Bacolod but I also felt that every peso spent was worth it. Tom and I enjoyed every bit of our dinning experience here.

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Cafe Uma can be found in Lacson st. Bacolod City (near L Fisher Hotel).

Chicken Deli

So to continue the Bacolod edition of my food trip last September, my friend Sweet took uss to Chicken Deli along Lacson st. since it's the one nearest to our hotel.

I remember eating here when I was nine with my parents and sister titit when my mom had a food convention back then. The place hasn't changed much and Bacolod will alsways be home of the best inasal. 

We ordered the usual inasal, either Pecho or Paa and it only cost 60 PHP per quarter chicken. The chicken was well marinated and juicy. We also had the pork hula-hula (38 PHP) but I found this one too sweet.

 An order of gralic rice already with chicken oil costs 23 PHP and atachara to complete your meal.

 My friends got fruit shakes for drinks at 38 PHP. It was served in a tall glass and worth every peso.

 We got a complete Inasal meal for only 121 PHP which was all worth it. 

One thing I would like to try when I go back to Bacolod is Manokan Country which is the best place for locals to get inasal. Chicken Deli serves good food and service was alright and the place is accessible.

Calea

What is Bacolod without the sweets? You will not get a complete experience of course. My friend Sweet took us to Calea, the place famous for its cakes. It was sad that they didn't have my favorite, the Imported chocolate cake at that time, but of course that did not stop us from conquering their choices of mouth watering desserts.

Tom got the cream puff with chocolate sauce on top. The cream inside was very rich and the chocolate was not too sweet.

I got the White Chocolate Cheesecake with raspberry sauce. It was a very soft cheesecake and the raspberry was the one that added flavor.

Shai got the Chocolate mousse, this was ok.

Sweet had her usual, the Frozen Tiramisu. I found this very rich and is recommended to be shared.

Anj had the blueberry cheesecake. I love the oatmeal crust of this dessert which made this a unique cheesecake and a must try at Calea.

Check out their cake display, simply wonderful.

And here's the happy us after getting our sugar high.

Calea is located in L'fisher, Lacson st. Bacolod City.

Bob's Cafe

It's been a while since I had decent internet access and I need to catch up on all these entries and great things I need for a month. So let's go back to my Bacolod-Iloilo trip last September..yes it's that long!

We had a bad start at Bacolod and was just able to shake the bad vibes off when we crossed to Iloilo. The good thing about Bacolod though is the food. So when we got back, we started with one of my childhood favorites, Bob's. I kept on insisting that we eat here although the Cafe didn't seem to have my favorites like the Big Boy Magnifique.

Shai ordered a Chicken Caesar Sandwich (85PHP). It was not too memorable but good enough. It comes with a serving of homemade chips.

Anj and I were craving a lot so we decided to split two dishes being undecided and all. We got Beef Burrito (95 PHP) with salsa on the side. I found the salsa watery, but the burrito was ok.

Lastly we had the Bacon Mushroom Burger (95 PHP). I really loved this. The bun was well toasted not like what we usually get with burgers. The patty was juicy and the servings of bacon, mushroom and cheese were generous.

Tom got himself a dessert with a Mango Macaroon and I don't know what the other one is called. They're ok too. One thing we forgot to take a picture of is their gelato section. Anj got the dark chocolate gelato for 80 PHP. It was one of the best I tried.

Bob's has a nice ambiance. I think I should have gone to their branch near the hospital to be really comforted with what I ate as a kid. The cafe is ok for me. Good enough to take me back but not quite there.

Bob's Cafe is located at Lacson st. Bacolod City.