Slappy Cakes

July 5, 2013

We both love breakfast food, it doesn't matter what time of the day we take it and where we get it from. But it has taken quite some prodding to get Kim to agree to eat at Slappy Cakes. It's not the restaurant and it's not the food she has problems with, but it's the location! Slappy Cakes occupies the space once rented out by Kim's favorite restaurant -- O'sonho. I'm not sure as to why the Portuguese Fusion Restaurant moved out, it might be because of the poor foot traffic in the area it's located at (that was the case before J.Co moved in a couple of doors down), or poor service. I've dined at O'sonho a couple of times and the food was always great. It's just the slow service that was always a big letdown. But I digress.

 

Slappy Cakes is an American import that prides itself in being a breakfast restaurant that offers a fun and different dining experience. How could a breakfast joint be different you say? Well for one, Slappy Cakes menu is not littered with -silog meals. Although they have some -silog in it, it's not more than a handful like most other places. And oh, almost forgot, you get to cook your own pancakes! That's why there's a griddle at the middle of every table!

 

But before you get to cook your own pancakes, you need to choose what kind of pancake batter you want. They have Buttermilk, Whole Grain, Peanut Butter, Vegan, Chocolate. We chose the Peanut Butter to step out from the usual buttermilk batter.

Peanut Butter Batter (260php). Bananas (45php) and Nutella (75php).

Each batter comes in an 8oz. squeeze bottle. While that may not sound a lot, but I guarantee you it is more than enough to feed two people. After selecting your batter, you get to choose some fixins and toppings if you'd like. We went safe with the combination since it was our first time here.

And now that we have our batter, fixins and toppings, let's cook! And trust me, cooking pancakes is so basic no one could ever mess it up.

 

The pancakes themselves were really not that special, but then again that's not the main draw of this restaurant. It's the chance to cook and make funny pancake shapes with friends and families that makes this place different. Takes personalization to a whole new level.

Aside from the pancake, we also ordered  their Classic Breakfast.

Classic Breakfast 280php.

The classic breakfast comes with 2 eggs, breakfast potatoes and bacon or sausage and toast. We had the eggs scrambled, and had the potatoes and bacon. Although I'd prefer hash browns in my breakfast plate, the square cut breakfast potatoes weren't bad at all. Surprisingly, it was the highlight of this plate!

We enjoyed getting the chance to cook our breakfast food together at Slappy Cakes. The staff was also courteous and efficient in their service. You should definitely try Slappy Cakes if you want a different breakfast food experience!

Slappy Cakes
Unit 1880-5, Ground Floor,
New Eastwood Mall, Quezon City
http://www.slappycakes.com.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/SlappyCakesPH

Levante

June 28, 2013. Friday.

Midnight Mercato in BGC is arguably still the most popular and most frequented night food market in the Metro. But there have been a few other night food markets and bazaars to pop up in other areas. The latest one is Levante in Eastwood, which is brought to us by the same people behind Midnight Mercato, the Mercato Centrale Group. This night food market aims to serve the people residing/ working in Eastwood, Cainta, Marikina and other neighboring communities every Friday from 6PM to 3AM.

Levante is located in Eastwood Citywalk 2. It doesn't have as many concessionaires as Midnight Mercato, but I'm sure there's something for everyone here. The dining area also is considerably smaller than other night food markets, so you'd be better off taking your food to go. We've already tried some of the food from some of the same vendors from Midnight Mercato and Cucina Andare, so Kim and I decided to check out the other vendors we haven't ordered from before.

Sinangag Trip

https://www.facebook.com/sinangag.trip

Tapsilog. 90php.

I can't help but order Tapsilog everytime I see it on a menu, even though Kim always reminds me that I'll probably end up disappointed more often than not since I always compare it to Rodic's and Hungry Rover's version. And this case isn't any different. The tapa was tough and underseasoned. It may have been a bad day, and I'll probably give this another chance.. hoping that I won't end up disappointed again.

B. Wings
https://www.facebook.com/B.WINGSRESTO

 

5pcs Wings (Mild Spicy) with Blue Cheese. 130php.

We've seen this in a couple of night markets already, but we have never tried it despite loving Buffalo Wings. Wings is best eaten with your bare hands, and eating with your hands in a food market/ bazaar with sparse wash areas isn't a good idea. But since we are taking our orders to go, to be eaten in Kim's condo, we ordered the mild spicy with blue cheese. The wings were good, kind of a cross between Sunrise Bucket's and BWnT's.

Juana Bowl
https://www.facebook.com/juanabowl

Rib Eye Steak Value Meal. 110php.

This was our favorite out of all the things we ordered this night. 110php for some properly seasoned and cooked US Rib Eye Steak and rice? Now that's value for money. Of course, it isn't premium beef and the cut isn't as thick as most steak restaurants serve. But would you expect that for 100php? We're definitely ordering from Juana Bowl again.

There's still a lot more vendors we want to order from, including a couple of burger joints, so we will probably be back here again in the near future. Levante is definitely a great addition to Eastwood. It provides everyone with some nice alternative food choices even if only for a night.

Levante
Eastwood Citywalk 2
Every Friday 6PM to 3AM
https://www.facebook.com/LevanteEastwood

Sky Ranch + RSM Lutong Bahay

June 22, 2013. Saturday.

Impromptu road trips are always fun. And this post is born out of an impromptu road trip one drizzling Saturday. What was supposed to be just a quick drive to Nuvali to check out the outlets there, made it all the way to Tagaytay. Once we were up in the foggy and wet weather of Tagaytay, we decided to go all the way out to the Sky Ranch.

 

Sky Ranch is a new amusement/ entertainment complex just right beside Taal Vista. And it houses the Sky Eye, which is the tallest ferris wheel in the country at 207 feet high. There are also other rides inside the park, but we just chose to ride the Sky Eye since it was the main attraction and riding everything would be costly. Entrance alone to the park was 100php per person, and the ferris wheel was at 150php per person.

Like the MOA Eye, each gondola of the Sky Eye was air-conditioned. It was already breezy outside, and it was certainly cold inside. But maybe the air-conditioning was put there for those who would want to ride during the hotter days. Since it was foggy outside, the view was limited but it was still a great one as you are able to see the Taal Lake and neghboring establishments from up high. I imagined the view would've been more spectacular had it been a clear day.

After riding the Sky Eye and walking around the still unfinished park (it looks like they're still adding more attractions in the future, including a zipline over the ridge), we decided to look for a place to get dinner. Kim wanted to try the sizzling bulalo of Green ATS, but I didn't want to drive all the way out there on wet, and poorly lit roads, so we settled for RSM Lutong Bahay since all other places looked packed.

We ordered the following:

Inihaw na Liempo

I don't know why we ordered this since this is a dish you could get just about anywhere, but it seemed a good idea at the time. Anything inihaw always goes well with al fresco dining.

Ginataang Kuhol

Kuhol is escargot for the more culutured (haha!). I love this dish and since this isn't available in most restaurants, I always make sure to order this when I see it on a menu. The kuhol was still a little sandy, I think it wasn't washed and rinsed enough but other than that it was really something we enjoyed. This was great with the steamed rice.

Sizzling Bulalo

This is what Kim was looking forward to. We were a little disappointed since what they offered was more akin to Bulalo Ala Pobre, but once we tasted it our dismay was alleviated a bit. The beef was really tender and went well with the gravy on top. Despite it being a good dish, we will still make time to go all the way to Green ATS for their genuine Sizzling Bulalo.

RSM Lutong Bahay
Tagaytay Nasugbu Highway,
Tagaytay City, Cavite
http://www.rsmlutongbahay.com/

Sbarro

Despite being always in Eastwood, Kim and I never had the chance to eat in Sbarro when it was still located in Citibank Square. We always made plans, but never got to it since it was quite cumbersome to walk all the way to Citibank. Then that Sbarro closed down. Luckily for us, Sbarro opened up shop again in Eastwood but this time inside Eastwood Mall. The new Sbarro is located on the top floor, near where the cinemas are.

 

Kim has been craving for a slice of the white Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, so we ordered a couple of slices of those along with a plate of Roasted Chicken with Rice.

Chicago Deep Dish. 172php.

The slice, as usual, was packed and filled with different toppings (wait, do you still call it toppings if its inside?) and served with white sauce over it. We loved how the cheese was just the right softness -- not too melted and just a little gooey. Despite it being a little big for a single slice of pizza, we certainly enjoyed finishing it to the last forkful as it was very flavorful. A slice of this can definitely be a whole meal on its own!

Roasted Chicken with Rice. 169php.

I never understood why Sbarro serves their chicken with red pasta sauce on the side and I've never bothered putting it on my chicken. I've always liked their chicken and rice, which is a perfect combination. The chicken is aromatic, herb-y, tender inside, and just crisp on the outside.

Since it has been around a long time, Sbarro tends to get overlooked by all these new food chains that has been popping up left and right. But Sbarro is still one of the best fast food chains around, especially if you're looking to satisfy your Italian food craving.

*Because we were very hungry, we forgot to take a picture of us. :(

Sbarro
4th Floor, Eastwood Mall,
Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City
http://www.sbarro.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/SbarroPhilippines