Eyes on Manila

Red Ribbon's Chocolate Fudge Cake

Red Ribbon's Choco Fudge Cake is delicious! Sorry, folks. I just wanted to share it plain and simple. This cake consist of layers of chocolate pound cake with yummy chocolate fudge filling, generously finished with fudgy chocolate icing. It's perfect for birthdays or other special occasions. I'm quite sure that chocolate lovers would find this cake quite yummy. Price: P572.

Red Ribbon Bake Shop
Delivery: 8-7777
http://www.redribbonbakeshop.com.ph

Benefits of Online Discount Promos

Because of sites like Metrodeal.com, Beeconomic.com (CLOSED), Localroam.com.ph (CLOSED), and many more online discount promo websites, we were able to plan in advance and able to pull through my brother's birthday last October 10. Last year, we can't even buy a birthday cake for him because of every one of us was short of money. So this year, we made sure to make it special for him to make up for last year. So we searched the web for good deals around. We found and bought the following:

1. Only P240 for any 2 Donburi Rice Bowls and 2 Side Orders and Kushiage (valued at P480) from Kushiten Yakitori (CLOSED)
Source: Beeconomic.com.ph (now closed)

My sister bought two coupons of this. The store is actually walking distance from our home so it's definitely worth it.

Left: Tonkatsu (breaded porkchop with egg). Right: Gyudon (Beef)

I personally love these rice bowls from Kushiten.

Left: Chicken Terriyaki. Right: Torikatsu (Chicken Cutlet with egg)

Side dishes: Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and Yasai Itame (a Japanese veggie dish)

I love, love, love these 2 side dishes!

Left: Gyoza. Right: Breaded Chicken in Japanese BBQ Sauce.

My sister ordered these 2 as an additional.

2. P250 instead of P500. Big Better Burgers Double Date Promo via Localroam.com.ph.

This promo includes 1 Hahalapeno burger, 1 Shiitake burger, 1 skin on fries, 1 wedge fries, 2 - 16 oz iced tea. Since Big Better Burgers has a branch in Pergola Mall that's only 1 tricycle ride away from us, then it's a good buy.

**Their burgers & fries were very delicious and truly gourmet quality. Their staff was very accommodating and the restaurant's ambiance was quite relaxing.

3. Only P133 2 Fully Loaded Super Jumbo Hungarian Sausage Sandwiches & 2 Fruit Juices at Hero Sausages (valued at P286) Save P153! via Metrodeal.com.ph.

I ordered 2 coupons for this so I got a total of 4 sandwiches and 4 fruit juices. My brother loved these.

Turtle Pie from Cake2go - my brother's favorite pastry. (P450)

Here's a picture of the entire food. The KFC bucket meal in the picture is free! I won 3 gift certificates from KFC's So Good Contest via Facebook so I decided to use one GC on my brother's birthday. The spaghetti was homemade.

Total cost for everything was P1,446. Not bad if you ask me and it wasn't like it was a one-time cash out. We bought some of these deals 2-3 months before we claimed them.

It was really a gastronomic treat and we had plenty of leftovers for the next day. So continue on searching for good deals out there because they're quite worth it.

Dinner at Hanakazu

Hanakazu Japanese Restaurant

(Pic taken in a moving vehicle because I forgot to take a pic of it while we're there.)

Inside Hanakazu.

Don't be fooled by the electric fans. The place is airconditioned.

(L-R) Warm hand towels, iced tea (Php70), and an appetizer

Free appetizer: deep fried pork & sprouts (toge)

Since I was so hungry at that time, I wanted to eat rice so I focused more on looking at their Donburi menu (rice toppings). I decided to order their Katsudon or breaded pork rice bowl. Each order of Donburi is served with Miso soup.

As usual, my husband aimed for their ramen. He ordered beef ramen and a kiddie meal for our son.

Katsudon w/ free miso soup (P300)

A bit pricey, but oh so yummy! The sweet flavor of pork, egg and Japanese rice really hit my "hunger" spot.

Beef Ramen (P300)

Another pricey meal, but the bowl was really big and it's the perfect dish for the rainy season.

My hubby said it was good and the beef tasted similarly with Tokyo Tokyo's beef misono. He wasn't able to finish the whole bowl because the beef was just too heavy to digest.I asked him if he prefers this one over Luk Yuen's Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. He chose the latter.

A closer look at the beef ramen.

Hanakazu's Kiddie Meal (P290)

This was definitely the star of the night! We've never seen a kiddie meal like this before.

Kiddie meal consisted of Japanese rice, chicken strips, 1 pc. tamago (egg), sweet breaded hotdog, fries, an apple slice, and a Yakult.

Cute kiddie spoon and fork that goes with the kiddie meal.

My son eating the apple slice. :)

Japanese strawberry ice cream (P180)

We actually ordered a local ice cream for our son, but they served us the imported one.

We didn't complain because this ice cream was really good. It's overflowing with strawberry goodness :D

Our total bill is P1,408!! This has been the most expensive dinner we've had in our married life. Clearly, this restaurant is not for budget-conscious people, but a good place for authentic Japanese food lovers. We might come back again after a year or two giving our wallets ample time to recover :P

Hanakazu

108 Aguirre St., B.F. Homes

Parañaque City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 850-2512

Mitchelle's Sweet Kiss Dessert Review

Promo: Celebrate your Event with Custom-Made Cake & Cupcakes

by Mitchelle’s Sweet Kiss! Only P2,240 (9” Celebration Cake with 48 Cupcakes for your Special Day)via Buyanihan.com

BONUS TREAT for FIRST 200 BUYERS:

GET AN ADDITIONAL 6” ROUND TOWER CAKE OR 24 PCS CUPCAKES!

The moment I saw this deal from Buyanihan.com last March, 2011, I constantly nagged my husband on buying it for our son's 4th birthday on September thinking that it's a great deal meaning it would save us money for doing so. He bought the deal and I confirmed via Facebook about the delivery fee and they said the fee was P550 going to Paranaque. It was a bit pricey for me, but I still agreed to it thinking that the whole package was still a good bargain.

Before I knew it, September came and I instructed Michelle's Sweet Kiss that I wanted a Thomas and Friends design. The picture on the left was provided by them asking me if this is the design I would like. I agreed to it because it's such a cute cake and I would want a blue motif of it.

For the cake toppers, an additional of P20 per topper is needed. I paid P200. When I asked about the delivery fee, the price was raised from P550 to P850. :(

The cake arrived and this is what the cake looked like.

The cake toppers were separated because they'll melt or fall during delivery. I was actually a bit disappointed with the design because I expected it to be a little bit more festive-looking like the white cake.

I also took the liberty of checking the actual size of the cake because it looked so small. The promo says 9 inch, but when I measured it, it's only 7 inches (or less).

The cupcakes are quite nice, but quite small. The edible cupcake toppers would be better, but they would charge P20 per cupcake topper and I have 48 cupcakes. So I went with this one because there's no additional charge.

This is the free cupcake tower. In the promo picture, the tower is colored gold, but I didn't mind if it's white. As you can see, I've added the Thomas & Friends toppers, the Mickey Mouse topper and the edible flowers to make the cake look more lively.

Since we'll be celebrating Nico's birthday on 2 houses, I decided to buy another cake also from Mitchelle's Sweet Kiss. Luckily, they have another promo via Buyanihan (13x9 Dedication Cake for Php 345 w/ free half dozen baby cupcakes). This is a great bargain.However, when they delivered it, they forgot to include the half dozen baby cupcakes :(

(Note: edible flowers, candle, and Power Rangers toppers were bought from a local baking supplies store)

And so, my total cost for the cakes & cupcakes is (2240+345+850=) P3,435. Was it a bargain? Partly yes and partly no.

Partly no because I just realized that I can buy 48 cupcakes from Cielin's Cake House for only P816 (P17 each) and a themed party cake from Goldilocks ranging from P600 to P2000 depending on the size. If I were to buy cupcakes from Cieline's and, let's say, I bought 2 party cakes from Goldilocks that cost P800 each, I would have spent P2416 only. The delivery fee was also too expensive.

Partly yes because the cakes/cupcakes were customized and the taste was quite good. The chocolate cake was moist and not too sweet. The icing was also bluer than blue and I liked the color. However, it was too sweet for us, adults, and its color sticks to your tongue and lips when you eat them.

On the other hand, the kids loved it. They really enjoyed the colorful cupcakes and the Thomas and Friends pictures. Looking at the kids enjoy the cakes/cupcakes actually lifted up all my anxieties and made me think that it was a good bargain after all.

Will I buy from Mitchelle's Sweet Kiss next time? I probably won't. I prefer to order cakes in advance from a nearby cake store.

Mitchelle’s Sweet Kiss at Good Spirits Café and Deli
7274 Malugay St., The Collective Makati City
STORE HOURS- 5PM – 12MN CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Home Kitchen in Quezon City
Casa Nueva, 15 Manga Road, New Manila, Quezon City
10AM – 6PM MONDAYS TO SATURDAYS

Dolor's Kakanin

Last August 26, 2011 was my son's Pista ng Pilipino presentation and I was tasked to bring sapin-sapin for the potluck. I panicked as I was reading the letter because I had no idea where to buy sapin-sapin in my area. Thank God for the internet, I was able to find a few and the one I've chosen was Dolor's Kakanin inside BF Homes. They've been around for quite some time now and they're pretty popular when it comes to kakanin or native delicacies.

We tried their pichi-pichi out of curiosity.

It was okay and has thick consistency, but I still prefer Amber's pichi-pichi.

Maja Mais (Coconut Pudding)

I liked this one because of its rich and creamy texture unlike others that are dry.

Their famous sapin-sapin (P450, good for 20 people)

I was quite surprised to see this because it didn't look like the sapin-sapin I saw when I was a little girl, but when I tasted it, it didn't matter. It tasted quite good - a bit sweet and chewy. Perfect for tea/coffee. We'd probably order another one on Christmas.

Yes, that's biko in the middle.

Dolor's Kakanin

200 Aguirre Avenue

BF Homes, Paranaque

Phone: 2820071 / 2835782

http://www.dolorskakanin.com/

Lunch at Kenji Tei

Everyone living in BF Homes, Paranaque knows about Kenji Tei because of its delicious and authentic Japanese food most especially their ramen. I've actually lost count on how many times we've eaten here. Each meal is never a disappointment.

My hubby went to Mahle auto parts to have his car fixed and since it's lunch time, I came by to see him since our house is only walking distance. He invited me to have lunch at Kenji Tei and, of course, I will not decline this offer ;)

Katsudon (Php180)
Rice bowl topped with deep-fried pork cutlet with egg and onions, etc.

Look at those onions! Very satisfying & delicious meal.

Gomoku Shio Ramen (Php220)

Big bowl of ramen with seafood, vegetables, and pork.

My hubby's favorite. He never orders anything else.

Among the food I have tasted so far and personally recommend are their Chicken Teriyaki, Shoyu Ramen, and Beef Curry Rice. I just love their food!

March, 2013 UPDATE: KENJI TEI IN BF HOMES IS NOW CLOSED. THEY'VE OPENED A BRANCH IN ALABANG TOWN CENTER.

Dinner at Akakage Japanese Restaurant

Just last month, Akakage Japanese Restaurant opened its doors to the public. They offer Japanese food such as ramen, sushi, maki, curry, bento meals, you name it. I always pass by this resto every day whenever I drop off/pick up my son from his school along Elizalde Street. My husband and I just love Japanese food, especially ramen, and so we went there to check it out.

The bamboo theme of their resto reminded me of those taberna places (beer houses) in Batangas when we were still residing there because they have a very similar exterior design.

I really liked that curtain with the Japanese art.

Father and son.

Clean tables and chairs. Decent atmosphere.
I thought the resto was not very attractive to families w/ kids because of the dim lights,
but when we arrived at around 8PM, we were surprised to see 2 big families dining in.

Drinks were served first. Just ordered regular Coke and Sprite in can.

(Php 42 each)

Unagi (Eel) Maki (Php150)
Couldn't taste the Unagi that much, but the maki was okay.

Shoyu Gomuko Ramen (Php 180)
My husband ordered this one and he said it was so-so.
He also said it's a little bit oily, too. He still prefers Kenji Tei's Gomuko Sho Ramen.

Shoyu Chasu Ramen (Php 180)

Like my husband, I find this ramen quite ordinary. It's not something you would come back for more. What I only liked about it is it has plenty of pork slices and it's enough to make you full, but it lacks the authentic flavor and the pork slices were not soft and tender enough for me.

Well, overall, the food was okay. I won't judge the whole menu based on what we just ordered because they offer lots of other food variants. What I like about this restaurant is they're open until 12 midnight and they offer beer! It's a good place to relax, drink beer, and enjoy some Japanese food. Maybe next time we come back here, we'll try some of their rice meals.

Below are the pics of their menu. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture their beverages section. I also apologize for the quality of the pics, but I did the best I can to get pictures of their menu.