RUN UNITED 2 - The Fort (20 November 2010)

Went to the run at The Fort very early this morning.  The event was uber successful as there were so many runners who showed up.  We heard there were 10,000 registrants for today (3k, 10k and 21k) and another 10,000 for tomorrow (5k and 42k).

The event was impressive and well-organized.  The race per category started on time, complete with warm ups from Fitness First instructors, the route was seamless, the roads were closed and there were road marshalls on each stop to make sure that the runners kept to their route.  

There were plenty of booths and they even have an activity area for kids, a separate area for seniors, as well as a massage tent.   From the contents of the loot bag alone, the fee paid for registration was so well worth it already.  

Kudos to Unilab and Coach Rio dela Cruz for mounting such a hugely successful event.  Our rating?  Excellent!

LUGANG CAFE - Connecticut Street, Greenhills

The newest restaurant to open in Greenhills - Lugang Cafe.  This Taiwanese restaurant is still at their soft opening, which meant that things are still not perfect.  There is a strong smell of paint inside and construction-like dust on the staircase.  The design on the front door was like a dungeon, which was quite amusing.  From the outside, the restaurant seemed ordinary - much like a warehouse.  Once you step inside though, the interior was simple but elegant. 

For appetisers, we had Boneless Hainanese Chicken, Xiao Long Bao with Crab and Shrimp & Pork Dumpling.  These dishes were all good.  We especially liked it that the dumplings had soup in them.  For the main course, we had Shrimp Cantonese Style, Sizzling Black Pepper Beef, Three Cup Chicken and Pineapple Rice.  All of these dishes tasted good.  The only thing we noted was that the beef and chicken were a bit salty.  Although they were meant to be eaten with rice.  Our drinks were Iced Fruit Tea and Hot Pearl Tea.  Note:  The Hot Pearl Tea is literally hot Lipton tea (no sugar) with sago and it didn't match expectations.

The service was good, the waiters were all attentive.  Our overall rating?  GOOD.

KIMONO KEN - The Podium

Kimono Ken in Tomas Morato had been one of our favorite Japanese restaurants until one of us has a bad experience there a few years ago ... but well, that's another story ... Anyway, we were at Podium and were looking for something hot with soup - so we thought of this restaurant.

The wallpaper on their sushi counter looks oddly out of place with the overall design of the location.

For appetiser, we had Unagi and Salmon Sashimi.  These two dishes were okay.  The Salmon was fresh.  For the main course, we had Miso Ramen, Gindara Teriyaki and Beef Teppanyaki.  The Miso Ramen was way too salty.  The teriyaki sauce on the Gindara, on the other hand, was too sweet and the Beef Teppan was too tough.

The service crew were okay.  Granted, this restaurant was inside a mall so we were not expecting an impressive "ambience" factor but we were disappointed with the quality of the food.

KIRIN CHINESE DINING RESTAURANT - Bonifacio High Street, The Fort

We remember months ago when we went to the Fort.  This Chinese restaurant had just opened and had the longest queues so we were intrigued. 

 

Anyway, it was a Friday night we were in the area again so we thought ... ah why not  go to Kirin?  Upon arriving inside the restaurant, there was  absolutely no one to greet you.  All the service staff were busy running around and clearing the tables. hence ignoring incoming customers - in fact, we had to seat ourselves down at the nearest available table.  

The service was very poor.  It seems they were under-staffed or just too concerned with clearing the dishes rather than entertaining the arriving guests.  There was also no system in place.  One irate guy was making a scene by the door as he had been told to wait outside for a long time yet other people who step into the restaurant after him seem to be able to get a table  first.  That was the only time the service staff seemed to make an effort.  I mean, do we really need to get angry first before we get any service?

We ordered the following appetisers:  Xiao Long Pao, and Spare Ribs with Tausi Dimsum.  The Xiao Long Pao has got soup in it so in our books, it was good.  The spare ribs were okay.

For the main course, we had  Seafood and Vegetable Fried Noodles and Peking Duck. The fried noodles were not what we expected.  It's hard to describe it, really.  There was a thick sauce over it and the noodles were clumped together and sort of half-cooked (?)  We had the Peking Duck cooked 2 ways:  wrapped in Pancake and with Lettuce.  The waiter took so long to do the first way that by the time he was done, the dish had gone stone cold.  Apart from being such a slow poke, he seemed more concerned with clearing up.  Instead of serving the dish quickly, he even left his post for like 5 minutes to bring the duck up to the kitchen to be cooked the second way.  The second way was better.  It was served steaming hot - the way all dishes should be served.  Our drinks?  Lemonade - it was a bit watered down.

 

The food we ordered too so long to arrive and there was no effort on presentation.  It was hard to flag down the waiters for refills.   There was only 1 small disposable table napkin per person and you have to ask for more.  Even the bill took so long to arrive.

We also noticed that the sensor to the automatic sliding doors were defective.  Meaning, some guests who went outside for some reason, could not get back in since the door wouldn't open.  And because the waiters were so busy running around and clearing tables, they did not assist these poor people standing outside looking awkward.  They have to wait for other guests to go out the door so they are able to get back in.  (the sensor seems to be working from the inside)

Our overall rating?  VERY POOR.  If they keep this up, I don't think anyone would want to go eat there again - SERIOUSLY.

BANANA LEAF - The Podium

Banana Leaf had always been one of the many restaurants that we frequent.  They serve a variety of Asian dishes and instead of a plate, you eat on a banana leaf hence the name of the restaurant - Get it?

 

The Banana Leaf beneath the rice serves as the actual plate

For appetisers, we ordered our all-time favorite Roti Canai (with curry sauce) and Vietnamese Prawn Balls with Cheese.  The Roti Canai was as usual, delicious.  We're a bit torn on the Prawn Balls though.  The prawn doesn't seem to complement the cheese.  However, if you dip it into the sweet and sour sauce, it's not too bad.  We were also given complimentary Shrimp Crackers while waiting for our orders to arrive, which we appreciated.

For the main course, we ordered Charcoal Whole Squid Thai Style and Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken.  The squid was a bit on the tough side.  The fried rice?  It was okay-ish.  Bit too oily but the mose distracting part was that the salted fish were small chunks and they were tough also.  They should have blended the salted fish into the fried rice more seamlessly.  Our drinks?  Iced Tea Tarik (Malaysian Pulled Tea) which is popular in Singapore.  The verdict?  Possibly the best-tasting Tea Tarik in Manila!  Just the right amount of sweetness. 

The service staff were quite attentive.  Overall, it was a good dining experience.  

C2 RESTAURANT - Shangri-La Plaza

If it's Filipino food you're craving for then C2 is the place to go.  As this location is inside the mall, there really isn't that much room for ambience, presentation. or even proper signage.  The food that they have is more home-cooked that anything else.

We ordered our favorite adobo rice (yum).  For the main course, we had tilapia (fish) and crispy squid.  And for our drink, sago and gulaman, the all-time favorite!  Although, just to warn you, there is too much sago and gulaman in it so it is more like dessert than a drink.

Our rating?  Good!  (as always)

On our way down, we noticed that there was an event of some kind on the ground floor, a launch for indie films?

HOUSE OF WAGYU STONE GRILL - Greenhills

Located inside the Greenhills Shopping Centre (where the Tangerine used to be), is a branch of the Wagyu Stone Grill.  We had already tried their branch in Eastwood City but as this location seemed convenient, we thought we'd visit the place for dinner.

 

The ambience ... the wallpaper, lighting, even the table set-up were all very dull.  The few paintings did help a bit to give a splash of color to the place but they could have livened it up even more.  The wallpapers were also boring.  In fact, when you look at the pictures we took, they were boring - white plates,  no effort on food presentation, white 'cartolina-like' paper on top of white table cloth.  Even in photos, the interior wasn't "photogenic."  The waiters and waitresses were attentive but none of them smiled.  They all looked glum which added to the gloomy atmosphere inside the establishment.  And when we got there, there was only one table occupied by around 8 - 10 guests. 

On to the food ... we were given a small basket of bread which was hot and soft - it was really good.   The complimentary mushroom soup was also good although needs a dash of salt.  For appetisers, we ordered Gambas and Buffalo Wings.  The Gambas was literally swimming in oil.  We're more used to 'dry' gambas more like 'sizzling with garlic.'  This dish was a bit bland and too oily for our liking.  The Buffalo Wings tasted a bit sweet - more like barbecued which I suppose really depends on how you like your wings cooked.

For the main course, we had the Rib Eye Wagyu Steak with Pan-Seared Scallops.  As the waitress served the raw steak atop what looks like a super hot  "you'll-get-scarred-for-life-if-you-accidentally-touch-it" stone grill which was literally cooking it, she explained how to turn the steak around, cut it and apparently - to eat it while it's still hot.  This was quite helpful.  The Rib Eye was so tender and juicy.  There was  just too much pepper in it which was a tad too salty for our taste (hey, some people like pepper).  The Scallops were served hot and they were also tender, which is gooooood.  Zara wasn't able to finish the wagyu steak though  - due to the appetisers and the unexpected complimentary soup, she was too full to finish the remaining like 5 small pieces and they have also gone overcooked and cold.  Be prepared for the massive bill though.

Our overall rating? Fair.

HSBC 135 FUN RUN (November 6, 2010) - The Fort

Joined the HSBC 135 Fun Run at the Fort and we actually finished!  Observations during the event:  It event started a bit late.  Most runs start at 5:00 am when it's still dark but by the time this event started, the sun was already rising.  Also, the main stage was too far from the starting line which was why when they announced the  gun start of each race per category, many runners got left behind since you could barely hear anything.  They should have put a smaller stage close to the start/finish line.  And there was no warm-up which was why our legs felt cramped halfway down the line.

 

The route around the area was not too impressive.  There were u-turns and people running in all directions for the different categories ...  There were plenty of puddles, there were hardly any officials watching the race (meaning you could cheat - as in getting dropped off by car at an area close to the end), the water at the stations had a chemical taste, there were stoplights and cars crossing the street.  Furthermore, it took so long for the queue to get the lootbags as the lines were a mile long and the persons distributing it were so slow.  Apparently, there was also a problem in the availability of the finisher's shirt sizes which was included in the loot bag.  The awarding had already finished yet there was still a massive line for the loot bags.  Oh and there were very few participating booths - you can count them with your fingers.

 

Our impression was that the race was not well-organized.  Possibly though, that it was just initially intended for the employees and customers of HSBC (?)  Approximately 1000 persons turned up.  At the rate of P750.00 per registration, you usually expect a better quality run which was why we got disappointed.  Yes the singlets were designed by Rajo Laurel and the contents of the lootbags were okay (includes a shirt and water bottle) but in general, it could have been better organized.

ZAO VIETNAMESE BISTRO - Serendra, The Fort

We were at Serendra when we decided to have dinner at Zao Vietnamese Restaurant.  With us were people who shall henceforth be known as Ms YSL and Mr Zegna.

For appetisers, we had Fresh Rolls with Shrimp, Sugarcane Shrimps, Zao Satay Platter.  The fresh rolls and satay platter were so good that Ms YSL even decided to order a second Satay Platter.  Unfortunately, one of the pork barbecues had an uncooked part in the middle which ultimately led her to lose her appetite.  They might have missed out that spot while grilling.  The Sugarcane Shrimps were usually a favourite of ours but that day, it didn't taste right.  You couldn't really taste the shrimp, just pork - and it didn't taste fresh.  When you bite into it, the meat falls apart, which is a sign that it was rather old.

For the main course, we had Seafood Pho, Vietnamese Beef Stew, Seafood Rice.  The Seafood Pho was okay-ish.  It was the usual clear and sweet-tasting Vietnamese soup with glass noodles.  Ms YSL commented though, that the soup tasted boring and bland - in comparison with the other dishes, it tasted like fresh rolls - without the peanut sauce.   She regretted not ordering the beef stew instead which Ms Gucci thought tasted good.  Mr Zegna had the Seafood Rice.  It was a bit salty but generally okay - imagine a hot pot ... seafood on top and steaming hot rice at the bottom.

In comparison with their branch at Eastwood City,  we always thought the food here tasted much better.  The service was excellent and their staff were courteous.

Overall, we did enjoy our dinner.  Our rating?  FAIR.

CLAWDADDY'S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT - The Fort

Had dinner at Clawdaddy's lately.  The waiters were quite attentive however, when we sort of complained to the designated waitress that the Pete's Famous Buffalo Wings was too salty (actually, we're being polite about it, it tasted like it was submerged in a kilo of salt), she told us pointblank that we should just dip it into the 'sour-cream-like' sauce to make it taste less salty (gee, someone needs a seminar in customer service) - but after following her "instructions," there was still no improvement in the taste. 

The ambiance in the restaurant was laid back and simple but we didn't care much for the decor on the walls.  It was green with some cartoon-drawings, reminds you more of a kiddie fastfood than a proper restaurant.

The one thing we liked though was that you can cross-order from New Orleans which was right beside this joint as we assume both establishments are owned by the same company.   So ... more choices with 2 menus presented!  Also, their fresh lemonade tasted really good - better than anywhere else, actually.


We ordered the following appetisers:  Oyster Rockefeller, Voodoo Gambas.and Pete's Famous Buffalo Wings.  Both the Buffalo Wings and the Gambas were too salty - the Wings were worse though.  The Oyster Rockefeller was just okay - although a little bland. 

For the main course, we had Mixed Seafood Marinara and Crispy's Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Pizza.  The Seafood Marinara was okay-ish.  We did like the pizza although the generous amount of cheese made the dish too salty (again?).  The 'dough' was actually like crackers - you know, like having Skyflakes as the base of your pizza, which some people may appreciate and others might not.  Question ... what's with the overflow of salti-ness in their dishes?  The should have named the restaurant 'SALT' instead.

Our rating? ... NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXT!!!!!

SINGAPORE 2010!

What's not to love about Singapore?  It's clean, there's plenty of food and shopping, it's a 3 hour flight away ...

Delicious Food!

Tiramisu with Espresso Ice Cream - their bestseller!

Lots of Designer Labels at Marina Bay Sands - Newest Mall and Casino!

Shop till you drop!

Test of endurance at Takashimaya Mall :  The last person left standing for 3 days straight with minimal rest (lunch and snack break only) and no sleep will win ... the Subaru car!

Out of place in a fashionable city - Slippers in public??

SHANGHAI 2010

We heard so much hype about the Shanghai 2010 Expo that we had to visit ourselves to find out what the buzz was all about.  When we (Ms Gucci with Mr Ferragamo) got there during the last 10 days of the expo ... mayhem!  There were over 1,000,000 visitors per day on the 5 hectare exhibit area.  In general, it was an international travel show which highlights art works and images from different participating countries.  There weren't much products available (only China-made ones) which was quite disappointing from a business perspective.

From the entrance, you have to pass through the x-ray area and take a train to the desired pavilion you want to visit (of which there were plenty - most popular are:  Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia).  Sounds easy?  Not a chance.  The queue was horrendous.  On average, before you get inside ONE pavillion, you have to stand in line for approximately 2.5 - 3.5 hours.  Once you are inside, you finish the viewing of an entire pavillion in approximately 15 minutes.  The crowd was more local, such as busloads of mainland farmers from all over China's provinces.  There were old and young people who waited for the pavillions to open, some even brought their kids - many of whom were screaming and crying.  Two men behind us started fighting and almost came to blows for God knows what reason.  We should have guessed from the various food bags and large containers of water the people brought that it was going to be a loooong wait.  Strangely enough we even saw a man eating a raw cucumber in line (what the?) and hard boiled eggs.

On the second day we were there (yes, we went back despite the first day of torturous wait), it was windy and it rained heavily.  As an added bonus - we got soaked (greaaaat).

On the upside, we enjoyed some retail therapy at Plaza 66, which was a high-end mall at Shanghai.  There were many designer brands available although the prices are way too high as compared to anywhere else in the world (we heard the reason for that was that their taxes were quite steep).  We also visited Chinatown and did some sight-seeing.

In general, we always heard how progressive Shanghai was so we had high expectations when we got there.  And we were kind of disappointed with the trip.

Shown below are the photos that we had taken.  Enjoy! 

Entrance Ticket to the Expo

The Long Queue Outside the Thai Pavillion

 What's for breakfast?

Hard Boiled Egg

Bread

 And cucumber??

Funny Signs:

"Waste Sorting and No Littering"

"Polite Language and No Noising"

"Polite Sharing and No Challenging"

Japanese Pavillion

Display of Robotic Technology from Japan:

 

CRYSTAL JADE LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO RESTAURANT – VMall, Greenhills

Since this restaurant opened, there had always been the longest queue known to mankind during lunch and dinner hours.  About a week ago, we were (finally!) able to get a table inside but out first dining experience was disappointing.  Nevertheless, we decided to give it another try which was why we set out to have lunch there as early as 11:00 am to avoid having to wait.

FYI the regular Chinese Oolong tea was not served for free as other Chinese restaurants do, they charge you P50.00 per pot.  Also, only one of us ordered tea but they still gave 3 (not paying attention...).  There were also no napkins on the table, when you ask for it they give you like 3 pieces.

Note:  Just to make it clear, there were 3 of us having lunch at the time (we're not exactly gluttons, you know).   The third person shall henceforth to be referred to as Mr Ferragamo - albeit grudgingly.  haha

For appetisers, we had Shredded Beef with Mushrooms and Soupy Pork Dumplings (aka Xiao Long Bao) which were soooo good.  With the Crispy Eel, we had mixed.  IF you like flour-y and a bit sweet tasting eel (more flour than eel in this dish), then you'd like this.  What not to order - Pork with Sliced Cucumber.  It is indeed a strange combination.

For the main course - Noodle with Spicy Chicken, Noodle with Minced Meat, Noodle with Dried Shrimp and Peanut in Spicy Sauce.  We all agreed our respective dishes were all goooood, especially the last one which would be perfect for cold and rainy days ...

 
For dessert, Mr Ferragamo had the Mango Cream with Sago and he said it was good so we'll take his word for it.  Ms Gucci's dessert was Longgan Fungus Dessert.  She said the fungus was tough and the combination sucked.

In general, the service was good and the waiters were attentive.  Although the waiters were a bit rough around the edges - meaning they were not the usual well-trained 'finesse' type.  For example, as Zara was struggling to eat with the rather long noodles, the waiter quickly ran to get a pair of scissors and offered to cut the noodles in half right there and then.   We're sure it was well-intentioned but ... Ew?  You never know where those scissors had been, man.

BLUE WATER DAY SPA FUN RUN - SM Mall of Asia Grounds

Went to a Fun Run so early in the morning of October 17th,  even before the sun was up!  Good thing the expected super typhoon changed its course.  When we registered, we were expecting the usual ‘blah’ fun run routine for 3K, 5K & 10K and not much else afterwards. 

Thousands of people turned up.  The BIG difference?  Talk about free massages, photo and video booths, various other exhibit-like booths PLUS Sam Milby, Karylle, Daniel Matsunaga, Fabio Ide and Mikaela Lagdameo running with the crowd and actually finishing the race!  It was so funny to hear the collective shriek of girls – young and old – that went ‘EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ when Sam went up onstage.  (Cue in blinding flash bulbs from various cameras) hahaha

We also saw JC Tiuseco, Kiko Rustia (of GMA 7’s Born to be Wild), Coach Alfrancis Chua, JC Buendia and Boom Labrusca plus several models in the mix.  Plus, there was a super entertaining program after the actual run with fun and games with the celebrities.  First time we ever saw runners stay around for that long after a race.

Our rating?  EXCELLENT!

THE STOCK MARKET - Bonifacio High Street, The Fort

The Cream of Asparagus Soup with Shaved Chorizo Pamplona Soup was gooood.  The pizza-like Flat Bread with Neapolitan Sauce as appetiser was also tasty especially with the hot sauce.

For the main course, we had the Garlic Lemon Fetuccine Alfredo with Grilled Prawns.  The sauce was creamy with the right amount of cheese, however, as there were only 3 pieces of prawns in it and nothing else (what the ... not even bell peppers??) - after a few mouthfuls, the 'sawa' factor quickly sets in and you lose your enthusiasm for the dish.

The Herb Roasted Chicken was a disappointment.  Firstly, there was nothing special about it - it tasted like it was bought from an ordinary supermarket rotisserie.  Secondly, it was really 'dry.'  Not even the olive oil-based sauce helped.  Plus, that yellow bit in there was supposed to be accompanying pastry - it was also incredibly dry and crusty.

Overall, the service was leaning on the 'poor' side  The waiters were attentive only at the start of the evening, after that it was so difficult to get hold of them.  It was also probably because we had to sit outside (due to lack of indoor seating) and that there were plenty of other guests - hey we're paying the same amount as everyone else so that shouldn't be an excuse, right?  But for us to have to ask for the bill 4x from 4 different waiters that took 30 minutes before it was finally handed over to us?  Unacceptable.  

Total mosquito bites gained from the experience?  THREE.  Total number of scary persistent stray cats shamelessly staring at us from within 1 foot of our legs?  ONE.

THAI AT SILK - Serendra, The Fort

The ambiance at this fine dining restaurant was superb and the presentation of the food was excellent.  We recommend the Deep Fried Prawns wrapped in egg noodles, it was gooooood - if you like fried stuff, that is.  The Thai Iced Tea tasted refreshing although a bit too syrupy sweet (definitely not for diabetics) and it helps to have a glass of water at hand.  The Shrimp Paste Fried Rice was okay - but a bit on the salty side and there were some mysterious dried meat chunks  in  it (beef?  pork?) which did not complement the rice at all.  The Chicken Pandan was typical although some end bits were burnt. 

For dessert, Ms. Gucci ordered Sticky Rice with Mango.  In her own tactful words - she said it was like fried rice dipped in muddy milk.  There were also uncooked bits of grains mixed inside (Ew?) - warning:  it sucks.  I, on the other hand, thought the Tapioca was to die for! (only if you're into coconut-based desserts like us) 

The waiters were not too attentive and it seems like there was never any around when you needed them.  However, while we were taking photos of the dishes as they were served (strictly for blogging purposes), they suddenly acted paranoid and defensive - keeping a close eye on our every move, mixing up the Shrimp Paste Rice with a spoon and fork before serving it to us  ... possibly thinking we were spies out to copy their dishes. Hilarious!  Hahahahaha