Red Kimono @ Glorietta

It was a regular working day. Doc M and I decided to go to Glorietta to stroll and have dinner. Wanting to try something new, we ended up in Red Kimono located at Glorietta 5, the new wing. It was less than an hour before closing time, past 8PM. 

CHICKEN TERIYAKI BENTO

This should be ordered by somebody who is extremely hungry during lunchtime. It looks like a regular bento meal of other japanese restaurant, but for some reason, this truly felt heavy. I actually wasn't able to finish all, despite Doc M sharing it with me. The taste is exactly what I was looking for. 

Just a sidenote: I remember dining at Karate Kid (Waltermart branch) also at almost closing time and the food was extremely sloppy (I remember having an undercooked rice, with a super salty teriyaki sauce). The food quality reflected on how excited the cook was in going home. Really bad!

This is what Doc M ordered, which was a more appropriate dinner that day. Not too heavy, but was just enough to fill a nighttime hunger. Nothing extravagant in terms of the taste, but it wasn't bad either. I can't remember how it's actually called, but it's salmon rice topping.

CHOCOLATE BALLS - P100.00

Being a dessert person, I didn't pass the meal without the coconut balls which were delicious. It has the right sweetness, and the coconut added a little crunch. We weren't able to finish all actually, and we added another order for take out.

I am not sure as well on how this is called, but it's a cream-based dessert with what seems to be a crushed oreo at the bottom. Another must-try!

It was a tummy-filling experiene and yes, we will still visit Red Kimono!

Dining Date: August 12, 2015

Cafe Ilustrado at SM Makati

It was November again, about a year when I last dined at Cafe Ilustrado at SM Makati. I was again having an early Christmas shopping. While waiting for Doc M to pick me up, since it was extremely traffic that day due to the APEC activity, I have decided to try them again. 

From my previous blog, I didn't have a good impression about Cafe Ilustrado, and this next experience wasn't different.

RELLENONG BANGUS MEAL

I ordered Rellenong Bangus, which is one of my favorites. It's milkfish stuffed with ground pork/beef with bits of veggies. 

As you can see from the photo, it's extra toasted and immediately I felt that it wasn't fresh anymore. As if it's been in and out of the freezer for several days already. It was salty and the taste itself wasn't even close to how a relleno should taste. The sauce it came with wasn't able to redeem it.

SAMPAGUITA ICE CREAM

It was my first time to try a sampaguita-flavored ice cream. Just for the sake of being unique, the experience was okay. However, I will not be ordering it again in the near future. It's more on the icy type of ice cream instead of the creamy one.

For this particular branch of Cafe Ilustrado, it will take a year or more again for me to dine again. It breaks my heart every time, and my dining experiences don't feel worth of the price I paid. 

Although I am not closing my doors as I still plan to try their Intramuros branch, which I think is the original store. 

Dining Date: November 17, 2015

Tiki Island Grill at Splash Island, Laguna

It was the family's first outing for 2016 at Splash Island. Food and drinks (even water) are not allowed inside this water park, so it's either you bring your food and eat in your car parked outside and will take a little bit of walking, or buy from their food court. 

It's understandable that they need to work hand in hand with their concessionaires.  For us, we opted to just dine in because we did not bring food at all. Surprisingly, the food that they're offering is affordable. Another plus factor is that they're fresh. They have grilling stations in the site so you know that they're freshly prepared and the most important factor is that their food is delicious. 

We ordered the "bilao meal" at P800.00, which is supposed to be good for 5 persons. However, we were 8 (6 adults & 2 kids) who shared this meal and we just added 3 extra rice. It's composed of:

* 10 pork barbecues

* 2 large fried bangus (milkfish - not boneless)

* 2 large grilled eggplant

* 2 red eggs

* 1 green mango with bagoong (shrimp paste) 

* 5 rice

It was actually more than enough for us. We just bought C2 as our drinks, which is at P45/bottle. We all enjoyed our meal, with the semi-boodle set-up. It was best to eat with our hands (utensils aren't needed!) to give an authentic sense of Filipino meal.

I recommend this meal to those who plan to go to Splash Island. 

Dining date: January 2, 2016 (Saturday)