Sizzlin' Pepper Steak Eastwood City

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Bonifacio Day was a busy one. It was not really planned, but hey, I had a good time. :)

First off, we were invited by our friend to play badminton. I actually didn't how to (and I was actually not sure if I could serve) but I had already played it before--not seriously of course. In the end, I was not able to play, but they did. And I thought I could only really play table tennis. :D

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak, and me. ;)

Since we got off the court quite early because of the unexpected number of people there, we, or rather they, decided to eat in Eastwood. They chose Sizzlin' Pepper Steak which was not yet open when we got there and waited for around 15 minutes.

I actually didn't expect it to be Japanese, but it was. Well, not really that Japanese because they didn't serve sushi and maki. Admit it! It doesn't really feel Japanese without them. :D

We were five in the group and four of us ordered Pork BBQ Pepper Rice while one friend ordered Gyuniku Beef Pepper Rice, I think.

<3 and the sauce in a half-open genie lamp. Hehe. :P

Ian and Lawrence

Ate Jesa and the 'Stop' sign. :D

After a couple of minutes waiting, they served our orders. Mine was already done but still sizzling, but when I looked at the boyfriend's plate, his pork wasn't yet done. He let it sizzle a bit more (though we really didn't have control on that because we couldn't stop it, could we? LOL.) Anyway, he didn't complain naman, so I guessed it was okay after that.

Pork BBQ Pepper Rice, P217 with iced tea, P195 per order

The taste was so-so. I didn't find anything special. It tasted liked BBQ. But of course, their sauce was supposed to have made the difference. It was how they differentiate anyway. But the thing was, the sauce tasted sweet, and y'know, I was never fond of sweet tastes on my dish, except maybe for sweet and sour. LOL. I should've chosen another one. But it was bearable for me, and I still enjoyed my food. :D

Me with no makeup (coz' I thought I'd be sweating)

Verdict:

If you're craving for meat, Sizzlin' Pepper Steak is a go-to. It offers a nice ambience and comfy chairs. Plus, with just P200, you can already satisfy your meat craving and large appetite. :)

Bubble Tea SM Megamall

The boyfriend and I had already tried Bubble Tea in Wilson St. branch and this was actually our first time in SM Megamall branch. If I remember correctly, this happened in July. And I know, it's already September.

Bubble Tea SM Megamall Branch

Anyway, Bubble Tea is Japanese fusion restaurant, more popularly known for their pearl milk teas or bubble teas. I really love bubble teas. And of course, Japanese food. Hehehe.

Strawberry Milk Tea and Taro Milk Tea (P125, large)

What I find cute here in Bubble Tea is their interior. It's just bright and light. The font used in their menu too are cute. Probably, the term appropriate for  this restaurant is 'kawaii'. And when I remember that word, I always imagine Japanese high school girls in their mini skirt uniform. LOL.

I ordered Taro Milk Tea and Tonkatsu Curry, while the boyfriend ordered Strawberry Milk Tea and Oyakodon.

Tonkatsu Curry (P185)

Oyakodon (P180)

Strawberry Milk Tea

I really like their food presentation! As for the taste, it's just similar to other Jap food I've tried. Nothing special. But really, what I always enjoy most in Bubble Tea are their pearl milk teas. The tapiocas are really chewy and they come in different sizes unlike with other bubble teas.

Anyway, I used a voucher or coupon I bought from eBay Kuponan this time. With that, we availed 50% discount on our receipt! :D

Overall, Bubble Tea is a good hang out place where you can chat with your friends over a pearl milk tea and Jap food. We'll surely visit this restaurant again. :)

Me, me, me!

Bubble Tea is located in SM Megamall Building A, Lower Ground Floor. It's near the SM Food Court.

Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood - SM Megamall

When the boyfriend and I can't decide on where to eat and what to eat and we don't want to spend, we always go for Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood in SM Megamall. (Ugh, yeah, it's our mall hangout place. LOL.)

Do I smell? LOL.

Actually, it's either KFC or Karate Kid. But since we really do like eating Japanese food, we go for Karate Kid. As you know, Japanese food is not cheap, so it's great to have these Japanese fastfood chains for students and not-so-rich people like us. LOL.

Currently, Karate Kid has an unlimited rice and drinks promo. So...yey! Because we're big eaters. :P

We ordered the Beef Teppanyaki meal set for two. For P275, you get Beef Teppanyaki which is good for two, two rice bowls and two Kido Punch Teas. Both the rice bowls and Kido Punch Teas are refillable.

Beef Teppanyaki Meal Set for Two (P275) 

It's really affordable and we like the taste. Though not on the same level as with pricey Japanese restos, Karate Kid has already good value for your money.

Nah...I'm not making a face. More like don't-take-a-picture-while-i'm-eating-but-is-still-trying-to-smile face. LOL.

But of course, we didn't stop there. We also ordered side dishes: Kani Sushi, California Maki, Tofu Furai and Takoyaki.

Kani Sushi (6pcs @ P79)

California Maki (4pcs @ P42)

Tofu Furai (5pcs @ P??) (I forgot the price but it would be around P50, I guess) - I really love their Tofu! It's a must-try in Karate Kid. :)

Special Takoyaki (4 pcs @ P42)

Verdict:

If you are not too picky with Japanese food and are really looking for alternatives to your favorite fastfood chains, you should try Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood. It's good value for your money.

It's located at 3/F SM Megamall Building A, beside Yellowcab and across Periwinkle (on the right side).

To see the list of Karate Kid branches, you can check their site here.

P.S. We have too many pictures, ayt? The boyfriend's hobby is photography, but he doesn't bring his camera all the time, so I have to provide with my mobile phone. So...please bear with the quality! Hehe. Thanks!

Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw - Affordable Buffet!

I'd been longing to visit Tramway Buffet then. I've read from forums and reviews that this buffet plaza is good and affordable. For just around Php200, you can eat all you can on their buffet table. So, I was really anticipating to try this mix buffet of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino food. (I'm a fan of these three cuisines by the way.)

And finally, I had the chance to go and dine there last month. As usual, I've got the boyfriend and our two friends with me. I sometimes feel like they are my bodyguards. LOL. Just kidding. But they've already been good friends of mine.

Tramway has three branches--Tramway Tea House Banawe, Tramway Garden Buffet Timog and Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw. Note that prices per head varies per branch. In Tramway Tea House Banawe, the price per head is Php198, while in Tramway Garden Buffet Timog, the price per head is Php205. In Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw, the regular rate per head is Php288. But since their promo is still ongoing as of that date, the price per head is Php218. Another thing, the prices are exclusive of drinks.

We went to Tramway Buffet Plaza Shaw. It was just right across Star Mall and inside the Worldwide Corporate Center.

It was a Sunday lunch when we went there. And what could you expect on a Sunday? Lots of people, particularly families. But anyway, the place is quite large to accommodate at least 30 families, I think, and the lunch buffet is ongoing from 1130PM to 3PM.

The food was good, but I found the buffet limited. But who could complain, right? With the price I paid, I couldn't. But I would still do it here. LOL.

I think there were not more than 10 main dishes. There was Yang Chow Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, Roast Chicken, Clams and Fish (don't know what type of fish). I couldn't remember them all, so please bear with my short-term memory. :D And please forgive me for not having pictures of these dishes, I was really hungry that time. I could really eat a horse. LOL.

As for the side dish, there was California Maki. But I was rather disappointed. The rice balls were really large. I was thinking they were trying to produce for a large group of people since they serve buffet. (I already had pictures by this time because I wasn't too hungry anymore. Haha.)

California Maki

There were also vegetable salad, dimsum and century eggs on the table. The desserts consisted of buko pandan, macaroni salad, watermelon and buchi.

Vegetable Salad 

Pork Siomai 

Buko Pandan and Macaroni Salad

Watermelon

Hungry Me. :D

What I really didn't like was the fact that it took them a few minutes to refill the buffet table. We arrived around 1PM already, so the food containers were already half-empty or empty. We still had to wait for a few minutes before we could eat and/or continue eating.

Actually, I've already made a post about this buffet on my long-time personal secret blog. I just want to share it with you guys. Thanks for reading!

Ariake Japanese Cuisine - Tomas Morato, QC

If you've already read 'Charlene's Uncharted Plans', you probably know by now that I love food and promos and discounts. So, for my first post on this blog, I'll be featuring a restaurant and a daily deal site in Philippines.

CleverBuy - Be Clever, Pay Less is one among several daily deal sites/group-buying sites in the Philippines. I'm one of the first few members who have seen how their market has grown to almost 10,000 members now.

Ten days, every day, before their launch, they held mini-contests that reward Php100 load credits to any mobile telco. And since yours truly is a fan of these contests and promos, I joined. And luckily, I won one round.

Come their official launch last March, CleverBuy held another game--their popular Guessing game for their Facebook fans. The mechanics are simple. Just guess how many vouchers will be sold at the end of deal. And again, yes, I joined and won that contest. (Maybe I'm really lucky. LOL.) The prize was a total of 3,333 Clever credits that can be used to buy vouchers on their site. (By the way, they still hold contests with even larger prizes at stake on their site, so make sure to visit CleverBuy from time to time.)

I bought four Ariake Japanese Cuisine vouchers (one voucher is good for 4-6 pax) from CleverBuy with the credits I've won from the latter. And oh, I can say I'm definitely a winner with Ariake Japanese Cuisine and CleverBuy!

I've already used one voucher last April--my birthday month. I was with the boyfriend and our two friends.

(Photos are taken by my handy SE Elm. My camera phone is not perfect, so please bear with me.:) )

The four of us were the only guests when we had arrived. The place is quiet and relaxing. Two thumbs up for Ariake's ambience.

The voucher bought from CleverBuy already predetermined what we were going to eat. The only thing we had to order were drinks.

Special Makisushi Deluxe (Tempura Roll, Philadelphia Roll, Canadian Roll, Ninja Roll and Salmon Skin Roll) 

Yakitori 

Seafood Dumplings

I'm craving for Jap food right now. Oh no! But I guess we've got to move on. So...

Our two friends were big eaters (as if we were not lol). Kidding! Hehe. They even ordered baked oysters and Chahan (fried rice).

Baked Oysters (Php265)

After our sumptuous dinner, we were then ready for desserts. Yes, desserts! The voucher also included Coffee Jelly. The coffee jelly and vanilla ice cream really blends well together. I love it!

Coffee Jelly (Php85)

I enjoyed Ariake. And for sure, I'll be coming back again. Anyway, I still have three more vouchers with me. Wonder if I'll have a mini-contest with one voucher as the prize...hmmm...stay tuned!