Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger

Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center Hidalgo cor. Estrella St.

It was a normal Sunday. Normal in the sense that the question, "Where do we eat?" popped up. We rarely eat at home on Sundays. I was tired of going to Cash and Carry to eat, so I suggested going to Rockwell and look for food there. What I didn't account for is the crowd of people who's there to look for lunch as well. We looked for the place with least amount of diners but seemed to serve good food. Yup it took some walking around and snooping at other peoples food but it was worth it. We found Wild Ginger.

Here is what we ate.

 Roti Prata with Curry Dipping Sauce - ikya's favorite

 Asian Crispy Pork - Asian-style lechon kawali, served with soy-chilli dipping

 Tofu Salad with Peanut Sauce - ikya thought she wouldn't like it because of the peanuts, but she finished it. haha

 Crispy Tawilis - yummy! 

 Pad Thai - do note that ikya's brother had a serving already before we took this picture.

 Beef Rendang - best dish we tasted!

Topped the lunch with dessert!

Verdict:

- Good food. It goes unnoticed because of the colors of the restaurant.Too plain against the strong colors of restos next to it.

- Our suggestion if your looking for something different to eat.

Good Earth Roasts

Good Earth Roasts

Rockwell Info Drive, Blk. 9 Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati

Good Earth Roasts is Located at Rockwell Center. It is right outside Powerplant mall in that little patch of green in the middle of everything. We always go here with our friends and to say always would be an understatement. There were even a few weeks that we were there every day to drink and eat. I guess you can say that it was our own little watering hole in the middle of Rockwell, but since this is a food blog, I won't venture into our drinking and start with the food.

 

The ambience of the place is very laid back "beach" feel in the middle of the city. The restaurant is open on both sides so it gets a nice breeze all throughout your dining experience. The waiters are very helpful. (Look for Vincent and tell him you know us, he will take good care of you.)

This is what we ordered.

 

 Crispy Pork Wrap. It is basically liempo wrapped in pita bread and stuffed with veggies and sauce. Their sauce is a delicious hoisin sauce that is amazing. It’s a snack that very light yet satisfies your taste buds.

 Chicken Fried Rice. This dish is served "rice bowl" style. Its great fried rice topped with a juicy flavorful roasted chicken sauced with their own kind of gravy. The flavors are great. It’s the saltiness of the chicken and the sweetness of the sauce and the fried rice.

 Crispy Pork Fried Rice. I saved the best for last. This dish is awesome. Honestly, I can stop right there already. Ok, that would be unfair so I’ll try my best to do this dish justice. It’s the same dish as with the chicken except that it’s topped with crispy skinned liempo poured with a hefty serving of hoisin sauce. They also serve you a house made chili sauce that goes absolutely well with the crispy pork. Please, this is a must try. I'm already thinking of ordering one just blogging about this restaurant.

Verdict:

- It’s a barkada restaurant good for drinking and eating

- Their well-priced. Their beer is pretty cheap.

- Service is good. Their waiters are very friendly and interact with the regulars and of course the ones that are trying the restaurant for the first time.

- We always come back, who knows you might even see us there when you go.

Zaifu

Zaifu

Level P1, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella Street, Makati

898-1331 to 32

During the second day of the IMMAP seminar, my officemates and I chose Zaifu for lunch to try something different. If you didn't see my blog on Burgoo (where we ate the first day of the seminar), go check it out at http://reservedfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/08/burgoo.html. :) 

It's a cute Japanese restaurant where you can eat on the floor. I personally love going to restaurants like these. Very comfortable. Anyway, here is their menu......

I had the Zaifu Special Ramen. I ordered this for body heat because it's just too cold in the Cinema and in Rockwell in general. haha but.....hmmmm.. nothing special for me. I expected more from this dish. Less ingredients and more soup. That's how it is. I personally love Ramen from Ukkokei near Greenbelt. Will blog about it soon!

Luanne ordered tempura. She said it didn't taste great as well. She can name other restaurants that serve better tempura.Sorry about the picture, forgot to take a photo of it when it got served. We were so hungry because we had a very late lunch during the seminar to avoid the crowd of people who work nearby and eat at Rockwell for lunch.

Jhec ordered the Tamago soup. He said it's okay. Maybe he said that because it gave him body heat as well. haha

He also ordered California Maki. Tasted like normal maki. 

For our drinks, we ordered calamansi juice and lemonade. Looks the same in the picture. haha

To make my tummy happy, I ordered ice cream even though I needed heat. I knew the ice cream they have are good because I tried the brand in Makati golf. I tried something new here: Encho = HEAVEN. It's like Pinipig with vanila inside and more chocolate!!!

See the chocolate in the inside part? Double Whammy!!!

My office mates ordered Melon and Strawberry ice cream bars. This is Jhec with his strawberry!

Enjoying their ice creams. :)

Verdict:
- I won't go back to this place anymore. There are other Japanese Restaurants that serve better food.
- Price is okay. Normal Japanese food price.

Tell me your thoughts. You may have had a better experience than I did. :)

The Ice Cream Bar

The Ice Cream Bar

Joya Tower, Joya Drive, Rockwell Center

Makati City, Metro Manila

403-0891
Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs: 12:00 pm - 12:00 mn
Fri, Sat: 12:00 pm - 1:00 am

This is our go to dessert restaurant. It’s in Rockwell so it’s very accessible for us. The place is chill so it’s nice to hang out with friends as well. Problem is parking. You can opt to park on the streets outside the restaurant if you get lucky and find one or park in Rockwell and just walk. 

Been here a couple of times so the below is the compilation of our visits. J First is their Heavenly Tuna Melt. We tried eating dinner here before. Sandwich is okay. Nothing fantastic. Ikya tasted something funny about it, but it was okay for me.
 

Chocolaty goodness is what we can say about the Cookies and Cream Split. You can eat this if you are not so mindful of the calories. ;)Best part is the stick-o. Brings back childhood memories. :)

Something Filipino would be the Mangga’t Suman. Thumbs up on this one! Mango ice cream goes really well with the suman. YUM!

Let’s go fruity and healthy with Strawberry Granola Yogurt. Hmmm…naaahhh. Won’t try it again. Didn’t satisfy our dessert craving. Too healthy. Haha

Another fruity dessert, but worth tasting is the Mango Manila Dream. You have to compliment it’s presentation – Martini Glass.

And here is Chuck ready to murder the Strawberry…sundae? Honestly, we don’t remember how this tastes like. But then, we know how forgettable food taste like...unforgettable! haha

Last is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE in this restaurant…Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake. Nothing can better describe how this drink makes me feel but CONTENTMENT. MUST TRY!!! We swear you won’t regret it.

  

Enjoyed with family. :)

Verdict:

- Go to restaurant for a chill dessert place

- Price is okay given the taste and ambient of place

- Will try to taste all their desserts! Goal set!

Happy Lemon

Happy Lemon

G/F Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan
4/F Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City
2/F Archaeology Wing, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati    

"What is all this commotion about milk tea???" That's how we used to view this big phenomenon in Manila. Everything changed when we came across Happy Lemon at Greenhills.

MY ULTIMATE FAVORITE DRINK IS COCOA WITH ROCK SALT AND CHEESE and EXTRA CHEESE! Haha! This drink beats all my cravings! It's the middle and the right most drink below. :) The one on the left is Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. That's my sister's favorite. I personally don't like Green Tea in general. I've also tried the Coffee with Rock Salt and Cheese. Still hands down to Cocoa even though I'm a coffee drinker.

Chuck and I tried the Lemon Yakult as well. He loved it. :) It's the one on the right. Of course, I ordered Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese again. :)

A friend of mine, Tracy Ayson, introduced this drink to me and I will forever be grateful. :) Read her blog on Happy Lemon here: http://tracyayson.tumblr.com/post/8994917398

Here's a picture of their buzzer when you order a drink from them. It's cool because you can walk around the mall and not have to stand by the restaurant. You still get your drink on time. :)

Verdict:
- Best Milk Tea restaurant for us compared to Cha Time and Serenitea to name a few.
- Price is reasonable.
- Service is fast given the long line in GH.
- Will always come back! Hoping for the Rockwell branch to open soon!! The closer the better!

One Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese a day, makes the bad vibes go away. ;)

Burgoo

Burgoo

3/L Powerplant Mall,
Rockwell Center,
Makati City
898.18.15 to 17

One of the restaurants with the “Friday’s” feel to it. Been here with Chuck before. Instead of watching a movie, we decided to eat instead. Most recent visit was awhile ago with officemates during our lunch break for the IMMAP seminar in Rockwell Cinemas. We were given a list of participating restaurants that we can claim our lunch worth P400 from and they include Crustacia, C2, Astralis, Coffee Bean, Cucina Victoria, Elbert’s Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Sango, Kaya Express, Kulinarya, Oliver’s, Pepper Lunch, Oyster Bar, and Zaifu. Our top three picks were Burgoo, Zaifu, and Cucina Victoria. For today, we went with Burgoo. Parking isn’t a problem since this is situated inside Rockwell mall.

On both visits, it was hard for me and my company to choose what to eat because they have a lot of good choices in their menu. Below is a compilation of the two separate occasions that I've eaten in Burgoo.

For starters, We've tried the Taco Salad - a combination of crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes, ranch dressing, taco meat sauce, green onions, salsa and cheddar cheese served in edible taco bowl. I find the "plating" very clever - something new. Taste is awesome and serving is good for two already considering this will be your appetizer. For P295, this is worth it.

Another salad dish we tasted is the Seafood Caesar Supreme - traditional Caesar salad topped with friend calamari, grilled shrimps, crabmeat and parmesan cheese. A great twist to the normal and we believe the most ordered salad in the Philippines. Toppings added extra flavor to the dish which makes it great for a P325 dish.

Now on to the main dishes. First is the Fish and Chips - Fresh cream dory, seasoned and deep fried. Served with French fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce. Good dish. Nothing new though. I do not know if I will commend the softness of the dory or not - it's hard to eat because it disintegrates easily. Anyway, it's fish and chips with the traditional tartar sauce. Given the price of P375, we recommend trying other dishes instead.

For pasta, we tried the Chicken Diane - Tender and juicy grilled chicken fillet, served with garlic spaghetti on a pool of creamy Diane sauce. If you want a healthier option in pasta, we believe this is the way to go. The chicken is soooo good even though it's just grilled. Lotsa flavor. :) Spaghetti and the Diance sauce complements it well. P345.

What's pasta without pizza? Pizza Sampler - Combination of four different pizza flavors of your choice for only P395. We chose Margherita, Pepperoni, Taco, and Meatza. All we can say is BUURRRRP! Cheers to this resto for their great tasting pizzas. :)

Only tried Sarsi float and Lemonade here because every time we eat, we never have room for drinks. Sooooo full of food.

Had photo taken with officemates, Luanne and Jheric. :) 

Verdict:

- For all occasions type of restaurant. Kids will mostly enjoy eating here since they can draw on the table paper mat thing. Actually even us adults enjoy drawing with crayons.

- Expect prices to range from P300-P600 depending on the serving size you want.

- Service is a bit slow on both visits. They can improve on this. Staff were friendly though.

- Will probably come back during a special occasion? Lots more restaurants to write reviews on! :p

Cibo

Cibo

G/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Dr. cor. Estrella St.

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 898-0366

When Chuckie’s parents went to visit Manila, we wanted to take them to a restaurant not available in Cebu and one that does not serve Chinese or Filipino food. Soooo we took them to Cibo in Rockwell. :)

Their sofa inside is comfortable and very cute looking. Parking is not a problem since it is in a mall. You can opt to park in the open area right in front of Cibo or the underground parking and just go out in the exit near Starbucks. For starters, we ordered Spinaci Zola - Spinach, gorgonzola.

 

Dip is incredibly good. Would want to have a jar of this at home or at the office!

For the main course, we ordered the below.

  

Tenderloin Strips (forgot the name) – Very soft and flavorful. Best to order with rice. =)) You can really taste the garlic flavor of it. We dipped the bread in the Spinaci Zola! :)

Rigatoni All 'Alfonso - Shrimps, chives, stewed tomato, chili peppers, cream-by choice

Sauce was awesome. After we finished the dish, we couldn’t help but scrape off the remaining sauce using bread. Simut! Choice of pasta wasn’t good because it was a bit hard. Would’ve been better with spaghetti type of pasta.

Porchetta Bianca - Mozzarella, roast pig, spinach, onions, cracklings

 - The bread was the downfall. It felt as if it was reheated. Good part of this pizza is the chicharon, which is the “crackling” part of the dish.

For our drinks, we ordered their signature Iced Tea and Banana Milkshake.

Both tasted GOOOOOOD!!!!

Here we are enjoying our food with good company. :)

Verdict:

-          Restaurant for all occasions. You can bring your date, your family, or your friends there.

-          Price is normal for the serving and the kind of restaurant

-          Service is very good. Staff was very accommodating and very well mannered. They allowed us to change seats because our first one was near the window blower.

-          Will definitely come back to try other dishes!