Ice GodDhez ♥ Blog by Chai Chen @chenmeicai: restaurant review

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It's been years since the last Harry Potter flick was shown. Who else doesn't know Hogwarts at this point? I guess most of us in this era now has grown up with the Harry Potter Universe in mind. We've tried to chant the spells, memorize the names and houses, compared the books versus the movies, had love-hate relationship with the author J.K. Rowling when our favorite characters are not favored, we dressed up in similar fashion, adopted the British accent; and many more! We've lived the life mirroring how it's life to be walking down Diagon Alley and be one of the wizards .. or even the muggles! I sure did the same!

Imagine if we could indeed live it more, once again, thru amusement parks set here in the Philippines? I know that there are lots of theme parks already in other countries where peeps can enjoy rides named after famous Harry Potter places as well but here in our country, we're kinda late to adapt the concepts. However, another thing that we surely want to have here is ... you probably guessed it right by just the blog post title ... yup, you're right. A Harry Potter-inspired dining place! And whoooaalaaaa! There is something existing already! Wooohoo!

Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin Represent! Missing Hufflepuff!

It's called The Nook Cafe located at Maginhawa in Quezon City. This isn't the first time I visited the place though; and it's surely not a new cafe now. They've been operating for more than a year or maybe about two (2) years now but it's just recently when I decided to do a VLOG and write about it. That place is addicting! Click after the cut to find out more about it!

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It's been quite a while since the the first IHOP store in the Philippines have opened. I didn't give it that much attention but I've been reading about them on the web. A lot of food bloggers have written about them; I see advertorials; I see them on the news and read them on local newspapers ... then I thought hmmm, this is probably something ei? But it's just another pancake store right? Or so I thought! So me and my colleague Erelyn visited the place one time recently and the experience was surprising!

It was during one of our busy week days after work when we paid a visit. A stressful day deserves comforting food, we said. It was still in the early hours in the morning when we thought there's not much folks waiting to be seated; and we would be able to finally taste what a lot of folks have been craving for. However, it wasn't that easy ... not as easy as we thought ...

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Since their first branch opened in our country; netizes, donut-lovers, foodistas, bloggers, and loads of other residents were taken by storm. I've been hearing about them everywhere. From my friends, colleagues, relatives, etc. I wondered what was it really all about. Social media sites have been showcasing each donut flavor with all the yummy goodness shots! It was so tempting, I told myself I gotta try it! It's been a while since I posted about food too ...

1st Dozen of my Initial Two (2) Dozen Orders! Yeah!

My first visit was October of last year (2012) - yeah I suck at these reviews! LOL. This is so delayed now lah~ Oh well, I had to prioritize my other posts hehe. Going back ... I went to their Greenbelt 3 Branch with my friends and colleagues - fellow food-lovers and shopping / hangout buddies - Erelyn and Melanie. We were all from a tiring shift and before going all straight home, Erelyn dragged us to this store. Haha! Talk about getting "dragged" lah~

All the donuts seemed so delicious! Let's see what I can say about the shop ...

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Happy Thanksgiving
to those who are celebrating it (^_^)!
How are you guys celebrating it? Share with me your posts and photos (^_^) I got my way below ...

Warning! This post has a lot of photos! And not only that, you'll be craving for more ... trust me! Haha~ Let's just say it's one of those weekends when I'm queueing a lot of posts so I can keep this blog active and just scheduling them and auto-posting them. Lah~ Sorry but my work schedule's too tight and I can really just post on weekends! Eeekkk!

Ok ... reading from the title, you guessed it right. This is a foodie post and while my blog concentrates on fashion and beauty and cosplay among other hobbies, food is one of the products I review here and share with you, my lovely readers! Yep! And I ain't featuring just so-so items but fab items! This time I bring you, Sophie's Mom. In some of the event posts I had here, you'll see quite a number of them already. Lots of yummy treats!

Lemme share with you those posts again here:

Isn't it great? Well, not so long ago (but not so recently either lah~ ... since this is auto-posted, can't recall anymore when I took the shots. LOL); I had the chance of visiting their home store.

The experience was amazing! I ended up buying lots from their goodies - which I'll be sharing with you all after the cut. It is so great that I made sure you get good quality shots too though I somehow resized my pictures too (to make sure blogger doesn't limit me too much hehe).

Follow me on Twitpic and Instagram too if you want to get my daily or other random photo foods of interesting foodies and fashion finds ...

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The first time I've set my foot at one of their stores at Robinson's Galleria, I knew I was "in" for another great gastronomic experience! BAM! That expectation wasn't failed by this store! Of course, there was already so much hype into it last year when I first tried it. And until now, this still sits as one of my favorite chicken fast-food places on earth! Take note ... this post has been moved and moved and moved in posting schedule and thank goodness, today I finally posted it hehe.

At Robinson's Galleria

My friends and colleagues have been talking about; the people I rode with in the jeepneys and LRT and MRT Trains; there were talks on Twitter ... everywhere! I felt like I was harassed by the messages! LOL. Well seriously, I was getting bombarded by it everywhere I go. So I gave up! I gave in! I gave it a try ... How did I find it? Let's see ...

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And it's mah choice too!

Musashi Takoyaki (click for larger photo)

I was not a fan of these takoyaki foodies until I tasted the best one that offers them ... MUSASHI TAKOYAKI. What is takoyaki, you ask? As per Musashi's definition ... (and yes, just google it; but I wanna quote it, the "Musashi" way ...), it's a popular Japanese snack made from flour, and octopus; with added authentic Japanese ingredients. "Tako" means octopus and "Yaki" means friend or baked.

This stall truly brings the best authentic Japanese Octopus balls using only the finest ingredients and fresh toppings.

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I don't normally come to buffets since I don't get much of what I paid for. I easily get full and I couldn't take in any more food. Not that I have a small appetite ... I just get full easily hehe. But sooner or later, I might get hungry again. Nevertheless, when I do starve, I can't help it but eat a lot hohoho~ And I guess when some of my colleagues and team members invited me to this breakfast buffet after a long shift, I easily said "yes" and joined them.

The place we went to is just nearby our Quezon City office. I'm talking about Bellore: Comfort Food and More.

Bellore Restaurant with me and a few QC Team Members

I was told that the owner is a family member or a relative of one of our employees in VXI (Quezon City). Good deal! I believe this business thrives considering the tough competition of food establishments around.

I guess the food they offer concentrates on local Filipino menu & a mixture of other cuisine, considering their name; which targets a specific group of customers. And since we're all craving for a good meal that day, hunger aside, we decided to eat loads from here. I must say it's a good choice.

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I've been frequenting the Makati streets for about eight (8) years now (I guess) because of my work location and it wasn't until this year that I discovered this place ...

Amber's Pancit Malabon (Single Order)

One of my team members and a good friend, Mulan, lives nearby and she somehow influenced me into liking and craving for more of the local food items available from this store. I can't believe that I only found out about this place just so-recently! Food this good has to be discovered much earlier lah!

Anyway, when I found out about it, I wasn't raving for it until I tried their dishes. My first order was just a light meal to serve my hunger. Yeah! I can consider it as a light meal. I didn't order for rice and viand meals but their best-sellers ...

1 single order Pancit Malabon
1 single order Pichi-Pichi (cheese - 4 pieces)

This set is already good enough for a hungry stomach and I must say, it's delicious! I only tried it once and I kept on wanting more ...

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There are quite a bunch of other restaurants that offer better quality and much tastier Italian cuisine, I bet. But this place got me hooked for the wrong reasons I guess. Yes, it still includes taste though hehe.

Bigoli - SM North Annex

Just recently, I craved for Italian food but my # 1 bully did not prefer to eat pastas nor pizzas that day. He wanted to eat "real food" as he said (LOL) and with that, he meant rice and viand. The ambiance of this place kinda drove us in and soon enough, we found ourselves choosing from their wide selection of menu items. Soon enough as well, we sat comfortably in their customer-friendly lounge-type seats that enticed us all the more to stay.

The overall look may have done the trick but do they stand up to the quality and service that customers deserve? Find out ...

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With only one (1) more week to go to close out another project for the other site I support (same program), we were pressed for time to get good deals that will surely make our team happy for the site's anniversary party. The Quezon City Site's celebration was a blast at Dolce Superclub. Of course, for the Makati site, the team wouldn't settle for anything less. And with that, we found this eventful-place that will surely be a big hit (as it is now) for years to come. I'm talking about Robot Restaurant Lounge and our party was scheduled last November 25. Good luck!

Surely, my team of organizers did find other good bars and restaurant's where we all could really party. We scouted several places in the Makati area and the price differences are minimal. We actually were finalizing a deal with one bar at one point but without our executive apporval for that location, we didn't settle for the place. For one, exclusivity is a major consideration and we weren't able to get that in the deal so I had to let go of that other bar.

Thankfully, we found Robot. While it may not have been our first choice from all the lists, after this free food tasting deal we had, we were finally SOLD to the idea of getting their services. Seriously, their FOOD IS HEAVEN! Outside of the party-styled location, free room movement, decent area for drinking, etc. that me and my team have factored in for what we'll get as our final location, the food tops our list as well (considering the hungry pack I have ... LOL ... our sales agents really love foodies!) and Robot bar didn't disappoint us with the selection they presented. And with that, it's more than a DONE DEAL! We closed it out in no time!

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I had a short trip to Greenhills Shopping Center recently due to a client visit and since my taste buds required me to get a dose of milk tea anywhere (since that day, I wasn't able to have my Serenitea) so I tried searching for a Bubble Tea shop nearby. In my search, I found this shop instead.

Happy Lemon, Promenade Greenhills

I know I read it somewhere and my instincts are right - it's that Happy Lemon shop that offers state-of-the-art (wow!) milk and fruit teas in town. The milk tea business has grown a lot indeed and this one, I know, is one of the few new brands booming! Who wouldn't know it, right? Chris Tiu's name is attached to it. LOL. Although the name reminds me of comedy videos from youtube - Annoying Orange, I thought maybe there's something much more that the store can offer.

So what did I find in this shop, as I had my client check out as well? Click after the cut ...

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Chic-Boy (Chic-Boy Goes Japanese)
West Avenue Quezon City

After FINALLY watching the highest grossing movie of the year, Praybeyt Benjamin with my Fafi this weekend, we had to scout for a place to eat. We didn't have anything in the afternoon as merienda and dinner was delayed, thanks to me! LOL. I had a number of items to finish for work. And since we tried to catch the LFS (Last Full Show), there's not a lot of establishments open - unless we go to bars and stuff. The last option we had was Chic-Boy (Chicken at Baboy) at West Avenue, Quezon City. Trinoma didn't have any other options opened lah~

I was thrilled to see that the store now has Japanese Menu offered, as they've posted on their banner. There are a few choices for now so I settled for it. It's "something new" for them. I doubted it would taste good. The store is known mostly for Filipino dishes and offering Japanese food is quite questionable. Anyway, we gave it a try. My first thoughts were, will it taste at least as good as those from Japanese Fastfood? Of course, I wasn't expecting that they could cook best like those offered in Japanese restaurants. I only tried one variant from their line, Chic-boy Goes Japanese. At this point, all I can say is, well, they didn't go "that far" ...

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The milk tea business in the Philippines is booming!

Thanks to successful franchises of different milk tea brands in the country, the trend has gone viral! Admittedly, as stated in one article, Filipinos are predominantly coffee-drinkers. The early introduction of milk tea to the industry was not as widely-accepted before, compared to ... well, NOW. I do believe in that statement as well. I personally stated my sentiments on that in a prior article I wrote, about Serenitea. TEA is the new COFFEE, I said. And in just a short span of time, this business has thrived in the market.

Chatime at SM North

The old "nai cha" concept is gone and this business has introduced innovations to the new kind of drink loved by many. And I wouldn't let this pass without me trying out what each brand has to offer. It's om nom nom time lah~ And just recently, I chanced upon this store called Chatime, at SM North EDSA. It didn't dawn on me that it was a tea shop until just recently. Who would've thought that the tiny space there with cutesy designs would offer good tea drinks, or better yet, milk tea? I thought it was a cafe or an internet shop (for the LOLZ) until again, just recently!

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Serenitea Jupiter

I am not really too much of a fan of milk tea. I've tried it before at Chowking (i.e. Nai Cha) and I didn't like it. The Chinese in me says I should like it but the Pinay in me tells me, it ain't really likeable. LOL. I love Chowking but the nai cha was just uhmmm ... not-too-good. But TEA is the new coffee! And with the recent opening of this store at Makati, a lot of us addicts stormed the place to check it out.

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Ever since the Serenitea branch at Jupiter St. Bel-Air Makati has opened, I can't help but find myself buying anything I fancy ... almost every day! While I thought that place was rather "deserted" and the previous tenant has already vacated (i.e. Generic pharmacy?) ... plus the nearby establishments have unstable tenure, that spot seems primarily dead. However, I guess the company has seen its potentials ... high potentials worth reviving hence, they took the risk and opened up a branch out there. And true to its sense, this has become "THE SPOT" for almost all of the folks who work nearby. Even passers-by can have a quick break and chill out at that spot! It seems to be a perfect place now to chillax! In the short span of time that they've settled there (and no, they ain't leaving!), I've already developed favorites! Make way for photos!!!

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I've been a Starbucks fan before I loved other brands of coffee. I wasn't really a coffee lover though, considering that I have my cardiac arrythmia with several palpitations way back then. I guess becoming healthier has helped a lot and I got into a gym hobby some time years back so now, I rarely get attacks - unless I'm extremely exhausted or if I took in too much caffeine.

I normally have hospital visits and checkups just to make sure I get better. I've had several tests and exercises and lab works, and my hospital visits do include my scoliosis treatments. At times, I get to visit the stores nearby and not so long ago, this coffee shop has opened just a few steps away from the hospital. The store, aptly named for its ambiance and coffee aroma coming from Costa Rican Tarazu beans, delivers a fine-dining coffee experience in a small space, beside a hospital, and inside a mini convenience store and fast food! How convenient!

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Texting without touching the phone? Awesome! #SamsungGalaxySII
I personally own one and I have to say, this is the smartest phone, ever! <3
Pinoy Negation Technique by Mikey Bustos Featuring Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

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I am not really a fan of burgers. I mostly settle with pasta, chicken and salad most of the time. Or, some Chinese/Japanese cuisine servings. I find burgers unhealthy. LOL. Recently, I'm trying to get on a fruits and water diet. Eating burgers then is not in my eating list anytime soon. However, when this store opened nearby my workplace, I decided to check it out, together with some friends and colleagues. That branch has been open for quite some time now (a few weeks I guess) though I haven't really tried their food until recently.

The facade looks enticing though and their location seems really cozy. Although the location looks like it may need more marketing efforts since it's not yet too noticeable, I'd say it's worth paying a visit especially once you've checked out their menu. Currently, they're running a promotion wherein if you order their selected menu offers, you'll get free chips and iced tea with it. They call it the FREEBIE STORM. It looks pretty yummy and enticing!

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I've been craving for some Bubble Tea-rrific meal last Monday, considering that I didn't get a complete dinner that Sunday night anymore. I was completely tired and dropped dead on bed. LOL. And since my weekend normally falls on a Sunday and Monday already (considering the US timezone for my work shift), that Monday was then a pig-out day for me and my Fafi! Not that I want to get fatter than I am now but we were craving for some good food. The only thing I had in mind was Bubble Tea of course, so we went to SM North EDSA (The Block) for some Tokyo Bubble Tea-rrific meals. I said that twice already huh?

My sentiments exactly! It ain't the cheapest in town! But you pay a good price for some good food. This one ain't something you wanna pass!

Bubble Tea: Taro Milk Share (P145) and Strawberry Green Tea (P95) - (Large / Cold)

We started off with some drinks. I can't get off without ordering my favorite Strawberry Green Tea (cold/large)! My hubby settled for a Taro Milk Shake (large). The serving size is really big enough for someone thirsty and hungry at the same time. For sure it won't pass as a complete meal but you'll get full just by gulping the drink and the pearls! Yum! Their pears are super delicious and soft. You might wanna consider adding more bubbles and pearls to your drink. But wait! Don't just settle for the drinks! Wait 'til you get your servings of their mouth-watering dishes too!

I love yogurt!

My personal favorite is the Tutti Frutti brand, as I stated in one of my previous blogs. It doesn't mean that I only buy from them though. Wherever I go, I can't help but get some servings of yogurt, whichever shop has one hehe.

I am not a foodie expert nor a yogurt expert. However, I did visit a number of yogurt shops already and I believe, each store has their own advantage of the other ... one way or another. Rhymes? LOL.

And now, allow me to share some of my personal picks as well from all the other shops around. Drumroll please!!!

It was a first for me to eat here and I can say, it was worth it!

It was our "monthsary" that day and my Fafi Emman wanted to eat at restaurants or other establishments that have refillable or bottomless menu items. He wanted to act thrifty that day. LOL. And while strolling at the mall during our mini-celebration (coz I had to work that night so we have to cut it short), we passed by Pixie's Sinugba at SM North EDSA and gave it thought for a sec ... and then gave it a try.

Pixie's Sinugba - Inihaw na Boneless Bangus, Sizzling Crabmeat, and Refillable Rice & Iced Tea

And yes I just called it "mini" because I believe, the quantity of their servings is diminishing ... in some of their branches I guess.

Kenny Roger's Solo B Order - Too Small? Mini Order?

Recently, I ate out at their Trinoma Branch and I was not too happy with their servings. While I am on diet (and the quantity serves me right, pffft), I believe it still does not match the quantity and quality of food they used to serve years back ... or at least in terms of the "standards" I know of, from some other branches.

#ATTENTION DEAR READERS / FOLLOWERS

Due to recent news that Google Reader is retiring by July 1, 2013; this means I may not be able to follow the feeds of the blogs I currently follow / read. Same thing with my readers. So to keep up with each other's updates, kindly follow me back on these other alternatives.

Thank you very much! I promise to do the same to fellow bloggers I'm currently connected with. (^_^) Just let me know my dears!

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My Thoughts on Follow Each Other Requests

If you're one of those I used to follow but now I'm no longer following you, either your blog was changed to private; no longer existing; or simply because you fall in those categories I mentioned in this article. Sorry but I wish to keep a friendly group and remain true with my blogging principles. Thank you.