The Makati Brunch Club

Thanks for the memories

2008-03-16T15:21:00.003+08:00

Tina, Leigh, Lean, and Idjea, and I would like to thank you for sticking it out with us. As a group of friends who worked in the same office in Makati, it was easy for us to go enjoy eating at restaurants in Makati, but as it is, life has taken us many different places, and the Makati Brunch Club, unfortunately, has to come to a close because of this.

Tina now works in Ortigas. She is immensely successful and beautiful as always.

Leigh and Lean work in Singapore. The former is a fulfilled career woman with a great zest for life; the latter is starting a new career as well, and has the support of so many people in prayer and good vibes that her success is virtually guaranteed.

Idjea continues to work in Makati, and is extremely successful at what she does. She's skyrocketing up management levels and continues to do amazing things.

And as for Ganns? Well, I'm working full-time for a church in Makati.

Thanks for the memories, everyone. We love you all.

The Makati Brunch Club

Loving Krispy Kreme's Holiday Donuts

2007-12-21T16:25:00.000+08:00

Have you seen Krispy Kreme's new Holiday Donuts?

These Christmas donuts from Krispy Kreme are so beautiful!

The six-donut Holiday Donut box from Krispy Kreme features (clockwise, from top left) Star-shaped Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles; Santa's Chocolate Iced, Holiday Vanilla Iced, Holiday Chocolate Iced, Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, and Star-shaped Vanilla Iced with Sprinkles.

Christmas candies meet donuts! We received these delightful donuts earlier today, and we still haven't eaten them because they're too pretty to eat!

Santa's Chocolate Iced

Krispy Kreme Holiday Chocolate Iced

Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses is a Krispy Kreme peppermint-flavored white chocolate iced doughnut topped with little pieces of crunchy candy. It looks spectacular, doesn't it?

The Holiday Donuts are available at all Krispy Kreme Philippines outlets: Bonifacio High Street, SM Megamall, Greenhills Shopping Center (1st drive-thru store in Asia), TriNoma and now in SM Mall of Asia.

Cashew bars that do the trick

2007-04-24T08:42:00.000+08:00

We received a delightful little baked goodie sampler from IT specialist and apparent tycoon-in-the-making Irene Hungria, who coursed these little drops of heaven through one of our web designers, Red. The goodie sampler contained a box of cashew bars (PHP80), chocolate lollipops (PHP50), brownies (PHP80), and food for the gods (PHP135).

We sampled each and were surprised by its quality. The cashew bars were chewy and chocolatey, with just the right mix of crunch from toasted cashew toppings. The chocolate lollipops, while typical Pinoy chocolate, were made so much more attractive with the addition of little candy fruit. The brownies were moist and rich, as were the food for the gods. The prices were definitely worth it.

If you'd like to order or sample any of Irene's handiwork, give her a call or SMS at 09179950870. You can also call Red at 09165958245, but you'd better be female and cute or he won't entertain you. Hahaha!

We heart Yummy Magazine

2007-04-16T11:11:00.000+08:00

Thanks to a tip from Wifely Steps, we picked up a copy of Yummy, the newest baby of Summit Media, and WE LOVE IT!

We love the reader-friendly, colorful layout. We love the easy, budget-friendly recipes. We love the relevance of the content to ourselves as individuals and as family people (after all, some of us in the Brunch Club are married, some of us are single).

We may not need to eat out as much if we use the recipes here! LOL

It's also a real treat that fellow food blogger Marketman was given a spotlight!

Seriously, give Yummy a quick run-through and see what a great magazine it is. It's available now at your neighborhood bookstore for just P95.

Krispy Kreme Easter donuts.... Mmm!

2007-04-10T16:17:00.000+08:00

For the Makati Brunch Club, Easter means the rising of the Christ and an opportunity for a host of new beginnings.

Kicking it off with spectacular goodies from Krispy Kreme was an amazing way to celebrate Easter!

The special Easter donuts prepared by Krispy Kreme Fort and Krispy Kreme Megamall were welcomed by the Makati Brunch Club with open arms and watering mouths.

We enjoyed three variants: a cream cheese topped egg-shaped donut with chocolate dollops, a cream cheese topped candy sprinkled egg -shaped donut, and a chocolate topped candy sprinkled egg-shaped donut. They were really awesome.

Some of our friends also enjoyed them. :)

Max's Restaurant in Greenbelt

2007-03-19T13:03:00.001+08:00

Today, the Makati Brunch Club visited Max's Restaurant in Makati. Located in Greenbelt 1, along the strip of Legaspi Street - that whole row of Chef D'Angelo, Mercury Drug, Chubby China, etc. - that most cars pass by but few people actually know, Max's restaurant in Makati would be long-forgotten were it not for the quality of its food.

This morning, Leigh and I decided to go for brunch, and what better way to enjoy a heart breakfast than to help ourselves to the new Power Breakfast selection at this homey restaurant in Makati?

The breakfast choices at Max's Makati restaurant consisted of the following:

Sausage Meal, featuring frankfurters, caramelized onions, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P150);
Tocino Meal, pan-fried pork seasoned with salt, pepper, and sugar, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120);
Adobo Flakes Meal, shredded chicken and pork adobo, fried to a crisp, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120);
Longganisa Meal, two pieces of cured sausage, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120).

You could also select:

Tapa Meal, marinated beef, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P155);
Pepperoni Omelet, spicy pepperoni seved with four half-slices of toast, orange slices, and coffee (P150); and
Triple Chocolate Champorado, sticky rice in a glutinous chocolate porridge.

I had the adobo flakes, which was delicious and crisp. The eggs were perfectly done, as was the garlic rice. Delicious, delicious, delicious. Unfortunately, it took them almost 40 minutes to serve my adobo flakes, virtually unforgivable for a restaurant meal. Leigh and Samira had long gone before I was served my food.
The service at this Makati restaurant was, as usual, quite good. Save for some confusion when management and servers could not agree on whether or not to charge us for the champorado when we were initially told it was not included in a lovely gift voucher we received last week as courtesy from the restaurant, it was still a good experience.
I would recommend you try the adobo flakes - although those of you with heartier appetites may prefer the tocino meal, as it seemed to have larger portions - along with the champorado. Delightful!
*********************************************
An Early Morning for a Chocolate Rush

I am not a breakfast-eating person. Don't get me wrong, I love all Filipino breakfast items. Corned beef, longganisa, tocino...I love them all, just not at breakfast or to be more exact, just not so early in the morning at a time when my stomach can't take anything in but liquids.

I however, will willingly brave an upset stomach and eat breakfast in only two situations: (1) if it's a breakfast buffet in a hotel or (2) it's free. Our early-morning trip to Max's was thanks to #2. And well worth the effort. ;)

I ordered their Triple Chocolate Champorado. (Don't you just love the name? Chocolate Champorado would have been enough for me but TRIPLE CHOCOLATE? Who can beat that?) I was not disappointed at all. When they say triple chocolate, you can just imagine 3 bars of chocolate melted into the sticky rice. It was sweet, rich and just simply delicious.

The champorado purists may not like it because of it's sweetness but knowing the Filipino penchant for sweet food, it'll be a hit. I wouldn't mind another bowl of their Triple Chocolate Champorado. I wonder if it's available for snacks...

~ Leigh

Delici Pastries and Sweets

2006-12-04T17:01:00.001+08:00

This week, the Makati Brunch Club had the pleasure of enjoying a cookie sampler from Delici Pastries and Sweets, confectionery specialists extraordinaire.

The first thing you may notice about Delici cookies is its truly exquisite packaging! A light green box is kept together with a brown paper runner, on which are printed pleasant little silver twigs. Each Delici cookie is sealed in its own individual bag. Can you say, fresh and flavorful?

The white chocolate chip cookie from Delici was the most delightful of the Delici lot. With a generous helping of chunky white chocolate chips, this sweet and crumbly Delici cookie begged for a cup of hot cocoa or steaming coffee.

The double chocolate Delici cookie, on the other hand, was a goosome twosome of awesome chocolatey goodness. Thick chocolate chunks embedded into a rich chocolate cookie. Lord, have mercy.

The chocolate chip cookie, while chewy and good, was nothing out of the ordinary. However, there are other cookie types at Delici that may cater to your own preferences.

Other varieties include Cream Cheese, Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Swirl, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint, and Oatmeal Raisin. Expect other MBC bloggers to weigh in on these, because I never got my grubby fingers on 'em.

[Krispy Kreme Philippines Series] The Original Glazed Donut

2006-11-22T19:19:00.000+08:00

Today, the Makati Brunch Club blogs about Krispy Kreme Philippines' spectacular original glazed donut.

As we mentioned before, Krispy Kreme's Philippine branch opens on November 30, 2006, 8:30am, at the City Center, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, near Serendra, selling glazed lemon-filled, traditional cake, sugar, chocolate iced glaze, chocolate iced with sprinkles, glazed raspberry filled, new york cheesecake, powdered strawberry filled, chocolate iced creme filled, glazed cruller, glazed sour cream (!), chocolate iced custard filled, caramel kreme crunch, and glazed chocolate cake, in addition to the original glazed we sampled.

The original glazed donut is the classic Krispy Kreme donut: simple and flavorful, an airy donut dipped into a sugar glaze that positively crumbles in your mouth. It tickles the palate with hints of sugar that are not too sweet - just perfect, if you ask us.

Lean: "One bite will never be enough."

Idjea: Yummy donut that melts in your mouth. A big improvement over the other donuts
available here in Manila. A definite must-buy for all donut-lovers!

Ganns: "I don't like having too much of a sugar rush, so this is great.
On the downside, the donuts I picked up seemed a little oilier than most."

Tina: "My perfect morning: fresh, light, soft and sweet!"

Leigh: "Sugar rush!"

Say KRISPY KREMEEEEEEEE!

Thanks to Krispy Kreme Philippines and Press Inc.'s Blooey Singson for hooking us up with these delightful donuts.

Come to Krispy Kreme Philippines' official store opening on November 30, and avail of the following:

The first customer to ring the cash register will win a one-year supply of Original Glazed donuts.
Free limited-edition Krispy Kreme Philippines tees will go to the first 500 customers.
Raffle prizes (one-, three-, and six-months worth of free donuts) up for grabs to the 2nd to 500th customers)

Cucina @ Food Choices, Glorietta 4

2006-11-21T09:22:00.000+08:00

With some free time on our hands, we decided to walk all the way to Glorietta 4 for a yummy brunch. We walked around Glorietta 4 but couldn't come up with a choice that made all parties happy, so the solution? Food Choices!

Fast Food
I'm not a fan of fast food areas, especially that of SM's. The cold metal benches and seeing the settling layer of fat and oil on perpetually reheated food doesn't stimulate your gastronomic senses at all. Glorietta 4's Food Choices is a definite improvement from the usual. (There are actually tables and chairs not bolted to the floor, imagine that!)

However, one thing common among all fast food areas, and Glorietta 4's Food Choices is no expection, is the cramped space. Glorietta 4's Food Choices used to be a bit more spacious but for some reason they've added several booths or kiosks in the middle of the eating area and now it's just too congested.

On to the food
On this trip to Glorietta 4's Food Choices, I decided to get my food at Cucina (They serve Spanish-Filipino cuisine). Since they had a lot of yummy looking viands and I couldn't decide on just one, I ordered one their "promo" plates. For 155 pesos, I get a choice of 3 viands, rice and a small (really, it was small, look at the photo below) glass of softdrink.

For my viands, I chose their Lengua with Mushroom Sauce, a spanish classic, Callos and my craving for that day, Chorizo. For the rice, I had their Spanish Rice.

For just 155 pesos, the amount of food on my plate was not bad. It was pretty amazing actually, I was expecting them to stinge on the dishes but surprisingly they placed a good sized serving of each viand.

Their Lengua with Mushroom Sauce was good. It was cooked well, not tough to eat and the mushroom sauce was delicious. I think I had about 3 slices of lengua (tongue!)

Their Callos was also yummy and cooked just right. Some callos dishes come out chewy but theirs weren't which was good considering the dish was probably out there on the display for several hours already.

Now for their Chorizo, this was a bit of a disappointment. The last time I ate at Cucina, I adored their chorizo dishes. Unfortunately, on this try the sausage was cut too thick and it was crumbly. Don't know how else to describe it but looking at the sausage slices, I think the meat of the sausage was not packed into the sausage skin (or whatever that's called) that well. The taste wasn't all that bad but the texture of the sausage when you eat it just distracts you from tasting its flavor.

Yes, they didn't stinge on the viands but boy were they "economical" on the drinks. When I said small, I didn't mean the regular sized plastic cups. Small means those transparent plastic cups some places give out when you just want some tap water. Darn it, it was small!

Verdict: I will go back and try out their other dishes (their chicken looked good) but maybe this time I'll go with a regular order to get a regular-sized drink.

The Old Spaghetti House @ Paseo de Roxas

2006-11-16T10:02:00.000+08:00

We headed over to The Old Spaghetti House or TOSH along Paseo de Roxas Road in the Makati Central Business District. This Old Spaghetti House is just a couple of blocks away from Greenbelt 1. Really just a short 5-minute walk from our office.

The Old Spaghetti House's Lasagna

Anyway, we had eaten there before but I think it was pre-MBC days so no review yet. This time, I tried their Lasagna, a classic pasta dish. Thanks to Greenwich commercials, I have been craving this pasta for days (ironically, I didn't end up in Greenwich...) There's not much you can do to destroy a lasagna recipe. It's pretty simple to cook and the flavor is classic. As for TOSH's Lasagna, it was good. Not great mind you, but not bad at all. It could have been better with more cheese and a bigger serving.

I also ordered their Garlic Mushroom appetizers and it was pretty good. Cebu's Sol E Luna had better unfortunately, they closed down (big bummer).

Conclusion: I'd go back for another serving of their lasagna and maybe try out their other pasta dishes. That's if I really want to spend a bit more than I should for lasagna.

Another one of their pasta dishes... now if only I can remember what it's called...

[Krispy Kreme Philippines Series] The Glazed Chocolate Cake

2006-11-15T14:08:00.000+08:00

For the next few days, the Makati Brunch Club will have the pleasure of blogging about Krispy Kreme Philippines! Krispy Kreme donuts, the world-renowned American doughnut franchise, will officially open on Philippine shores on November 30, 2006, 8:30am, at the City Center, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, near Serendra.

Today, with Lean and Idjea out of the office on official business (bwahahaha!), Leigh, Tina, and I had the pleasure of sampling the first donut variety sent us, the glazed chocolate cake, which was a soft, moist chocolate cake topped with a light glaze. Rich and sinful, but not gritty with sugar, this donut was absolutely delightful.

Leigh: The glaze is so yummy, I could lick it off the donut!

Ganns: To quote Friends' Monica Geller, I think I just had a tiny orgasm! Hahaha! Seriously, a sinfully rich, wonderfully moist cake donut with just the right amount of sweetness.

Tina: Irresistible, minus the guilt!

Other donut varieties available in the Philippines are original glazed, glazed lemon-filled, traditional cake, sugar, chocolate iced glaze, chocolate iced with sprinkles, glazed raspberry filled, new york cheesecake, powdered strawberry filled, chocolate iced creme filled, glazed cruller, glazed sour cream (!), chocolate iced custard filled, and caramel kreme crunch.

Thanks to Krispy Kreme Philippines for hooking us up with these delightful donuts.

Come to Krispy Kreme Philippines' official store opening on November 30, and avail of the following:

The first customer to ring the cash register will win a one-year supply of Original Glazed donuts.
Free limited-edition Krispy Kreme Philippines tees will go to the first 500 customers.
Raffle prizes (one-, three-, and six-months worth of free donuts) up for grabs to the 2nd to 500th customers)

Razon's Greenbelt

2006-10-18T14:49:00.000+08:00

Today, Leigh, Tina, and I brunched at the new Razon's Greenbelt, a Filipino restaurant in Makati beside Delifrance Greenbelt. This new Makati restaurant is famous for its pancit luglug and halo-halo, so we trooped on over to try the food at Razon's Greenbelt.

Ambience. Razon's Greenbelt is relatively new, so its facilities were still quite clean. Its yellow interior was very inviting, and I was impressed with how spacious it looked compared to Monasteryo, the restaurant in Greenbelt whose spot Razon's now occupied. The chairs were relatively comfortable, and the lighting was quite good. The only drawback to the ambience? The strong smell of food - which isn't necessarily a bad thing - was all over this Makati restaurant, and without an exhaust fan in sight, the odds that the different aromas of the food will stick to your clothing are quite good.

Food. I ordered the two house specialties: pancit luglug, which is rice noodles in a yellow spiced sauce, and halo-halo, which is an ice mountain with milk, candied bananas, and custard on top. The pancit luglug was not bad at all, flavorful and textured. The P65 I paid for it, however, seemed a little steep, considering the amount of noodles on my plate. The halo-halo, which I shared with Leigh, was also good, different from typical halo-halo, which usually has kaong and beans, which I don't like. Without these colorful Philippine tidbits, we basically got a cold, caramel-flavored ice shake - which I did like.

Price. I paid P65 for the pancit and P65 for the halo-halo. The food was good, but to pay P130 for a meal that I think would've cost me about P100 if I had ordered a standard halo-halo to go from ChowKing and a petite pancit palabok from Red Ribbon, was a bit stiff.

Overall, the food wasn't half-bad, the place wasn't half-bad, and the prices were a little meh. Would I return to this Makati restaurant? Only if I were craving pancit luglug, which doesn't happen that often.

Masas @ Greenbelt 2

2006-08-18T11:33:00.001+08:00

Dining at the Masas restaurant in Greenbelt 2 in Makati is always a delight. Aside from the great food, it's also a great restaurant in Makati to hang out with friends and catch up with each other's lives. An added bonus are occasional acoustic performances at night, which never fail to delight music-lovers, such as yours truly. Watch out for my friend Zion, who won last year's Next Big Thing - Search for the Next RnB Star. He sometimes performs at Masas, accompanied by his acoustic buddy.

Now back to the food...

Tina, Leigh, Lean and I headed to Masas in Greenbelt 2, along with a few co-workers, to celebrate Tina & Leigh's birthday. I hesitated at first because I know menu items at this Makati restaurant could be a bit pricey - I didn't know they have "silog" items that are quite affordable (the most affordable being at P105).

I ordered Adobo Flakes, served with fried rice, scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes & onions with 2 slices of salted egg and sauce on the side for the adobo. The food was hot when it was served; and the entire dish was not at all oily, at least not as oily as "silog" food served in other restaurants in Makati. The saltiness of the adobo, even with its sauce, was just right.

The service at this Makati restaurant was fast. But that's probably because we went there early. The staff were also friendly, they struck a pose behind us when we took pictures of each other. I think they're notorious for that.

Nevertheless, the dining experience was great, as always. -- Idj

Adobo Flakes

Skinless Longganiza

Quezo Puti and salso

I love Masas at night. The acoustic background, food and the ambiance is great. One of my favorite chill places. -tinz

The Seafood Club @ Greenbelt 3

2006-08-03T09:48:00.001+08:00

We've been craving crabs for months now. We've always planned to have some come payday but somehow we always ended up in some other restaurant or worse, in the pantry with our canned goods and baon.

Finally, this payday we satisfied our cravings. Lean, Idj and I headed to The Seafood Club at Greenbelt 3. We had planned on ordering the Crab Solo (crab, pasta and something or another, can't recall now) but Lean and I got sidetracked with their buffet, specifically their appetizers.

For my first round, from the appertizer area, I sampled some of their meatballs, baby potatoes and garlic mushroom. And from their main course, Lengua and fish fillet in some cream sauce,

The meatballs was yummy, it reminded me of Ikea's Swedish Meatballs with not as much gravy. Their baby potatoes were boiled, semi-peeled, sauteed in garlic and basil (?) and topped with a white cream sauce. It was yummy but then again I'm partial to anything potato-ey. Their garlic mushrooms were not so good. They were cold and not as garlic-y as I wanted them, not enough flavor.

And for the second round, I got a plateful of crabs. The buffet featured two types but on sight, you can't tell the difference. After eating them you'd realize one had spicier taste to it. It was YUMMY. I love crab. I don't mind eating with my hands, it's thrilling to remove the shell of the crab and aim to get a perfect peice of crabmeat.

I enjoyed the buffet but for 450 net it's a splurge.

~~ Leigh

miss leecha and miss moja feeling crabby

idjea's Seafood Club Pasta

I absolutely love seafood. However, when the brunchers wanted to go to The Seafood Club in Greenbelt 3, i hesitated a bit. I didn't want to lunch there as I feel it would eat up on my budget. And besides, what's the point of going to The Seafood Club if not to crab-all-you-want from the buffet?

I curbed my appetite for crab... poor me... and ordered The Seafood Club Pasta from its a la carte items. I didn't regret my decision as it was a delightfully tasteful meal. It's fetuccine pasta, with an oil-based sauce, with lots of shredded seafood, dried tomatoes and big slices of sweet bell pepper, served with 2 pieces of one of the best garlic breads I've ever tasted. Yummy!!!

However, the price was a bit steep as expected. This particular dish costs P230, and that's without tax & service charge yet. It's quite pricey and I just think it shouldn't be worth that much. But it's great food, so I guess that's okay... :) - Idj

David's Tea House @ Greenbelt 1

2006-07-28T17:45:00.001+08:00

It was still several days before payday (and a Friday to boot!) and we were tired of eating canned goods for lunch (not too mention it's bad for you). So half of the Brunch Clubbers decided to eat out for lunch. (plus it was raining... need comfort food -tinz)

After much deliberation (we're running out of budget-friendly places!), we decided on David's Tea House in Greenbelt 1 Makati. Usually this place is overflowing with people but today was not one of those days which was good for us. David's Tea House is a typical Chinese restaurant, it's bright, crowded and noisy. Thumbs up for the fast service and cleanliness of the place.

This is my second time at David's Tea House. The last time was pre-Brunch Club days. We ordered family style and it was yummy albeit a bit expensive for everyday eating.

This time, to save what little money I had left, I ordered their Wanton Hofan Soup and an order of Shrimp Siomai. Their Wanton Hofan was okay, not good but not bad either. It wasn't as tasty that I expected. I had to rely on their chili sauce to add some flavor.

The Shrimp Siomai from David's Tea House was actually pretty good. Very tasty and not all covered in siomai wrapper like some other dimsum places. (true true! love their siomai!-tinz)

I'd go back to David's Tea House in Greenbelt 1 Makati but maybe this time I'll stick to their family-style offerings.
~~ Leigh

Sweet and sour pork was average. Used to order their orange chicken... yummy too. Chinese food really is soothing. -tina

Pizza Company @ Market! Market! Fort - Taguig

2006-07-18T18:02:00.001+08:00

Today, the Makati Brunch Club decided to step out of its native roots, and headed off to Taguig for its first non-Makati restaurant review. The beneficiary of this “special” distinction: The Pizza Company at the Market! Market! shopping mall in Taguig City.

Idjea, Lean, Leigh and Tina pose in front of the Pizza Company restaurant in Taguig

Even more fun was the fact that the Makati Brunch Club – Lean, Leigh, Idjea, Tina, and I – was complete for the first time in months! With all this excitement, we piled into The Family Car (that would be my Revo) and headed towards Market! Market!
The Pizza Company's festive and clean interiors

The Pizza Company restaurant in Taguig is a delightfully clean place that offers Italian dishes for value. As the The Pizza Company - Fort photo above shows, festive wallpaper, preserved vegetables, and an open-air cooking area add to the pleasant vibes of The Pizza Company in Market! Market!

A thick, creamy Fettucine Florentine from The Pizza Company

We ordered The Pizza Company's Fettucine Florentine that was rich, creamy, and flavorful without being heavy. The pasta was cooked to perfection, al dente without starchiness. Abundant ham and spinach only served to enhance the fattucine experience.

A sweet and tasty Pasta Bolognese from The Pizza Company

We also ordered The Pizza Company's Pasta Bolognese, which was tangy and sweet, with generous servings of spiced ground beef.

Idjea posing with the Bacon and Cheese Twists from The Pizza Company

A special treat that I finally got to claim was The Pizza Company's Bacon and Cheese Twists, which were heavenly and flaky, rich and truly delightful. We got this free, thanks for the Pizza Company Taguig's Loyalty Card promotions, which I was finally able to claim on a weekday.

The Tom Yum Kung / All Meat Pizza from The Pizza Company

Finally, the piece de resistance, the Pizza Company's pizza, which was a half-and-half, a treat they give because of their first-year anniversary. The top half in the photo shows the Pizza Company specialty, a mouthwateringly spicy Tom Yum Kung; the bottom half shows this Taguig restaurant's half-sweet, half-salty all-meat selection. We ordered the medium size crispy, which it was.

Price-wise, expect a heftier bill than usual at the Pizza Company thanks to almost 20% add-on in taxes. Ouch. Other than the exorbitant bill, which almost didn't justify the cost of the food, The Pizza Company is a fantastic restaurant in Taguig worth experiencing. I'd go back in a heartbeat. - Ganns

It has been one Italian place to another! In this particular rainy day, the club was once again in complete attendance and in full force as we trek down Market Market and indulge in a much-awaited Pizza Co. experience.

I personally have been to this resto a couple of times and I can say that it never fails to satisfy not only one's hunger but also some major Italian craving.

We ordered a personal favorite of mine, Pasta Bolognese. I'm not much of a fan of white/cream-based pastas and this bolognese is cooked to perfection. The sauce is so yummy and not oily at all; the pasta itself is perfect in every bite.

The pizza on the other hand is a character in its own. It was my first time to try the Tom Yung Kung pizza and since it's the pizza's take on the famous Thai soup, which I'm not a fan of, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

As for the All Meat pizza, as expected, it's so sinfully delicious. The crust is superbly thin and crunchy and the portions of meat are bountiful.

This place makes you fall in love with Italian food over and over again. - lean

Like Lean, I've also been to The Pizza Company in Market! Market! before. My all-time favorite dish there is the Fetuccine Florentine. I'm partial to tomato-based sauce as well but this pasta dish is to die for. Perfect white sauce in my opinion. It's not too creamy nor is it too oily. You don't feel your arteries clog up with the cream.

I also like their Tom Yung Kung pizza but then again I'm a thai food junkie. I don't think it's for everyone though, especially not for those that detest Thai food.

Other items on their menu that I recommend but we didn't order: their Stuffed Calamari (yummy baby squid stuffed with crabstick) and their Cheese Garlice Bread (yummy yummy for your tummy).

I will definitely go back to The Pizza Company in Market! Market! You go too!
-- Leigh

I'm not really a fan of pizza company. Maybe because I prefer my red sauce to be more italian- a little sour and not so sweet. And I didn't like the crust of their pizza that much too. I prefer homemade dough. Their cream based pasta seemed starchy. And maybe because I didn't like the Tom Yum Kung seafood pizza that we ordered that much. There's this tang of salty water or is it just my imagination? hehe I just liked the colorful decor amongst the wooden chairs. Nothin' beats Itallianis for me. :P -tina

Pizzeria via Napoleone @ Jupiter Street

2006-07-14T14:12:00.001+08:00

Pizzeria Via Napoleone
#28 Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City
63.2.899.6147

In an Italian restaurant in Makati foodfest, Pizzeria Via Napoleone along Jupiter hosted half of the Makati Brunch Club today while the other half dined at Italianni's in Greenbelt 2. Tina and I took time out to travel from our office in Legaspi Village to sup at this charming Italian restaurant in Makati and enjoy authentic Italian cuisine.

Together with four other friends, we ordered two pizzas (Gorgonzola and Tutta Carne) and two pastas (Carbonara and Amatricana), a selection adequate for a party of six but certainly not for four hungry gentlemen and two famished ladies.

So how did I find Pizzeria Via Napoleone's food?

The Pizzeria Via Napoleone's pizza dough was obviously fresh and handmade, with the chefs making the pizzas in full view of diners. The pizzas of this particular restaurant in Makati may be designed to be light, which they were. In my opinion, the pizzas lacked toppings, especially the gorgonzola, which was supposed to highlight blue cheese, which I hardly got to taste, even hints of it, in the pizza. The tutta carne, which means all meat, had meat, but certainly not enough to make the pizza filling. To add insult to injury, at the bottom of the plate, underneath the pizza, was one solitary hair; Tina and I then glanced over to the chefs' corner to discover, to our horror, that the chefs were not wearing hairnets while they kneaded the dough and baked the pizzas.

The pastas, on the other hand, were overcooked, so instead of a pleasant al dente, we got a relatively tough, almost starchy pasta. I did not try the carbonara, but the amatricana was relatively bland, and one other diner with us noted the lack of flavor.

"Maybe real Italian food is supposed to be bland," he noted.

"Believe me, it's not," I countered.

In fairness, the prices of this Italian restaurant in Makati were quite reasonable, so I imagine that may have softened the blow of this otherwise noteworthy restaurant. The ambience lent itself to a pleasant experience, with its clean, austere surroundings and Italian decor. The service was lightning fast (food arrived within minutes), and there was no wait for seating. Ultimately, though, I was not particularly impressed with the food of Pizzeria Via Napoleone, and when the food of any Makati restaurant leaves me wanting to eat more, albeit not of the same cuisine from said restaurant, I do not see myself returning. - Ganns

Ninja turtle in the past life. (hehehe kidding)
by: Tina
I've always been a fan of pizza. Pizza could sustain me. hehe I just love pizza and any kinds of italian food! (I know it's not forever that I could just escape the implications from all the calories hehehe) Coming across Pizzeria via Napoleone's at Jupiter Street, Makati, I knew I've found another favorite italian restaurant. The blue cheese pizza is just heavenly. This runs third place in my favorite pizza list! (And it's in reasonable prices too. Although the carbonara seems a little starchy. Still I love it's not so cheesy, not so salty, not so buttery taste... a little bland and sour pizza and not-so creamy white
sauce. The restaurant is really not so fancy. But they serve your order really fast! I'm definitely coming back! ~ Nice boxy lights on top... ~

Seattle's Best Coffee @ Greenbelt 3

2006-07-14T14:01:00.001+08:00

And for dessert... we headed off to Seattle's Best Coffee at Greenbelt 3 Makati. I've been craving for Seattle's Best Coffee's all-time best SBC Javanilla Shake since last Tuesday (when I last had one!).

Seattle's Best Coffee's Javanilla Shake is like no other's. I love it mainly because it's not sweet. You can actually still taste the coffee in this great coffee creation from this coffee shop in Makati. You are not overwhelmed by the whipped cream. Between Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean and Seattle's Best, the best ice blended coffee (for me at least) would be SBC's Javanilla Shake.

My dad once asked a barista from another coffee shop in Makati what their counterpart for SBC's Javanilla Shake was. The barista recommended one drink but let's just say it doesn't even come close to the ballpark.

YUMMY!!! -- Leigh

I must admit that I am not a coffee drinker. I do love coffee shops, though. There's something quaint about them.

Anyhow, I am such a Starbucks, Seattle's and Coffee Bean fanatic. Not so on their coffee concoctions but on the other drinks they offer.

Arriving groggy and sleepy today, I had to get my caffeine fix, so I went to Starbucks during the morning. Quite satisfied, I was taken aback when Leigh wanted to get a Javanilla Shake at Seattle's, which of course, I could never resist. C'mon, it's Javanilla! No one can resist that, right?

So with a palpitating heart, I bought my Javanilla even though my eyes are almost bawling out of their sockets due to coffee overload. Told ya I aint no coffee drinker. A cup makes me an energizer bunny already. And having two, well, just keeps me going and going and going......

But, yummy nonetheless. Never fails. - lean

Italianni's @ Greenbelt 2

2006-07-14T13:34:00.001+08:00

Don't you just love paydays? Everyone does but more so us Makati Brunch Clubbers. It's a day when we can splurge and eat to our stomachs' content at any restaurant in Makati.

This payday, we went Italianni's at Greenbelt 2. (Actually, we were craving for the Japanese food at Yaku at the Somerset, but due to ongoing renovations, that review would have to wait until August.)

Smoked Salmon Pizza

Before anything else, forgive us for the pictures of the half-eaten food we ordered at this Italian restaurant in Makati. The only excuse we can give is that we were so hungry we totally forgot to take photos.

Anyway, because of the sashimi cravings, we decided on the Smoked Salmon Pizza and it was good. Not great mind you, I found the crust too chewy for my taste. I tend to like my pizzas with a little crunch in them. (If you guys are looking for an Italian restaurant in Cebu, try La Tegola Ristorante! The Parma Ham is yummy!).

The smoked salmon was satisfying, with the many flavors - cheese and dill, among them - blending very well with the fish.

Baked Ziti

The baked ziti of this Italian restaurant in Makati was fantastic. Italianni's baked ziti was very good; the meat and sauce was delicious. It wasn't flavored for the Filipino preference of sweet tomato pastas. A little dash with Tabasco sauce and it's perfect.

The Italianni bread looked yummy as well but I'd have to get Lean's take on that since she was the only one who had a taste.

Italianni's serving size is perfect for two. Maybe three if you're not too hungry. With the pizza, one serving was enough for us three girls.

-- Leigh

One good reason to go to Italianni's: free foccacia bread!

Makati Brunch Club was craving for Japanese food, and we wanted to go to Yaku at the Somerset Millenium, but it is unfortunately closed for renovations. We head our way to Greenbelt instead, without any clue where lunch was going to be. We decided on Italianni's at the last minute, and we didn't regret our choice.

The Baked Zitti was great! It had lots of cheese, which I liked, and lots of sausages, which I also liked. The serving was a bit small to be shared by 3 people, but with a slice of Smoked Salmon Pizza, which also had generous toppings of salmon and cheese, which I also liked, what we had was definitely filling.

I would like to especially commend on the service rendered by the staff at Italianni's. They were very quick with their service, from the time they seated us to our table to the delivery of our change. What's worth mentioning though is how they didn't throw away our packed left-over pizza when we left the resto to buy our coffee elsewhere. We went back to the resto hoping that they haven't thrown it away yet. Apparently, they kept it at one of their counters for just in case we had to come back for it. Great service, ain't it? :) -- Idj

I adore Italian food. I have good enough reason to believe that I'm a Sicilian native in my past life.

Yep, Idj is correct when she said we did not plan on eating at Italiani's this fateful payday. But since the Jap resto near the office is closed for renovation, we had no choice but to scour for a new place to dine.

And yes, Greenbelt is the answer to our aching tummies. And what better way to satisfy it but indulge in some Italian loving!

So we, the fantastic three of Idj, Leigh and I, decided to have pasta and pizza. Smoked Salmon Pizza and Baked Ziti. Good thing it's already payday and we can dine in our hearts' content without much of the annoyance that we'll end up penny less afterwards. Come to think of it, we almost did.

Every single bite was sumptuous. The pizza crust is perfect. The pasta is al dente. It was simply heavenly.

- lean

McDonald's - Greenbelt 1

2006-07-13T15:05:00.001+08:00

Awww...do we still need to do some review for McDonalds? (whining) Filipinos love McDonalds. Everybody does. Who doesn't? Of course, excluding people who are working in call centers, claiming it as their 24/7 fast food chain and source of survival that they basically have to eat it everyday. Don't ask them they'd probably throw up first before saying one word. Or those that are extremely health conscious and deprives themselves of once-in-a-while indulgence.

But of course, McDonald's is the all time favorite American fast food chain all over the globe! Let's not dig into the history, all we know that if it's raining, or if we are low in budget like today... (since payday is not until tomorrow) there's no other comfort food better than McDonald's french fries, quarter pounder, double cheeseburger, bigmac and chicken meal.

Lei havin a Car's (movie) Happy Meal - chicken nuggets, twister fries and soda

my big mac meal =)

Our common favorite: Hot choco fudge brownie.... delicious when topped with vanilla icecream

McChicken Meal of Cel

YUM! JUNKFOOD we know, but there's no other fulfilling super quick meal than McDonald's! It's good to eat sinfully sometimes. Extra cardio! I'll probably walk an extra hour this weekend.hehe As what Ganns would say when he is doubted of his food choices. "You live longer, but at least, I'm happier." ;)
Donna and Cel, two fellow designers joined us today by the way. Thanks to you two! Hope you enjoyed our makati brunch sessions. We're a little feisty today, it's probably the weather. hehe -tina

A Quarter Pounder

Love ko to! : )

McDonald's is one of those comfort joints that never fails to soothe one's craving. Not to mention it's being budget friendly.

Love their McCafe, with its cozy ambience best partnered with their delightful sweets.

For today's rainy day edition, I had my usual McNuggets Turbo Treat. I'm not much of a rice fan but since I love chicken, this is the closest I can get.

Thanks Tin for the pics, even though we have that "depressed area" look because of the awful weather.

- lean

When the Makati Brunch Club is on a budget, and none of us has baon, McDonald's is always on top of the list. Apart from its ideal proximity from the office, we just love hanging out at McCafe, where we'll have dessert - most of the time the fudgy choco, a common favorite - after we have had our very satisfying comfort meals.

See that meal above? That's my absolute fave when eating at this joint -- Double Cheeseburger Meal, just plain, without the dressing please. For cheese & meat lovers, you must absolutely try this for the following reasons:

1) Since it is a special request, your burger is served right off the grill
2) The taste of alternating cheese slices & burger patties is absolutely heaven!!!

Sinful -- I know! But who cares? :) -- Idjea

Fish & Co @ Greenbelt 3

2006-07-06T17:55:00.001+08:00

Today, the Makati Brunch Club eats at the Fish & Co. restaurant in Makati, located on the third floor of Greenbelt 3 in beautiful Makati City, Philippines.

the girls at Fish & co

Grilled Calamari
We ordered Fish % Co.'s grilled calamari to share among the four of us and it was delicious, cooked to perfection!

Squid is tricky to cook. If you overcook it, it's so hard to eat. But Fish & Co's Grilled Calamari was perfect. It was a great starter as we waited for our next course.

Fish and Chips

We had two orders to share among the four of us. The fish was yummy. Fish % Co.'s Fish and Chips was definitely juicy and flavorful. The breading didn't overpower the fish. Other fish and chips from other restaurants in Makati sometimes have the breading thicker than the fillet of fish. The fish at Fish & Co. also came with some sort of sauce (tartar?), although it was not enough for the entire fish.

The chips were also great. It had spice (cajun powder?) on it which gave the potatoes an extra kick.

Overall, I loved Fish & Co. If I were hungry enough, I could have finished the entire dish. I would definitely go back. And if they were more affordable, I'd be there twice or thrice a week. I love fish.

-- Leigh

Birthday treat: Free cake from Fish & Co. because it was Idjea's birthday.

Thank God for Fish and Co. because eating healthy has never been this good and filling.

I have always been a fan of everything and anything seafood. Thanks to my boyfriend whose love affair with seafood has rubbed off me big time.

I love all the food at this restaurant in Makati. The fish and chips are sumptuous to every bite; the calamari is tender in every way and we even got free cake!

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum :)

- lean

I just like this photo of Leigh I took! Red striped shirt in synch with the background! hehehe I need to post it! hehehe. I love the blue painted walls of fish and co.
I love their chair too. I just love their interior and ambiance. Food is great! Healthy and satisfying! :)

yours truly,
-tina

Soul Food @ Greenbelt 3

2006-06-06T10:34:00.001+08:00

It was a day after payday and we were depressed (well, most of us at least). A surefire way to cure our ills? Good food and good company.

We tried Soul Food on the second floor of Greenbelt 3 Makati.

They had a selection of "budget meals" which were mostly chicken. I ordered their Jerk Chicken since the waiter said it was one of their best sellers and it was not bad.

It consisted of grilled chicken fillet, java rice, half a fried banana, sweet vinegar and some sweet chili sauce. The serving was not so big but perfect for me (I was able to finish it all! And that is a feat for me). The chicken was tender and well-cooked. The rice was yummy (although for those rice hogs out there, the serving is a tad small). The fried banana was okay but so little, they could have just gave the entire banana. The "sauce" selection was good but the red chili (I assume it was chili), was too sweet for me. The vinegar was good as well.

Overall, it was a satisfying lunch for me but for 158++ (with no drinks) it's over-priced.

-- Leigh

Soul Food's Chicken Tenders

Soul Food's Chicken Barbecue

I am a big Soul Food fan, which is strange, considering I only order one dish from this restaurant in Makati. Their chicken tenders are wonderfully light, fried in a crisp batter served on a bed of lettuce with a tart sweet and sour sauce and traditional gravy. I agree with Leigh that it's a little pricey, but where else can we find good South Beach food for P160? - Ganns

Soul Food is definitely a date place - with its cozy couches, warm ambience and not to mention candlelit tables. Wasn't my first time to dine there although the first, of course, for the BClubbers.

Idj and I had their Chicken Inasal (somewhat like bbq looking) and it wasn't bad. Wasn't bad at all. Pricey, yes. Portions, small.

Dunno what got into our minds (pressured decision) why we ate there but all in all, not a bad choice. - Lean

World Chicken @ Food Choices Glorietta 4

2006-04-27T09:10:00.001+08:00

After a long hiatus in the blogging world, the Makati Brunch Club is back in full gear, ending off the month of April with our latest food rendezvous, World Chicken.

Indeed, it was a whole new world there. Located at the Food Choices of Glorietta 4, World Chicken is located in a prime spot where the line is usually the longest. Banking on its famous grilled-to-tenderness chicken patties, the price you're gonna pay is definitely worth the money and worth the wait in line.

With it's budget meal costing Php135, you get to choose 2 different sidings to go along with the yummy chicken. My all time favorite: macaroni salad and spaghetti with olives.

With side servings so graciously huge in proportions, it's no wonder none of the BC girls (sans Idj) was able to finish their respective meals.

If you're at a loss of a place to eat, and so happened to come out of the moviehouse, World Chicken is a no-brainer pick. - Lean

This is my second visit to World Chicken at Food Choices, Glorietta 4. It's as good, if not better than my first try. This time I ordered the same budget meal (Php135 bucks!). For sidings, I had their uber yummy macaroni salad and their delicious mashed potato and gravy. For the chicken sauce, I chose their Ranch Barbeque (had Gravy the last time and it was also yummy).
The meal was gooooood. Tina remarked that she has never been able to finish an entire meal at World Chicken and knowing Tiny Tina's appetite, believe when I say that's an uncommon occurance. I just love their macaroni salad but I really should try out their other sidings. I always mean to but when I'm there at the counter, I end up getting the same thing. Why mess with a good thing right?
I highly recommend World Chicken to anyone out there reading this blog. Go and order your own budget meal now.
Side note: when ordering take out, be sure to check if they actually placed the chicken inside the takeout bag. Right Lea? ;)
-- Leigh

Big Buddha @ Greenbelt 3

2006-03-31T14:08:00.001+08:00

Big Buddha at Greenbelt 3, from the makers of Super Bowl. With the rest of the MB Clubbers stuck in a meeting, it was just Ganns, Tina and I for our brunch at Big Buddha.

We ordered the regular-sized Birthday Noodles and a Dimsum Combination Platter. The Birthday Noodles was delish! It didn't stinge on the seafood and meat thrown into the noodles. As far as I could tell, it had chicken, squid, shrimp and scallops (as well as carrots, pepper and the rest of the veggies). With the three of us sharing the serving, we didn't even finish everything. It was very filling.

The Dimsum Combination Platter consisted of 3 peices of siomai, 3 peices of fried wanton, 2 peices of hakaw, 4 peices of lumpia shanghai and 3 peices of another fried dimsum (cannot recall right now). That's a lot for only 220 bucks!

The platter and noodles was enough for the three of us. We were all full and satisfied with the meal. One bad thing to note about Big Buddha though was the very poor service. Although the crew was friendly, they were slow and at times forgetful. I had to ask 3 different people for a refill of my iced tea, same with Ganns. And the bill took 10 minutes to arrive and another 5 minutes for our change to get back to us. Considering it was lunch hour, I would have thought they'd want to get us out of our table quickly.

I'd definitely be back for the food but maybe not during peak hours.
-- Leigh

Bottomless Kropek! Yummy!

Half-eaten or according to Ganns, a ravaged order of
Big Buddha's Birthday Noodles

Big Buddha at Greenbelt 3 is one of my favorite restaurants in Makati. Big Buddha servings are very generous, ambience is quite good, and, of course, the flavors are very, very good. Leigh already mentioned the food we shared, so it doesn't make any sense to repeat what she said. What she didn't mention in her restaurant review for Big Buddha in Greenbelt 3 is that there's bottomless kropek! I love BIG BUDDHA!

I'm speechless... no words to describe it. I'LL ALWAYS LOVE BIG BUDDHA! This place are for ravenous creatures like me! =P -tina

Fuzion Greenbelt

2006-03-22T15:18:00.001+08:00

Fuzion Greenbelt, a famous fruit smoothie cafe slash restaurant in Makati, played host to Leigh, Lean and myself today. One of the more popular restaurants in Greenbelt, Fuzion Greenbelt is famous for its fabulous fruit smoothies, delightful selection of sandwiches and salads, and, most recently, an irresistible choice of alcoholic smoothies that has most of Makati begging for more! Truly a great place to eat in Greenbelt, and probably one of the best restaurants in Makati.

We love Fuzion Greenbelt's interiors! Splasheed in deliciously bright oranges and yellows, the chairs and tables of Fuzion Greenbelt are so uplifting and kitschy, you can't help but feel good in there. A section at the back allows you to Indian-sit or lie on the floor with red and orange pillows to prop you up beside translucent orange tables.

While at Fuzion Greenbelt, I ordered a South Peach Try-It, which is a real sugar rush of mango, peach, and lychee. Refreshing and delicious! Leigh, on the other hand, helped herself to a Show Me the Monkey, which is a mango-banana hybrid of KingKong proportions. Lean didn't get herself a smoothie from Fuzion Greenbelt, choosing to go with a donut from the GoNuts Donuts Greenbelt branch next door.

For me, better than Big Chill Greenbelt, which is ridiculously and mostly artificially sweet, and Fruit Magic, which tends to taste artificial and clumpy when the smoothie's no longer cold. Fuzion Greenbelt, a place to which I will always return, one of my favorite restaurants in Makati! Do try it out, two thumbs up.

Fuzion... as it tagline says. "no ice... no sugar.. pure fruit" is one healthy drink that I'm sure I'm going to keep looking for especially now since I'm battling the summer's heat. Plus the ambiance is really.... colorful... cozy... my kind of chillout place. :) Some pictures here guys.. ;) -tina

Pancake House @ Greenbelt 1

2006-03-18T12:10:00.001+08:00

Lunch yesterday brought the Makati Brunch Club to Pancake House in Greenbelt 1 in Makati, where Leigh, Lean, Ganns, our friend Noel and I had pancakes galore. Who said one cannot have pancakes for lunch? We did!

My ultimate favorite at the Pancake House is the Mix N Match Combo 3, which comprise a taco, spaghetti and iced tea. But this time, I let go of the spaghetti and ordered 2-piece banana walnut pancake.

The taco was as good as it always is and the pancakes looked superb. Two pancakes placed one on top of the other, 5 slices of banana arranged creatively on 'em, topped with a scoop of butter and walnuts mixture and syrup on the side. Yummy noh? Unfortunately for me, pancakes were a bit bland, but with help from the syrup, it tasted ok. I expect my brunchmates would find that hard to believe since I ate every single morsel on my plate. So what? I was hungry! =P

Service was good. The waiting staff were attentive to our requests, but it took them a while to serve our food. Ambience is a big improvement if you compare it to Pancake House's interiors prior to renovation. Movie posters still deck the walls, but it's no longer crowded.

Even with all the changes they've made, Pancake House will always be one of my favorites. Can't wait to go back and have my fave mix n match combo 3, the pan chicken, club sandwich, lasagna if they still have it, chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, and the list goes on and on and on... -- Idj

Pancake House is one of my ever so favorite places to eat. I love everything they have - from breakfast items, to FIlipino and American food, to their heavenly desserts.

Today, I had their Tuna Macaroni Salad and Chocolate Chip pancakes. Very satisfying!!!

Love it, love it, love it!

- Lean

A week of Heartlands: The Healthy Alternative

2006-03-17T14:11:00.001+08:00

Heartlands, the healthy food catering service using the recipes of Heny Sison, is going to be our featured food provider from Monday to Friday of next week.

According to their official website, "Heartlands Healthy Alternative Meals are made fresh everyday. Our Salad Greens are harvested fresh from our farm, Hydrent Farms, in Tagaytay and our new products are developed in the kitchens of Heny Sison."

Sounds good to us! So from Monday to Friday of next week, we're going to order the pre-packed meals of Heartlands Healthy Alternative Meals, which will be delivered to our office here in Makati City. You never know what healthy restaurant in Makati you can find, so we're going to have just a health food delivery in Makati service for the meantime.

Here's their menu for next week:

Monday
Breaded Chicken & Creamy Strawberry Dip – Just as you love chicken fingers and dip, this salad gives you the same satisfying sensation as we combine breaded chicken, croutons, and cashew nuts with a salad bed of lettuce and fresh corn kernels. We add our Creamy Strawberry Dressing to the mix just as Chicken Fingers go with wonderful dips!

Vegetarian Crock-pot – Seasoned and Diced Tomatoes in a medley of Chopped Onions, Mushrooms, Carrots, and Bell Pepper all in an Italian Herbed Red Sauce over Al' Dente Spaghetti Noodles.

Tuesday
Honey Hungarian – Hungarian Sausage Chunks and Chopped Onions over Mixed Lettuce Greens, freshened with Sliced Grapes & Cucumber, all topped with Grated Cheese and our NATURAL HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING.

Pasta Jambalaya – Stir Fried Chicken and Shrimp Bites in a sautee of mixed Garlic, Tomatoes, Onions, & Bell Pepper. All this, seasoned Jambalaya Style with cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano & paprika making a delicious red sauce to be tossed in Whole Penne Pasta.

Wednesday
The Naked Mexican Taco – Mexican Seasoned Beef and a salsa inspired topping of Chopped Tomatoes, Onions, and Cilantro, with Taco Chips and Cheddar Cheese grated over your Taco Lettuce Mix. A RANCH SALAD SAUCE dresses this taco without a shell!

Southwestern Pasta – Lean Bacon and Zucchini sautéed along with Peeled Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic and topped with Fresh Corn Kernels. All this in a Mexican Inspired Salsa Sauce tossed over Linguine Noodles.

Thursday
Kiwi Shrimp and Kani Salad - Shrimp and kani with mango cubes for taste and texture topped with chopped almonds, all dressed with a refreshing Kiwi Vinaigrette.

Shrimp Spaghettini Sesame – Shrimp, Mushrooms, & Asparagus in a Sweet Chutney & Sesame Oil Sauce sautéed with Onions & Garlic tossed over Spaghettini Noodles all drizzled in Sesame Seeds.

Friday
Creamy Avocado & Peach Platte – Topped in Sliced Peaches, Carrots, and Jicama Strips, this fresh and fruity salad derives its base flavor from our Unique Creamy Avocado Dressing. We throw in an assortment of Chopped Nuts for the crunch over a Fresh and Crisp Lettuce Bed for another trendy fruit-based salad.

Pasta A'la Paolo – A Vegetarian's concoction of Mushrooms, Red and Green Capsicums simmered in a Light Italian Cream Sauce and served with Italian Spaghetti Noodles. Astoundingly satisfying for a dish with absolutely no meat!

Sounds good, eh? Find out what we think of Heartlands Healthy Alternatives Meals!

Kitchen Greenbelt

2006-03-14T16:20:00.001+08:00

Kitchen Greenbelt hosted today's brunch for Makati Brunch Club's Leigh, Lean, and Ganns, and this restaurant in Makati lived up to its expectations, serving up a memorable and tasty meal to match its interesting ambience. I wonder if it is owned by the same people who own and operate the Makati restaurant Mangan in Glorietta; the design of the menus remind me of Mangan.

The menu of Kitchen Greenbelt was truly ingenious, with unique, witty names to go with the left-of-center combinations. I ordered the Jack of All Trades, which looked appealing: fried catfish served on pandan rice with nangka (jackfruit) in coconut milk. This Kitchen creation is one of the most creative dishes I've had in a while - truly delicious. The rough, crispy texture of the catfish was the perfect contrast to the smooth, creamy nangka; when you pop a spoonful into your mouth, it's a medley of flavors and textures that is simply delightful. For P110, a steal! The ambience of Kitchen Greenbelt is also a conversation piece in itself. Oversize plates, forks, and spoons complement the otherwise stark surroundings. A large display shelf at Greenbelt's Kitchen restaurant featured Asian pottery, and the heavy wooden furniture provided an interesting counterplay to the light, breeze feel of the high ceilings. It was unique and refreshing. In fairness, this Makati restaurant has its flaws. Service at Kitchen Greenbelt was a wee bit slower than usual, and the mint water had no essence of mint to it (maybe they dropped the sprigs of mint into the bottle when the water was cold - better chance of getting the minty flavor and essence to steep if they dropped it in hot water). Seats were uncomfortably hard, but other than these, my Kitchen Greenbelt experience was a pleasant and memorable one. I will be returning soon to this restaurant in Greenbelt very soon, as it is one Makati restaurant that deserves my business. -- Ganns This was my first visit to Kitchen Greenbelt. I've heard of them but because of mixed reviews, it was never a place where I just "had to" go.

Kitchen Greenbelt's interiors was nice, different but they might need an update soon. Their furnishings were starting to get worn. Their menu really needs sprucing up (unless that was the look they were going for).

Now for the food, I ordered Breaded Mahi-mahi with Fettucine in Alfredo Sauce. The fish was really good. Its breading was not too overpowering and thick unlike some other places. It blended well with the fish. The Alfredo sauce was also one of the best I have tasted. Perfect! The only downside for this particular dish was the overcooked pasta. Other than that, I was happy.

Kitchen Greenbelt will definitely be a place I will visit again.
-- Leigh
Whenever I eat at Kitchen, whether it be at Greenbelt or Galleria, it always brings back fun memories with friends. Probably because I always dine with friends there and later on drink the night away.

It's also a good date place, reminiscent of the date nights I had there with my boyfriend (I miss him!).

For that day, I had their Salmon ala Bistek Tagalog. I've always been fond of Kitchen's cuisine. Very exotic looking yet homestyle cooking at its finest. It also does not hurt that the ambience is absolutely wonderful. Huge plates, huge spoons and forks....classic :)

The food was very good. And if you are in a budget, you may opt to diss ordering drinks since they serve their water in minted bottles. Very chic and unique.

Kitchen definitely has a special place in my heart (and tummy!)

- Lean

Sinangag Express @ Makati Cinema Square

2006-03-10T14:55:00.001+08:00

Sinangag Express was not the first choice for our brunch trip that day. Lean and I had headed off to Makati Cinema Square or MCS, as it is also known, ahead of Ganns and Tina. We had planned to eat at Lotus (Lot-Us as Ganns calls it). As we were crossing the street to Makati Cinema Square, we saw their red and yellow sign for Sinangag Express and I "squealed" to Lean "Ooooh... Sinangag!" to which she then said "Let's eat there instead!".

So it was goodbye Lot-Us, hello Sinangag Express! We didn't know where it was located in Makati Cinema Square, for all we know, it was on the other side of the building in some seedy corner. We asked the guard at the door where it was... "Sa kaliwa tapos sa Jollibee kumanan kayo". So off we went, we turned right after Jollibee and we walked looking around for Sinangag Express. Nothing! Until we reached an exit (and this time, I was thinking to myself.. uh-oh it's outside!). Good thing that it was just right outside the door in some sort of mini-wing of Makati Cinema Square.

I ordered the Tocino Meal and a large iced tea all for 80+ pesos! Not bad at all. If I weren't that hungry, I could have ordered their Tocilog for 39 pesos. I asked what the difference was between Tocino Meal and Tocilog. Apparently, the Tocino Meal had more tocino and me being an ulam person, Tocino Meal it is!

I enjoyed the meal. Although I personally like Cebu's version of Sinangag Express better (Cebu's is not the original but I like it) 80 pesos for a cup of garlic rice, tocino, fried egg and iced tea is well worth it.

Verdict? I will return!
-- Leigh

Sinangag Express is one "resto" close to my heart (agen!) My boyfriend actually introduced me to this place. We'd go to their Paranaque branch, inside BF and eat outside the patio.

I've always been a fan of breakfast food. Breakfast items appeal to me the most, specially Filipino ones like the "silog" family.

Just as Leigh has narrated, our trip (just the two of us unfortunately) to Sinangag Express wasn't the original plan. It was a blessing in disguise that we came across their sign/billboard. That day, I had their Longsilog meal for Php39!! Imagine eating a satisfying lunch and paying less than Php50 for it! It was really very yummy!!! And to partner it with is their ever so tasty iced tea (which I've just tried for the first time), mango flavor! I ended up buying packs of that Lipton Mango Iced Tea. A must-try, really.

- Lean

Piadina @ Greenbelt 1

2006-03-08T00:43:00.001+08:00

The Piadina exterior.

This afternoon, The Makati Brunch Club had lunch at Piadina in Greenbelt 1, which specializes in pasta and piadina - a flatbread variety that originated in one of Italy's provinces. I'm crazy about Italian food, but sad to say, this restaurant in Makati didn't quite meet my expectations.

The Piadina Pasta Ria: pasta without any kind of kick.

I ordered Pasta Ria - spaghetti with tomato sauce, smoked cheese and meat, served with piadina on the side. I liked the bread, but I didn't like my pasta. It was a bit bland for my taste, and I had to add lots of parmesan cheese and some sort of chili and garlic oil to taste.

The Piadina Placemat: Colorful and Classy.

On the plus side, service at Piadina Greenbelt was fast. But that's all I've got to say about it. I think my friends would have better reviews to post as it seemed they enjoyed whatever they had.

The garlic-infused chili oil was absolutely delightful.

Btw, thanks Eric for joining us this afternoon at Piadina Greenbelt. It was nice to meet you. :-) -- Idj

It was my first time at Piadina. I never tried the place primarily because nothing seems to appeal to my appetite. Alhtough, of course, with the Brunch Club, there should always be a first.

I had one of their set meals, which include a piadina of choice and fresh salad. It was delicious, although if asked to choose, I'd probably choose elsewhere to eat. Anyway, for my piadina, I chose tomatoes and mozarella. Quite nice since the combination is lethally addictive.

The salad is also very good, given the balsamic dressing that complements it.

Topping it all of as part of the set meal is their panna cotta. Love-ly!

All in all, a so-so lunch experience.

- Lean

Piadina Greenbelt is one of the restaurants in Makati that Cathy (my wife) and I enjoy going to, for a variety of reasons. It's good Italian food - reasonably priced at P135 for the meal I ordered, already with iced tea! - and Cathy likes the chili garlic oil. Mmm.

The Meal of the Day: Puttanesca with fried mozzarella and a mushroom piadina.

I ordered a meal of the day, which was a puttanesca (no choice) with fried mozarella and mushroom piadina (my choice). It was delightful, if but a little bland, which was strange, because their pastas are normally so flavorful. I like the openness of Piadina - it allows for the diner to enjoy the sight of people walking by - and service was reasonably fast, although for the second time in a row (the first being at Oody's), my order was last to arrive.

Panacotta with chocolate sauce. Oh dear Lord, our thighs...

Here's a tip, though: if you want a Piadina calzone, go the Piadina at the Glorietta foodcourt. They serve calzone at the same size for a fraction of the price. WEIRD. Would I return? In a heartbeat. For all its idiosyncracies, Piadina Greenbelt is one of the more affordable true Italian diners in Makati, and I enjoy my Italian food.

Garden salad with tomato piadina.

Leigh's date set her heart on fire.

GUEST BLOG: Eric

I intentionally arrived at Piadina at Greenbelt 1 five minutes earlier than our meeting time so that I could make a quick scan of the menu and absorb whatever mood and ambience the place had to offer. One can tell that the place served Italian because of the various kitschy icons of Italia that were either hung or drawn on the walls. What says Italy more than a framed picture of a Ferrari, eh?

Ok, so it isn't as visually attractive as I would have wanted it but we were there for the food. All those tempting pasta choices and various Italian delights offered on the menu were enough to make me forget the surroundings. Given this pleasant development, I was ready to give this place a second chance.

Or, so I thought.

The term "anemic" came to mind when I saw the dishes being served. I've avtually seen more red on the cheeks of a blushing snowman than on any of what we ordered (see pics above). The taste of the meat sauce in my Pasta Ria lacked something. Sure, there was a spicy sting to it but it just wasn't enough. I like it when the flavor of any food doesn't start and end in my mouth. It would be great if it would excite at least a couple of more senses.
The plus side? Service was quick and the servers were pleasant. The meals arrived at an average of ten minutes from the time we ordered. The price was ok, not fair, but just ok.

I have always believed one half of a good meal is the food itself and the other half is the company you have with it. I guess the latter was this occasion's most redeeming factor. Thanks for letting me join you guys and I hope to brunch with you again soon!

Oody's Greenbelt

2006-03-06T08:49:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday, the Makati Brunch Club visited the delightful Oody's restaurant in Makati on the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 3. This time around, Idjea, Tina, Leigh, and I were accompanied by a second guest, fellow officemate and Thai food lover Michael Reyes.

This is what I order most of the time... their exquisite bagoong rice! -tina

Oody's, to the uninitiated, is a welcoming Thai fusion restaurant in Makati City, known for a variety of dishes, including a flavorful pad thai, the exotic pandan iced tea, and the show-stopping tom yum goong, 2nd best in all of restaurants in Manila (the best tom yum goong, FYI, is available at Muang Thai, a tiny little Thai restaurant along Banawe Street in Quezon City - the spicy broth will warm your heart and melt your stomach).
I also like the interiors of Oody's, although, admittedly, the table at which we sat left much to be desired, for the height of its chairs made it difficult to climb aboard. Oody's is beautiful in its simplicity - solid blacks and whites, with bold colors in red and green coming from the chilis and other spices, something other restaurants in Makati cannot boast of much.
I ordered an Oody's pork noodle dish with gravy and fried egg. It was sweet, sticky, and delightful! A wee bit too spicy for my taste, but then again, Thai food is expectedly spicy, so I was to expect that from the Makati restaurant that is Oody's.
Service at Oody's was slow but friendly, and Oody's prices were a little too high for what I ate. Considering the fun of the meal, though, I would return. - Ganns

Goody! Oodys! We headed out to Greenbelt 3 not knowing where we wanted to eat. After checking out prices and disregarding a few because of the budget, we settled on Oodys!

My favorite thai iced tea!!! -tina

The interiors and overall ambience of the place was good. Not loud to have to shout during conversations and not too quiet either to feel like you're sneaking food into a place where you're not supposed to. The high chairs were actually pretty cool (not recommended for the vertically-challenged), just be careful not to move around so much unless you want to be flat on your newly aching back.
It took us quite a while to decide on what to order (except for Ganns who ordered his favorite). None of us wanted to be disappointed so we kept changing our minds and telling our very cooperative and friendly waitress to cancel that order and take this order instead. She was a good sport. I settled on a typical Thai dish -- Pad Thai, extra spicy. The food was good... not bad but not the best Pad Thai either. It wasn't that spicy either. Good thing they had chili flakes on demand to satisfy my spicy cravings.
As the lunch crowd poured in, the wait staff were becoming overwhelmed. The customer-waiter ratio was lacking. We had to wait several minutes for our canned sodas (additional order) to arrive which we could very well see sitting on the bar waiting for a wait staffer to pick them up. But still, the waiters there were very accomodating.

My decision? I'd go there again to try out the rest of their offerings particulary those "weird" fried spaghetti with gravy dishes.
-- Leigh
I've only been to Oody's once and the only time I was there, it wasn't a good experience for me. I ordered Pad Thai, and didn't find it exceptionally good, despite a friend's glowing commendation.
This was probably the reason why it took me forever to order -- I wanted my experience to be better than the last. To be on the safe side, I ordered Bagoong Rice, but then I thought, what's the point of ordering the same food I always have whenever I go to a Thai restaurant? So after 5 minutes deliberation (with myself), I decided to try something else -- Stir-fried noodles small something something Singaporean style -- I couldn't remember the exact name... but the food was great!!! I'll definitely have that again when I next visit Oody's.
Service was also very good and the waitress assigned to our table was very accommodating. She waited patiently, pen poised on paper, while we we discussed among ourselves what to order, what dish is better; occasionally turning to her for help on certain menu items. But she answered all our questions and noted down special requests such as to make the food extra spicy or otherwise. When the food was served, we were delighted to know that our requests were granted -- well mine, at least. I asked her to make my noodle dish less spicey, and it was. So, plus points for that!
I thought at first the Pad Thai I had then would prevent me from coming back to Oody's ever again. Turns out it's just one dish. Good thing the Makati Brunch Club decided to eat at Oody's that day, otherwise, I wouldn't have changed my mind about the resto -- I would definitely eat at Oody's again! -- Idj

Invitation to join

2006-03-02T11:14:00.000+08:00

If any of you out there would like to be guests of the Makati Brunch Club and join us for a great lunch in any of the restaurants in Makati, please email either Tina or me. We'll let you know where we'll be going Tuesdays and Thursdays. Come along for fun, food, feisty females and a good-looking guy (that'd be me).

Oh, one more thing: meals are Dutch treats. Budget is P120 thereabouts. :)

KFC @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-28T13:41:00.001+08:00

It's finger lickin' good!

After a few days hiatus for the brunch club, off we went to Kentucky's Fried Chicken at Greenbelt 1, Makati.

We shared a bucket meal that consisted of 8 peices of chicken (mixed: original and hot and crispy), 4 sidings (3 coleslaw and 1 mashed potato), 4 rice packets and 4 regular sodas.

I had 2 peices of hot and crispy chicken, a leg and a wing. The hot and crispy chicken peices were small (a leg and 3 wings) compared to the original recipe (3 breasts and a leg). Mashed potato is always good. I consider it one of the best mashed potato in the Philippines and with the bottomless gravy, it was the absolute best!

The only bad point against this dining experience? The girl behind the counter. She took down our order wrong, twice! We told her "2 mashed potatoes and 2 coleslaw", then she repeats "2 coleslaw, 1 mashed potato and 1 macaroni". And again, we told her "1 Pepsi, 1 Mirinda and 2 Mountain Dew" she then goes "1 Mountain Dew, 2 Mirindas and 1 Pepsi"... DUH!

Anyway, that didn't stop us from enjoying the yummy chicken.
-- Leigh

When God created chicken, seems like Good Ol' Kentucky Colonel was right there to catch them all! KFC is like home. Comfort food abound.

I never get tired of their timeless Original Recipe chicken, juicy and sumptuous chicken meat in every bite. Their gravy is incomparable to none. It's simple divine.

Today, we had a bucket load of chicken. Not really a fan of spicy food, I had the original recipe with a matching fix-in of coleslaw. Their coleslaw is an old favorite of mine as well. Their version has a crunch to it, unlike some of the soggy ones out there.

KFC is Fried Chicken at its finest. - Lean

Binalot @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-23T12:53:00.001+08:00

With only three club members today, we decided today to eat at Binalot, a third-round pick after vetoing Big Buddha for distance and cost and David's Tea House for no apparent reason. At least for Leigh and me, we would soon find this decision an appalling mistake.

Binalot Greenbelt specializes in traditional Filipino foods wrapped in banana leaves, which does provide for an appetizing aroma and unique presentation. I ordered myself a sisig, which you can see directly below. Can you see it? No? Well, that's gripe #1. The servings were quite small. The sisig let me down, being both dull and flavorless, needing salted eggs, fried eggs, and other condiments to give it some semblance of taste. Yech.

There are little pros for this Binalot, despite its long line testifying to its popularity. The restaurant is cramped, and tables are ridiculously small, given that we have to open our meals wide (they are, after all, wrapped in banana plant leaves). Their service was reasonably fast, but the meals were unmemorable.

Ultimately, I don't see myself returning to Binalot Greenbelt, even for takeout. Why suffer through the indignance of bad food and ambience for Filipino food? There's Rodick's, Tapa King, and a slew of other restaurants that can give me equally good food, with space to stretch my legs and enjoy my eating time with friends. - Ganns

I love almusal food. Anything "silog" appeals to my appetite. So today, we opted to eat at Binalot. This teeny tiny place located at the back of Greenbelt 1, which serves anything from "silog" faves to more contemporary stuff like their Sisig na Makisig.

The downside. Portions are not consistent, so I ended up finishing my meal before I knew it. To match the teeny, tiny place are their even teenier, tinier tables. If you are out on a lunch date with your boyfriend, your food ends up overlapping with each other's paper binalot.

Their sago gulaman is quite okay. So-so. Nothing fancy either like those of Via Mare's.

In totality, a so-so lunch experience. - Lean
Let's start with the good things, service was fast. Okay, that it.

By far this is the least satisfying meal I have ever had since the beginning of the MBC. This was also a first for me at Binalot but from seeing the long lines at its Greenbelt branch every lunch time, I thought the food would be good.
It was a big disappointment. For one, the cashier didn't take down my order of iced tea so I had to line up twice. Then she got my order all wrong. Instead of exchanging my plain rice for Tapa Rice, she punched in an extra order of Tapa Rice. So I had left over plain rice from the meal. That's my "combo" meal at the right. I ate the Tapa Rice and transferred by Bongga Longganiza (it wasn't so bongga), salted egg and tomato there.

Lean's right, the tables were way too small for the huge Binalot paper AND banana leaves. We had trouble arranging our stuff (which consisted of 2 wallets and a camera -- no bags!) to be able to eat comfortably.

Overall, the speed of getting our orders were good (probably coz all they had to do was assemble the "binalot", everything else was pre-cooked), the food was so-so, the place was bad. I'd probably try Binalot again just to try out the other items on the menu. But, only for take-out!
-- Leigh

Shakeys @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-22T14:11:00.001+08:00

Shakey's...Shakey's...Shakey's

Oh how I love your potato mojos, creamy corn soup, chicken and pasta.

For today, I had all of the above! :) Takaw me...

Shakey's has been a favorite diner for me ever since my college days. I remember the times when me and my friends would just let the time pass by there, bottomless mugs of iced tea at hand, waiting for our next class. Of course, this was a different outlet altogether.

What can I say. I simply love it until today. - Lean
Shakey's will always be a memorable place for The Brunch Club because it is where the idea was first discussed and acted upon. Over the pizza and pasta we listed down all the restos in the area where we'd like to eat (and review as it turns out!).

Anyway like then, I ordered thin-crust Pepperoni Crunch. Yummy as always. Just love the potato strings on top of the pizza which gives it the extra crunch. My gripe about it? It's smallest size (for all thin-crust pizzas!) is the regular which is way too much for one person. So everytime we go to Shakey's and I order it, we always have enough left over for snacks that day, which I admit is still a good thing.

Oh, and their mojo's are THE BEST!
-- Leigh

Okay, for the record, I love Shakey's. I remember when I was a little boy, my father would take my brother, my mother and I out to Shakey's Greenbelt, back when it used to be on the corner of Makati Avenue and Greenbelt Drive, with Pizza Hut opposite it, and the Landmark across the street. Those days, of course, are well gone, and now there aren't that many Shakey's around, even among restaurants in Makati. It's a man's restaurant, really, if you think about it: pizza, chicken, and beer? Mojo potatoes and shrimp? Come on, bring on the beer bellies.

This brings us now to Shakey's Greenbelt. I love Shakey's, and this Shakey's restuarant in Makati does not disappoint. Don't expect healthy food too much, because this place is synonymous with grease and salt. I had the Shakey's Bunch of Lunch, which was a spaghetti, a chicken piece (in this case, a leg), two mojos, a slice of pizza, and garlic bread, all in for the handy price of P101. Good value, yep. The chicken was, as always, delicious, the pizza crust soft and flavorful, the mojos heartbreakingly bitin. I was not satisfied - I wanted more, but since my pocket couldn't handle much more, that was all I could have. Ambience-wise, the place is relatively inviting, with good lighting and memorabilia of Shakey's heritage all around. The service left much to be desired, insofar as getting refills of iced tea was concerned for Leigh, and they got our bill wrong - TWICE. Other than that, I'm pleased and punch with Shakey's Greenbelt and it will always be one of my favorite restaurants in Makati. - Ganns
When I was younger, Shakey's seem to be the only place to go when people crave for pizza. In my grade school days, whenever my family craves for pizza at 12 midnight, we would hop into our car and go to Shakey's in Greenhills, although there's one nearer to where we live. And then we stopped...I guess because we grew up and preferred to spend late nights with friends instead.
These days, my brunch buddies and I would go to Shakey's in Greenbelt when we can't think of any other place to eat. Obviously a favorite among The Makati Brunch Club members! More so now as this is the place where The Makati Brunch Club was conceptualized.

This time, I ordered Chicken 'n Pasta, which is fast becoming a favorite -- its cheap and it has spaghetti and fried chicken! :-) Although I think it would be better if the spaghetti has some meatballs. I wonder if they can make smaller meatballs to go with combo meals... I wanted to order 1 but it would cost me an additional P49, which I think is a bit expensive. So I had to pass on that. :-(
So there... our Shakey's experience... btw thanks to Lean for the mojos! Super lov 'em with caesar dressing! Yummy!!! -- Idj

Max's @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-21T12:48:00.001+08:00

The House That Fried Chicken Built or commonly known as Max's was our next stop for this week. I ordered their Budget Chicken Meal which comprised of a quarter of a chicken, rice, macaroni salad, caramel bar and iced tea (or soda). I also ordered my favorite, Fried Lumpiang Ubod which was supposedly my appetizer but with such fast service, they arrived seconds after each other.

The lumpiang ubod was yummy as always. The chicken was good but since I got the white meat part, it was dry. The extra's were very good - the macaroni salad and the caramel bar (it was a little small that it should have been called a caramel bite).

The place was clean, the service was fast, food was okay. Overall, it was a good and filling lunch.

-- Leigh
As Papa Piolo said, "Sarap to the bones!"

And indeed it was. At your right is actually my plate. Same as Leigh, I ordered their Budget Chicken Meal. I requested for the leg part since I also hate white meat. I know, I know, it's healthier. But because it's the healthier choice, it's also the blander one :)

Anyhow, I love chicken. I adore everything chicken. Fried, adobo etc. So naturally, when Max's was picked, it was a no-brainer for me not to veto it.

Their sidings aren't bad too. The macaroni salad is cutely presented and is yummy as well. Too bad the caramel bar is tiny.

Wait for us Papa Piolo...soon we will back! - Lean
My first time to post a review! Yey!
Anyways, like my brunch buddies, I also ordered budget chicken meal. I'm not adventurous enough to try other items on their menu, only to find out later on that I didn't like what I ordered. So to be on the safe side, "I'll have the same please." With 1/4 chix, a cup of plain rice, super tasty macaroni salad, tiny caramel bar & a drink of your choice, paying P135 for the set is not bad! Add to that the great service rendered by the staff -- I'd say it was great value for money!

And now I have to sleep... can't wait for tomorrow's brunch adventure! - Idj

Delifrance @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-20T17:01:00.001+08:00

Delifrance is one of the staple food during meetings at my previous work. Having lunch there is reminiscent of long hours doing ad copies and endless revisions of newsletters and print ads.

On our lunch there, I had their Baked Pasta. Always a top choice for me, partnered with their cool and refreshing Orange Juice. Their food, whether pasta or sandwiches, are great for lunches or heavy snacks.

This particular outlet, though, is old and has that musty smell to it. Much like going in an antique shop rather than a deli store. Their interior is quite nice, much like a country house and they have a waterfalls wall outside.
All in all, if you have that Italian craving, Delifrance is a runner-up. - Lean

I like Delifrance's food. My two favorites: Chicken Mushroom Linguine (which I ordered for lunch this time) and their Supreme Cheese Roll.
For their Chicken Mushroom Linguine, I love the taste and the portion, not too big and not too small - just perfect for my appetite. Their Supreme Cheese Roll is quite good. Very cheesy, hence the "supreme" in the name. Whenever my sister-in-law and I were out shopping, Delifrance's Supreme Cheese Roll was always a good choice for mid-shopping snacks. Their orange juice is also good. Don't know if it's freshly squeezed orange juice but it sure does taste like it.

The bad thing about this trip to Delifrance? The place itself. The Greenbelt 1 Branch is very old. Looks old, smells old.. it's old. Lean's right, it has this really musty smell that just irritates your nose when you walk in to their place. It smells like my grandmother's old closet. The place was also very rundown -- torn seat covers, broken wood panellings, dripping aircons and wobbly sticky marble-top tables.

Thumbs up for the food and quick service but thumbs down (way down) for the interiors and ambience.
-- Leigh

Delifrance is one of my favorite restaurants, but the Delifrance in Greenbelt 1 leaves much to be desired. As the girls already mentioned earlier, the place is decrepit. There were ants crawling alongside the bar and in the utensils area (not even black ants, but red ones!). The seats were ratty and worn, and don't even get me started on the feel and texture of the tables. Terribly disappointing ambience for the food.

The food, however, is still topnotch. I ordered a similar dish to Lean's: baked pasta that was both flavorful and hot. The garlic bread could have been a wee bit softer; there is such a thing as too crunchy.

Will I go back? Most probably, but it won't be on a regular basis. With Piadina a few steps away, I know there's access to quality pastas without sacrificing the eating experience. - Ganns

Oliver's Super Sandwiches [Glorietta]

2006-02-17T15:08:00.001+08:00

Situated on the second floor of Glorietta, Oliver's Sandwiches competes well among the other restaurants besides it because of its nutritional quality, appetite appeal, presentation, ambiance which reflects the freshness and natural ingredients they used. They have a wide assortment of gourmet, deluxe & grilled sandwiches, gourmet salad, baked potatoes, pasta, fruits and cakes! :) It's quite small and it gives the impression of a quick serving for people on the go. For health buffs, they have an array of salad.. They usually substitute cream with cream cheese instead. Yummy. Their multi-grain sandwiches are really heavy. That's why we left the edges. My smoked bacon, lettuce and tomato choice of sandwich soothed my craving for their carrot cake! Other words, heavy. Enough to keep me going the whole day! <---- Tina---->

I love bread. Except wheat bread. Actually tastes like sand to me sometimes because of all the grains it has.
Oliver's though is an exception. Ever a fanatic of egg salads, their Egg Mayo always tops my choice. Well, all their Mayo in fact. Today, I had Chicken Mayo with cheese. Both healthy and unhealthy at the same time. Mayonaise, cheese and then veggies and wheat bread.

Nothing beats the price of these type of sandwiches as well. - Lean
I've always liked Oliver's. The fact that their sandwiches and pastas are significantly less pop-oriented than Subway's is always a plus, even if there are no chips or cookies that go with a typical Oliver's sandwich.
That said, I ordered a High Protein sub, which is a roast beef sandwich with vegetables and cheese. High protein and high fat, but relatively low-carb, save for the bread of the sub itself. The wait was long (eight minutes), but the sandwich was worth it. Delicious and filling.
The ambience is very inviting, very chichi. My only gripe? You can't bring cameras into the store. Grrrr. How are we supposed to show off their amazing sandwiches if we can't shoot them, huh?
Will I go back? Certainly, and with the wide menu, I can be sure I'll return for seconds, thirds, maybe more. - Ganns
I love sandwiches! I personally prefer bread over rice anytime. This time I ordered Country Style Ham with Cheese on Wheat. I had asked them to hold a little of the lettuce but it seemed that they forgot about my request -- probably because the place was packed. But that didn't stop me from enjoying my sandwich. What I love about Oliver's is the quality and quantity of the sandwich. For the price it sells, they don't stinge on the ingredients. There were several slice of ham, huge slice of cheese and they used those "premium" tomatoes. Those big, juicy ruby-red tomatoes that you'd just love to bite into like an apple. Yum!

The sandwich was perfect. My drink, Nestea Iced Tea, was pricey (Php 38) and they only had one selection of bottled water and unlucky me it was my second hatest brand of bottled drinks -- Nestle Pure Life. (The worst bottled drink I have ever tasted was aptly called Pocari Sweat -- yes, SWEAT!).
-- Leigh

Chubby China @ Greenbelt 1

2006-02-17T08:26:00.001+08:00

Next stop, Chubby China - always a safe choice when in need for yummy food with fast service. This time I ordered Taosi Spareribs (their Chicken Curry is also a good choice). I assume this is a best seller because the combination of a hefty serving of good tasting food with a reasonable price (Php 79!) is unbeatable. The taosi spareribs was yummy and for the rice-lovers out there, it was served with a lot of rice. However, the balance between viand and rice was not bad. You will have enough of the Taosi Spareribs to go with the rice.

The only bad point (for me at least) was the fact that their bottomless iced tea was pricey (Php 55).
-- Leigh

Chubby China's beef brisket noodles were the perfect answer to the otherwise bad mood I was in. I thoroughly enjoyed the heat of the noodles, with enough flavorful vegetables and heapings of delightful beef chunks. Very, very, very good. The place itself is relatively cramped, and the small size of Chubby China didn't help make the dining experience any easier. The free wanton chips made it a little better, and the service was moderately good (Leigh had only one refill, and we never got our receipt after having paid. - Ganns

Taosi spareribs....dimsum.....Chinese food is always comfort food. Chubby China is always a dependable choice for us. Food is cheap. Quality is good. Serving is not bad. Ambiance is cool too.

Looking forward to more..... - Lean

Recipes Greenbelt by Cafe Metro

2006-02-15T19:07:00.001+08:00

"Recipes by Cafe Metro provided a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of otherwise frantic Makati City lunchtime. Despite its sandwiched location in the heart of the 2nd floor strip of Greenbelt 3 restaurants, its relatively austere interiors and stone walls provide a change from the sensory overload of its more celebrated neighbors.

This was the first time the Makati Brunch Club ate as a complete group (Lean, Leigh, Tina, Idjea, and myself). Lean led the ordering of three entrees that we shared: gising-gising, which is a lightly spiced vegetable melange in coconut milk; deliciously crisp deepfried milkfish, and general chicken, which is sweet and sour chicken with eggplant. The unique flavors mixed well together, and it was a memorable selection.

I feel the only negative side, unfortunately, was pricing: we spent around P180 each, and the portions we got simply weren't worth the P180, which could fetch a completely filling meal at other Greenbelt restaurants. Will I return? Certainly, but with portion sizes as they are, sharing seems an illogical choice." - Ganns

Recipes by Cafe Metro is one restaurant close to my heart. Not only am I a "suki", but I also ended up bringing friends and family there for the first time. Kind of a hostess, as you may say.
Their gising-gising, a take on Bicol Express, is simply to die for. A must-have on every visit. I can never seem to get enough of it. Every bite is like tasting it for the first time.

It's partner in crime is the Crispy Tilapia. Homestyle cooking, comfort at its best. Who would have thought that this ever reliable fish can take a different form...hehe - Lean

Flamers Greenbelt

2006-02-14T14:48:00.001+08:00

Second stop...Flamers...
Choosing from a wide array of American food - from cajun chicken fingers to "flaming" burgers - one has to really make the right choice.

I've chosen the Cajun Chicken Fingers. First and foremost, I'm a perpetual chicken fanatic, so I did like their version. Secondly, the fries aren't bad. I actually love their fries, with a sprinkling of what I'm assuming is some kind of a cajun pepper. Thirdly and probably what I despised amongst everything, is their supposedly "coleslaw" has a really weird taste to it. I don't think vinegar "dressing" should be considered coleslaw.

All in all, it is still a recommendable place to eat (on my end, that is). Prices aren't particulary high and the feel of eating at an outdoor patio makes it all worthwhile. - Lean
"Flamers is one of those restaurants where the quality can be really good - and really bad. It's the inconsistency of this otherwise enjoyable restaurant in the Greenbelt area that serves as its major flaw, and one of the reasons why dining there regularly is not on any of our menus.

"The Chicken Fingers we ordered were adequate, flavorful and fresh, and the French fries were delicious, but cabbage in vinegar does not qualify as coleslaw, and the buttered vegetables were woefully inadequate.

"Overall, a passable experience, but I don't see myself returning to Flamers unless other restaurants at which I wish to dine are full. Chances of that during lunch hour are good, so Flamers can thank its lucky stars for that. - Ganns

Café Bola Greenbelt

2006-02-14T10:26:00.001+08:00

Cafe Bola was a great start to the Brunch Club. My favorite thing about the place itself was the fact that it was spacious. Tables were set far apart enough for you to not smell the orders from the other table or feel like an eavesdropper because you can hear what the other table was talking about.

Now for the food. My order: Beef Bola on Rice with Spicy Green Curry. Now this, I admit, would be a tricky review. For one, I absolutely love curry and I know what good curry (for me at least) should taste like. Second, I love spicy dishes and it takes a lot for me to consider something spicy since I have a high tolerance for it. What for some people think as spicy would for me, be bland. Considering I had my two favorite "flavors" in my dish, standards were way up high.

The food was good but although I hate to admit this, I was disappointed. Spicy was not spicy at all. I had to resort to adding Tabasco sauce (plus points though for having it available) in my dish. The curry? Well, curry is not curry if it isn't spicy. It was Filipino-ized. Also, with the dish being a rice topping, it lacked enough sauce to please me. BUT! they gave me extra sauce with no extra charge. Another point in their favor.

Overall, it was good comfort food. Not great but something you'd want to have when you're looking for eats that's not too complicated, something that your mom would have cooked for you."
-- Leigh
"I enjoyed my Café Bola experience. I ordered their specialty, adobo flakes on rice with kesong puti, which is shredded pork pre-marinated in vinegar and soy sauce, fried and served with soft goat cheese on a bed of red rice. Extremely flavorful and delightfully Filipino.
The ambience of Café Bola was also quite appealing. Bright oranges in circles, with screen grabs from classic Filipino films." - Ganns Cafe Bola....one the first restaurants I've eaten as an employed human being. Best choice for me is their Adobo Shreds with Kesong Puti. Cheese melts in your mouth. Although a bit pricey, it's one of those places you plan your Friday night around for. The place is really spacious, ideal for long chitchats.

We did not try their desserts (since we have a budget) but nonetheless, their Banana Caramel pudding bread is to die for. - Lean

This is the Makati Brunch Club!

2006-02-14T10:22:00.001+08:00

Hello! My name is Ganns, and on behalf of the ladies and gentlemen of the Makati Brunch Club, we'd like to welcome you to our blog!

The Makati Brunch Club is a gathering of friends based in Makati who meet to eat at restaurants in and around the Makati City area in beautiful Makati City, Philippines!

On this blog, you will be able to read our reviews of each restaurant experience. While this blog exists primarily for our fun to chronicle our foodie adventures, if it will help you make a better decision on where to eat, well, good for you!

Eat on!