They did it again!!! OPAH!!!!

My dearest readers and viewers from where ever you are from.. these past few days I've been very happy with the outcome of my food adventures.

"patawad mga kaibigan kung hindi kaagad ako nakapag blog.." hehehe

Lately I've been given an opportunity to visit some of the hippest and coolest resto there is in Manila, which is very kind of them. I will be visiting your stores soon.

The thing about blogging is…. BEING YOURSELF! Doesn’t matter whether it is bad or good! As long as you write what is in your head going to the vein of your hands. You just need to write or in this case type everything that your mind dictates. I will be honest in all my blogs and I will make sure that people will learn from my blog.

As most of you know I stopped working for call center due to personal and very sensitive matter plus the fact that I miss eating and adventuring on the newest resto and their specialties.. So as a hobby, with a big appetite and being the “masyadong gala” that I am, I eat then blog!

 My mom, My sister (Saly) and My brother (Rj)

Me (a Papa's Girl) and My Dad

October 15, 2011, my mom was too lazy to cook lunch she just decided to go to Robinsons Midtown which is the only Mall that is near to my apartment and eat there. While trying to find a restaurant there we passed by CYMA again! As mention in my previous blog about CYMA Robinsons Midtown, I was very very very satisfied and happy with the first visit. I gave them a 2 THUMBS UP! Words can’t describe how excellent their service was.

My Dad, being the pickiest eater among the family checked out the menu first making sure they have what he wants. (yep! That’s my dad!) So as my family checked the displayed menu, the crew, (as they always do) put a smile on their faces and just welcomed us as if it’s our first time. Who wouldn’t be encouraged to sit and dine in to the elegant ambiance that they have.

I LOVE YOU GUYS….!

 So we sat near the entrance, Mars (the ever dearest receptionist) introduced us to our server named “Jaeyang”. I’m not really sure if I spelled that correctly and I’m really terrible with names. I’m sorry “Jaeyang”. (he told me that he likes KPOP, that’s why he’s name was a resembles). Please bare with me.. I hope the next visit, I will memorize all of your names. He was dressed neatly and He was very Charming. He has a serious eyes but it didn’t stopped him from smiling.

And again.. “school mate from PWU” parating kong nakakalimutan ang name mo! I do hope you could forgive me with this. But your Manager certainly knows who you are. I always like how people greets every guests, even though it is very late. You guys still have a smile on your faces. Sana hindi ito sa umpisa lang.

So we sat there… waiting for our orders, which by the way took forever because we were so slow in choosing which to have. We were such a chaos family. We were really laughing hard and trying to crack silly jokes to our servers.  

As a family, we always loved salad, any kind of salad. So we got the Roka Salata P495.00 (To share), their best selling salad. I’m not really a fan of aragula but my dad and mom loves it. And just as soon “Jaeyang” described what’s in the salad. They just went for it. “Ah ok! Sige yung nalang!”

My mom, who terribly missed the feast in Libya, ordered 2 chops of lamb with roasted potato wedges topped with parmesan cheese and greens on the side lemon wedge. It is called CYMA Lamb Chops P690.00 (Loin Rack Chops). I’m not sure if this is charcoal –grilled or oven roasted chops. It really didn’t taste any smoked wood or anything like that, but the aroma and the flavor are nice. Important thing for me and so as my mom, every time we buy Lamb chops, it’s NOT FRESH! It’s amazing how CYMA keeps their meat fresh and “hindi mabaho/malansa”. Thumbs up!

 My mother’s comment on this was the meat was not tender but it is cooked. The taste is perfect and the sauce of the lamb was incredible and the potatoes had a kick to it - it’s very soft and the aroma was great.

If there’s one person who knows STEAK in the family, that would be my brother, RJ. He sure knows how to have it, how he likes it and how it supposes to taste like. He, together with my dad and my sister (Rosalie) ordered CYMA Fillet Mignon P500.00. The mignon was topped with Flat Feta Cheese with crushed garlic. I think it was pan-seared then baked. The cheese adds saltiness to the fillet. The sauce has an authenticity to it. Lemony and Pepper like sauce.

 The beef fillet reminded my brother of the taste in a local restaurant in Libya called “Las Cala” (a fused French-Italian Cuisine) and the sauce is amazing. He said the tenderness of the beef is not that good but the taste and flavor is perfect.

And as for me I ordered a very cheap dish yet so messy to eat, Chicken Gyro P160.00 with roasted potatoes.  YUM OH! This is similar to a Shawarma, the pita bread is thicker and it has a different sauce to it. The veggies that are used tasted fresh coriander and onion and tomatoes. Everything is simple yet plentiful.

Just a secret my beloved and favorite staff of CYMA, my family likes your restaurant. Whether or not the meat is tender but the taste is GREAT? Who cares if it’s not tender or cooked “medium-rare”. It’s the taste that matter or probably it should still be “eat-able”.  Both my parents are above the age of 50 so it’s normal that the tenderness of a mignon is not right for their teeth and tongue. (oooopsss… sorry mom and dad!) I tasted a slice, it was just the right touch or pinch of how it’s suppose to be.

For my brother, he loved it! And I believe he told “Jaeyang” He would return for another Mignon. Unfortunately we had to go back to Rizal. He said he, liked how people served in CYMA. He was actually expecting an earlier scream of “OPAH” but fortunately when he was almost done with his dish, another guest ordered a specialty which enables servers to scream/greet “OPAH”.

Drinks were the same. Lemonade and Soft drinks. The good thing about a casual or a fine dining restaurant you get to instruct or request or customize their dishes. “please no garlic on any dish” ; “separate the dressing from the mixed greens” ; things like this makes a guest/customer feel welcome and they feel ,that as a server or a staff from a CLASS A restaurant, actually cares for them. Giving more tissues, checking the guests of how they liked their food, asking them if they still need something or something that guests will say “aba! Ang galing naman ng service nila!”.

Personally , I get tired. That’s a fact. But giving service especially in the hospitality industry, we learn how to control our weaknesses and our disabilities. If you want to want an establishment to be known, why not give it your best. Out of any restaurants I’ve been to this year 2011, CYMA Robinsons Midtown is my TOP 1 Best Restaurant for Year 2011.  I would like to tell the Director of the CYMA Restaurants to give tap on the back or if it would be granted to give MR. Gerald Flores, a big raise. He disciplines his staff very well. That’s very rare in restaurants. (here I go again with names I hope I spelled or I got it right, Mr. Flores. Please forgive me for forgetting names.) But you know who you are! Good Job! 

Oh before I even forget.... Thank you for giving as the Apple Pie with caramel and Vanilla ice cream dessert. Milopita P175.00. Fillo Pastry (Flour based Wrapper) formed into triangles with glazed syrup, wallnuts and again vanilla ice cream! It was really good. We were actually planning to have dessert somewhere else but you gave us that dessert and right then and there we knew we had a complete and ultimate lunch! KWAIZ MIYA MIYA!!! GOOD JOB!

To my dearest viewers and readers… Please visit CYMA Greek Taverna at the 2^nd floor of Robinson’s Midtown, Ermita Manila. You will surely enjoy the food (not just the food), the clean and relaxing ambiance, the most amazing staff, those charming managers and obviously the whole Greek style. Just a tip from me to you ; NEVER be shy in saying/screaming/shouting “OPAH!”! You will surely enjoy it!

To the wonderful staff of CYMA Robinsons Midtown…..THANK YOU! AND SEE YOU AGAIN! I will be expecting for more and please don’t hesitate to surprise me!

Thank YOU!

Eat HAPPY Everyone!!

Kwaizz miya miya!!

Yours Truly,

Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

P.S.

According to one of my friends who works in CYMA. They now offer Catering services. I'm not sure about the Menu or how it is done. But you can always call them in their Contact Numbers.

*to my crush at the back of the house from NSG, you know who you are! hahaha! peace! just a tease. Nothing more. lol! hahaha!*

CYMA Greek Taverna

Branches: Greenbelt Makati / Shangri-la Plaza / Eastwood Mall / Boracay / Ayala Terraces Cebu / and the newly opened Robinson's Midtown

Tel. Nos.:  +632.836.2432

Website : http://www.cymarestaurants.com

RANT BLOG 2 : RECIPE

and again.. here's another blog of undesirable circumstances..

i'm not sure which is worst, this blog or the other blog. 

so me and my friend Jessica went to Robinsons Manila, she wanted me to go with her to buy groceries and so i did. 

i haven't taken my lunch yet and i wanted to eat in a restaurant that i haven't tried for a long time or haven't tried at all. 

Jessica said that there are delicious menu from Recipe, why don't we give it a try. There was something that I really don't like about that resto for some reason. If you're outside and you take a look at that resto, it is too boring, it was too gloomy for me. 

As we got in the restaurant, they were able to greet us properly, but was not able to assist us in getting a sit. there were no smile on any of their faces. They were snobbish! I don't know if it's about how we looked at that time, or what! It was a sunday and I was too lazy to dress up and be pretty. So i wear my leggings and a normal shirt without any makeup on and it was just simple. Those crew were like staring from head to foot like non-stop. They were looking at us like they were wondering "anong ginagawa ng mga tao dito mukha namang walang pera." that's how i see it. Judging by the way YOU GUYS STARE AT US!

The place was not very clean. It still had dust at the side, there were unnecessary stuff that were put on the side which is unattractive. In every restaurant there's a bussing station or the part where the orders come out, what they have is like a very long and short height window and it was really boring and it was really a wreck.

Why are there people like that? Why are you being judgmental, don't you guys have any manners? Stereotyping is BAD~! And I hate it! you guys are not fit to be servers. 

Recipe is sort of a Filipino type of restaurant, based on the menu that they gave us most of it is Filipino dishes. Their house specialties are Kare Kare, Gising Gising, Crispy Tilapia, Lechon Kawali and many more. We just wanted to end the hunger that we were feeling at that time. 

So here where the tragedy starts..

Our server,who was unfriendly, lazy and worst server of all time, was not able to provide us any description of the food or any or those stuff. After ordering, he was not able to repeat our orders and make sure he got it correctly. HE was the worst server!

What did we have?

GisingGising - It is chopped beans with coconut milk. It was not over cooked. I really liked this dish. I would order another one. Presentation wise. Not really good. It came out in a bowl like you were eating in a canteen.

Lechon Kawali - I AM A MEAT LOVER! I LOVE MEAT! THERE'S A REASON WHY I TITLED MYSELF AS A FAT GIRL! THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST LECHON KAWALI I'VE EVER TASTED. IT CAME WITH A SWAMP CABBAGE OR KANGKONG. THE LEAVES TASTED SAND. IT WAS LIKE SPOILED. I ATE ONE SLICE OF PORK AND THEN THERE IT WAS! THE FREAKING INSECT! NOT ONLY DID THE PLACE WAS UNCLEANED THERE WERE TINY ROACHES THAT WERE ON THE SIDE OF THE CHAIRS/ SOFAS, THERE WAS A WEIRD INSECT IN MY FOOD! AN INSECT! IT WAS VERY TINY BUT IT WAS DISGUSTING! WE ASKED ONE SERVER TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE LECHON KAWALI. AND SHE SAW IT TOO! SHE ASKED TO CHANGE THE ORDER BUT WE DECIDED TO GET A DISH. WE LET IT PASS! NOW AFTER CHANGING THE MENU, THOSE PEOPLE AT THE KITCHEN STARTED STARING AT US! LIKE "napaka arte naman nitong mga babaeng ito! nakita pa un?" IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY/BUSINESS, WE ARE TRAINED TO SERVE FOOD CLEAN! PUT THAT IN YOUR HEAD SIR! BEFORE EVEN GIVING/SERVING THE FOOD, CHECK IT! GOT THAT? GEEZ! HAVE RESPECT! NANGLALASON BA KAYO?

Crispy Tilapia - It was crunchy, crispy and delicious! good come back. I like their intake on this dish. it is very easy to eat, no need to use your hands to eat it. I'd order another one! Very good dish!

Servers were murmuring which is very rude. As soon as they see me staring at them, their mouth/lips starts to murmur. Not a good and liable servers. MAGRESIGN NA KAYO! 

If the leaders/ managers of the RECIPE Restaurants reads this blog, It would be good , so that they know what the people under them are doing in their restaurant. Recipe can do so much more. I hope this will serve as a lesson to all of them!

Make it count! LEARN and SERVE WELL!

Thanks for reading my RANT BLOG!

Yours Truly,

Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

Recipe Restaurant

Level 2, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Pedro Gil cor. Adriatico Sts., Ermita Manila

Contact Details

567-1912 

recipes@mydestiny.net

RANT BLOG 1 : Kangaroo Jack

October12, 2011 me and my lovely sister went to Robinsons Manila to buy some gifts for our sister. So we did. And afterwards she was really complaining of how hungry she was. And the first thing that came to her mind is "Kangaroo Jack" I've been there once and to be honest it was not really welcoming. It was my  sister's birthday the next day so we celebrated a mini-advance birthday party. And I decided to give it a second chance...

Kangaroo Jack. Sheeshh... where to begin. Ok. here it is. The receptionist, she was neat, clean and pretty. BUT! There's a big BUT, she was not able to assist or accompany us in getting a seat,we stayed and stared at her for a minute or two but still she kept on gossiping with the old lady and totally IGNORED US! what a.... *zip it!* And take note guys, the manager saw what she was doing and He didn't even bothered to help me and my sister in getting seats! He just waited for his other crew to help us! Is that the was a manager is suppose to act? seriously?

There were a lot of servers, but only one who was very kind enough to let us choose our seat and waited for us to settle in. They're dressed up like their adventurers or archaeologists something like that. Browns and Dark Browns are their basic uniform colors, managers are wearing jeans. The staff had a different world. They look tired, they looked lazy and they were not really smiling.

The place was clean and obviously it was newly built. The set up had an outback kind of a theme to it. There were also african-like statues, had like a wild life theme or forest friendly environment, something like that. Utensil/ table set up are done upon entering the store. I like their architecture and interior. I don't know if the concept or by handbook it's more on the fast food chain kind of establishment, probably price basis it is but still I don't really know which class they are.

Me and My sister (Jheii) taking pictures.

For our drinks; I ordered a Four Season Juice P30.00++. And for my sister it is  a Mango Shake P40.00++.

My sister ordered their Porterhouse Steak P200.00++. It was sizzling hot, not that tender, the corn cob was grilled, Java rice was a bit dry but the flavor or the taste is good.

I had the Pesto p150.00++. I'm sorry... BUT THIS IS THE WORST PESTO I'VE EVER HAD! IN THEIR MENU THE DESCRIPTION SAYS "PASTA IS AL DENTE SAUTEED IN OLIVE OIL, WITH FRESH BASIL PASTE WITH GARLIC BREAD" THE PASTA WAS OVER COOKED, IT WAS TOO OILY, IT'S LIKE YOU HAVE AN OIL SOUP, AND THE BASIL PASTE? I NEVER TASTED THAT! TRUE THAT PESTO IS SUPPOSE TO BE A BIT OILY BUT NOT TOO MUCH!  IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY OIL, THE CHICKEN WAS HARD TO CHEW AND IT COULDN'T GET ANY BETTER... THERE WAS A VERY DISGUSTING, SHORT AND CURLY HAIR IN THAT PLATE! I LOST MY APPETITE AND THEN JUST HAD THE PLATE SET ASIDE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT WAS REALLY BAD! I NEVER WANT TO EAT IN THERE! EVER AGAIN!

BAD SERVICE. BAD FOOD. DIRTY AND NOT TO MENTION , UNHEALTHY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! "ok lang sana kung straight ang hair, it really looked as if it was really curly. parang galing sa kung saan! if you guys can only see kung gaano kadiri ung buhok na un!" 


After my sister was done eating, we immediately paid the bill and talked to one of their servers, and said that there was something nasty in that pasta and I can't bare it! It was really  "kadiri!" And run towards the exit! It felt like there was someone following us! REALLY BAD!




i'm sorry guys! this is how i am! if you want to get good review, do your job well! sinong gustong may dumi ang pagkain nila? NOT ME! I am being honest here! If i like something, I will blog it! If it's a bad experience for me, well it's still something to blog about! Before I blog, I make sure to give each establishment a chance to make it up to me, even without knowing that I am  Food Blogger/Critic. It suppose to be equal, all that enters your restaurant is a guest. I don't know if they have ethics or hospitality training, but during those two visits... I never felt welcomed or taken care of. They really didn't care at all. Well I don't blame them if they don't have any service training, why would they care if all they really want is to sell dishes and just get paid. DONE!


Clean and sanitize your dishes and make sure no curly pubic hair is on the plate! GOT THAT? 




My valued readers and viewers.. please make sure all of the dishes you're eating is clean and healthy! otherwise LEAVE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN!


Thank YOU for reading this RANT BLOG!






Yours Truly,
Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl




Kangaroo Jack Restaurant
Level 1 Padre Faura Wing,
Robinson's Place Ermita
Manila, Philippines

Classic Birthday...

It’s my sister's birthday tom. we went to SM to buy some stuff for my parents.

We all decided to eat out for lunch..

We went to SM Manila.

After buying and shopping..

We thought of a restaurant that had Chinese dishes and at the same time offers Philippine dishes too.

So we thought we try Classic Savory.

There were a lot of receptionist..mostly men. 

They were very friendly and nice..

They were able to give us seats. We were 7 which occupy long tables.

The place was ok; it’s basically a typical Chinese/Filipino restaurant. Combined. It was not that clean like a fine dining. The usual target of this restaurant is the average class which I think is fine.

Classic Savory started as a small time “panciteria” in Quiapo I believe in 1950. As it progress they began serving incredibly awesome fried chicken. Which is probably the best dish that they have that made the restaurant very famous , branching nation wide.

Savory’s Specialties:

SAVORY Fried Chicken - Whole Chicken P345.00 – Which is a timeless favorite, it tender and juicy and very savory.

SAVORY Pancit Canton – Solo Order is P190.00 – It’s very flavorful, the noodles are so tender, the veggies still had crunch to it and it is not greasy.

Lomi Miki Bihon – Solo P195.00 – Served hot Hearty thick noodle soup w/ vegetables, seafood and meat--truly a Savory favorite

SAVORY Shanghai Rolls or Lumpia Shanghai – P175.00 – Crispy on the outside, warm and cooked perfectly in the inside. It has a perfectly seasoned ground pork.

Chinese Style Pork Asado P195.00 – A tender Pork slices in sweet soy sauce marinade.

Our server, (I forgot his name) was able to give us the menu. But he was not able to give us any recommendations or any house specials. He was a bit shy and he looked hungry. So we decided to just take a look at the menu and just choose from it.

I told our server to give us drinks first while waiting for our orders.. so here it is..

Spinach and Seafood Soup P195.00 - Light and Healthy pureed spinach soup w/ minced seafood. This looked awful. It was green and as you look at it it wasn’t really pleasing. BUT! Yes there’s a BUT! It was really really good! I liked the taste of the spinach and there were a few seafood in there and egg. It was really good. I don’t know it people who will try to taste this would like it! BUT FOR ME IT WAS REALLY GOOD!

Combo C 1 P385.00  – This was my Dad’s Choice. He and my Mom shared this Combo Meal which is obviously good for two persons. It had  1/2 Chicken, Pancit Canton, Salt & Pepper Spareribs, Rice, Special Turon, and 2 glasses of Tropical Cooler.  The Chicken was hot and very tender and juicy, the pancit was warm too, Spareribs were “bitin” it wasn’t enough for my Dad and my Mom, they also had rice that goes with it 2 cups. The Turon was kinda soggy which I didn’t like. Tropical Cooler was ok.

Combo A – I’m not sure if this is Combo A or what this combination is called. But it had a ½ Chicken, Pancit Canton and Spring Rolls. I forgot how much was it too. The spring rolls were big not like the once that is usually served like the once that you see in some which the wrapper is so thick and the filling is so tiny. Don’t you just hate that? “Mahal na nga dinadaya ka pa sa kakainin mo!”

Kangkong w/ Crispy Pork Belly P195.00 - Stir-fried kangkong made special with crispy pork belly strips. The Pork belly was ok. Tasted like lechon kawali. There were a lot of kangkong which made the dish look like it has a big serving. AHUH! you bet i know how to do that! hahaha! The kangkong tasted like there was sand in it. So we didn’t finish that. This dish was chosen by the birthday celebrant.

Lechon Macau P265.00 - This is very similar to Lechon Kawali. It goes with a Shrimp Cranklings, a few of it and they had a sauce for the pork too. I really can't say anything about it because I liked it but not enough to order another round. My sister Rosalie had to order a pork dish since she had allergies in chicken and some seafood so just to make sure she has to order either pork or beef. And so she did.

Imperial Beef Tenderloin P225.00 - It is a Tenderloin beef slices w/ robust oriental sauce and onion rings. My brother, RJ, loves beef, steaks and etc. He's a good critic when it comes to meat. He knows! This dish was ok. Simple. It wasn't that tender but it tastes good.

Reservations is a must special for bulk orders. They do accept credit cards. Corkage fees are not necessary. They have catering services specially in big events such as weddings, debuts and etc.

Here's the thing, why can't we improve our SERVICE! I mean it's not just the food, it's also the service why people dine in restaurants. 

A few advice; SMILE! Make sure it's clean! And be FRIENDLY! Food should be served no more than 7 minutes! NO DISCRIMINATION! (if you see people wearing slippers and shorts and looks like a trash so what? still give a good service! little did you know, he's the owner of the bank and he likes wearing comfy clothes! that's it!)

I'll give them 3 stars because of the food that's it. Nothing more nothing less. PEACE guys.. 

anyways, LOVE YOU GUYS! 

Eat HAPPY Everyone!!

Kwaizz miya miya!!

Yours Truly,

Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

Classic Savory, SM City Manila

G/F SM City Manila, Adriatico St., Malate

Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines

(02) 527-1958