My father's Birthday!

I was about 6 years old and I was living in a small apartment which was provided for us when we we’re still living in Libya. I remember the smallest kitchen ever, we had the smallest oven, refrigerator, toaster and etc. And my Dad taught me how to bake cookies in our tiny oven. I was very little (literally..)then my mom would be the one doing the mixture, then me and my dad would prepare all kinds of shapes of cookie cutters, star shape, square, triangle, heart.. It was very cute.. While mom is doing the mixture, Me and my dad would draw and he would teach me how to stoke crayons and be well on it. Maybe that’s why I want colors when it comes to my dishes.

            Now that I am turning 24, It brings back memories, I dreamed about it. Today is my father’s birthday.. And I am mixed with different feelings. My dad is unfortunately in Libya where his boss wants them to inspect and fix everything that’s happening to their company’s projects.

            But even if we are very far apart we make sure that we communicate from time to time. And since it’s my father’s birthday, we decided to go to TriNoma and celebrate it with Italianni’s Restaurant.

            Not only because it was Christmas it was also the weekends and there were a lot of people shopping, roaming around and eating and enjoying. Since I knew where the restaurants were, I decided to take them to Italianni’s. When we got there, there were no tables that were available and clean, so the receptionist said to sit down and wait. She was pretty and neat but she wasn’t that accommodating, she just waited for the tables to be cleaned and have us seated right away. The usual introduction of our server, soup of the day and “Thank You Ma’am Sir, Enjoy your Meals”, not smiling she was on an off mood (I suppose).blah blah blah.

            See this is what I hate the most, I write things about Restaurants and the service they provide, since it’s a class a type of restaurant I expect a worthy service for a worthy price. Is that too much to ask? I was trained to speak my mind and treat every guests equally and fairly. I mature in the teachings of my professor with the saying “THE CUSTOMERS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!”. We offer good food and best service we can possibly can because CUSTOMERS pay us for it! It’s our Job! 

Continuation…

            So as we sat on our comfortable chairs and as soon as the receptionist handed the menus.. I put it down and looked around. Italianni’s is one of the most marvelous restaurants I’ve ever been. It’s incredible structure and architecture is to die for. Displays of so many pictures of old Italian families, pots and trays that are made of wood and Italian words that are painted to the walls.  The whole set up had an Italian field and atmosphere to it. You can relax with your family and enjoy. 

Our server was not of help at all… He doesn’t smile nor laugh nor greets us whole-heartedly. He was just there standing, looking like he can’t wait for his shift to end. He looked tired and very inappropriate. His clothes were dirty and so as his apron. I asked him what are their specialties, and he wasn’t able to answer right away. So I became the server on our table. Asked each and everyone what they like and try to tell them what’s on every dish, good thing on the menu there’s an individual description. Ha! (admit it guys we sometimes are lazy to read that but come to think of it, why read if the server knows what’s in it! Anyways as soon as we each have what meal to have, I wrote it down and gave it to our server who wasn’t much of a help.

            It was my first time to come to Italianni’s TriNoma branch usually I dine in at Robinson’s Manila or at Gateway.. Plus my family is a big fan of pizzas and pastas. So it’s obvious we had to pick Italianni’s.

On our tables:

Appetizer :    Basket of Bread (Foccacia Bread)dipped in a olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. This serves as a “while you wait appetizer”  and it is free.

                        Insalata Milano P495.00 – This salad has Salami Milano, romaine, black olives, tomatoes, grabanzos, parmesan cheese and it’s dressing Italian vinaigrette. The saltiness of the salami and cheese mixed with the Italian vinaigrette blends very well. It’s a great combination of flavors. Just an advise, order water just to numb the taste of the salad, so that you can still feel and taste the flavors of your main course.

Main Course : Beef TenderloinP995.00 – I was really upset with this dish. We wanted the tenderloin to be cooked medium rare and well done. I don’t know how they define Medium rare in their kitchen, what they served us was really off. It was Rare. Yes it was seared but it had 75% red through the centre. Medium rare is seared but it should be 50% red on the center.  The one they gave us had a gel-like texture, more likely eating a raw meat! Yuck!  Fortunately, the well- done steaks were 100% brown but still tender. I can taste the black pepper corn sauce and my brother likes the mashed potatoes and there was a side dish which is mixed vegetables that was topped with cream based sauce with cheese.

                     Grilled Pork Chops  (2 chops)P695.00- Now here’s a good main dish, I like the tenderness of the chops and its pepper-crust with black peppercorn sauce. Ofcourse the usual served with seasonal vegetables, crispy fried spinach and garlic rice. Very pinoy I might add. This was my mom's choice.. Again Mothers knows best.

            Grilled Pepper Fish Fillet P575.00 - Grilled Cream Dory fillet seasoned with black pepper and served with either mashed potatoes or pasta coated with olive oil then on the side you have there the tomato cream sauce with mixed vegetables. A very healthy yet tasty meal. My godmother ordered one.

            And as for me.... I had the Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet (Regular) P595.00 - Cream Dory coated with Parmesan Cheese and Breadcrumbs, served with their amazing and delicious caper cream sauce, mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables. Two thumbs and definitely a recommendation. A must-try dish.

            As you can see me and my family loves dining out especially during special occasions. All their dishes were a little pricy, and their service was really bad. As soon as we were done with our meal, my sisters were complaining about their service, how raw the meat was. It was painfully disappointing.  The place was good (no! the best set up!)Food? (it was ok…)SERVICE? VERY BAD!

            Thanks everyone for reading.. Have a nice day…

Eat HAPPY Everyone!!

Kwaizz miya miya!!

Yours Truly,

Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

OPAHH!!!

I LOVE GREECE! 

Who doesn't? honestly? kung tao lang talaga ang greece matagal na akong nagpakasal.

anyways... there's this one greek resto that i never stop going back to.  It's called CYMA. It's high time I say something about it. 

Cyma serves up greek food that fits the filipino taste buds. Growing up abroad specifically in Libya, made me realize that I still need to test my tasting abilities. It may not be purely authentic greek cuisine, it is OK since it might not blend to the taste of filipinos. It is one of the few that serves Greek Cuisine. And being a fan of the Greek food. I always love going to this restaurant. 

I was so excited that CYMA open up a branch in Robinson's Midtown Manila. I feel like we were meant for each other! Thanks God! haha

After getting a package from the Post Office, me and my sister went straight to Robinson's Midtown. We were so hungry and tired. It was also hot. We were all sweaty and exhausted. As soon as we arrived we immediately went to CYMA and sat and took time to calm ourselves down and just relax. 

Mars our server. Was very polite and very pleasing. She was very nice to assist us in getting us seats. Knowing how haggard we looked like she immediately asked us what drinks we would like to have so that we still have time to order.  Me and my sister ordered Fresh Lemonade. Which was very refreshing. 

Anyways I noticed one lantern was not lid up. I don't know what happen but it was really distracting. I hate that the rain or the typhoon destroyed the view of the outside which made the glasses dirty. 

They were lacking air-condition. But i know it wasn't anyones fault. 

Mars dressed up nicely. She had no stain in her clothes. The tables and Chairs were properly arranged. Silverwares and plates are cleaned. It was hot though. It wasn't the restaurant's fault it was the mall itself. There were technical difficulties. 

Servers were very friendly. Manager was neat and clean too. though he was not able to introduce himself to us. Which i beleive is a default when it comes to restaurant/ hospitality ethics. But it was OK since me and my sister were concentrated on the food.

CYMA's specialties are : 

Appetizer (Salates)

ROKA SALATE  P330.00 for the solo - a best tasting salad. tasty and you can enjoy it.  fresh greens tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan and on the house Greek vinaigrette, candied wall nuts that  adds a sweet wonderful crunch.

Main Dishes / Specialties

PAIDAKIA P650.00 - charcoal-grilled lamb rubbed with crushed peppercorns and olive oil  served with a choice of rice-stuffed peppers or Greek roasted potatoes. bursting good flavours. very tender, moist and juicy. One individually can truly enjoy.

Gyros

CHICKEN GYRO P 160.00 - With tomatoes, red onions , tzatziki and wrapped in pita . This is a must try. For under 200 pesos, the dish packs in great value. You'll be full in no time!

They also have great options for wine. which we did not have since it was lunch time and we really didn't want to get tipsy and all that. I believe I read this in one of my book colletions Cyma's white wine includes Lungarotti Pinot Grigio and Monket Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

 my lovely sister so excited for her steak

 Lemonade P75.00 regular and P95.00 for bottomless

 So.. onto our orders: for our appetizer we ordered CYMA Caesar P250.00 for the Solo - Fresh romaine lettuce, with grated parmesan cheese, vine-ripened tomato huge wedges, canned pitted black olives, croutons were baked ahead of time served with lemon caesar dressing.

Since we have ordered the specilaties before.. we decided to try  their Souvlakia Souvlaki (Greek Shish-Kabobs) dishes. so we ordered different types. we had the: 

 Lamb  P450.00 -Skewered lamb chops. big serving. I've always been a fan of big servings. i've mentioned this before growing up in Libya, I was so used to beef, chicken and lamb. the sad part is when I got  back here in the philippines. Lamb is not really much of a typically grocery item. aside from being expensive it is NOT FRESH! So with this dish I salute CYMA people! I loved the lamb. it is grilled to perfection. the oiliness and the juicyness is incredible. I LIKED IT ALOT!  with fresh vegetables. garlic mayo. and warm peta bread. what's more to ask? OPA!! hahaha!

Steak  P430.00 - Skewered beef chunks. as you can see my sister didn't have a hard time cutting that succulent meat.. She was very hungry that she didn't want me to take a picture of her dish. as soon as the server served our orders she was very excited to dig in. the same with the chicken and lamb it was served with warm and delicious pita bread with fresh vegetables and garlic mayo.

 Chicken   P340.00 - Skewered chicken breast fillet marinated with olive oil a few spices. with fresh roasted veggies. served with garlic mayo and salad with warm pita breads. the tenderness of the chicken cooked perfectly.

And for Dessert or in Greek they say "Glyka" we had the Skolatina  P250.00 - Cyma's Molten Chocolate Cake - served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. This was a diet killer, painkiller, heaven on earth dessert. One can never resist a temptation that's so hard to fight. The one that you want to make love too. The sensualy desire for food. I described it too much already..  a MUST TRY! 

Good thing I notice that one of the servers is my schoolmate. we weren't that close but I knew we went in the same university. He was very kind and patient. I'm sorry I forgot your name but i hope once you read this you'll be able to say that I talked to you. You are doing great and you are always smiling. That's a plus in the hospitality industry. So to all the hospitality establishments and hotels or restaurants , excellent employees  comes from The Philippine Women's University where we are trained professionally and exquisitely. (woooohhh!! hahaha!)

Anyways aside from that they accept credit cards. Reservations are sometimes recommended specially if you go with a large group. It's actually easy specially if you want to order ahead of time so you  don't have to wait and decide on the spot. Unfortunately they don't have any buffets. Corkage fees starts at P 300.00 pesos like for example if you have any favorite wines that you want to test with the CYMA dishes. If you have any health conscious friends or family members that likes vegetarian dishes, CYMA offers it too.

So what are you guys waiting for? Enjoy Greece through its finest cuisine that is offered by CYMA Greek Taverna. Who says Filipinos can't celebrate food Greek Style? Here at CYMA everyone's welcome to say .. OPAHH!!!

Eat Happy Everyone! 

Kwaiz miya miya!!

Yours Truly,
Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

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

I hate GARLIK! do i?

"Krazy Garlik"

I am not a FAN OF GARLIC!!

once you say Garlic.. OH HELL NO! NO WAY! and you immediately see me running out the door.


I guess hating garlic came from my dad. Some people tease us as the "ASWANGS". Superticious. Blah Blah.


Anyways... Me and my friends decided to do a mini reunion. And ofcourse being obssesed with food. It was the activity of the night. EAT! EAT! EAT!


So off ot Greenbelt. We were kinda arguing if we'd go to Chilis or Krazy Garlik.


We walk passed chilis around 8pm and it was full. People were in line just to taste the unlimitted nachos.


Not that they don't need to order anything else.hahaha!


Anyways so next stop was Krazy Garlik and yes, there were still available seats. LUCKY us!


Again, Not a fan of GARLIC!


The was a receiving server.. Greeted us kindly. She was smiling and every crew was able to say hi and we were assisted to our seats. There were 3 of us. Our server named Hanie was so fragile and nice.

Kept herself intact even though people started to come in. She was able to serve us properly.

Krazy Garlik is a bistro type of resto that showcases the taste of garlic. On every dish Hanie said. Even after dining they see to it that there should be an aftertaste of garlic before and after dining in with them.

The setting was nice. I love the music. it was not too loud it was not too soft. Me and my friends were still able to hear each other. There were two tvs but we didn't really care about it since we were there for the food and we wanted to make "kwento". Tables and Chairs were clean. silverwares were incredibly shiny and clean. set up was also ok.

I was an intern before in one of the sister companies of Krazy Garlik. The group is called Bistro Group. They have Flapjacks, Fish and Co., Fridays, Billy Rock and a lot more. I know how they provide service.

They trained us well. With the service they provide they see to it that they put a smile on the cutomers' faces. They make sure that dishes are well served. Hot and ofcourse no hair strands. Hanie did a good job.

Price was almost the same with the other bistro casual dining restaurants. For me Krazy Garlik was too pricy based on the ingredients that they use it shouldn't be that expensive. Filipinos are known to love food and flavors and I can say that Krazy Garlik is one of the few that Filipinos should try but it would be sad if what's stopping them to dine in is the cost.

So enough with all the settings and service. Let's talk about food!

We asked what's their specialty and what would she recommend. Hanie was able to persuade me to try the pizza, pasta and main dish. Although we were still full at that time. I still took the risk. After all it's my first time.

For our drinks we had THE SHADOW and DRINK ME!

The size of these drinks were amazing! THEY WERE HUGE! In some restaurants I worry about the size of my drink will it fit the whole time I'm eating at that certain restaurant. So usually I end up ordering the bottomless drinks. But with these shakes. I will still be worrying about it, but not getting a new drink but how the hell am i going to finish this huge drink.

THE SHADOW (P180.00) - A mixed of dragon fruit and Vanilla, Strawberries and I believe there was a slight taste of garlic. probably a sweetened garlic or a garlic syrup. I liked the huge slice of dragon fruit. It was pink and very girlish. I really went gaga about it. Coz I like pink.

DRINK ME (P180.00)- Combination of Mango, Banana and Strawberry. Incrdible colors. I don't know how they do it. But its like a swirl of colors which made it very attractive. Its like you're thinking of sunsets and the beach.

 Appetizer - FRIED CALAMARI (P315.00) - oh yes and I've done it again.. I love fried calamari. Almost every resto I've been to, I always have the fried calamari as our appetizer. It was good. the dipping sauce has a lot of garlic flavor. there was cellery,  probably some pickles. they call it aioli dressing. nothing new though. nothing that would wow me. it is the usual taste of calamari. But i would say that it was very tender. i didn't had a hard time biting on it. It was not chewy at all. It was absolutely cooked perfectly.  

Pizza - BBQ GARLIC CHICKEN PIZZA (P450.00) - This 8 slices of pizza was sweet. I requested that the garlic flakes be put asided. And so they did. It had a BBQ sauce which was the main sauce for the crust then tiny cubed chicken breast with garlic mix marinate. A lot of Mozzarella Cheeze. The sweet BBQ sauce over powered the rest of the ingredients which was a little upsetting but I tried to sprinkle the Garlic Flakes which I don't normally do. But it's true there's always a first time. The combination of flavors were unbelievable. At first the pizza was not really ideal but when you put those crispy garlic flakes on top.. MAN YOU ARE IN FOR A BIG TREAT! The saltiness of the garlic flakes combined with the sweetness of the BBQ sauce turns into a great and over the top dish.

Pasta - FETTUCINE ORIENTE (P450.00) - Same price with the pizza. This dish is their best seller when it comes to pasta. It's tag as "Go krazy with this". This pasta was the best fettucine I've ever tasted. It was very tasteful. Sauce was incredible. If it wasn't embarrassing to lick the plate I would probably have done that! There were chinese greens which at first was kind of weird but it all went together. The mussels were fresh. Plate was warm. Fettuccine was al dente. Belissima! I would've ordered another plate but I wanted to give taste to everything first before I do that. Haha! but the next time I'll visit the resto I will surely order this one again!

Main Dish - PORK RIB ADOBO (P495.00) - This Filipino dish is not that tasty. Maybe I was looking for something more dry more garlic flavored adobo. This was more on the light flavored adobo. Perhaps to please foreign customers since Filipino adobo is more flavored. more salty. The meat was so soft. very tender! When you bite into it . it just melts in your mouth. I like the sauce. I like the roasted garlic. One thing i was looking for was more garlic. But all in all it was AMAZING! 

 

 And couldn't we be happier. The manager came to us and asked us how was our food. And obviously we have given him a thumbs up for making me LIKE GARLIC. hahaha! Kudos Mr. Georjet Guevarra.

Please forgive me if i spelled out your name wrong. but you know who you are and Thank you for the delicious and most intriguing dessert I have ever tasted ; Dessert - CREMA CATALANA (P195.00) - we got this dessert for free.. Thank you to the manager! HIGH FIVE GUYS!! Its spanish style crem brule with a twist.. The twist is candied garlic cloves.. WOOOH!! never heard that before. It still tasted the garlic although it's sweet. never thought it would match. but it was surprisingly good though.






KRAZY GARLIK what more can I see. Everything tasted garlic! i read this blog from one of the biggest blogger in the philippines. Mr. Anton Diaz. it was actually funny because he had this idea to put suggestions for the resto and in a way I agree to him. he said that it would be best if they had mouth wash in the washroom so that no one hesitates to eat a lot and worry about the after taste. And i totally agree on that. hahaha!


But I'm glad I tried KRAZY GARLIK!


And did i mention that i hated garlic. LET ME CORRECT THAT!
GOOD JOB! You changed my take on GARLIC!









Eat HAPPY Everyone!!
Kwaizz miya miya!!


Yours Truly,
Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl


Krazy Garlik
Branches: Greenbelt and Newport Mall
Tel. Nos.:   (02) 501-3752
Website : http://www.krazygarlik.com