Banana Leaf Trinoma: not good enough to satisfy my Asian Food craving

I was born in Malaysia and one of the thing that I missed is the food. Mee-goreng, roti and murtabak are very common food in there. You can buy it anytime of the day just like tapsi eatery here in the Philippines.

Murtabak

Last Feb 18, I was really craving for  roti and mee goreng. My mother just came back from Malaysia and didn’t even brought a single kechup manis. She brought a MAGGIE curry flavor though when she came to Manila to visit Mei-mei ( her sister).

Roti Canai Supreme with Kaya

Since Pat hasn’t tried Banana leaf yet and .I believe the last time that I was in Banana leaf was around 2 years ago and I can’t recall the experience anymore, we decided to dine at their Trinoma branch.

Mee-goreng

We ordered, BBQ whole roasted  baby back ribs P 388. ( out of theme but I was craving for RIBS), Penang Char Kway Teow (P188), Mee-goreng (P188),Roti canai supreme with kaya (P98),Murtabak (P128), Roti (P88), curry sauce P30.

Char Kway Teow

To start with, I’m not really saying that the food doesn’t taste good. If you already tasted authentic Malaysian or Singaporean dishes., the food that they serve just can’t come close the to taste that I was craving.

The Ribs and the Murtabak was a really turn off. We ended ordering roti and curry because of the disappointment. The roti passed our taste buds because of their curry but you could get tastier and softer version on a cheaper price tag in a different restaurant.

Pat is trying to rationalize that perhaps, dishes are already made to suit the Filipino taste buds but regardless it was a disappointment for me. So, if you’re trying to taste Filipino cooking with an asian twist then the resto could be an option for you  because the prices are quite affordable. If you’re looking for a near to real asian food taste, please stay away from banana leaf cause you’ll end up disappointed! 😛

My low rate here is a little biased because I was really craving for a good roti and mee goreng!:-D

RATE: 6/10

visit date: Feb 18, 2014

a proposal @ the Skydeck Bayleaf Intramuros

Last Feb 25, a week after the night of the brainstorming,we finally executed my cousin’s proposal to his 10-year-girlfriend @ the Skydeck, Bayleaf,Intramuros.

We closed the elevated part of the roof deck. The area can accommodate around 15-25 guest. I’m thankful that the Sir Randy was able to reserve the area without even me doing a down payment. We know that hotels has a lot of restrictions when it comes to decor. So closing an area is great since you can do whatever you want as long as it won’t affect the other diners.

We ordered their  house signatures: 6 crispy kare-kare (P440), 7 Pork Bagnet  Binagoongan (P400), 5 the Bayleaf Express (laing) P320,2 Pepperoni Pizza (P420), 2 Four Cheese Pizza (P470), 2 Fruit and vegetable salad (P270), 1 Roquefort and Jamon Salad (P450), which was served buffet style. I ordered quesong puti fondue (P365) and a fried chicken for Aaron. forgot the price but I think it’s around PP230-270.

Of all our orders, I like the roquefort and jamon salad and the crispy kare-kare. (minus point for the unpleasantly chewy tough meat). We sooooo love the taste of its sauce. Sauce pa lang, ulam na! 🙂

Since it’s on top of the building, there were a lot restrictions, we ended using the usual props such as video presentation and petals and candle light. Our evening started to be very windy so we didn’t push through with the lcd screen. Good thing there was a black wall part to project the video. Around 7:30pm, the weather was favoring us, so we were able to rearrange the petals in a heart shape.

Just after the proposal, Pat, Aaron and I went home since Aaron is already complaining of being tired.

Well recommended place. The overlooking view of Manila and Intramuros is good to see.Try to get there around 5-5:30pm so that you could catch the sunset.

RATE: 9/10 (it would have been perfect if the meat was tender. haha)

Visit: Feb 25, 2014

Megaworld International Regional Meeting Event (Europe 2) @ Sol Marina Resort Boracay

This post is a hotel review from my previous event from Megaworld Internation in Boracay last December 2013.

The hotel  thought that all of us will be arriving the same day so I was not fetched from the port which was not a problem to me. I rode a tricycle going to Sol Marina for P250.00.the transportation is quite expensive because it’s quite a distance to the white beach area. I was dropped  a few meters away from the hotel since the road going down is too steep for the tricycle. Unfortunately, the service van just transferred some guest to d’ Mall so Instead of waiting 15-20mins for it, I decided to walk down to the hotel with one of the staff.

There is a major construction on going in the area, so expect dusty environment. I choose the farthest area on the right-wing on the 2nd floor  (near the road). Upon individual room checking for the guest. I’m glad I was at the other end. When you are at the left side ground floor. you could hear the frogs noises even inside your room which could be really irritating specially if you’re a light sleeper.The room I got has 2 size double beds, a flat screen tv, complimentary water and coffee and electric kettle. It also has a closet where the  safety box is located. The bathroom has a tub and a hair dryer. Some of the rooms though doesn’t have a bidet.

As for the suite room, the size is like a combination of 2 rooms with a connecting door. One part serves as a bedroom and the other half serves as a receiving with dining area. Bathroom is accessible only in the bedroom.

I woke up  early to oversee the preparation in the restaurant for lunch. When I went out, I was quite shock with the vastness of the construction. It was an eye sore! You may check trip advisor for more photos about the construction here.I waited for the golf cart driver to bring me to the beach front where the restaurant is located. And when I saw the beach, the view, I forgot all about the negatives that I had for Sol Marina. The exclusivity of the beach is definitely worth it. I was even happy that I was able to experience Sol Marina before the construction is finished because I will never spend more than 2k for a room in my personal travels.Well, we got our rooms at a discounted price so don’t forget to ask and bargain for the room rates! 🙂

I had my breakfast at the restaurant and the food was good. It was a plated breakfast but our breakfast the next day was set up buffet style. They arranged buffet and tour packages for your convenience. They also arranged the boat for our island hopping and the venue set up for the night’s event.

 

One more thing that I like about Sol Marina is the staff. They will extend help even if you don’t ask them. I commend all the staff from the front desk to the kitchen. Miss Ana (sales) and the manager were very hands on the event and the operation of Sol Marina. Aside from the island hopping, they also contacted the fire dancers for the event.

Overall, it was a nice stay in Sol Marina. Despite the ugly view of the constructions, the beach, the exclusivity and the staff will definitely make up for all the negatives that I saw.

RATE: 8/10 (Construction)

stay: Dec 10-12,2013

Feb 15, 2014 @ SM North: Valentine Red Roses Photowall

While waiting for our table for Yabu

 

Parang kirat ang mata ko. hehe!

Harolds Hotel: a businessman hotel in Cebu City

Last December, I went to Cebu City to check hotels that can accommodate 90-100pax for a stay-in Regional Conference and Roadshow. I was booked at Harolds since this is the priority in my to-visit list.

It’s a 45-min cab travel from the airport, traffic included.  I was greeted by the guard and greeted by the front desk staff on duty

.For me, Harolds look like a boutique hotel. I love how the lobby looks like. I already feel comfortable just by being at the lobby. After getting my key card and welcome calamansi drink.I was assisted to my room.

One thing I noticed in Cebu is that the room design in all of the hotels I had visited looks the same. The room I got has 2 size beds. a flat screen tv. single chair with complimentary bottled water and coffee. I like that the room looks bright and  spacious. The carpet is thick and feels good on my feet.

What I don’t like about the room? hmm.. I’m a little paranoid so seeing that the window is closed glass with a small locked frame is bothering me and that the ac is not that strong.

Now the cr/bathroom is a different story.Yes, I like the bright light. the big mirror,  the smaller round mirror and  the phone in the wall near the toilet.bowl which I would always bumped into.  I appreciate that the overall appearance is nice but I just hate it when they have to compromise functionality. First thing that i don’t like is that there is no glass door or shower curtain separating the CR and the bath area. Every time, after finishing my bath. I would  mop the floor on the other side because of water spills. 2nd, no space to place my toiletries. I had to put and get my stuff from the sink every time i would use it such as shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Or I’m just unlucky with my room.Nevertheless, it’s still quite a H-a-s-s-l-e!

Going down, you could see their restaurant coming from the elevator. This is where the buffet breakfast is being served. The area is quite small that it can only accommodate 90 pax where some of the guest would have to seat outside of the restaurant. Buffet option is so-so. Bread and food doesn’t taste that good. I only had their omellette and powdered orange juice. They also offer buffet lunch with limited choices like Quest and Parklane (Manuel’s) I still prefer Manuel’s food choices vs the other two.

I would definitely recommend Harolds vs the other hotels primarily because of the internet connection. In my room, wifi is around 1-1.5 mbps consistently. Second, I prefer the bright clean look of the rooms. They also have a small gym. The mirror is making it look bigger with more thread mill inside.They have nice looking function hall which can be divided into 2 small area. There is also a resto bar on the rooftop with an alfresco design.Too bad i wasn’t able to explore the rooftop because there was an event during my stay.

I could say that Harolds is one of the nicest I’d seen in the area. Too bad they don’t have an available function fall for my needed date.

RATE: 9/10 ( don’t like the food and the bathroom)

stay: Dec 2-4, 2014. with Ate Neng and Kuya Bobbie