The Bad Thing About Kitchen..

..is that there aren't enough branches in the country. That's about the only bad thing I can come up with.  Everything else about Kitchen is hands down wonderful.

The combination of fabulous nomz at generous servings, swift service, classy yet modern ambiance, and fair prices leave me happy and contented after each visit. I've never gone to Kitchen and left the restaurant feeling disappointed or cheated (like I feel after nomming at a fancy schmancy resto with mediocre fare).

Lazy Oaf (p195)

Here's last week's happy food. The Lazy Oaf is half an herbed chicken chillaxing on top of a bed of soft white rice. It's a simple, easy, clean, and neat meal that you can't go wrong with.

The bf's all time favorite order is the Undercover. Chunky chicken fillets enveloped in pandan leaves together with a generous serving of pandan rice can satisfy an appetite bigger than average. The chicken is quite tasty and the pandan-laced rice complements the pandan-flavored meat perfectly.

Undercover (p200)

Another all-time favorite is the bottomless Pandan Iced Tea. Free flowing iced tea with the distinct taste of pandan can be had for only sixty bucks. The pomelo shake is a refreshing fruit shake topped with actual fruit.

Bottomless Pandan Iced Tea

Pomelo Shake

Although it's a (slightly) pricier place, the prices are more than justifiable. The nomz are not only excellent, but the servings are also generous. The service too, I just want to say it again, is topnotch.  The server is always available without being overbearing (like some persistent ones in other restaurants). Kitchen should really start opening up branches everywhere (Bonifacio Global City please).

Kitchen
Location: 1/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati
Contact number: (02) 757-4565 to 66
Map:

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Why I Love Chilis

May it be a date, a birthday, a barkada get-together, or a regular dinner, Chili's is one of those restaurants that I would gladly suggest. Even though it's a tad bit pricier than your usual diner, I keep going back because every visit has been enjoyable.

And this is why.

Bottomless Tostada Chips (p310)

THE Bottomless Tostada Chips is a staple order in any group I'm with. What's so special about these chips? They're bottomless of course! Whether you're in a party of two or ten, your friendly Chili's server would keep refilling your bucket with warm tostada chips and your bowl with a spicy tomato based dip (the creamy cheese dip is a separate order).

Besides the Tostada Chips, I love that the orders at Chili's are larger than average and can be good for sharing (if you're not such a glutton). They also have a good variety of dishes on the menu, from the healthy Guiltless Grilled Salmon to Mushroom Jack Fajitas to the slightly unhealthier (but no less yummy) Old Timer Burger.

Clockwise from top left: Guiltless Grilled Salmon (p585), Fish and Chips (p350),
Mushroom Jack Fajitas (p595), Old Timer Burger (p295)

Another favorite of mine is the classic Fish and Chips. From experience, it's always served perfectly fried and to your liking. It comes with corn on the cob (which you can request to have shredded) and fries (which you can choose to switch up with more corn). 

Although it sounds like I have a ton of requests, I am not your waiter's worst nightmare (I promise!). At Chili's, your servers will give you suggestions and all you have to do is agree to the special treatment. That's also one of the many reasons why I love Chili's.

Chili's

Location: 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati

Contact info: (02) 729-3022
Map:

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Yogi Berry is the Cheapest Froyo in Town!

If frozen yogurt was the hottest dessert in town a year ago, today froyo shops don't get as much hype anymore, and are sometimes even ignored. The market has become saturated, with frozen yogurt available in just about any corner of most malls in the city. Froyo shops now seek to differentiate themselves from the crowd. 

In my opinion, a big factor in the decline of the frozen yogurt consumers is the price. Most shops sell their yogurt at 20-25 pesos per ounce, which can get expensive once you heap on the extras on top of the yogurt. A 6 ounce cup (just about average) would cost 150 pesos at 25 pesos/ounce. That's a bit too much for dessert for the regular diner on a day-to-day basis.

Most affordable froyo in town

And here comes Yogi Berry, a new froyo shop that recently opened in Greenbelt 1 mall in Ayala, we froyo lovers don't have to spend as much for the good stuff. Yogi Berry offers their frozen yogurt at only 15 pesos per ounce. That's the cheapest I've seen so far!

GB3's Kitchen is Totally Underrated

On date night, after walking around Greenbelt 1, 2 and 3 and checking out all the restaurant menus, my date and I settled on an old favorite. We found ourselves settling in for a nice evening at Kitchen in Greenbelt 3.

The table setting and the service water bottle.

That's their service water bottle on the left, laced with mint (I'm not so sure if they're actually mint) leaves. On the right is the table setting, with unusually large utensils. I spent a good amount of time arranging and rearranging the assortment of table knick knacks for photos while waiting for our order.

For starters-

Breadwinner

The breadwinner includes four pieces of lightly toasted bread and assorted dips. I'm not familiar with their fancy names, so I'll just attempt to describe them. The red dip is tomato based with clumps of tomato and some seasoning in it. The green one had the texture of pesto, it looked like crushed basil leaves with herbs in oil. The mustard colored one is mushrooms in oil. And lastly, the yellow one is grated cheese. The serving size was on the small side but it tasted good. Rating: 3.5/5

Main course-

Undercover

My date ordered the Undercover. This is basically chicken pandan with pandan rice and sweet chili sauce to taste. It was total pandan overload because he paired it up with bottomless pandan iced tea. Good value, huge serving size, great texture, fantastic taste. His rating: 5 out of frickin' flippin' 5!

Ribbit

I ordered what they call the Ribbit. From the name, you'd think it'd be frogs but the dish is actually deep-fried pork ribs seasoned in garlic, salt and pepper with pandan rice and a side of mixed vegetables. The serving was so large that I had to take half of it home, but it tasted so heart-stoppingly good. I paired it up with mint iced tea which was a bit on the sweet side rather than minty. The meal was delicious, but it was kind of unhealthy. My rating: 4.5 of 5.

Dessert-

And no meal would be complete without dessert, and because we were full, we decided to share. We ordered what they call Going Bananas.

Going Bananas and the uniquely presented bill

The description on the menu which read something like- bananas packed in graham cracker crusts topped with a swirl of cream -sounded promising. When it arrived, it looked like it would be super sweet, like those cakes you can get at coffee shops. It was a delightful surprise to find out that the middle part is actually (very) chilled bananas with no cream or sugar, but the graham cracker crusts were enough to sweeten it. It wasn't expensive too, about 80 pesos an order. Rating: 5/5

~

If I were to choose one word to describe Kitchen over at Greenbelt 3, that word would be 'subtle'. From their logo, the simple letter 'K', to their minimalist gray restaurant interior, to their friendly but never overbearing staff, to the tasty but not overpowering flavors of their food. But make no mistakes, subtle doesn't mean Kitchen is dull, bland or boring. Quite the opposite, actually. I can honestly say that Kitchen is one of the better restaurants (and affordable too!) I've been to, ever.

Meals are about 200-300 peseos per person, but these are huge meals, and each plate is good for sharing. They have great service, good ambiance, fantastic food, large servings and reasonable prices.

Total Rating: 4.75 of 5

Best restaurant reviewed as of yet, at a reasonable price. Great nomz!

*again, I am sorry for the very grainy photos, used my phone's camera. I always don't have the good camera with me when I go to places worth taking pictures of. -_-;