Mercado – Resort World Manila, Pasay City

Address: Newport City complex, infront od NAIA terminal 3

Tel no: 02-836-6333

This new place is the talk of the town lately. Opening At the End of August. This palce houses a huge casino. Which is the first thing that open to be followed by Shops, Boutiques, Movie houses etc..

There are 3 main dining destinations here, Mercado, Noodle works and Bar 360.

Just found out that they are offering buffet breakfast for only 88pesos +. sounds interesting to me so i just have to give it a try. The buffet breakfast starts from 6am to 10am.  THe place is located inside the Casino area so only people 21 YEARS OLD and ABOVE are allowed to dine here.  The promo will run till October 6, so better call first if you want to dine here

Place looks very neat, the staff are very friendly.  Tall Ladies all around the casino and reception area. The Buffet area is seperated into three sections, mainly the bread section with selection of different bread and muffins plus butter and Jam. The main course section which included, Scrambled egg and hard boiled egg, Longganiza, BACON!!, rice, Daing na bangus and congee with its condiments. The third station consists of their salad bar, Cereal bar and fresh fruits. Drinks included  in the buffet price of 88pesos+ are a glass of juice and a glass of either coffee, tea or hot choco.

Plate no.1 Pandesal, Multigrain roll, Scrambled egg, Longaniza, Bacon.- THe longanizza was just the way i like it, not too fatty, sweet with a hint of garlic. Not too overpowering. THe bacon has crispy and chewy parts. The bread were nice and soft. not hard and dry. THe eggs were scrambled well.

Congee bowl-  i love their congee because it has lots of seafood condiments, so i piled it in their respective places. There are chopped prawns, cubed white fish fillet and diced squid and finely chopped fried garlic…. and i add chopped bacon… which was not part of the condiments but who can resist bacon:) JUst this dish  for me makes the buffet worth it. The congee was full of flavor and fantastic aroma. Each spoonful has the combination of all the seafood. yum yum

Fresh Fruits and corn flakes- the fruits were sweet and fresh. i just added cornflakes for the crunchy texture:)

THey also serve lunch buffet for P188+  The buffet area will move to a bigger placein a couple of weeks time, will they increase the price of the buffet, most probably. But i got my P88+ or P96 all in, worth it:) if you are in the area, come give it a try.

Mastercook – Dampa, Macapagal Ave.

Dampa – the name has been synonymous to fresh seafooseafood

Initially started in Sucat paranaque,  later on expanding to aplaces like Ortigas, Libis, and one of the lastest is the one is Macapagal Ave. Which I think right now is the more famous one.

Mastercook is one of the newest places where you can have your shopping goodies cooked. Here, unlike in other restos you cannot let them but the ingredients for you. You have to buy it for yourself.

Its a very busy place, located at the back of the complex, near the parking area.

Serive is a little slow, they lack waiters to be able to accomodate the number of people they serve.

On the Table

Prawn Tempura - This is what i love ordering because you get real prawns.. well, depends on what you but. hehe.

Prawn with Sotanghon- it was a good hing that they slice the prawn on the body to make it easier to eat with utensils. THe seasoning was indeed perfect, best eaten when hot cause it can get clumpy when it is cold

Crab rice- imagine tasting the essence of crab in every rice morsel. Fantastic idea, excellent blend of seasoning and spices

Crab w Ginger and Onion- another excellent dish, thoug as an after thought i think it was a mistake ordering this coz the rice was already flavored by the crab. Nevertheless it was fantastic, Crab was cooked perfectly. I would order the salt and pepper crab as i see it quickly devoured on the other tables.

Like i said earlier, if not for the not too fast service, this place really is great. Would still recommend it.

The Legend Seafood Restaurant – Pasay City

Address: Boom na Boom Compound CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila

Tel No: 833-1188 / 833-3388

Parking: a lot available for parking.

Chinese restaurants are a dime a dozen here in our country.  THe more popular ones being Gloria Maris and Emerald Garden. A lot of people dont know about this semi hidden gem in the Pasay Area.

Opened in 2006,  this belongs to a chain of Chinese Restaurants located in different parts of the country. Among them is Fortune in Angeles City, Le Gardein in Cavite etc etc.

Places looks like the typical Chinese restaurant. Big, bright, full of people. Aquariums and large round tables.

On the Table

Hakao- the wrapper was not the elastic chewy kind. It easily broke apart. The filling has a lot of extenders. Not really one of the top hakao ive eaten.

Spinach and seafood soup- This was good, Didnt scrimp on the ingredients here.

Salt and Pepper Squid- Anton of our awesome planet was raving about this dish. I find it ordinary. One more thing i think the meat was more of a cuttlefish not a squid

Braised Beef Short Ribs- now this was good. They made use of US short ribs. Which was evident it the tenderness of the meat. THe sauce was also fantastic. Sweet and spicy. Very very good

Sweet and sour pork-  One of the better sweet and sour pork. CRispy on the outside, soft and tender meat inside. THe sauce also was great. Hugging each pork pieces very well.

Fish Fillet in Corn Sauce-  Big fish fillet which i like. the corn sauce was also good. Added a sweet taste to the soft flaky fish fillet.

Hot Prawn Salad- The prawn was cooked perfectly. crispy, succulent and very delicious. THe light floured surface help the sauce to adhere to it. Blend of sweet and slight salty tones. YUmmy

THe dishes here are great. Be careful of the suggestions of the waiter or managers that are not in the menu. Coz they are quite ezpensive and you might be surprise with your bill later on.

Gumbo – Various Branches in the Metro

Address: Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place, SM City Noth Edsa THe Block

I love Cajun and Creole Cuisine.. i dont know why… but i do. THis place serves this kind of cuisine, but i have yet to try their specialties. This sandwich was the only thing i got to try here, courtesy of my brother.

Its called a po boy sandwich.. which is a traditional submarine sandwich in Louisiana.. the main star here is the bread which should have a flaky crust with a soft, airy center. Gumbos po boy sandwich , loaded with ham slices, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon bites..was well worth the price of P195.. served wth fries… toasted… just the way i like it.