Sambo Kojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill

For those who love to eat, buffets are the best value for money! However, the best all-you-can-eat restaurants usually come with a price. It is quite rare to be able to find a place that offers good food choices at a reasonable price.

Luckily, we have one in the South. Sambo Kojin offers good food, and on top of that, very good service as well. 

When you come in, you will be greeted by smiling servers. I like that they would ask if this is your first time to try their restaurant. If you said yes, they will explain to you the kinds of sauces they have for the meats and entertain questions you may have. I also like that you do not have to ask for refills when you order bottomless drinks. They got initiative, I tell you. My glass never had an empty moment.

My relationship with Japanese maki and sushi is quite an intimate one. So, I tried to have a taste of everything they have in my first run. The first thing I look for when sampling sushi and maki is the texture of the rice. I've been to buffets similar to this and can't really enjoy it if the rice is dry and almost crunchy. Then, the raw fish should be fresh. Otherwise, it would be a very sad experience. Sambo Kojin passed both! Really enjoyed the Japanese buffet spread!

One of the waiters came by with a pot and asked if we wanted some kamameshi rice. We said yes and left to get some food. When we came back, we each have a small bowl of kamameshi rice. I like that the portion is not big since it is rice and we did not really specify how much we want. So, good job on that. 

The meats are also tasty! They have quite a variety of different marinades. They also have some veggies to go with the grill. We love the meats! 

There are about three time this much variety in the whole spread.

Aside from the meat selection, they also have some seafood wrapped in foil. I tried the fish with butter, garlic, some carrots and mushrooms. I grilled them for a few minutes until some of the juices are coming out of the foil. It tastes good and a good idea too as I haven't seen these before in other buffet with smokeless grill.

As I am so fond of desserts, I've got to try some. Their desserts are fairly simple but are okay.

So, would I go back to eat here? Definitely!

Homemade Crepe

There are times when you just gotta have something special for dessert. For those who love bananas and nutella together, this is definitely something for you.

Banana Nutella Crepe Recipe:

Crepe Batter:

3/4 cups all-purpose  flour, sifted
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil

Procedure:

1. Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients and gradually add to dry ingredients while stirring. This will avoid lumps in the batter.
2. Heat a non-stick pan. Add a few drops of oil.
3. Add 1/4 cup of batter and swirl the pan around so the batter will spread and have the right thickness(or thinness)
4. Wait a few minutes (2-3), then turn it over.
5.  Place on a big plate when cooked.

To assemble, just spread some nutella on top of the crepes and add sliced bananas. Fold and enjoy! :)

Make it healthy and use half whole wheat flour and half regular flour for the batter. Use fruits and jams for the filling and enjoy. :)

Andale by Agave

As you may now know, me and my hubby-to-be loved Mexican food. We got to try Andale by Agave one time. They are located at SM Aura Premier. I love that it is casual dining where you can enjoy the company of your friends, family or special someone. In my case, I brought my fiance. :)

We tried some of the staples (well, at least for us, these are the staples, haha!)

The Nachos. It came in different colors and I love that there are beef and beans in it. The portion is quite big so it is perfect for sharing.

The Quesadilla. To me, a Mexican Restaurant must have a good quesadilla. Andale's quesadilla has the ooey gooey goodness I am looking for.

The Burrito. I think the grande size can be bigger but the taste is good. I am not going to lie, I had better burritos. Though, this one is good to and as big as it is, it is also good to share.

Here is us enjoying the food. This photo was taken by one of the staff. She politely asks people on every table if she can take a photo for their Facebook account. We obliged and here is our photo grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/andalebyagave. (Pls. excuse the half eaten meal on our table)

Overall, Andale is a great place to hang out. The staff are nice and friendly, too. And being in a premier location at SM Aura, this is a great place to dine and drink after malling.

Orale!

The word Orale is associated to something impressive in the Mexican slang. It is an expression similar to "what's up" but with varying connotations. 

I personally love burritos and quesadillas, same with my hubby-to-be. So, we are quite lucky to find good Mexican eats near the workplace. 

Orale is located in The Fort at BGC. I do not intend to make this article long. I just want to show you what great value for money Orale has to offer. 

Their Grande Burritos are gigantic! Almost as big as my arms and is less than P400 each. It is definitely good to share! We love their Barbacoa Wet Burrito. Makes me wanna shout out "Orale!" to the chef.

This is what the grande burrito looked like.

Quesadillas are also great here. I tried the mexican cheese and it is so good and gooey.

They have a simple menu. Just a few items but you can have it in different ways. Your burrito can be regular or grande, wet, or fried(chimichanga). And what goes in it varies, they have beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and fish (of course,  these were written in mexican. Otherwise. it won't be as cool-sounding). For the health conscious, they also serve salads. 

It is also great for hangouts since they serve mexican cocktails and beer too. 

Birthday Gift Ideas for the Bros

In line with the fact the today is my younger brother's birthday; I am incorporating you as I ponder upon what gift I should be giving him. As a side effect, you might also like the ideas that I would come upon in this post.

Of course, it is important to always consider the receivers wants and wishes in obtaining a gift. I hope you find this helpful.

1. Perfume/Cologne - My brother is the kind of person who doesn’t really buy his own cologne or perfume but uses one if available. If you have a brother like mine, this one could be a great gift. If your brother is a regular aficionado of scented spritz-y liquids, then you may want to give him something to add to his collection or introduce him to a new scent you found.

2. Wallet - You know how a man's wallet never leaves the back pocket of his jeans? They wear out easily because of this and by the end of the year some stitches are undone and it is no longer nice to look at. And it is not often for men to go shopping for a wallet so he might appreciate a new one.

3. Watch - This could be a little bit grand but hey, it’s his birthday. And watches makes great gift because they are useful. You just have to match the watch's appearance to the style of your bro and for sure you'll find it perfect on his wrist.

4. Basketball - It’s a good gift for the athletic and basketball fanatic brothers out there. But mine is not. I am still considering giving him a ball, though, to encourage him to become more fit and eventually be in a better shape.

5. Gadget - What kind of brother would not want a gadget of some kind? Especially for the music lover bros, anything for mp3 players (although, this function might always be included in their smart phones, it is still good to have something exclusive to use for jogging, working out, or just hanging out) to portable speakers will be appreciated. Gaming stuff also works if your brother is into that.

6. Toys - Boys will always be boys, find something that interests him. Even the big boys will love toys that remind them of their tender years. Some can also be fanatic for Lego and Hot Wheels. My brother is not very into collecting, but remote - control cars and helicopters still thrills him.

7. Backpack - Active lifestyle will require you to have some sort of pocket that holds all the things essential for your day. From cell phones to extra pair of socks, these backpacks will be something that your brother could use every day. Choose a cool design and you are good to go.

8. Book - Does your brother read? Sorry, but I find that sisters are the one into books. Still, I know my brother indulges himself to a light reading every now and then so I put it in my list. I'll just have to find a good book for him. J

9. Coin Bank - Particularly a good gift for someone who is a careful spender or a compulsive buyer. This will help him save up for any occasion.

10. T-Shirt - This is the last item because this is normally what I would get for him when I ran out of ideas. But he always loves great designs.

As you know, as I write this, I am pondering what would be a good gift this year for my younger brother. He has a particular interest in music and cars. I was hoping to find a Hot Wheels model of the car that he was dreaming to have but I gotta find a supernumerary idea if I would not be able to find one. I'll update you what I decide to go with. 

Update:

It was so funny because I was not able to find something I would really like to give my brother that belongs in the 10 items I've listed. I ended up buying a Rastaclat bracelet for him. It looks like this:

Rastaclat McFly Gray and Mint (photo grabbed from the internet)

But it was a good choice because he liked it so much. :)

Gotta Love Project Pie

Our curiosity had us! So even if the line was too long and it seems like it will take forever before we get to eat, hubby-to-be and I braved it all and took our chance to try the pizzas at the "Project Pie" last Sunday for dinner. If we had gotten there earlier, I am sure the line will not be as long.

We are comforted to know that the line is moving at a steady pace. This means our wait will not be as long as we expected it to be. We were given a list of options and toppings. You'd be delighted to know that no matter how many toppings you choose, the cost will still be the same - Php 285. It is pretty affordable for a good pizza handcrafted by a pizza barista.

When we speak of baristas, we usually think Starbucks. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I would dare say that Project Pie can be called the Starbucks of Pizza in terms of the method ordering.

There are 7 types of pizza in their menu, identified by the numbers 1 to 7. All you have to do is to pick one of the choices and customize it to your liking. You can also compose a completely different one if you like. So, it is virtually possible to have every topping they have on a pizza. I am pondering, however, if there is a limit as to how much of a certain topping can we put in a pizza. Maybe next time we go, I would ask the pizzarista (pizza+barista. Yeah, I made it up. Get over it.) that question.

There are also other options that you might want to order like salads and sweet pizza (like banana-nutella, strawberry-mango-nutella, and more) but these are not customizable. Their drinks are also always bottomless. Gotta love that, too.

Project Pie at Alabang 

Update:

Pizza Salad is ♥ and filling

This is a no. 6 with crumbled meat balls, bacon, jalapeno, and caramelized onions

Strawberry. Mango. Nutella. Yum :)

Easy Homemade Milk Tea

With the entire milk tea craze in the past year, it is still reassuring to know that you can easily create something similar if not better at the comfort of your own home with very minimal effort and ingredients.

This is something I learned last Tuesday night and can’t wait to share it with you, dear reader, even without the graphic assistance of photos.

Here is what you need:

1. Milk of your choice, about 1 cup
2. Tea in a tea bag of your choice
3. Milk pan or just a regular pan
4. Stove

Here's how to do it:

1. Heat the milk in a pan.
2. Dip in the tea bag when the milk starts to warm, stir a little.
3. Let the milk come to a simmer (note: not to a boil or the milk will curdle)
4. Pour in a mug. You may want to leave the tea bag in depending on how strong or weak you want the tea taste to be.
5. You might also want to add some sugar depending on your liking.
6. Enjoy.

It was so marvellously easy to make and tastes great too! Tito Ferds said it was an old trick they used to do when he was working as a crew in a cruise line ship.

With the cold/wet season we are in now, this is a perfect cozy drink to warm you up.