Lifestyle: DC Super Heroes Cafe

Themed cafes and restaurants seem to be a thing nowadays but there is definitely one that  takes the Kyrptonite inspired cake -and its the newly opened DC Super Heroes Cafe! 

Finally had the time to visit one Thursday morning after shift. 

Since the mall just opened (its located on the 4th floor of the SM Fashion Hall) we were the first customers there. We sent word in advance that we would be taking photos and told the staff when we got there as well and they just let Paul shoot away, while I took videos for my Instagram stories. 

There's really a lot to see and geek over. The ambiance and design of the restaurant is just top notch! From the super hero themed murals, stained glass windows, life sized statues to the many drool inducing merchandise (some for sale). Even the comfort room is IG stories worthy, from its wall to wall covered murals of villains like the Joker and Poison Ivy. 

So this is what Paul and I ordered: 

The Belly Buster (P380.00)

Inspired by the big belly, one of the biggest fast food chains in the DC Universe. The fastfood establishment has appeared in numerous comic book titles and stories.

The burger comes with thick fries and is served with two kinds of dips. Paul is a big burger person and while I thought that the burger looked smaller in reality than in the picture, Paul said it was heavy and gave it a thumbs up. 

Baked Pepperoni Ziti (P380.00) -which is inspired from The Flash

I'm a pizza and pasta girl and their baked ziti was just so flavorful and surprisingly also very heavy. Now if you know me, you would know I'm a very picky eater so I didn't mind the jalapenos and the pureed capers-which Paul gladly took off my plate and he liked them very much. (Another reason why Paul and I make such a good team :P) 

Deep Cacao Milk Chocolate Smoothie (P190.00)

Feel the brooding mystery of Gotham City, a rich milk and chocolate smoothie with fresh cacao and deep dark chocolate topped with our signature whipped cream. 

We really liked this drink, I didn't know that it had pearls though, and being the picky eater that I am, didn't care for those either but other than that. I would definitely order this again and I think its one of their best sellers since I saw a lot of orders on the counter. 

I would probably try one of their iced teas or juices next time. Paul didn't really feel like having a smoothie and I didn't let him have a cocktail, so he just stuck with water. (maybe next time, Mamoy :P)

The place was quickly filled with customers, a section was even reserved for a children's party. So yes, if your kid is a big DC fan (and if you have the budget) this would definitely be a memorable place for a birthday party. 

Customers came in all ages, shapes and sizes. Older gentlemen in a meeting, kids with their parents, and the curious middle aged ladies who were also taking a lot of instagrammable pictures (I guess I would fall in that category?) 

Even if Paul and I were the first customers there and we had the place to ourselves for some time, we weren't able to fully explore the place :( and pretty soon it was already filled with customers (it got busy very fast) and its not like you can ask the lady sitting by the Wonder Woman mural to move so you can take a picture right?

DC Super Heroes Cafe was a great restaurant themed experience. Its a must visit if you are a DC fan, especially since there are a lot of small Easter eggs scattered throughout the restaurant, which you will just point at and be thrilled you were able to recognize it. 

Its an ideal place for a date, especially if you are both geeks. Its also a great place to hang out with friends after walking around the mall. 

Click HERE for MORE Photos! 

"Tara Kain Tayo" - Made Easier with OpenSnap

Bobby Box in Eastwood Libis (where I work) is a great place to eat for us who work the night shift. They open early (7AM) which is perfect since we get off work at 8AM. The interior is really pretty with brick walls, colorful Bobby Box art on the wall, wood paneled ceilings and even K-Pop music videos playing on a white screen for that contemporary Korean feel. 

Their meals (rice box meals) range from P109.00-P159.00 add about P20.00+ for drinks. Paul is happy that they have beer available. San Mig Light for P55.00 is a great deal! Sometimes we get funny looks when we're ordering beer at 8:00AM but remember since we work the night shift this is our 8:00PM so to speak. 

Bulgogi Box (Spicy) at P159.00 

You can't imagine how much trouble we have when we try to look for a place to eat with our nocturnal schedule. Sometimes my office mates and I would go through hours of arguments of where to eat but thanks to OpenSnap "Tara Kain Tayo" would be so much easier. 

Through OpenSnap you can search for restaurants to try out, you can search through key words like what kind of food you are looking for (pasta, burger, Japanese) or by location. You can also just search for the restaurant you are looking for.

OpenSnap is a perfect app for Foodies aside from discovering great new food finds it also serves as a platform for you to post and share your #foodporn photos! You can also review establishments you've visited to help friends decide whether this place is their next food trip. You can also search for newly opened restaurants in your area as well as what the Editor's picks and recommendations are. For us night owls there is a whole section for which establishments are open 24 Hours! 

It's an easy app to use and navigate through - no more arguing where to eat with OpenSnap  Tara! Kain tayo! 

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Hokkaido Santouka

Because reunions with good old friends over Ramen is always a good idea - especially when you both share the same love for the Japanese culture :)

Which is how we found ourselves at Hokkaido Santouka (at the Old Promenade in Greenhills) for lunch with my best friend from Grade School :)

She was the one who recommended Hokkaido Santouka so instant plus points right there.

Unlike other Ramen Houses where there are panels to separate the customers and offer a more private dining experience, Hokkaido Santouka had a more open ambiance to it (for their Greenhills branch at least). It was rather irregularly shaped for a restaurant, having a more alley way like entry but there was a bigger space at the back. There were even those vendos with the toys in what seem like Poke-balls in them - adding to the Japanese theme of the restaurant :)

We loved that the menus had Set Meals (like the ones in the photos - it's a set meal) complete with a Matcha flavored cupcake which Paul just shoved in his mouth in one gulp. 

We had one of their set meals (which range at around P470.00-P500.00+)

Our Set Meal included: 

Small Ramen and you get to choose what flavor - we had the Shio Ramen (Salt Flavored) It's just weird that there was a date in there, Fried Salmon and Prawn and Small Rice Bowl. There were also some vegetables, a small portion of salad, warm tea and the cute Matcha flavored cupcake. 

Mixed Fruits with Purin 

Dessert was Mixed Fruits with Purin (P170.00) which my best friend Greta and Paul shared  You will recall that I'm not really a big fan of fruits and that dessert to me is only chocolate or cake :P 

Cool and Chilled Iced Tea - Sailor Moon approves. 

The Iced Tea was in a really cool presentation with blended/ literally iced tea on top :P 

It was just disappointing that their local beer was priced at P150.00 a bottle - I mean seriously -  it's local beer - we know the suggested retail price. Their Shin-Aji Ramen (P320.00) looks interesting it's cold noodle with hot dipping sauce. Might try that next time :) 

Their ramen or at least the Shio Ramen we had was good :P Might try a whole ramen bowl the next time so we can fully explore the taste - like I said earlier the date in their was weird though :P 

Molcajete - Mexican Cantina Feature

Mexican Inspired Art up on the wall of Molcajete

In our continued efforts to feature local places of business, we're happy that a Mexican Cantina + Cerveceria has opened at the commercial area near our home. Drumroll for Molcajete please! 

This is actually a really late post already since we were super busy last December with the holiday rush and what not. Despite the late post, I have to say that we really loved our visit to Molcajete (we've been there twice- the second time with Paul's sisters and their husbands) and at both times we were satisfied by the food and service. 

With a price range similar to Army Navy I definitely have no qualms in shelling out for the Mexican food here at Molcajete- I for one really loved their Meat and Cheese Quesadilla and Paul gave a thumbs up for their Buritto. 

There's something in their garlic-cheese dressing that we just love! I'm not normally a fan of Mexican food but I'll make an exception for Molcajete ^_^ 

The Cantina itself has a nice and cozy feel with Mexican inspired art hanging in the walls. As the sign says it's also a Cerveceria and they serve different Tequillas - we might try it out sometime :p 

You can find Molcajete at the Village Corner right outside Beverly Hills, on your way up to Antipolo. Will definitely be swinging by - especially when that Mexican craving kicks in! 

You can visit Molcajete at The Village Corner at Beverly Hills, Taytay Rizal. They are closed on Mondays and open on Tuesday to Sunday from 12NN-10PM and on Friday - Saturdays from 12NN-12MN. You can check out their Facebook page here and follow them on Instagram @molcajeteph

"Chocolate Pa More!" New French Inspired Flavors from Cadbury!

"Chocolate Pa More!" 

The crowd screamed and cheered minutes before the #CadburySweetEnding screening of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Movie Review here by the way) I think it was from the sugar rush and I don't think anyone had any chocolate yet but the thought of bringing home boxes of Cadbury chocolate and getting to try out their new Limited Edition French inspired flavors got everyone in the room on a sugar high. 

Wait-What?? New French Inspired flavors from Cadbury?! 

Yes! You read that right! Cadbury is making something good-better by mixing up their signature Dairy Milk Creamy Chocolate with French inspired flavors - French Vanilla and Chocolate Mousse! 

These Limited addition flavors should already be available in your nearest grocery stores and I definitely recommend that you try them! (Only for P180.00! For a quick taste of French culture) My #CadburyBarkada and I are #TeamFrenchVanilla and you could definitely taste that sweet and unique Vanilla taste in your mouth as you discover the vanilla cream nestled within Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate. ^_^ 

My #CadburyBarkada with our Cadbury goodies after the screening of Mockingjay Part 1. :)

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

For all my fascination and admiration of Japanese Culture I'm not a big fan of their food, I really am more of a pizza, pasta, meat and potatoes kind of girl and my lack of being adventurous when it comes to trying out new food is what makes me or rather what doesn't make me a Food Blogger. 

I'm not a big fan of sushi or raw fish and I would take a pizza any time of the day over sushi. 

So it was no surprise that by the time Ramen became the "new milk tea" I still haven't tried a bowl, not one, and as I am writing this I just find that too strange considering my love affair with Japan. 

So a big "Arigato Gozaimasu" to my good friend Haru (not her real name but a nickname we gave her in High School and yes- it's Japanese) for treating us to Ikkoryu for some long over due Ramen! 

When I saw that the restaurant was awarded the 2014 Philippine Tattler Best Restaurant I was really excited. Upon entering the restaurant the interior just took my breath away it was beautiful and really had that authentic Japanese feel. There were wooden panels with Japanese characters written on them separating each table adding to that authentic Ramen House feel.

Since it was our first time to try Ramn, Haru suggested that we have the Ajitama Tonkutsu which according the Ikkoryu website is described as: "Topped with a special half boiled egg that is fully marinated with a special blended soy sauce." Can I just say that I loved that egg! It was nothing I have ever tasted- it was soft and absolutely delicious! 

For p380.00 per bowl, I would say that it's well worth it! Will definitely go back given the chance and I'm now ready and let's say more adventurous when it comes to Ramen! ITADAKIMAS! 

Casimir's

In our continued effort to feature local restos, Paul and I (along with our family) decided to check out Casimir's-a newly opened BBQ - Grill buffet right outside our village.

Walking distance (if you feel like it) from our house! Although not advisable since you'd be so full, you might get an upset stomach if you walk that much after stuffing yourself full. 

So here's the deal- it's an All You Can Eat; Unlimited BBQ for p188.00 per person. Not bad right? 

Paul and his family often go to buffets, so they pretty much know how to pace themselves to make the most out of the meal. Unlike  "kain ibon" me who should ideally eat small frequent meals because of my hyperacidity. 

The menu featured a variety of Filipino dishes (there was even fried fish and tahong (clams) the speciality being grilled pork and chicken. The flavoring was good enough for you to definitely come back for seconds and thirds even. 

It would probably be a good idea to visit during lunch time when everything is newly grilled. Although the food is refilled when it runs out. 

Alcoholic beverages are served (which is good news for Paul) and the prices are pretty reasonable. P43.00 per bottle of San Miguel Light (considering how some places in Makati serve a bottle of beer for P90.00 a bottle- some even at a P100.00). 

There are bottomless drinks available for P60.00 but 1L bottles of soft drinks are also available for sharing. :) 

If you are bringing a kid along it would be best to check with the staff if they can be free of charge, since kids (up to a certain height) are free. This was almost a source of contention from us since the staff first informed us that Paul's nephew would be for free but then later said he wasn't but in the end agreed to him being for free. If they insisted on charging our nephew then that would have been a big deal breaker for us. 

Casimir's has a nice enough vibe with wooden polished tables, you have the choice to eat inside or enjoy the cool breeze outdoors (it's nice and cool in Antipolo) :) There's also a nice bar set up where you can enjoy your drinks, not sure if you can bring food in though. 

Will definitely be back with friends and maybe my family next time, it's a nice enough buffet place and is definitely a cheaper alternative to other buffet places. There wasn't any dessert available when we dined there and we were asked for our suggestions and I told them it would be nice to have desserts next time. So maybe we'll check those out too. :) 

Tokyo Bubble Tea's Milo Series!

My Japanese Cheese Cake MILO Drink - this one doesn't have any black pearls and Coffee Jelly, that's coz I'm very picky with food :P I still enjoyed it very much and I'm sure if you have it with the pearls and the Jelly you guys would love it too! :) 

For 90s kids, 'making papak' Milo is a guilty pleasure that brings back a lot of childhood memories. The 'growing up with Milo' tag line is not just a tag line since most 90s kids really did grow up with the delicious chocolate drink. 

Tokyo Bubble Tea is bringing back those Milo childhood memories with their brand new Milo series of drinks. 

Here are their amazing drinks in the MILO series. 

Almond Milk Tea
M- P145.00 
L- P155.00

Mocha Milk Tea 
M- P.145.00
L- P.155.00

JCC (Japanese Cheese Cake) 
M- P.155.00 
L- P165.00

I got to try this one and it was super oishi! There was that familiar Milo Taste which I loved so much! Paul tried the Almond Milk Tea and he liked it too. :) 

It is also a great way to introduce the well loved chocolate drink and flavor to a younger generation whose guilty pleasures include the love of milk tea! 

For those of you hiding under a rock and missing out on this delicious Japanese Restaursnt, Tokyo Bubble Tea is actually a local brand which features Japanese fusion cuisine and an extensive line of bubble and milk teas! 

Vancouver Maki :)  

We just love hanging out at Tokyo Bubble Tea! For someone who loves Japanese culture I love the songs that they play in the restaurant, I would totally get a CD that features songs from the trendy Japanese Fusion restaurant. Since I work in Eastwood we mostly hang out in their branch there but we recently got to visit their Katipunan branch and I loved it too! 

It had a lovely interior and the staff were very accommodating and they even have a Vallet service!  Right from when we parked our car, the security guards assisted us with such joyful service :) 

Along with their delicious Milo drinks we also got to try some of the amazing dishes that they serve and boy did we get stuffed and satisfied! 

Vancouver Maki 

Breaded prawn, spicy tuna and teriyaki sauce, now I don't usually east sushi or sashimi, that's more Paul actually but I really enjoyed it! ^_____^ 

Samurai Burger