Yoghurt House

Yoghurt House
Sagada, Mountain Province
Philippines

A quaint little resto that wouldn't really be so hard to find in Sagada. Everybody knows it, and even first timers would surely encounter this place during their journey. It's a few minutes walk from the town hall and you can just ask anyone from the place you are staying, where this is and you will definitely find it.

First thing that got me to try this resto was the distinct appeal it presents me, it's very homey, yet has a rustic native feel to it with the interiors and the decorations and the very inviting sign that says "yoghurt". I just love that stuff.

Me and my friend decided to swing by after the cave connection tour, we're all wet and dirty and people are eyeing on us with a bit of interest (or so I think). We decided to go to the 2nd floor because the 1st floor was already packed with people and a handful of tourists.

We were attended by a bit preoccupied waitress who got our orders and informed us that most of the desserts were already gone (which would probably mean they were real good.) After perusing their menu, I ended up ordering Baked chicken and cheese pasta because I haven't had a decent chicken meal in days.

This is what I got, yeah a lot of cheese but don't let it fool you I wasn't really happy with what I ordered, the chicken still has some traces of feathers stuck at certain parts which made me not eat the chicken skin which I so love and the pasta is real heavy on the cheese but it's too soggy for my taste and I really wished I ordered something else and I finished the buttered toast instead. This costed me P 180.00. Not worth it.

However, the Pan Fried Beef with mountain rice and mixed veggies was a delight for P190.00. The beef was cooked deliciously and is a bit sweet with fresh veggies and the light dressing. In Sagada, I definitely urge people to eat veggies and beef, since it's in the mountain side the veggies are real fresh and crispy, while the cows are fed with a good amount of crops as well making them more savory.

And then there was dessert, the house specialty which was the Yoghurt Cake for only P40.00, which was by the way truly awesome. If you hadn't noticed my spoon is a sign that I wasn't able to stop myself from munching into it as soon as it was laid on my table.

I tried asking what the cake was made of, the waitress just told me it's yellow cake but I still am not convinced, maybe it's a house recipe or something, but it's really good, topped with yoghurt which is not the sweet or sour kind but just right and then capped off with a glorious scoop of strawberry jam. YUM!

(Photo by Ronz Cappal)

The next morning, we found ourselves excitingly headed to the Yoghurt House again to try the Banana Pancake with Yoghurt P75.00. I am so loving their yoghurt concocted recipes! The banana pancake was a treat to my tastebuds, similar to the yoghurt cake with the topping (strawberry jam) the mix of the banana and the yoghurt inside the pancake practically sealed everything.

Dining at Yoghurt house is really a very delightful experience, it's just that they don't serve free water to diners, you literally have to buy the water, I was thinking this is because some people are not really accustomed to drinking the water there but you can bring your own bottle anyway so it's still cool.

Kamasutra Cake from Good Spirits

photo credits

Good Spirits
The Collective, 7274 Malugay cor. Mayapis
San Antonio Village, Makati City

Christmas has been so wonderful, not only because of the parties I've been to, but also the fairly good amount of presents I was able to receive this year. Felt like a kid filled with anticipation at each surprise, it was definitely awesome!

My friend, Grace Paragas would probably have given me the best Christmas treat this year, and it's the Kamasutra Cake from Good Spirits.

I am really intrigued with this cake, since the first time I've heard about it. The name would connote a very sensual experience which I'm sure a lot of people would be very familiar with. *grin*

This wonderful dessert came in a very neat and colorful package, at first I was trying not to move it too much thinking that the icing would be ruined easily like other cakes, but I am surprised that it's still in tact after travelling! Yay! The presentation these days is definitely everything and this one totally bagged it.

I took it out of the box, and the first thought that came to me was that it wasn't too big so I would be enjoying it alone, because it would literally just neatly fit the palm of my hand. It's really adorable that it took me quite a few moments to start digging in.

The Kamasutra cake is wrapped in dark Belgian chocolate icing and decorated with chocolatey-gold buttons, it is a habit of mine to try the edible designs first before the actual cake. The Gold buttons are not very special in my opinion, it's harder than normal chocolate, I was hoping it would be, milk chocolate but I can't quite distinguish what it's made of.

I am not a big fan of dark chocolate nor cakes with even a hint of liquor, and I kinda hesitated when I read the description of the Kamasutra cake, but I was so proven wrong. It's very delectable and wonderful feelings were aroused through my palate. It's not really sweet but there's no bitterness as well, the whole thing slowly melts inside your mouth as you taste it's chocolatey goodness.

So I guess that's the reason for the name.

Definitely a must try for both chocoholics and nonchocoholics alike.

Johnny Rockets

   

Johnny Rockets

Eastwood Branch

Ground Floor Eastwood Mall Veranda Libis,

Quezon City

I tagged along with a friend to look around B-side in Makati with my little tyke and we just found ourselves inside a cab bound to Libis at around 6 pm.

Johnny Rockets is quite famous in the United States already and we decided on visiting its first branch here in the Philippines since it's our first time to dine in the place.

(Photos courtesy of Kaye Hernandez)

The moment you step inside the place you will be like transported back to time, I feel like I am in that movie "Pleasantville" because of the 50's feel of the place. The very much Diner look definitely would make you pause and admire the place once you get in, it's not very comfy but it just transcends this wonderful feeling. Plus, when we came in, the waiters and waitresses were dancing to the tune of old 50's music as well (e.g. Buttercup), little did we know it would go all night, like every 20 to 30 minutes of our stay there.

There's this device in every table, we already figured it was some sort of a jukebox but we never found out if it worked. Of course we did gave it a try and wasted a handful of 1 peso coins in the process. We got the process correctly and soon gave up and called the waitress to assist us.

We were supposed to key in our choice first before we put the 1 peso coin. Voila! Well amost but it just worked for a few moments coz as I have already said the restaurant's crew is busy dancing most of the time so they would need to own the music inside. It's worth a try anyway.

They have doileys! I think it's awesome everytime I see a restaurant or a house who have doileys, and they are cute too. The waiters would also go out of their way to make smiley shaped ketchup for you. I think it's just too cute. I am fond of them, although I didn't try to make one myself, too risky, there's the probable ketchup stain involved in the process.

One of the reasons we decided to check out this place is because of the FOUNTAIN. It doesn't seem to have anything special on it really, as you would notice in this photo. The one on the left is my Strawberry Banana Fountain and the one on the right is Chocolate Peanut Butter (P275.00). Rip off? I so DARE you to try it. See that metal glass beside it? that is the refill that comes with an order of a fountain. It is super creamy. I have never even imagine a milkshake making me give up eating until I got to try this one.

 

Johnny Rockets boasts of their burgers here's a rundown of what we tried:



Rocket Single (P345.00)

1/3 pound pure beef patty with cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato, onion slices and their own special sauce. The special sauce is indeed special. I love how creamy it is and how it moistens the burger just right without adding additional fatty feel on it. I can really say I enjoy this burger so much, while slowly licking my chops after the juices accidentally oozed out of my burger. I felt really childish while at it.

 Original (P 285.00)

1/3 pound pure beef patty fresh lettuce, ripe tomato, chopped onions, relish pickle and mustard mayo. Yeah you heard the combination right, mustard mayo. Same oozing glory goodness, the tenderness of the beef, what stood out was the relish I love the sweetness it brings to the palate and evens out every flavor.

Streamliner aka Soy Burger (P 465.00)

Meatless burger (because it's made of soy) with grilled onions, lettuce, ripe tomato, pickle and mustard. I personally am not a fan of this one, there's a mild peppery taste to what we had and it made it a bit spicy (which I don't like much). But if you are dining with someone you know is a vegetarian or wants to taste something different you are free to try this one.

  

Route 66 (P 465.00)

1/3 pound pure beef patty with Swiss Cheese, grilled mushrooms and grilled onions and a generous serving of mayo. I love the idea of grilled mushrooms with my burger, it's make the meat more fun to chew at (I don't know how to describe the fun, but it is). This one maybe a bit expensive but I would definitely get this instead of the Streamliner. I am never a fan of onions in any way, I have it removed in any burger I eat, but for some reason it works well in this one and my palate doesn't seem to find the strength to disagree.

I enjoyed dining in Johnny Rockets, it's definitely something to try, the overall look of the place, the way the crew dances and the thingamajigs in every table. Even the glasses and the doileys tell you that you are not in anyway in the new millennium, it's just fun to sit back eat and reminisce to the tune of the classics. I didn't grew up in that era but the appreciation was instilled in me by my Mom who loved to play those sort of music on sunday mornings.

Although as a caution if you have toddlers, you might want to consider another place because they don't have enough high chairs for the kids and since it has the diner feel, it's not very childproof, but my kid had fun with the dancing part plus they gave us a balloon to keep his naughtiness at bay. AWESOME!

Oh and before I forget.

At Johnny Rockets, it's FRIES ALL YOU WANT with every purchase of a burger! How awesome is that right?!

Even the ketchup smiley thought so! They have amazing fries by the way, but don't get carried away coz there might not be so much room for the burger for you to enjoy it. Good thing we can always take the rest of it home.

Candy Cane Chill Blizzard

(Photo courtesy of Ingrid Samson)

Dairy Queen's latest offering this season is the Candy Cane Chill Blizzard. We saw the advertisement while walking along Gateway Mall in Cubao a few weeks ago and since we're avid fans of the shop we stopped to check it out.

I must admit I am not a fan of mint being mixed with any of my dessert so I am not really interested on trying this one out. I can imagine the candy cane we're usually given during Christmas by either teachers or other adults when I was a bit younger which I didn't really enjoy much coz it gets to my teeth.

This blizzard as most would know would be turned upside down in front of you, and eversince I knew that you'll be given the ice cream for free if it falls, I always half wished some parts of it would drop, leaving me a fair amount to enjoy *evil grin*.

This flavor is still not one that I am a fan of. I like the part that it's way better than eating the candy cane itself and having that nostalgic feeling rush through you and having the ice cream glide through your mouth in its cold glory, but it's still not for me. The mint is taking over the ice cream that I like, so I'll stick with the usual blizzards I always wanted.

Charlie's Grind and Grill

Charlie's Grind and Grill
16 East Capitol Drive, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Metro Manila

My first food post, it's got to be something really good.

We've set the date to taste the delectable treats at this hidden resto inside a car wash, after much built up of anticipation it finally happened.

I had my son with me so we have to get something appealing to his tastebuds as well and as soon as I got this cleared with the person behind the counter she offered us their specialties.

Everybody is buzzing about the Black Angus Burger  so even if I already ordered a plate of Pasta Marinara (made sweeter) I got this as well. I just forgot to tell them to hold the onions and the pickle, (onions are really huge, if I may say so massive! LOL).

The serving is huge enough for me and my kid to munch on, coupled with the "fresh" fries which by the way are also huge, I think everything in this resto is like a double order for me and I should've tried to look at them first before ordering a few plates for the two of us.

The black angus patty is really mouth watering, it's not dry and it has this unique flavor that would make you say it IS really beef and not to mention so soft in the palate, that my 2 year old also likes it.

I had such a delight eating this, but the other fun part about this resto is they have dressings available like your typical catsup and mayo, plus mustard and aoli and I didn't check all of what they had coz I had my claws on the aoli already.

The Cheese fries.

My friend ordered this one and when it was placed on our table, it quickly got my attention, with all those melted cheese covering the home cooked fries. It was REAL cheesy, but I would recommend that you get this to be shared with your group, coz if you don't get to finish it while it's hot it loses it's essence, like most food.

One good thing about this store too is that they have this "Shroom Burger". It is a no meat burger, might be good if you are dining with a vegetarian or you can try it for yourself too. I like mushrooms and to have it crusted with cheese is definitely a really REALLY good idea!

Everytime I go to a resto I definitely look for pasta and if there are interesting drinks/desserts that would tickle my fancy. There was only one type of pasta they offer and that is the Spaghetti Marinara, at first I thought there was nothing special with it although it says "five pieces meatballs" underneath, until I GOT served.

"It pays not to underestimate the advertisement next time," was all that I could say to myself coz I think the meatballs are almost the size of my fist. AND there are 5 right smack in my overloaded with cheese "marinara". I asked the waitress to make it sweeter since my kid is going to share it with me to which they responded dutifully, which was real nice. I was able to finish the burger and got this whole thing to go for Mom.

They also have milkshakes which was real perfect! mmhmm *lip smacking motions*

I had the strawberry overflowing with cream and topped with a cherry which gave way to not making me want anything for the rest of the day. It was not as sweet as I have expected it to be, just right to cap off the meal, but is not very recommended if you are not a big eater, coz I can feel my stomach close to bursting after trying to finish this beauty.

But I won't really recommend it for people who has little kids, coz they don't have high chairs and they have a really small room so if your little tyke is being a handful, it might cause trouble to other diners as well. And although it was a bit difficult to find this place at first but it was worth it, we'll surely come back for more of their specialties.

(Photos taken by Ingrid Samson and Kaye Hernandez)