Gourmand on The Go

(Photo Taken: March 2, 2019)

I did it. I finished my medication. Some people would say they didn’t realize that 6 months have already passed... but I did. I counted the days until I could finally stop taking those medicines. As most of you don’t know, I suffered from TB.

2 years ago, I was misdiagnosed. They found densities in my lungs but they cleared it out as “scars” and that it’s okay to ignore it. So we did. As you all know, TB can be a deadly disease when left untreated. My biggest regret was not getting a second opinion because..

One year after when I took my Annual Physical Exam and the doctor who read my x-ray results diagnosed me with Pulmonary TB. He immediately demanded I took medication because it had grown so big that my lungs were basically “chain-smoker’s lungs”. Mind you, I have never puffed a cigarette ever in my life before. It had spread throughout my lungs and I didn’t even feel it.

I had to go through 6 months of antibiotics. Not one day should be skipped. I coughed blood during my first 2 weeks and I wasn’t allowed to do the stuff I used to normally do. I can’t stay up late or exhaust myself too much because I would definitely feel the consequences if I do. I also wasn’t allowed to be hungry nor drink any alcohol. Taking this medicine made me gain weight which made me lose a whole lot of my self-esteem (like I ever had any to begin with). I was suffering but of course, I had to go through with it because honestly, what other choice do I have?

Location: 35 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Product: we tried their Taco Sticks, Wings Combo, Ribs Combo, and Fettucini Alfredo. We spent less than P1000 here and we got to order that many, and still had leftovers that we had to ask for them to be taked out and for that price and the quality of their dishes, I am more than glad I found this place.

Their wings are extra super duper hot, you have the option to not have the spicy one of course. The wings come along with buttered corn, and I think that was a honey mustard sauce. The sauce goes along greatly with the wings, it compliments the spiciness of the chicken and gives a good addition to the flavor. The corn is what it is, the food that helps you get away from the "umay" factor, if you ever encounter it.

The Ribs are rich with sauce which gives it so much barbeque flavor, with the sweetness and the tangy flavor, it is good enough for the price you paid and enough to satisfy your cravings for ribs. The meat wasn't that tender though, kinda hard to slice and chew if you have weak jaws but like I said, it is enought to satisfy your rib needs so that isn't really much of a complaint.

The pasta was okay, it kinda tasted like a creamy pesto, also smelled like it. The good thing about the pasta is the flat noodles which captures most of the flavor the sauce has. There really isn't much to say about this but if I had another choice, I would probably try the other ones.

Venue: one thing I notice about this place is that it gives kind of a tropical vibe, thus the "palm tree" in the middle of the place. They have a really cool interior design that is enough to cool your mood while waiting for your food to arrive. The thing is though, the service is quick so you get served your food right away. The servers are very attentive, probably because it is their soft opening around the time we ate here, someone was always waiting to assist us with our needs. I hope they keep it up. Really good job on the people who are in charge of the place for not overpricing their food and still giving the customers satisfaction with their food.

Location: Level 2, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Product: we got to try their new addition to their menu - Tasty Twists. It consists of the following: Pumpkin Ala Bagnet, Shrimp Diablo, Souper Dapper Sinigang, Krazy Wild Blooms, Creamy Beef Rendang, El Callos Capitan, and Ilocaloco. We also had the Bananarama and Baked Alaska for dessert. For my drink, I chose the Wanderland.

The Pumpkin Ala Bagnet was definitely my favorite among all the dishes I got to taste that night. I just love how the creamy texture of the squash compliments the taste of the bagnet. I couldn't get enough of it, to be honest, I actually wanted to get more but I felt like someone else needed to taste this glorious dish. The bagnet was crispy which makes the fat part good to chew. Even though it was salty, the sweetness of the pumpkin balances it.

The shrimp wasn't really my favorite. Even though I love shrimps, the spiciness of this dish stands out more than the shrimp taste itself. I think that's the purpose of this dish, so if you're into spicy-peppery food, this is the order for you. Me, I prefer the other ones.

The sinigang, honestly didn't have a twist for me. It tasted as classic as it is. Although it definitely gave you the familiar taste of your mother's cooking, you can just go home to her and eat as much as you can for free. But if you're craving for sinigang and you're too lazy to cook on your own or your mother/grandma lives too far away, go order this dish. You won't have any regrets.

The wild blooms is a salad contained in the heart of a banana tree. The presentation looked so good that you would really want to take a picture of it before tasting it. This is really a nice twist to your salad needs because sometimes salad really looks so boring, this is definitely an upgrade.

The beef rendang is a coconut creamy dish, it was super good despite how much I dislike spicy food, I still ate it a lot more than I can. The beef was a little tough to eat but you will get past it once the overall taste of the dish consumes you. I just ate a lot of rice and vegetables to prevent my mouth from burning too much. The sauce tasted really good with the naan bread especially while they're still both hot/warm. This probably the first spicy food I wouldn't actually bother eating a lot of and that says a lot.

The el callos didn't stand out at all, I feel like the saltiness overpowered what the dish was trying to really taste like, it's a little bit confusing. I love how it was presented though, it looked really appetizing to the eyes and the stomach of course. I put this dish on my plate first. Sadly, it didn't stick to me. Hopefully, I can give this dish another chance, maybe my love for the other dishes just got the best of me.

The ilocaloco is another dish that didn't really have a twist. It is basically pinakbet. Like the sinigang, you can also find this dish at home. There isn't really much complaint because it tasted really good too. I am a sucker for this dish and whenever this dish is served at home, I eat like I never had it before (full of "mmm's" and "this is so good"). I just needed to say that it didn't have a twist because they put this dish under the tasty twists section but what's different from it? I can't really tell. It is the dish that we all love and cherish. The vegetables were easy to eat, especially the squash/pumpkin, it was cooked just right.

The bananarama was heaven. The sweetened banana combined with the chocolate bar which had cream cheese. The serving wasn't enough for one person, when I come back here this is at the top of my list to be ordered again. No wonder this is one of their best sellers. The banana tasted really good with the chocolate, they're both soft too and very easy to eat, slice, and chew. Like I said- heaven on your mouth.

The baked alaska, is a famous dish that we all love to order. Not only does it look cool, but very fun to eat too. I loved the vanilla ice cream inside because it had such a rich flavor that stays long in your mouth and it also compliments the chocolate cake. I just wish the meringue was sweeter so that the egg white taste lessens more. Overall, this dish is another order worth your money.

The wanderland was a juice combined with pineapple, calamansi, and basil leaves. At first, the taste was strange for my tastebuds. You can really taste all of the ingredients at once. But after a few more sips, you get used to it. The flavor doesn't lessen that much even after all the ice has melted which is a really good thing.