Highland Steak

Wednesday night was a bit rainy and we were all anticipating Typhoon Milenyo. Since we were all feeling tired, we decided to try out the new Highland steak house in SM Mall of Asia. We were quite surprised with the price as we didn't expect the place to be pricey. Apparently, this is the same steakhouse as that in Tagaytay Highlands. I ordered Baby Back Ribs and was so disappointed. I still think Racks has the best baby back ribs. Their baby back ribs just couldn't compare to that of Racks. (Wonder why Racks has closed down some of their branches???) My sister ordered Rib eye which was very juicy and tasty. I should have ordered the same. Service was quite good. Overall, I would still recommend the place but keep away from the ribs. Rating: 3 star Value for Money: 3 star

Gullivers Steak at Makati

To celebrate our first year anniversary, we went to Gulliver's of San Francisco at Aberdeen Court for a dinner. I heard about this place from our friend Wendy. This franchise opened 4 years ago feature the USDA Choise Roast Prime Rib of Beef. Their flyer features a testimonial from Kris Aquino which says"The meat was of superior quality, because from its appearance alone I was able to see the rich marbling of the beef. It was tender to the bite, and even without the meat's juices that they offered to pour over the meat, my cut stayed moist and flavorful.", They were also able to attract personalities like PGMA, JDV, Larry Ellison, Henry Hyde, Joe Montana, Steve Bono and Sean Penn to dine at Gulliver's. I love the ambiance of the place. It looks like an old English pub-it's a bit dark, secluded, candle lit and sets the right mood for a nice, cozy Prime Rib dinner. We ordered the Roast Prime Rib, which comes in various cuts : Petite Cut - P680, English Cut - P890, End Cuts (while they last) - P890, Gulliver's Cut - P890, Full Bone Cut - P1180, I got the End Cut, My fiance the Petite Cut, My fiance prime rib was almost the same size as mine, all comes with sidings and sauce. I settled for the End Cut, The steak was tender, salty and delicious. It came with sidings of creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. We did not bother to order other menu as the steak is already exceptional. Meat Lovers will surely enjoy the juicy and delicious Prime Ribs considering that the meat is of the second best quality in America (USDA Prime Rib is the best-hard to find). The price is quite affordable but a little expensive compare to other similar establishment. Gulliver's of San Francisco 10th floor Great Eastern Hotel Makati Avenue, Makati City. Telephone number : +632 8967475, +632 8982888 www.greateasternhotelmanila.com They also have a branch at Quezon City located at 8th floor at the brand new West Wing of Great Eastern Hotel Quzon City with 180 car slots on 3rd to 7th floor. Rating : 4 Star Value for Money : 3 Star

Mongkok Dimsum and Noodles

After a good week of working, my fiance and I decided to look for a nice sofa at SM Makati, on our way to SM we passed thru Glorietta and met our friend Lisa dining at Mongkok with her BF. I told my fiance that we will have our dinner later at Mongkok to check out the place, although this place is famous for its notorious amount of Vetsin. The yang chow fried rice was good - it had egg, green peas, some porkbits and my favorite chinese sausage. It was also a bit wet, which is how I like my rice. They served the fried rice before they served the other dishes, but since it was so tasty, I ate a few spoonsfull even if there were no other viands yet. The mixed vegetables were okay but typical - the greens were crisp and the carrots were cut in cute floral shapes. The dish wasn't too salty. Their use of aji no moto wasn't too obvious. The salt and pepper spareribs were a bit tough but were delicious. It was hot enough to leave a small bite on the tongue. I didn't like their hot salad, though. It was a bit too sour for me. The Mongkok lemonade is ok. There were some dayap slices floating in it but it is quite obvious from the taste that the lemonade wasn't fresh. After the meal, we had green tea. It was a disappointment since their tea came in a tea bag. It's a good thing that service was excellent and they don't have service charge. For a fast food resto, Mongkok was ok. MONGKOK DIMSUM & NOODLES offers Chinese foods like Dimsum, Dumplings, Noodles, Congee and rice toppings and Hong Kong style Specialties. MONGKOK DIMSUM & NOODLES gained wide market acceptance with a growing customer base with existing outlets in Rockwell Center Makati, Glorietta, San Fernando Pampanga, Angeles City, Cauayan, Isabella, Shangrila Mall, and Robinson Galleria. Mongkok Glorietta 2nd Level, Glorietta 1 Ayala Center Makati City Tel. 817-8932 Rating : 3 Star Value for Money : 3 Star

Jonas the Original Pares

My friends and I had our dinner at Jonas, the original and inventor of Pares, they have been around since the 80's. The place is located at Retiro/Mayon street near Mercury Drug. For those who don't know what Pares is, Pares is Pronounced pah-res, its beef stew, fried rice and soup. According to an interview the name Pares started when a customer who frequented the restaurant in the past always orders "beef" with "fried rice", because the customer frequently orders this Beef and fried Rice combination, the server created a name for the combination and it became "yung pares" or "Pares" for short. This is my first time to dine at Jonas, the place is nice and clean. We ordered Pares and its so good which cost me only P88. The beef is very tender, the friend rice is generously served and comes with a lot of onions and garlic bits. But I don't like the free soup. For dips you can also have a combination of soy sauce and chili. I also ordered an extra Siomai which taste very well with my Pares, and for drink I had a softdrink which cost me extra P25. The dinner is superb ! Jonas Pares Retiro corner Mayon Quezon City Rating : 4 Star Value for Money : 4 Star

Everything at Steak

My friend suggested to try Everything at Steak located Banawe near Starbucks, they also have another branch (original) in what used to be the convenience store of a Petron gas station on P. Guevarra, near Sky Cable & King Crab. The place is crowded at dinner time as people seems to flock to this place for the P120 80z Ribeye Steak, so you need to choose your time well or manage expectations. The advantage of this place is its air-conditioned, has full menu aside from steak and they offer decent sidings (mashed potatoes for one). The parking is also not a problem. The Beef are "Angas" short for "Batangas" beef vs the renowned Angus variety. But at Very affordable price who's complaining? We ordered Pork Spareribs P125, baked then smothered with Smokin Homemade BBQ sauce, served with either mashed potatoes or Rice. For garlic rice add P10. We also ordered Chicken Wings P90, just wing it, your choice of BBQ or sweet chili sauce. Their steak are a little fatty but flavorful and consistent, its also Pinoy-style. There's a homestyle marinade that gives the meat a sweetish BBQ taste. You can also ask for a gravy to be placed on the side, otherwise they slather it all over. My only complaint is that they do not serve drink all you can Ice Tea. Everything at Steak Original Address : 5 P. Guevarra St. Cor. V. Cruz (Petron), San Juan Branch Address : 939 Banawe St. Q.C., M.M. Rating : 4 Star Value for Money : 4 Star

So Woo Harbour Square

Its friday and we decided to try So Woo at Harbour Square, I have to fetch my fiance from her office before heading to So Woo, So Woo with Specialty in Meat BBQ is located on the 2nd floor of Harbour Square and its a korean restaurant similar to Charlee's Tepanyaki where they will cook the food on your table and the foods are served hot. This is something that you will not find in other restaurants. The place is not packed with people, you can seat outside which is open air or inside, you can even get a private room if you want, the interiors are very well made with glass figurines on display, We went inside and found a seat and ordered US Beef Thin sliced Belly with Sauce for P350, Traditional Korean Bulgogi for P350 and it comes with 7 side dishes which are Kim chi, Korean Raddish, Quail Egg, Onion, Ground Beef Burger, Pamochim, Woo Sam Gyup which are all refillable. The dinner also comes with Egg Soup and free Ice Coffee, for drinks they serve hot green tea. The beef are very thinly cut and you ate it with either rice or just beef together with some sauteed vegetables. So for P700, you got a nice dinner cooked hot in your table, 7 side dishes completely refillable and a very cozy private place. so what are you waiting for? Try So Woo . So Woo 2/F, Block 1 Bldg., Harbour Square Pedro Bukaneg St. CCP Complex Tel : (632) 831-1316 / 551-6070 Email : restaurantsowoo@yahoo.com.ph Rating : 3 Star Value for Money : 3 Star