Happy Lemon

Okay, I have to admit. I’m already left behind. Trends in food and dining are really changing so quickly and sometimes I just can’t follow through. For one, I didn’t really know that tea-based beverages, such as milk teas, have seeped into the otherwise coffee-frenzied culture of the Filipinos. It was, for me, surprising to see so many teahouses sprouting everywhere!
    
Happy Lemon is among those mainstream teashops, serving modern blends of tea and, because I wanted to feel “in” even if I don’t really drink tea, I decided to give this anime-inspired shop a go.
    

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

I’ve seen Happy Lemon featured in several blogs and many of my friends claim that this teahouse has a relaxed and laidback atmosphere. However, when I went to visit this shop with a friend of mine, I almost had a heart attack! I hate the crowd and this is exactly the kind of place I wouldn’t want to be in at any given time - it was totally jam-packed!

All the chairs outside were occupied.

The line was very long!

Plus, there were plenty of people scuffling around the counter to claim their orders.

Literally every part of the shop was filled with people and it had a rowdy, noisy, oppressive, and absolutely unbearable feel inside. This was very far from the supposedly light and relaxed atmosphere others are claiming.

To make matters worse, the place looked like a huge garbage bin. We saw plenty of used cups and plastic bags lying untidily on the floor, stools, tables and everywhere and no one really bothered to clean them at all!

I guess if only there were less people the day we went here, we would’ve appreciated this teahouse more, especially with its fun and friendly façade and design but, unfortunately, we encountered a completely different scenario.

FOOD AND DRINKS

The crowd, however, did not stop us from trying out the beverages sold here as we travelled so far and we were already parched by the time we arrived in the shop. We had one order each of Happy Lemon’s specialty teas.  I ordered their Green Tea with Rock Salt Cheese and my friend had the Milk Tea with Oreo Cookie.

Honestly, I didn’t like any of the teas. I took a sip of my friend’s order and I found it to be too bitter. Then, after some time of drinking mine, I actually just asked her to finish it because, as I feared, it was not my cup of tea.

Green Tea with Rock Salt Cheese (P 90.00)

If you want to feel all holy and divine, try out this tea. Drinking this blend made me feel like I’m some kind of patron saint or even the “Poong Nazareno” with whom Sampaguita flowers are being offered! The green tea had this jasmine-like feel and it was fragrant to the mouth but definitely not pleasant. The rock salt cheese is meant to be eaten with a straw, I think, because it tasted sweet and cheesy, which is a perfect contrast to the bitter taste of the tea. Mixing it with the green tea would definitely be a mistake because its distinct sweetness would be overpowered by the bitter tea. Honestly, I’d rather drink water with the rock salt cheese on top than this jasmine-based green tea.

Milk Tea with Oreo Cookie (P 100.00)

My friend ordered this one and I took a sip because I wanted to try and see if this was any better from my disastrous pick. Anyway, I guess this one’s a little bit friendlier and happier than my order. There were plenty of floating cookies in the drink, which somehow neutralized the bitter flavor of the tea. However, I still can’t stand drinking this. It was still too bitter for my sweet tooth.

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Dreadful service - that’s all I can say. I can’t blame them though as there were plenty of people and the teashop was obviously understaffed. The crew can’t even clear the tables, clean the floors, and accommodate everyone.

The buzzer thing, which is supposed to be used to notify the customers that their orders may already be claimed, was nonexistent. I wonder why a lot of people are raving about it at all. We didn’t even get our change and they didn’t bother to remind us about it. My friend had to struggle once again with the customers around the counter to ask for our change. It was a mess, actually.

VALUE FOR MONEY

I was pretty disappointed with the experience I’ve had here - it was actually very unhappy.  I have yet to try some of their other tea blends to really pick the right one for me but I think I wouldn’t really bother going back to this teashop just to do that. Their drinks are reasonably priced but if I can’t even consume an entire cup of their tea, I guess there’s no value for money there at all.

 FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 2/5

Drinks - 2/5

Service - 2/5

Value - 2/5

TOTAL - 2/5

Happy Lemon

2nd Level, Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center

Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills

San Juan, Metro-Manila

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Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas

Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas is a newly-established Spanish restaurant, which primarily serves tapas. By the way, to those who are still unfamiliar with tapas (like me when we went here), these are Spanish snacks served either hot or cold.

 
AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

When we arrived at the place, the first thing I noticed was the fountain. I haven’t been to a restaurant with a fountain before so I thought that this was really cool and was definitely a refreshing change from glass walls and doors.

They also have an al fresco dining area, which doesn’t look as airy and vibrant as it is in the morning during the night. I guess this part of the restaurant has a lot of potential and would really look good during the day.

Of note, this place was named after a certain Spanish artist named Salvador Dali and I guess, because of that, the owners of the store decided to give the place an artsy feel by hanging a lot of paintings everywhere.

Apart from being well-decorated, the place was also very clean and everything looked new. However, I didn’t like the floor as it was just concreted in some parts. I would’ve been happier if the floors were tiled or carpeted.

Nonetheless, some parts of the restaurant are really worth noting.  For instance, The dining area has these huge hanging lamps with several candle-shaped bulbs inside, which give the place a Spanish feel.

The lighting, albeit dark, was very classy and warm too. And to our delight, some of the tables looked like barrels.

I believe that the place really had a certain theme. Everything looked Spanish-inspired and even the LCD television is framed as if it’s a painting.

The restroom area looked really unique too with these framed ceramic sculpture of two people dressed in traditional Spanish costumes. 

As this is also a bar, there is a wide selection of wines to choose from. However, I didn’t want to try any as I don’t really drink. I did hear though that their Sangres here are good.

FOOD AND DRINKS

In my opinion, the food here was very satisfactory and filling and all the dishes looked very appetizing. I can say that the establishment really pays close attention to the flavor and appeal of the food. 

French Bread (Complimentary)

At first, they served slices of French bread for free as an appetizer. It also came with a dip, which reminded me of Italianni’s restaurant.

The only difference is that the bread here is tastier and crispier than Italianni’s soggy and bland basket of bread. The salsa-like dip was also very good. I actually wanted another helping of it!

Queso Fresca (P 80.00)

Our first tapas for the day is the Queso Fresca, which is composed of Spanish farmer’s cheese with some basil and paprika, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

I’m not a fan of cheese but this was really good. It’s weird but every bite of this cheese made me feel so light and happy, I really had to smile. I think I now understand the meaning of “comfort food” after I tasted this.

Croquettas de Pollo (P 85.00)

We also ordered some Croquettas. To those who do not know what this food is, Croquettas is a small fried roll with a certain filling. There are many versions of this in Dali’s menu but we chose the chicken version.

This dish came with a dip, which was creamy and delicious and it looked so good with the lemon slice on it. I just felt though that there’s this peculiar fishy taste in the croquettas. I felt like eating tuna and not chicken croquettas.

Callos (P 295.00)

For the main course, we ordered some Callos. This dish is also popular here in the Philippines so, when I saw it on the menu, I ordered it right away. I was so glad I selected this because I thought that, among all the dishes we tried here, this was the best I’ve tasted. I almost ate all of it! It tasted like the tomato-based dishes my grandma used to cook for us when we were small. 

Lengua de Terez (P 300.00)

The second main entree we had was the Lengua de Terez. According to the menu, this is comprised of ox tongue (Lengua), which is braised in sherry sauce with mushrooms and olives. It also came with green beans and some mashed potatoes.

Honestly, the presentation of this dish was the most appealing aspect of this food but the taste, to me, was so-so. It was good at first because it tasted different but eventually, I started to taste more of the sherry flavor, which was really overwhelming. And it doesn’t come with rice! Of course, I’d understand that because I’m in a Spanish restaurant but I feel as if no meal is complete without rice. 

Plain Rice (P 40.00)

Hence, being an obligate ricevore and unable to order their specialty rice dishes (as they’re mainly composed of shrimps and I have seafood allergy), I had to order a cup of plain rice. As expected, this tasted like regular rice. There was nothing special here apart from the green herbs on top. This one looked plain (Duh, that’s why it’s plain rice!).

Garlic Rice (P 50.00)

The garlic rice was a different story though. This rice dish had more toasted garlic than Shang-ri La Hotel’s and it was very delicious too. What’s also noticeable is that it wasn’t very oily, which was actually good. I felt satisfied with this one but I still am sad that I wasn’t able try out the Paella.

Churros con Chocolate (P 135.00)

Finally, for dessert, we tried the Churros con Chocolate. This one’s divine. Just look at the plating! It was also served hot but because I had to take a lot of pictures of it, it got cold before we were able to eat everything! 

This one’s just a regular Churro (Spanish doughnut) which comes with a chocolate dip. It was so delicious, especially if dipped in the chocolate, but I advise that you consume this right away as it is not as good when cold.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

The service here was fast and the waiters were so efficient. They served us water even if we’re not asking for it, they provided an extra seat for my friend’s bag, they seated us away from those who were drinking during the night, and they took photos of me and my friend when we asked them. 

It was a delightful experience and I hope it’s not just because  there were only very few customers when we ate here.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The food here is not really very cheap. The tapas are quite affordable but the serving size is small as they’re meant to be eaten as snacks only. However, the service was very good and the Callos was fantastic so I guess there still is some value for money here.

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 5/5

Value - 3/5

TOTAL - 4/5

Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas

(02) 928 0971

40 E. Lopez Drive Cor. Sgt. Esguerra

Quezon City

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Abe: Where Good Friends dine

Abe is a part of the LJC chain of restaurants and, according to the company website of LJC, this place primarily serves traditional Filipino food, which is mainly Kapampangan in origin (I’m not too sure though).

 

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

I did like Abe’s interiors, except for some minor things, which I think are not really going to drag down the overall appeal of the place.



What’s noticeable is that the design of the restaurant is very modern although it still has some details that are uniquely Filipino. From how I saw it, the tables are made of hardwood (probably Narra or Yakal) and the chairs had backrests made of woven Banig.



I adore the chandeliers too! They’re really unique and they give the whole place an elegant air. Also, the windows and sliding doors are made of tinted Capiz framed in varnished wood, giving the place a uniquely Filipino look.



Anyway, one of the things I didn’t like about the restaurant is that it can get too crowded inside, especially during the peak hours. I went to Abe with a friend. The place was almost empty when we got there. However, as soon as the clock ticked 6:00 PM, people started flocking inside the restaurant and I thought that, since then, the place had become extremely noisy.

FOOD AND DRINKS

The food in Abe restaurant is probably one of its stronger points. They serve various Filipino dishes, which I find appetizing, and the food is served hot and fresh.



Calamares in su Tinta (P 210.00)

For the appetizer, we opted to try out the Calameres in su Tinta. It was supposed to be like the Adobong Pusit with the dark (almost black) sauce from the ink bags of the squid but we preferred to have them deep-fried instead with a crispy coating like how it’s done in the streets of Morayta, Manila (aka Hepa Lane).

This was a really delicious treat, which was served hot, but I think there’s nothing special about it. The sweet and sour sauce was nice too but definitely pales in comparison with the vinegar-based sauce the sidewalk vendors usually pour over the Calamares sold on the streets.



Pastel de Lengua (P 330.00)

Lengua (ox tongue) is a popular dish in the Philippines but I have never really tasted Pastel de Lengua before. I have only tried several other variants of Lengua, which do not have the baked crust on top, so I really was excited to try this out.

 

I should say that this dish was quite satisfactory and was well put together.The Lengua was so tender and well-cooked and there wasn’t even a tinge of offensive flavor in the meat.

Overall, it was a satisfactory dish but I think the serving was too small to be shared by two or three people. If I were to dine in Abe and order just this and a cup of rice, I’d probably end up still hungry after the meal. .



Lechon Cubano (P 420.00)

This one’s the star of the night. The meat of the pork was very juicy and so tender it slips right off the bone. The skin was perfectly roasted and had that distinct crispiness I always look for whenever I eat Lechon. The sauce though was too ordinary for such a wonderful dish but the flavor of the Lechon made up for the blandness of the sauce.

A piece of advice though: finish it as soon as it is served as, after a few minutes, the skin can become too rubbery and the meat cold and chewy.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

I would say that the service in Abe was not really that satisfactory. When we ate here, there were plenty of people dining and there were only a few waiters, who were mostly preoccupied with other customers. We often felt ignored, especially during those times when we asked for water or a refill of our rice (plain rice is refillable, by the way).



On a lighter note, the food was served on time. The waiters were also very polite and attentive to our orders. In fact, one of the waiters even suggested that our Calamares be converted to the fried version, which made us really happy as we didn’t want to try out the one with the squid’s ink on it.

VALUE FOR MONEY

I think the food in Abe is just a bit too expensive considering the serving size. Most of the food here are also ordinary and are somewhat not commensurate with the price they charge for them. There are plenty of other Filipino restaurants out there that serve more delicious food for a cheaper cost.

FINAL SCORES


Ambiance - 4/5 

Food - 4/5

Service - 3/5 

Value - 3/5

TOTAL - 3.5/5






Abe Restaurant
(02) 901-5692
3/F Trinoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Ave.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

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