Lord Stow's Egg Tarts

I have always loved egg desserts so much. It started about 20 years ago, when I first learned how to eat egg pies. This interest and fascination have since grown and expanded to include more custard-based desserts, like the Brazos de Mercedes, Leche Flan, Creme Brulee, and other similar egg-based goodies. Of course, Egg Tart is not an exception to this.

However, it's really hard to find a decent egg tart here in Manila. See, I don't live in Hong Kong, where this is sold in almost every bakeshop and, whenever I try to order this dessert in Chinese restaurants, it's always out of stock! It sucks because I've craved for egg tarts plenty of times already, but no decent Chinese restaurant serves it (although it's included in the menu).

Hence, because of this frustration, I really had to go to Binondo to try and taste Lord Stow's world-famous egg tarts.

Egg Tarts (P 42.00 per piece)

During this visit, I had a box of four egg tarts and had them packed for carry-out. The packaging was nice but I was a little shocked with the price. I mean, 42.00 a piece? It's a hefty price to pay for such a small tart! Whew! 

   

Now, let's try to see whether the egg tart was really worth the forty plus pesos  I paid for it.

For the first test, let's examine the crust. Exhibit A here shows that the crust was very flaky and my bite says that it was absolutely crisp on the outside and soft on the inside - it was perfectly baked! Also, my taste buds would agree that it was not too sweet and it just had that melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness. 

Now, onto the filling. Exhibit B here shows how the egg custard filling was slightly browned and its luscious layer of egg, cream, and milk looked so tasty. My palate could not deny its amazingly creamy and velvety-smooth texture, paired with the right sweetness and its soft burst-in-the-mouth consistency. It's just so eggy-licious!

The verdict? Awesome! I was almost out of words after eating this. It was so hard to describe how delectable this dessert is.

So, your honor, I rest my case. This is the best egg dessert I've tried in my life and I will surely be back for more.

Lord Stow's Bakery

(02) 247 3305
G/F Unit E Imperial Sky Garden
707 Ongpin St., Binondo, Manila

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Kozui Green Tea

I’ve been away for some time because I’ve been assigned in the province and it’s been really hard for me to write about the restaurants I’ve visited back in Manila before this assignment. However, today’s quite different. I’ve been stuck in this friggin’ shuttle terminal for more than an hour now because the driver wants to have the entire van filled with people before starting the darn vehicle. Hence, out of dire boredom, I decided to write this stuff.
       

Anyway, today, I’d like to talk about one of the teahouses I’ve visited the last time I had a Manila food trip, called Kozui.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

This teahouse and mini restaurant is located in Tomas Morato.

It’s too small and it’s hardly noticeable, but its interior is actually nice.

It has this relaxing ambiance and there are a lot of interesting things inside, like these plant-like lamp accents.

There are also some native lamps on the second floor.

Everything seems to be refreshingly green.
    
Although there may have been some signs of wear and tear in the restaurant considering that it's not really a new establishment, generally, the interior is so nice and clean and it really feels cozy inside.

DRINKS

Kozui is known to serve organic and healthy green tea. 

They have every imaginable green tea blend in this teahouse and they claim that all of these are healthful options. 

Matcha Melon Korichio (P 130.00)

On this occasion, I chose to have one of the store's bestsellers, called Matcha Melon Korichio. At first, I thought that this drink would be a little overpowering because of its green color, but, when I took a sip, I realized that it was surprisingly delicious. I didn’t really expect that I’d ever like green tea, let alone enjoy it, but this one’s really different. It had just the right tea flavor, which was not too strong.

I was expecting that this drink would be a bit bitter, but it was actually sweet and it had this subtle melon flavor, which was so smooth and pleasant. This one’s a must try!

Matcha Lemon Teaz (P 95.00)

My friend, who was suffering from colds that day, had a ginormous mug of hot tea - the Matcha Lemon Teaz. I was surprised at how big the mug was for the grande size, and I was more surprised to see what’s inside.

It was a steaming-hot concoction of fresh tea leaves with slices of lemon on top. It was too green and, obviously, very scary. My friend had a difficult time consuming the entire mug because this one’s the real thing. I sipped a little and it felt like eating tea leaves raw - its tea flavor had a certain kick!

I wouldn’t recommend this drink to the weak at heart because this might be a tad too strong. However, it looked so nice to photograph and it was really fresh and hot when served, which I guess is  good thing for tea enthusiasts.

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Apart from the enjoyable drink I had, I was also satisfied with the service in this teahouse. The crew was very friendly and accommodating and they give excellent suggestions to the customers. 

VALUE FOR MONEY

Now, onto the prices. I usually am not satisfied with the prices of beverages in different establishments but this one’s truly an exception. For less than a hundred bucks, you’d be served with a huge mug of tea from this store and for just the price of a grande caramel frappe from Starbucks, you could already get a healthy drink that’s very delicious and refreshing - that’s one great deal, don’t you think?

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Drinks - 5/5

Service - 4/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 4.5

Kozui Green Tea
(02) 413 2705
258 B Tomas Morato cor. Sct. Fernandez
Quezon City, Metro-Manila

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Johnny Rockets

I wrote this blog post on paper while waiting to be served in one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever eaten in in my life (whose name I would not divulge to protect its identity). The service in that restaurant was just too slow that I was already able to complete a draft of this entry before my appetizer was served.

This incident reminded me of how great and professional the service in Johnny Rockets was and how this bistro had impressed me in this department. But, before we get to that part, I’d like to first talk about the overall look of this restaurant.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

Johnny Rockets is one of those restaurants which I think is overdecorated, but in a good way. There are plenty of different things that can be seen inside the restaurant, which are really interesting.

For one, there’s this cool Johnny Rockets jukebox.

Then, there’s this mini jukebox accent on our table.

It also has this classic black and white floor and there are countless photographs and posters of American advertisements on the wall.

One last observation is that literally everything, from glasses to condiment containers, has a Johnny Rockets tag.

There’s just one minor thing that I didn’t like about this restaurant - their air conditioner. I know that a lot of people complain about poor ventilation in restaurants and many Filipinos love to eat in places that are frigidly cold but the temperature here is just way too cold in some parts. My friend who was then suffering from colds was not even able to enjoy her food because she felt too sick to even take a bite off of her hamburger. 

Nonetheless, the dancing waiters more than made up for this minor shortcoming. I know they’re not synchronized at all, but they’re fun to watch all the same.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Now, let’s head on to the food. For this meal, we ordered two different burger meals. One is the Route 66 and the other one is the Bacon Cheddar Single. They both come with unlimited fries and, yes, we did have our plate of fries refilled plenty of times! I’d get back to the fries later but, for now, let’s just talk about the burgers first.

Route 66 (P 465)

The Route 66 is one of Johnny Rockets’ premium burgers, containing Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, and mayo.

This was my friend’s order but I had our sandwiches cut in half so we can taste both burgers.Sharing a burger’s not really conventional, but we really had to do it. How can I be able to blog about this if I haven’t tasted this one, right? Anyway, I did have half (or more than half) of this burger and I realized that this one’s actually good.

The patty was grilled to perfection and it was tender and really very juicy. I think it had a tinge of Italian spice but I’m not too sure what herb in particular. The bun was soft and really tasty and the cheese and dressing blended perfectly well in this sandwich.

I did like this burger, but I wouldn’t recommend this to those who are not very comfortable eating burgers with a lot of herbs as the patty tastes a bit different.

Bacon Cheddar Single (P 395.00)

According to the menu, the Bacon Cheddar Single is composed of thick bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato, onion slice, and “Bacon Cheddar Single” special sauce. 

Overall, I liked this burger. I don’t know what’s so special about the dressing but the bacon in the burger was crispy and toasted and the veggies were fresh. The patty of this burger is different from that of the Route 66, but I prefer this one over the other because this is simpler.

By the way, their burgers go well with mustard.

Unlimited Fries

Now, here’s what I’ve been discussing a while ago - the fries. Both the burgers came with unlimited fries and they were really crispy and freshly-cooked. We definitely lost count of the number of servings of fries we’ve had for the night.

And check the ketchup out. They’re cute.

Bottomless Iced Tea (P 110.00)

I actually had a glass of bottomless iced tea but I wasn’t able to have this refilled much. I only had around four refills (LOL). The iced tea was, of course, ordinary.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

Now, here we are finally. Let’s talk about the happy service here. Our server that day was Tracie and we were pretty much pleased with her service overall. She served us water without asking for it, offered to refill our fries plate every now and then, helped us out with all our requests, and replaced my iced tea glass with a new one instead of just simply refilling it.

The service was just wonderful. Their waiters were also very courteous and polite and they seem to have smiles fixed on their faces all the time. They’re really adorable.They even told us to fill out a survey form about our experience in their restaurant, which shows that they’re really interested to improve their service for the satisfaction of their customers.  I’d dine here anytime for their great service. 

VALUE FOR MONEY

Well, I’d say that I was pretty satisfied with the food and the service here so I do not have any regrets at all eating in this restaurant. Although the burgers we had were a bit expensive, I think eating here was still well worth the money we had to shell out. 

FINAL SCORES:

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 5/5

Value - 4/5 

TOTAL - 4.25

Johnny Rockets, Eastwood Mall
(02) 470-2117
G/F Eastwood Mall, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.,
Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City

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Icings Cakes. Breads. Cafe

When I and my regular food buddy went to Icings to have a quick meal, the country was then being slammed by one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit Manila and, at that time, heavy floods were already inundating certain parts of the country, including the nearby provinces. But, what can we do? We just love food and no typhoon – weak or strong – can stop us from eating!

Hence, soaked and all, we still went to this place. I honestly thought that the security guard wouldn’t let us in because our clothes were literally sodden and dripping with rainwater, but he allowed us to step inside anyway.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

Icings, by the way, is a café near Tomas Morato but it is strategically located in such an inconspicuous area, far from the bustling crowd and peppy diners.

It’s really hard to notice and even the sign is barely visible to passersby and walk-in diners.

Inside, the place looked much like any other café - tiled floors, warm lights, paintings, and all.

There were plenty of cakes here too.

Now, this one's my favorite - the "Basket of Fruits". Too bad, they don’t sell cakes by the slice.

One more thing that's interesting is that their menu is bound on a chopping board. 

And, finally, here's the dining area. Look at how clean the floor and tables are.

     

     

Generally, The restaurant is very simple and straightforward. It wasn't really any different from other cafes out there. Uniqueness, I should say, is not really the shop's strongest point, but its cleanliness pretty much makes up for this shortcoming. Having said that, I still think that this is a really decent and quiet place to have a quick snack or some coffee and cake with friends and family.

    

FOOD AND DRINKS

Actually, the place was comfier than it looks. It was so cozy, we spent almost half an hour drying ourselves inside before actually ordering. When we’re already comfortable and dry, I flipped through the menu and called the waiter to have our orders taken.

Since we’re relatively new here, all I wanted to try out is the Ostrich Pasta. I’ve never really had ostrich in my life so I wanted to know how it feels to eat this fowl’s meat. So, I ordered one serving of this dish and this is what they served.

Ostrich Pasta (P 245.00)

Seriously, who wouldn't love to have a taste of this dish? This plate of pasta looked really good! The presentation was very clever. It had me drooling at the dish right away. I took a bite of the meatball and, surprisingly, it didn’t even taste like any other kind of fowl. It tasted closer to beef. However, it was also a tough meat. It’s a good thing that this one’s ground and formed into a meatball because it made the meat easier to eat.
   
The pasta and the sauce were good too. The spaghetti was al dente and the red sauce was very rich and creamy. I think they used fresh tomatoes for the pasta sauce, which is good. I had a pleasant first encounter with the ostrich because of this meal. This is a must-try!

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers (P 195.00)

Because we found it really hard to pick what else to eat, we just asked the waiter what their bestsellers are and when he told us about the lemongrass chicken skewers, we were convinced  to have this added to our order. This was also a good choice. It had this char-grilled flavor and was very flavorful. It was juicy and tender and was just plain good. The serving size is quite small though. Thus, we didn’t even notice that we have eaten all of it.

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Overall, we were satisfied not only with the food here, but also with the service. The waiter on duty that time (whose name I forgot) was very professional. He was smart and friendly. He was not pushy. He didn’t force us to order right away and follow-up on us every now and then. He just allowed us to dry ourselves first and feel all relaxed and comfy before taking the order.

He was also very attentive to our needs. He gave excellent recommendations, served us a glass of water each, and refilled our glass every now and then when he felt like we needed more water.

VALUE FOR MONEY

With such excellent service and above average food, I would definitely come back to this place. The prices may not be affordable, considering the size of the servings, but it was satisfying anyway. I’d have to get back here and try other ostrich meals. I think I’ve just become an ostrich fan!

TOTAL SCORES

Ambiance – 3/5

Food – 4/5

Service – 5/5

Value – 4/5   

TOTAL – 4/5 

Icings Cakes. Breads. Cafe
(02) 372 0351
101 Sct. Lazcano cor. Tomas Morato
Quezon City, Metro-Manila

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H.K. Choi by Choi Garden

    
I had a fairly fast and traffic-free trip from the province back to Manila on a cold and rainy Sunday night and because I had some time to spare, I decided to get off at Megamall to have a well-deserved dinner.

Unfortunately, because it’s a Sunday evening and many families were dining out that day, almost all of my favorite restaurants in Megamall were chock-full of diners, so I decided to go to the Megamall Atrium as I believe there are fewer people around this area. Here, I stumbled across a restaurant called H.K. Choi.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

I was instantly lured to eat here as the signage says Choi Garden - a now favorite restaurant of mine. I didn't really bring a lot of cash that time but, knowing that this restaurant is being run by the same owners of Choi Garden, I didn’t anymore mind the price, shut my eyes close, and went in right away regardless of what awaits me inside.

The interior's set-up is quite similar to its mother company, minus the hanging Chinese lanterns, the grand tunnel-like entrance, and the dominant red hues inside.

Also, unlike in Choi Garden, there’s not a lot of people when I went in and the place was very quiet.

Interestingly, they have these hanging lamps, which are rotating on their own.

And while there may have been some signs of deterioration in this place, it was evident that the management pays so much attention to the cleanliness of the store. In fact, as can be seen in the photo above, the floor was very clean and well-mopped.

Having said all of that, I think that, overall, this establishment looked very warm and inviting, especially for a restaurant located in a mall.  

FOOD AND DRINKS

Satisfied with the place, I ordered a lot of food but first, they welcomed me with this free house tea, which was okay but not really my cup of tea.

I thought of ordering one variant of dim sum, two kinds of rice toppings, and one for dessert and I swear I really felt the need to go to confession right after this meal - I really am a glutton!

Sio Long Pao (P 95.00)

For dim sum, I had their Sio Long Pao. This was served steaming hot and I guess it had to be eaten really hot as it can get too dry and gummy if it’s left to cool for a while. Compared to Choi Palace's Xiao Long Bao, the wrapper of this dim sum is a bit thick and gummy. Nonetheless, the soup inside was superb. This was gone in a flash.

Braised Beef Brisket Rice (P 195.00)

I took a risk and ordered something that is not recommended, which was the Braised Beef Brisket Rice. This was okay but not stellar. What’s good is that there was a hint of ginger in the sauce and the beef was super tender. However, though it was pleasant, it can get too salty if eaten without rice. I am not a fan of this dish but it was okay.

Roast Layer Pork & Soy Chicken (P 210.00)

Since I know I can’t consume an entire platter of cold cut combination, I just had a rice topping with two cold cut variants from that set. By the way, there were 4 slices of pork in this dish but, because I got too excited to eat this, I mistakenly ate the first slice without noticing that I haven’t taken a photo of the dish yet.

Soy Chicken

The soy chicken did not disappoint as expected. It was as good as the ones from Choi Garden. The meat was tender and it was very juicy and flavorful. 

Roast Layer Pork

I was, however, slightly disappointed with the Roast Layer Pork. It was alright because the taste was still spot on and the skin was really very crispy. However, the meat was not as tender and is a little tough and chewy. It’s still good though but not the best one I’ve tasted.

Free Soup

Every rice topping order comes with a free bowl of soup, which was a good value to me. This one's delicious. I have a hunch that this is somewhat similar to the Chinese Egg Drop Soup with the beaten eggs floating on the soup’s surface but I can't be too sure. 

Buchi (P 65.00)

This one’s tasty too. It’s so big, I can’t stuff the entire thing in my mouth. I really enjoyed eating this. It’s not too sweet but it can be a little filling. 

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Good food coupled with excellent service is what most diners are looking for in a restaurant and I think this establishment has both of these qualities. Servers here are very attentive, responsive, and professional (except for a few of them who are chitchatting during business hours). Service was also very fast - there was almost no wait time here. Ten minutes was all I needed to have everything served hot and complete. 

VALUE FOR MONEY

Overall, there is good value for money here. I didn’t really think that the price of the food here is at all affordable, but it is. The serving size is big and the food was enjoyable. For everything that I ordered, which, of course, wasn’t all consumed, I only paid more than P 500.00 and that’s a meal for two or three. For a quick and quality meal while in the mall, I’d definitely recommend this restaurant.

TOTAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Value - 4/5

TOTAL - 4/5

   
H.K. Choi by Choi Garden
(02) 470 4233
2nd Level SM Megamall Atrium
EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Ave.
Mandaluyong, Metro-Manila

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