Chef Jessie - Rockwell

We have always love the Le Souffle group of restaurants and the other restaurants that were inspired by Le Souffle e.g. Florabel, Chef Quarters, Duo, Old Vine etc etc.. Billy King first departed the group, he is still one of the finer chefs in the country.. With his departure. Chef Jessie Sincioco had to step up to manage the kitchen operations of the Le Souffle group. We dont know what exactly happened to Le Souffle, but we are happy that Chef Jessie still runs the newly named restaurant. And upon hearing that the place now offers weekend brunch. We just have to try it.. knowing the standard of Chef Jessie, it must be good... hahahaha

Elle: Look at the PRAAAAWNSSSS!!!! Need I say more?? The prawns were perfectly cooked and the sauce was thick enough to coat each prawn and tangy enough to balance the sweetness of the prawn. I loved the raspberry salad dressing which was a great choice over the usual salad dressings. Of course the caviar pie was unforgettable!

I did not like the drinks they served because they were watered down and really did not do anything to add to the entire spread. I am not really an egg fan but I loved the eggs benedict! The bread was a bit crispy on the outside contrasting well with the very soft/ raw egg yolk. Other finger foods like the different quiches and the bite size pancakes were just ok.

I will probably never forget the brightness and freshness of all the fruits served with the muesli. The colors were just too appetizing! I can not even remember how many times I went back get fruits! The freshest fruits really make a difference! I was not able to taste the profiteroles but I was not too keen on the desserts. I found the chocolate cake very rich and thick that I had a difficult time swallowing it although it tasted ok.

Cody: I was giddy with delight when we were on the way to Chef Jessie. Stepping into the Amorsolo Building.. my appetite was already in high gear.

The first plate I got was at the appetizer station and you can see the quality that you get. Caviar pie, Prawn salad, tossed salad with raspberry vinaigrette and creamy balsamic vinaigrette .

The eggs benedict was very good, the do it differently by baking the hollandaise sauce giving it a nice texture and rich goodness that you will just keep on eating and eating. The Chcken ala kig was just okay

The garlic rice was fried perfectly without being over garlicky, the beef cbes were very tender and marinated beautifully, the omelletes were just okay. The tiny quiches were a delight to eat.:)

The pancakes and bacon were good, and I like that the size of the pancakes were small and still fluffy.

The roast beef was the star of the show.. tender and juicy, cooked perfectly medium well, with the cute pandesal.. I hope my brunch can be like this everyday.

The drinks were a let down. and the desserts were so-so

But we would still return here once in a while, overall experience was great:)

Fleur De Lys - Tomas Morato

We always thought that the best dessert place in Quezon City is this little shop in Tomas Morato named Fleur de Lys. they have a lot of cakes.. mini ones and big ones and they also have coffee, tea and chocolate drinks.

Mango Waffle

Elle: Disappointing... I was expecting a fluffier, lighter, crispier and satisfying waffle knowing that this establishment is known for its desserts. Okay, maybe waffle is considered breakfast food but still...I was expecting something great. The waffle was soggy, heavy and had the after taste of flour and baking soda or powder (whichever one it was). It was made even soggier by the ice cream.

Cody: Well, i think ordering a waffle instead of a cake(which is what they are known for) was a mistake. Its was nice that the mangoes were ripe and not sour, the caramel sauce was also not overly sweet.. but the waffle itself was spongy and has no crispy exterior which was what i was looking for. the ice cream was store bought. I wish they would make their own.

We will stick to their cakes:)

New Hong kong Cafe - Banawe St. Quezon City

A lot of new restaurants are opening and closing in the Banawe area, and having a sign with bright lights does really get our attention so we decided to try this place. Place was... you can say empty....only two tables occupied.... not a good sign... anyhoo.. we ordered and crossed our fingers with what we are about to partake...

Chicken Baked Rice

Elle: Hmm… I have to think of how to describe this one. It’s forgettable. Sure it was cheesy, it had to be! The rice was hard…it tasted like it was cooked three days before it was served. The mixed veggies included in the rice were also tough especially the peas! I had to go through the strands of cheese to be able to taste the chicken. The chicken itself was bland and I was expecting a tastier chicken to contrast the cheesiness of the dish. I was very disappointed L

Cody: I first got to taste baked rice in Hong Kong.. then here in the Philippines.. got to try it in Mr. Choi at Robinsons Galleria.. So, we ordered and.. we ate.. and I was disappointed.. it was tasteless.. the rice was dry.. the cheese was scarce.

Fried chicken

Elle: Again…the rice! Serving size was good and I actually liked the gravy although it was a bit too buttery for me. They added 5-spice to the chicken batter and I actually liked it. 5 spice has this strange likeable taste that I look for.

Cody: Dont be deceived with pictures... I think the problem with our restaurant indutry here is the quality tends to suck.. I would serve an egg looking like this, unless the customer will request for it.. The chicken did taste good, and the skin was fried to the perfect crisp. The sauce was not good, the rice was again dry and hard.

Hong Kong Milk Tea:-

Elle: Again…bland. Milk tea should give you that comforting feeling after the first sip and I didn’t get it from this one. It was not as tasty as the other milk teas I have tried.

Cody: I like that they serve it this way, you know that it is made fresh and not powdered form. But it lack in taste also...

Oh well... we are guessing this place will soon fold up unless they change a lot of kinks in their food and system..

Sen Lek Thai - SM Makati Food Court

We never knew that the food court in SM Makati had undergone a great renovation. Its is more spacious now, cleaner and brighter. We can still remember eating at this food court when we were kids.Walking around the food court, we saw this stall. It's not usual that you see a THAI food stall.

There were pictures of food and a couple of people in line. So we decided to give it a try and these are what we ate.

Khaw Pad( Thai Fried Rice)

Cody: I was suprised with the serving size It was quite substantial. I love that it was fried on the spot. It has a distinctly sweet and salty taste.. which is because of their use of Thai fish sauce which is different from our local fish sauce which has a strong salty taste. There are bits of tiny shrimps and lots of shredded lettuce which i enjoyed.

Elle: True the serving size was big. Aside from the saltiness it actually had a spiciness to it that I liked. I would have liked it more though if they used bean sprouts and Thai basil, it probably would have made a bit more "Thai" than it actually was. There were tiny tiny tiny bits of shrimp I would have missed them if I weren't actually LOOKING for them. It would be a nice option to pay extra for big shrimps.

Pad Thai(Thai Fried Noodles)

Cody: It may look not as appetizing as other Pad thai from expensive Thai Restaurants. For 90 pesos a serving. It was indeed good enough for one hungry individual and can also be shared if you are not too hungry. Just the right balance of sweet and salty and tangy.

Elle: Again, I agree that the serving size was big enough. I liked the burnt peanut taste and the tanginess it had but it lacked the crunchiness of authentic Pad Thai. Again, I had to look for the CHICKEN bits if not I would have missed it. A good food item for someone adventurous enough to try something new.

Chef D Angelo -Glorietta 5

When this restaurant first opened in Glorietta, i could still remember the tons of people eating at this place, because everything was cheap and affordable. This place was giving Shakeys and Pizza Hut a run for their money.

But recently, the novelty of this place has died down. Went to their relocated branch in Glorietta 5 and there was not much people eating here.

Anyway, we still went in and eat...even when Elle was skeptical....

Buffalo Chicken Thighs--

Cody: their servings were huge.. i mean the chicken pieces were humungous. Coated in a sweet barbeque sauce. It was crispy, juicy and reminds me of the Buffalo Chicken of DON HENRICOS.

Elle: the chicken wings were..ginormous! there were three pieces but its size could have served 5-6. And yes I agree, the crispiness could be felt through the skin upon biting into it. I can not recall what Don Henrico's tastes like but this one was actually good. The balance between sweet and spicy was just right and it added contrast to the crispiness of the skin and the

juiciness of the meat.

Cody: this is my default pizza here in Chef d' Angelo. Gone were the days when the pizza was overloaded.. now it is still fairly loaded with bacon shrimp and mushroom, the base is not the usual tomato base, but it is bechamel(white) sauce based. I like this pizza for its nice blend of smokiness from the bacon, and the combination is not something you find in other pizza joints.

Elle: I think I would have preferred a combination of white and tomato sauce but then again it would not have been called Great White. The dough was "bouncy and fluffy" but had a crispy texture upon biting. The amount of ingredients is probably still a bit more than other pizza joints'. A good default pizza but not something you would actually crave.

SAN MIGUEL BEER - LEMON FLAVOR

San Miguel has recently introduced two new beer flavors just last January. Apple and Lemon. Saw an ad outside Cafe Via MAre in Greenbelt and after a heavy meal at Sugi we decided to try it out.

Elle: I can drink this beer forever! :) It is light and bubbly and tastes refreshing. You can really taste the lemon flavor and it lingers in your mouth after each sip. It does not leave a bitter aftertaste like regular and light beer. Delicious! Perfect for long drinking sessions, that's if you wanna stay up late and still get that happy buzzed feeling.

Cody: First and foremost, i ordered the Apple flavor, but the waiter got my order wrong and gave me the same Lemon Flavor. Anyhoo.. I was expecting it to taste like CORONA beer.. after you put a squeeze of lime to it.. and indeed it tasted like it except it was a bit sweeter. Very mild buzz as the alcohol content is only 3 percent. but it was good and i cant wait to try the apple flavor one.

Yoh-gurt Froz - multiple branches around Metro Manila

One of the first Yogurt stand to open in Metro Manila. I can still remember th only stall in Tomas Morato Quezon City. But it has withstand the test of time and taste as it now has a lot of branches in Metro Manila.Ordered a serving topped with Chocolate Sauce

Elle: The yogurt was dense and creamy which I really liked. Maybe it was just the combination that I did not like so much because the chocolate sauce took away the tanginess of the yogurt batter. But overall the yogurt is up to my standards:)

Cody: I agree with Elle, the yogurt itself was very good, dense, packed and creamy. The tanginess was also present so you know you are eating yogurt. The chocolate sauce is the kind that creates a shell when it hits cold temperature. not really fond of this kind of chocolate sauce as i prefer fudgey sauce like what i am used to at Mc Donalds. But aside from the sauce. the yougrt was quite good.