One of the food trips that Mark and I had since he came home was at Kangaroo Jack at the Araneta Center. We've been passing by this restaurant for quite some time and have been seeing a lot of diners piling up over their buffet.


I'm just not sure if they also have buffet dinner but there was none during that time. But then again, there were a number of diners who seemed to be enjoying so we decided to give Kangaroo Jack a try.

Mark wanted something hot for his stomach so he ordered for their mushroom soup. His hot soup was served a few minutes after we got our drinks.

Iced Tea (Php 45.00) and Pineapple Juice (Php 55.00)

There was nothing really special with this soup. Mark even said that it tasted like the ones that are taken right out from the can. :p

Mushroom Soup - Php 50.00

Mark's order was served next. The sirloin steak comes with java rice, corn, and veggies. Unlike the very appetizing picture on the menu, the actual thing wasn't that appealing. I think what ruined the look was the pool of gravy. :p Taste-wise, Mark said that it was just so-so. The steak was tender yes, but unlike high-end steak houses with steaks that are to die for, Kangaroo Jack's was just ordinary-tasting.

Sirloin Steak - Php 145.00

I was craving for sausage that time so I went for their Hungarian Sausage Sizzler. Aside from the egg, the dish also came with java rice and veggies. This one got me drooling the moment it was served, but the spicy sausage killed the deal. I wasn't even able to savor the sausage's taste because the spiciness was overpowering.

I don't know but I'm just not really into spicy dishes. I just had a spoonful or two of the dish, and then Mark finished the rest. And Mark's verdict? It was just another so-so dish. :p

Hungarian Sausage Sizzler - Php 135.00

Although the food was not that good (or at least the ones that we had), their service was still commendable. Our orders were served a few minutes after we placed them. They also have a live band which is perfect for the diners who were also having some rounds of alcoholic drinks.


Though not a perfect place for some gastronomic treats, I think it would be heaven for those who just want to unwind and chill while being serenaded by a live band with old time favorites. :p

KANGAROO JACK, Araneta Center
Araneta Center, Gen. McArthur Ave.
Cubao, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 352-6838

      sweetnothings.kriskamarie
       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie

Date of Visit: September 22, 2011

We dined at Burgoo on Mark's 5th day of being back home. After flipping the pages of the menu for a little while, Mark finally knew what he wanted to eat. I guess he still had his Qatari culture in him that's why he ordered Burgoo's Ultimate Fajitas--choice of char-grilled chicken, steak, prawns, or combo with buttered potato wedges, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers; with tortilla wrappers and sour cream, grated cheese, and salsa.

Ultimate Fajitas - Php 595.00

When the dish was served, I was surprised at how very different it was from the photo in the menu. It actually didn't look that appetizing and with all that oil, oh my! Mark also got surprised that it was served on a sizzling plate.

This dish is usually eaten by having all the meat, veggies, and dressings wrapped in the tortilla; but since Mark is still on a diet, he just decided to do away with the tortilla and dressings. He didn't seem to be liking his dish, mainly because it was swimming in oil. But even so, I still decided to give it a try.

Tortilla Wrappers

I tried eating the fajitas the traditional way. Honestly I didn't like it too. I was expecting a pungent dish, but the dish was just plainly bland. The dressings didn't even help. And the tortilla was a little hard to chew.

Grated Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Salsa

Good thing this mashed potato saved Mark's day. :p I wasn't able to get to taste it because it was gone the moment I finished taking a photo of the rest of the dishes. :p I'll just take Mark's word that their mashed potato is good. :)

Mashed Potato Mexicano - Php 175.00 (Regular), Php 295.00 (Large)

After a quick glance at the menu, I already knew what to have...Chicken Diane!!! I've tried this before and immediately fell in love with it. :) The generous serving of grilled chicken fillet was very tender and juicy. The sautéed onions and tomatoes, and the pool of creamy Diane sauce made the chicken even tastier. The garlic spaghetti and garlic bread were also a hit as they balance out the flavors of the chicken fillets.

Chicken Diane - Php 375.00 (Regular), Php 525.00 (Large)

I sensed a hint of envy from Mark when he saw my dish. :p And since I knew he wasn't loving his dish, I just let him have mine since I was already full.

Aside from the food here in the Philippines, Mark must have missed me a lot that he always wants our picture taken whenever we dine out. :p

Mark and I in one of the many pig out sessions that we have since he came back :p

Okay fine, he just actually wants to have more of his photo posted in my blog because according to him, his photos will make the readers come back for more! Haha!

BURGOO, Gateway Mall
2/F Gateway Mall, Aurora Blvd.
Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 913-6112


kriskamarie   sweetnothings.kriskamarie
kriskamarie   kriskamarie

Date of visit: September 21, 2011

...Mark and World Chicken finally got to meet again! :p

Mark and I went to the Gateway mall for another movie date. And when he got hungry after the movie, there was no food that he wanted to have other than World Chicken. :p

Mark and World Chicken: reunited ♥♥♥

Mark was still a little strict on his diet but he still managed to enjoy his favorites. He ordered grilled chicken with 2 mashed potatoes as side dishes, minus the sauce and gravy. :)

Grilled Chicken Fillet (without sauce) and 2 Mashed Potatoes (without gravy)
Grilled Chicken + 2 Side dishes - Php 159.00

And I, not being able to get to dine at World Chicken when Mark was still abroad, gave in to my cravings and ordered my all-time favorites! Unfortunately they ran out of potato salad so I settled for mashed potato. :D

Grilled Chicken Fillet with Gravy, Fettuccine Al Tono and Mashed Potato
Grilled Chicken + 2 Side dishes - Php 159.00

WORLD CHICKEN, Gateway Mall
Level 3, Food Express, Gateway Mall
Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 440-4286

      sweetnothings.kriskamarie
       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie

Mark accompanied me to the dentist for my dental checkup last Saturday (July 25). We also planned of going to the gym for some workout. But before hitting the gym, we first had a luscious lunch at The Old Spaghetti House. Haha!

It took me some time choosing from the menu, until I finally decided to try the Swiss Mushroom Chicken with Creamed Fettuccine. The generous amount of pasta cooked al dente with a generous amount of creamy sauce was not superb, but I just love how the chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, and ground pepper gave the pasta its distinct taste. The Swiss Mushroom Chicken was what I loved the most! The melted mozzarella with Swiss mushroom gravy on top of the grilled chicken breast fillet was oh so delicious! The dish also came with a slice of garlic bread and a salad of fresh lettuce with fried shoestring potatoes seasoned with apple cider vinegar. ♥♥♥

Swiss Mushroom Chicken with Creamed Fettuccine - Php 175

Mark just had a quick glance at the menu and already knew what he wanted. He ordered for their Classic Lasagna. I got to taste it and it was so good! It was like a mixture of tastes of spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza. :p The serving was generous too. :)

Fridays will never be the same as before. There will be no more Friday movie and coffee nights with Mark. :( But oh well, we still have Saturdays! :)

Mark and I met up yesterday and had our lunch at the Savory Chicken in Ali Mall. I've already tried Savory Chicken before but it's my second time at the Ali Mall branch and I believe it's Mark's first. :)

I ordered my favorite Savory Tropical Cooler for the drinks and Mark also opted to give it a try. It's a blend of luscious pineapple, orange, and guava fruit juices. Mark loved it as much as I did. :)

Savory Tropical Cooler - Php 45

Salt and Pepper Spareribs was Mark's choice. The deep-fried pork spareribs seasoned with salt and pepper was perfect for both Mark and I. I loved that the dish was not too oily. The red chili and green bell pepper slices made me scared at first since I'm not a fan of hot and spicy dishes, but I'm glad that the dish was spiced just right. You may also dip it in spiced vinegar for an additional tangy and spicy kick.

The summer season is officially over! But I still haven't completed my posts about our summer adventures. *sigh* So I'm warning everyone, most of my posts will be backlogs of the adventures and food trips that I had this summer. So please bear with me, and I hope that you will find time to read and enjoy the adventures and food trips as much as I did. :)

~~~

Mark's normal life, specifically in terms of eating, finally got back! Since summer is over, it's also his off-season from bodybuilding, which means he no longer has to deprive himself of food that normal people eat. :D

It actually started last week when we had our late lunch at Butter Diner. It was then followed by another pigging out session last Friday, May 28. We were supposed to have a dinner date last Thursday, but since I had work, we decided to just move the date.

Since I knew how Mark wanted to eat so badly, I was already surfing the net and reading reviews about restaurants around the Araneta Center even days before our dinner. There were a lot of choices, but Blackbeard's Seafood Island got me all hooked up. :D I was just browsing through their menu but I can already imagine how Mark would love to dine here.

It was both our first time to try it out at Blackbeard's Seafood Island. We were greeted by staffs in pirate costumes when we entered the restaurant. Aside from the pirate costumes, another main attraction in the place was the interior. I just had my camera phone at hand so just bear with me with the photos. :p

The ceiling fans made from individual abanikos really caught our attention. What a nice touch! :)

Situated on each post are preserved crabs and lobsters. They also have an aquarium right next to the entrance wherein you may choose fresh seafood and have it cooked.

There were also some abacca ball lights hanging on the other side of the restaurant. They also have a bar which resembles that of a pirate ship.

Aside from the nice ambience, the restaurant also takes pride of their seafood and grilled treats.

Both Mark and I had a hard time in choosing what to order, it's like we wanted to have everything in the menu! Haha! After a few minutes of contemplating, we finally decided to go for the Dapitan's Pride Boodle Feast. For the drinks, I got the Buko Shake while Mark opted for the bottomless Iced Tea. I ♥♥♥ their Buko Shake! I don't know if I'm right but it tasted like it also had dairy milk on it. The Iced Tea was good too. :)

A few minutes after we placed our order, one of the wait staffs went to our table and got the place mats, plates, and utensils, and left just a single plate with 2 pairs of utensils on the farthest side of the table, which really made Mark and I surprised. We got more surprised when our order was served. The Dapitan's Pride Boodle which consist of Crispy Coco Gin Shrimps, San Mig Clams, Grilled Tilapia, Grilled Squid, Laing, Steamed Crab, Grilled Liempo, Kalkag Rice, and Atchara Papaya, on banana leaves layered on top of a huge wooden tray was right in front of us.

We were like stunned for a few minutes! Haha! We even said that we'll just have the left-over food wrapped since we know we can't finish the whole boodle. But no! We were enjoying the food that we didn't notice that we ate up all of it! And the food that was supposedly for 3-4 persons, as stated in the menu, was gone in no time! Haha!

The clams were perfect, I love its soup. I just didn't know why they called it 'San Mig' clams, hmmm... :D The Laing, which I tasted for the first time, was also good. The Grilled Tilapia, Liempo, and Squid, as always, appealed to our palates. The Crispy Coco Gin Shrimps and Steamed Crabs were just oh so delectable! But I guess the best part was the Kalkag Rice. It has tiny dried shrimps on it and it tasted like it had Crab Aligue. Hmmmm!!! Mark and I simply love it! *drools*

We both enjoyed the dinner that we forgot that we ordered fresh fruits for dessert! Generous serving of sliced watermelon, apples, mangoes, and oranges, in huge platter with crushed iced sure is a perfect dessert, unfortunately we were already full so we just had it wrapped.

We just really had to rest for a few minutes because we literally can't even drag ourselves up after our gluttonous feast. *burp* Mark and I both enjoyed our dinner. We definitely will come back again to try out the other boodle feasts! And I will make sure to bring my camera when we get back..*wink*

BLACKBEARD'S SEAFOOD ISLAND
Seafood Grill and Barbecue House
Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center
Cubao, Quezon City

The show ended past 2pm and Mark and I both were hungry that time. After the show we went straight to the Araneta Center to have our lunch/merienda. :)

Since we usually dine at the Gateway mall, Mark suggested that we try out other restaurants in the Araneta Center. After walking around the place, we saw Butter Diner. I've read a lot of good reviews about this restaurant so we both decided to try it out.

The restaurant's interior will surely catch your eye. Upon entry, you will notice the wall with a huge colorful comic strip which features the Butter Diner story...

...and vintage posters that hang on the mirror wall on the other side,

with vintage items situated on a ledge at the bottom of the mirror wall. Each table also has either a vintage transistor radio or vintage toaster as side accent.

Though the service is not really slow, I'm sure you will enjoy while waiting for your orders because of the restaurant's playful interior. You will also get hooked into reading the Butter Diner story in the paper placemats on the table.

Aside from the admirable interior, Mark and I also loved Butter Diner's food. Mark wanted something hot so he ordered the Cream of Mushroom soup. I love the generous amount of minced onions and mushroom slices in the soup.  It was served really hot and comes with butter toasts.

The Sausages & Cheese Omelette was next on our list. Its huge serving comes with butter toasts. Mark and I enjoyed this dish. It was overflowing with sautéed sausage strips, onions, and cheese! Yummy!

A must-try at Butter Diner, the Western Burger was served next. The grilled quarter pound beef burger patty smothered with rich barbecue sauce and topped with bacon was a sure hit for both Mark and I. The patty which was tender and juicy and the crispy bacon strips really appealed to our palates. Though the burger was not big enough, it comes with a generous serving of fries.

Another must-try is the Lasagna A SURE FAVORITE!. Mark and I was surprised at how big the serving was. The lasagna was oozing with lots and lots of cheese! The cheddar cheese topping, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese and ground beef layered in al dente pasta sheets were a heaven for me. This dish sure did live up to its name! :)

For the drinks, I had their Iced Tea while Mark opted for the Mug root beer.

We also had the Double Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae for dessert. The vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate brownie, rich hot chocolate fudge syrup, nuts, cherry were gone in no time!

It was our first time at Butter Diner, but we sure loved and enjoyed our dining experience here. We'll definitely come back to try out their other specialties especially their flavored butter. :)

BUTTER DINER
Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center
Cubao, Quezon City