Antonio's La Paz Batchoy House

Located at the corner of Barangka Drive and Sgt Bumatay St is a small but popular eatery which specializes in the Ilonggo favorite, La Paz Batchoy. 

Priced at only P65 for a big bowl of La Paz Batchoy, it's well worth the every peso. It can serve as a meal in itself. 

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

St. Nicholas Catering and Restaurant

St. Nicholas Catering and Restaurant is located at the corner of San Rafael and Fatima St in Brgy Plainview, Mandaluyong. It's a little difficult to find but an easy landmark would be a lifesize statue of Jesus at the corner and St. Nicholas is right behind him.

They currently have a promo on shrimp which is at 50% off on Tue, Wed and Thu. So it made sense to try it. I ordered the buttered garlic shrimp originally priced at P199; and it was heaven. I guess you can't go wrong with shrimp, butter and garlic. However, it was a little overcooked which made it fairly difficult to peel. 

Service was prompt for the most part except for one time when I asked for extra rice and it took longer than it should.

The ambiance was too busy for my taste and I feel like they would benefit a lot if they hired an interior decorator. But in the end, I enjoyed my meal and that counts for a lot. 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Sen Lek Thai Noodle

There hasn't been that many places where good, reasonably priced Thai food is offered. There's S.R. Thai near UST then there was a small Thai karinderya at the back of UP in the 90's and that's about it. But a food stall at the parking level of Robinson's Pioneer is surprisingly able to provide a quick Thai fix for anyone craving for some Pad Thai. 

Their Pad Thai (pictured below) is what I would imagine Pad Thai would taste like in Thailand. It was flavorful and was definitely worth the P99 it was priced at. 

The only thing lacking from them would be a few more menu items. But apart from that, I'd recommend trying Sen Lek. 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Empanada Avenue

At the corner of Maysilo and Martinez Avenue is a modest little take-out store that has been there for a long time. Empanada Avenue's product line is pretty self explanatory, they sell only empanadas. And they're delicious. 

Their empanadas come in various flavors, chicken, tuna, burger, chili beef, etc. and they are all P16. To top it all, their sales people are engaging and friendly. 

I'd recommend Empanada Avenue to anyone who's looking for a quick and filling snack. 

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

Fariñas Ilocos Empanada

Fariñas Ilocos Empanada is located along Maysilo Circle and can easily be reached through public or private vehicle. 

What stood out during this review was that they are noticeably understaffed. There was 1 manager/cashier and 2 kitchen staff. 2 simultaneous orders would build a backlog because each order had to be made fresh. In this case, there were 2 people who came before me and within a few minutes, 3 more people arrived after me. I failed to time it but it felt like 10 minutes before I got my order. 

I ordered a longganisa meal because I felt like eating rice and an empanada just won't do. It took so long and I was very hungry that I forgot to take a pic before taking a bite. The longganisa tasted the way I want it, garlicky, but it's tiny. The meal cost P99 but I could get the same meal in a different place for a lot less. 

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

Mr Quickie

Everybody knows what Mr Quickie is and normally, I'd only review establishments unique to Mandaluyong, but I'll make an exception. 

While I was out, I noticed that the sole of my shoe was in danger of being torn off. I walk a lot and I knew it would be a matter of time before it would fall off completely. So I went to Mr Quickie in Maysilo Circle, Plainview. It's beside the new Shakey's.

The employee I spoke with was very accomodating. She had a pleasing personality and was knowledgeable. I only intended to have one shoe fixed but she was able to subtly convince me to have both shoes fixed. She offered me a seat and lent me slippers while I waited for my shoes to be fixed. If I had to rate her alone, I'd rate her a 5 out of 5. 

However, I'd rate the employee at the back differently. He/she was the one who fixed my shoe. He did a reasonable job with it. I don't think that my sole will be falling off anytime soon. But he took my money. I keep a 10 Piso coin in my shoe and I just realized it was gone when I went home. (Don't ask me why I have a coin in my shoe, but I did) It's not really the amount, I doesn't have any memories attached to it, but the fact that it was stolen was disconcerting. No one wants to be robbed. 

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

The Food Cathedral

Last Friday, I dropped by The Food Cathedral at 664 Bumatay St., Brgy Plainview. It was past 3pm, have not eaten lunch and hungry as hell. But what I saw in The Food Cathedral disappointed me. 

The Food Cathedral opened a few months ago and is billed as the go to place if you're looking for a place with good food and a lot of variation. It's set up like a food court with multiple concessionaires. But on that day, there was only one food stall open. And the food stall only had three items available in their menu. The tarp in front of their establishment clearly states that they're open starting at 10am. And it was already 3pm!

If they do not make some changes, I would imagine that they'll be closing soon. Needless to say I left to look for another place to eat and was hangrier than when arrived. 

Final Rating: 0 out of 5