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

Silly Labuyo

Silly Labuyo is located in Shaw Blvd right across Shangri La in EDSA Crossing. It's one the few places in the block that serves alcohol and is open 24/7 but Silly Labuyo is known more for their food.

The name suggests a menu full of spicy dishes and true enough, spicy favorites Bicol Express and Dynamite are there. I wanted to try something new so I tried the Crispy Dinuguan. In my mind, Dinuguan should not have a lot of sauce but the dish was swimming in it. And contrary to what their name implies, the Long Chili was not spicy at all. I also have a pet peeve about sides which do not go with the dish. In this case, the sides for Diniguan was a slice of tomato and cucumber. But aside from those, the dish itself tasted fine. It was crispy as advertised but that's as much as I can say about it.

Silly Labuyo was self-service but the waitresses were pretty friendly and they did tell me to enjoy meal, so that's a plus. 

The ambience was comfortable and it allowed me to take a break from the jeepneys plying Shaw Blvd. 

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

R&J Bulalohan

There's only one place for bulalo within Metro Manila, and that's R&J Bulalohan. This establishment has been serving their famous bulalo for decades and it looks like it'll continue for years to come. 

R&J Bulalohan can be found at 600 Boni Ave., Plainview, Mandaluyong. It's right beside Petron and is a stone's throw away from Mandaluyong City Hall. 

People travel from other cities primarily for their bulalo and it doesn't disappoint. They have a bulalo order meant for 1 called bulalito (pictured below) priced at P190 is leaning on expensive; but their bulalo regular and bulalo special which are for sharing are fairly cheap at P249 and P299 respectively. They also serve other items on the menu such as calamares (pictured below) at P170 but not only was it expensive, it was also bland. 

Service was top notch. During lunch, with the whole place packed, it was still easy to get a waiter's attention. And their responses to questions and requests were prompt as well. 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast

Most foodies has already tried, or at least heard of, Kanto Freestyle Breakfast. Located in San Rafael St, Plainview, Mandaluyong, this 24 hour restaurant has come a long way from a literal hole in the wall stall which borrows space from the sidewalk for its dine in customers. There was a time when their extended dining included a room in a house, 2 houses away from where you would order. Waiters would be seen walking along the road with their trays of food. The strangeness of it all would be why Kanto Freestyle Breakfast has been popular with people who come from all around Metro Manila. 

Now, the original branch has been renovated and looks more like a regular tapsilogan but it has not lost it's allure. It's still frequented by all tyoes of people; from office workers to students to people who live nearby wearing pambahay clothes. 

Pictured below is the Honey Garlic Chicken which only costs P95. All flavors compliment each other perfectly and is a personal favorite.

Lastly, service is prompt and everyone is friendly. 

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

Kar's Kitchen

Kar's Kitchen is located at 373 Boni Ave, Malamig, Mandaluyong in front of Rizal Technological University. 

Dim lights inside makes the mood somber and far from the chaotic Jeepney-ridden Boni Ave filled with noise and smog. 

Menu options were varied but were on the more expensive range. There was also a special of the day, which in today's case was Lechon Paksiw for P150. 

The person who took the order recommended the Pan Fried Fish Fillet (pictured below). It was not worth the P180 considering that it was cream dory and it was a very thin piece at that. It could do with some flavor or some herbs. It was served with chopped tomatoes and onions which made the side of sliced tomato too much. 

Service is inconsistent. Although it took only a few minutes for the food to be served, another table who came later was served first. 

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kars-Kitchen/1566378246914765

Mongolian Quick Stop

Mongolian Quick Stop is found on the second floor of Robinson's Forum in EDSA corner Pioneer St.

They offer a Mongolian style spread with generic options. And they were priced reasonably. For those who want to try something else, they offer a lot of ala carte dishes. 

Food was served within 5 minutes. And there wasn't a need to ask for water, the attendant automatically served it. 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Ulam Nation

Ulam Nation opened its doors summer of this year in the less crowded portion of Maysilo Circle, Plainview. Its huge sign in front makes it impossible to miss.

Directions to Ulam Nation:

Private Vehicle - Maysilo Circle near Tapa King and Vets in Practice. Multiple parking slots available. 

Public Transport - Go to Boni Ave, ride any jeep that plies Boni Ave and get off in front of Tapa King. Walk along Maysilo for about 1-2 minutes and you're there. 

Food choices are varied to say the least with no noticeable theme. The name is also misleading as you would expect that they specialize in viands but they mostly carry set meals, pastas and appetizers. 

Most of the items range from P79-P129 but there were also a lot of items that go below or above the average. They have a poster of a soft serve ice cream for P15 but they said it wasn't available. 

Shown in the picture below is their Salisbury Steak which costs P115. The steak was mediocre. Egg was good. Side vegetables and gravy were colder than they should be.

The place was clean and there were customers.

Nothing else to report. 

Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars