Spotlight on Red Ribbon's palabok

If you ask what's the best palabok for me, I'd say it's a toss between Nathaniel's and Red Ribbon's. I like that they both come with just the right amount of sauce (I shun the too saucy kind), though Red Ribbon's a little dry when you mix it all up. A plus point for Red Ribbon's is that it has more toppings than Nathaniel's version but even then, palabok from both sources is absolutely yummy. 
Anyway, it's been a long while since I last ate at Red Ribbon (two years?) so I jumped at the opportunity to again taste their palabok with my kids last month. We were at the Quezon Ave. branch, stopping over on our way home from the Sidcor Sunday Market. It was lunchtime, and the kids decided to have rice meals while I settled for palabok. What I like at Red Ribbon is that their combo meals come not just with a drink but also with a slice of cake, which makes your lunch or dinner (or merienda, for that matter) complete with dessert. 

Our orders:   

Palabok, P65.

Fried Liempo Meal, P149.

Home-Style Fried Chicken Meal, P165.

Salisbury Steak Meal, P159.

And the cake slices for our sweet endings:

Coffee Crunch with a cup of brewed coffee, P70. I ordered this for myself separately from the palabok. 

Mango 

Chocolate Caramel

Dulce de Leche

Our drinks:

Orange juice for the kiddos, coffee for the mom

My lunch makes for a happy day 

Wow! Fantastic lunch! That's how much I loved Red Ribbon's palabok. The cake and coffee made for a nice ending. The kids enjoyed their food, too, except for the one who had the fried liempo, which, apparently, tasted "ordinary", like it was from the "carenderia". I had one little complaint, too: coffee was served in a plastic mug. Hey, I dislike BPA.  Haha! 

Letdown lunch

I hadn't been going to Goldilocks except to buy cake and tarts a few times over the last couple of years. Lately, I'd been wanting to go for a sit-down meal, especially since I had been seeing their posters on new menu items. One day last summer, the opportunity presented itself. With two kids in tow, I was at Goldilocks inside Crossings Mall on Quezon Ave. in QC. My excitement, however, was doused with cold water once our orders came. Food was served on disposable dishware. Call me maarte but I'm not so happy eating using disposable utensils. It depends, however, on the situation, as some occasions necessitate it. For instance, eating Styrofoam-packed food is perfectly okay with me while taking part in a tree-planting activity. And yes, I'm used to eating on Styrofoam at Jollibee (most branches, thankfully, already use melamine dishes these days). But I was expecting more from Goldilocks. I looked forward to better food presentation that would look really good in pictures, at least using melamine plates. But oh well, I couldn't fret too long as I had to eat. The kids and I were ravenous as it was way past lunchtime so we started eating. And then..another disappointment..my Arroz ala Cubana was swimming...almost drowning, in oil! My son, on the other hand, whose order was Baked Lasagna, was also not so happy. The daughter, thankfully, didn't share our trouble. Hehe. She said her Breaded Porkchop was okay, same with her Veggie Kare-Kare, except for the bagoong, which wasn't so good..
Have a peek at our orders:

Arroz ala Cubana

Baked Lasagna

Breaded Porkchop

Veggie Kare-Kare

A slice of Cathedral Window

The counter at Goldilocks-Crossings Mall

Goldilocks has been around for many years (starting in 1966). Though it isn't a foodie place that I frequent, I still hold it in high regard  for its success and stability as a business. Consider this: almost 200 stores nationwide and a few in the US and the Middle East. I hope my wish isn't too big to grant for Goldilocks: that they start using stoneware or even melamine plates soon. Also, that they hold some back cooking oil when making Arroz ala Cubana. :-)

The 'house' you'd want to go visit

I'd been curious about The House of Mantou ever since it opened on Quezon Ave. near Banawe in 2011. It's on my route going to work, that's why I've seen it everyday and witnessed how its patronage has grown over the two years of its existence. Although it took me so long to finally visit this foodie place, I'm glad I did last Saturday together with my eldest and youngest kids. This Chinese restaurant offers good food at fairly reasonable prices. Well, okay..some menu items are a bit expensive but the flavors and huge servings make up for it. 

Consider these:

Beef Brisket Noodles, P128. 

Pork Siomai, P78.

Chicken Teriyaki, P118.

I thought this was really cute -- heart-shaped rice. :-).

Lechon Kawali Rice, P118.

Black Gulaman, P48.

Triple Berry Shake, P148.

The House of Mantou on Quezon Avenue in Quezon City

The first thing that impressed me when our orders were served was how huge the servings were. My Beef Brisket Noodles could easily feed two persons! I was only able to finish half of it and took home the rest. My son finished his rice but left about half of his Chicken Teriyaki. My daughter munched on her Lechon Kawali slices after she ate all her rice. I tried my kids' food and drinks. Yummy, everything!  I liked that the lechon kawali didn't have a lot of fat and though fried to a golden crisp, it wasn't oily. The chicken teriyaki was a tad too sweet for me but still, I liked it. I finished it for my son. Hehe. Meanwhile, I was all praises for my beef noodles - very flavorful, with a lot (I repeat, a LOT!) of tender beef chunks. 

My only complaints were that it was quite hot inside The House of Mantou and the space was cramped such that the tables were too close to each other. As to the service, it was efficient and quite friendly. All in all, I had a good dining experience at The House of Mantou. I intend to go back whenever I can to try their mantou (It's Chinese steamed bun/bread, by the way.) and Tamarind Iced Tea. Probably their brewed coffee, too. :-)  

Back to basics

Donuts on the wall.

My daughter and her beau. Just to show how big those donut pictures at the wall are.

Blueberry cheese premium donut, P35.

The Blueberry Cheese up close.

Strawberry froothie, P70, small

Cafe Mocha Frio, P110, large.

BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) Bunwich, P50.

Tuna Salad Croissant, P70.

Brewed Coffee, P35.

That's a lot of blueberry!

Long before J. CO, Krispy Creme and even Mister Donut came here, Dunkin Donuts lorded over the donut lovers' world here in the Philippines. Coming ashore from the US in 1981, Dunkin Donuts, to me and my contemporaries, brings back memories of childhood. In 1984, me and high school barkada would often hang out in an outlet on C.M Recto Ave. My old favorites here were Boston Creme and Black Raspberry. I was already in college around 1987 when I first visited a Dunkin Donuts store in Quiapo, Manila. They were already offering croissants by then and with the Tuna Salad, it was love at first bite. The other croissant choices are Chicken Salad, Bacon, Coleslaw & Tomato and Ham 'n Cheese. I don't remember trying out any of these as Ive always ordered for the Tuna Salad. In recent years, Dunkin Donuts products grew in number and now they've got premium donuts which come in yummy varieties. Last Saturday, me, my daughter and her boyfriend tried one of these, the Blueberry Cheese and we loved it. Yesterday, I bought a Sansribav on my way to work and I loved it too. Next time, I will try the Black Forest premium donut. These days, some people may raise an eyebrow about Dunkin Donuts since J. CO and Krispy Creme are the "in" thing but to me, I'm happy going back to the basics of donut here in the Philippines, as I find comfort not only in my old favorites but in new yummy discoveries as well. :-)