Hits and misses at Grand Momma's Kitchen

Last Saturday, I was happy over a foodie find: the Grand Momma's Kitchen on Tomas Morato in QC. My friend Pam wasn't too happy, however. Haha! I guess I really am easy to please (read: mababaw ang kaligayahan) when it comes to food. Well, in truth, this applies to many aspects of my life. Hehe. Anyway, I was immediately impressed by the interiors of this restaurant. With the country-style motif, it strikes me as homey and cozy. I so liked their wooden tables that have natural, rough surface. I hadn't seen any other restaurant using such lovely dining tables. As for the food, t'was quite satisfying for me. 

Red Velvet Pancakes, P255.

Garlic and Basil Pesto, P155.

Quarter chicken with rice and side dish, P155.

Banana Split, P155.

Lemonade, P60.

Interiors

Wicker and wood. Nice!

There are tables and chairs outside, too.

I loved my roast chicken. The meat was tender and delicious. I had a little problem with my side dish, though. It looked like buttered vegetables and tasted like it, too. However, I told the server I wanted coleslaw for my side dish. Hehe. It's okay, however, coz I liked my veggies. But Pam, my friend with the discriminating taste (Hahaha!), wasn't very happy with her pesto. I tried it and liked it too, however. Hehe. I told you I'm easy to please, didn't I? Our banana split made both of us, happy, but of course. But surprise came with the Red Velvet Pancakes! My eyes widened when it was served because we were sure we ordered a slice of red velvet cake but here it was, a gorgeous pile of three red pancakes with a creamy crown! Pam and I wondered why the server didn't make it clear to us that they only serve red velvet pancakes, not cake. Hmmm..Booboo No. 2.  No. 1 was my side dish, remember? Now are you ready for Booboo No. 3? When the bill was handed to me, it came as a "shock" that it was only a little over P500. We ordered quite a lot and remembering the prices from the menu, I thought the amount was lesser than expected (This restaurant is full of surprises, I noticed. Hehe). I showed the bill to Pam and she said why would they make a mistake about it when they knew their prices. But after we paid and went to the restroom, Pam said she thought there was indeed a mistake. So we made a little kwenta and then we were sure something was indeed amiss in our bill. We were undercharged by almost P300! So we went back and had the server make ulit the kwenta. Our rightful charges totaled over P800. So we paid for the additional and walked away with a clear conscience. Hehe. Wow! What an unforgettable lunch we had 

at Grand Momma's Kitchen.   
By the way, watching an episode of the popular teleserye My Husband's Lover earlier this week, I saw Lally and Paul dining at Grand Momma's Kitchen. Hehe.

Dayrit's: Standing the test of time

Not a lot of restaurants have managed to stay afloat through the decades and Dayrit's Burger and Roast Beef House is one of the fortunate few that have survived to this day. Owned by casino owner-turned-restaurateur Wilfredo "Freddie" Dayrit Sr., this homey, deli-type eatery first opened in the early '70s on Taft Ave. near De La Salle University. Branches subsequently opened in Magallanes, Greenhills, Buendia Ave., Manila (near UST), Alabang, and Timog Ave. and Kalayaan Ave. in Quezon City. At present, however, only two have remained - Timog Ave. and Magallanes. 

But even if Dayrit's has been around for around four decades, it was only today that I had the chance to try this foodie place out. It was a sunny afternoon and I was on leave from work for a medical appointment. After my schedule, my daughter and I were scouring Tomas Morato on foot, with the aim to look out for a new (to us, at least. Hehe.) restaurant. And Dayrit's caught my attention among the rows of restaurants on that stretch of foodie haven, mainly because it sounded familiar. Inside, I instantly felt at home, thanks to the simple, laid-back interiors with a nostalgic feel. For our afternoon snacks, my daughter and I shared:

Cheeseburger, P140.

With ketchup and mustard, yummy!

Pasta Americana, P150.

Buttered bread, lightly toasted.

Calamansi Juice, P45.

Special Iced Tea, P50.

The menu.

Old-style furniture, old-world feeling.

Crewman finds his texting sanctuary beside the ice cream freezer. Haha!

The first thing that impressed us when our food was served was how huge the cheeseburger was. It's good for sharing, and rightfully, came sliced in half. Tasted good, too, especially when we slathered it with ketchup and mustard. The Pasta Americana was actually carbonara, and we liked it as well - saucy and creamy. It came with a halved slice of slightly (or not?) toasted buttered wheat bread. What we downed these with were good too - calamansi juice for me, which I think was freshly squeezed and iced tea for my daughter, who liked that it was house blend or brewed, not the powdered type. 

So, did we like Dayrit's? Yes, but not so much for the price. There's a lot of burger joints nowadays that offer lesser-priced hamburgers with even thicker patties. Forgive me but I'm thinkin' about BBB. Hehehe. Still, kudos to Dayrit's for having survived the tough restaurant competition during these past few years.

Pure porcine pleasure

Last weekend, I, together with two kids, were able to try a new foodie place that opened just this month. You see, I'm such a sucker for anything crispy and have been craving for that Ilocos specialty called "bagnet" - pork deep-fried till the skin gets a nice crisp that one eats after dipping in vinegar (spicy, please!). Thus, when I learned that a restaurant whose specialty is bagnet had just opened up in Quezon City, I didn't waste much time and hauled 

ourselves off at once!

This new place said to offer ticket to porcine heaven is called Manong's Bagnet Station - a simple, unassuming restaurant which I found out, serves really mean bagnet - a haven indeed for pork lovers! All three dishes we ordered were made from bagnet and all of them were so good! Take a look at what two of my kids and I partook of for a late lunch:

Manong's Bagnet Rice Meal, P135.

Sinigang na Bagnet, P220.

You gotta eat this before the pieces of pork swim in the soup so you don't miss 
out on the crack.

Sisig ni Manang Rice Meal, P110.

Halo-Halo with 2 scoops of ice cream, P80.

Brewed Coffee, P50.

Iced tea, P35.

Mango Juice, P40.

Inside Manong's Bagnet Station.

My bagnet rice meal didn't disappoint. On the contrary, I was impressed! You should hear that crack whenever I would bite into the skin that was so crispy I was eating noisily! Haha! I also took spoonfuls of my kids' sinigang na bagnet and bagnet sisig. I'm not kidding you, both were really delicious as well. The next day, my daughter was still daydreaming about Manong's Bagnet Station, planning to order bagnet kare-kare next time. By the way, although this restaurant had just opened, it's not really a new kid on the block in the food business as it has been a weekend market favorite for quite some time. 

Manong's Bagnet Station is at 117A Scout Lozano corner Tomas Morato, just next (or behind) to Alba Restaurant in Quezon City.