Roboto San

M came home from Malaysia for a week-long vacation and surprised us one Tuesday night. So A, knowing about M’s little secret, gathered 6 of us (only 6 of us were free for dinner on that date) for a free dinner at Roboto San at the Crossroads Building in BGC.

Roboto San @ 2/F Crossroads Building 32nd Street Bonifacio Global City

I was impressed with the interiors of the restaurant. It was funky, fun, and eye-catching. I epecially liked the pictures of robots on the backrest of the chairs.

They also had this television where they were playing Voltes V episodes. I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I loved Voltes V back in those days.

For starters, here’s the salad bar, where they have ready-made Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Fruit Salad, and other salad ingredients like cucumber, tomatoes, kani, bacon bits, egg, lettuce leaves, and others, including different dressings. I only tried the Potato Salad and it was delicious. I also added some bacon bits for a little salty kick. The bacon bits were no longer crunchy though so they were a little hard to chew. But then again, they still taste great.

Beside the salad bar is the Japanese area where they have Maki, Sashimi, and Sushi of all different sorts. They also had these small dishes that contained small servings of I have no idea what since I only tried one which was the Kilawin. Haha. I also loaded up on the Salmon Sashimi, which I absolutely love. Their wasabi was a little let down though. I already got a lot but it still lacked the burning nose effect. I like it when wasabi does that to me. Weird, but true.

Their grilling section had limited choices. But almost everything was tasty. They have the usual items, shrimps, salmon, beef, chicken, etc. which have different marinades like Korean, Rosemary and more. They also have these bacon wrapped quail eggs, which we loved. Their grill is not completely smokeless though. There were moments when the smoke would billow out.

They also have ready to eat food fare like Pork Tonkatsu, Shrimp Tempura, Breaded Fish Fillet, Beef and Mushroom, Vegetables, Gyoza, and others. The Shrimp Tempura was disappointing. They were overcooked, and were no longer crispy. The Gyoza were good enough. I din’t get to taste the others. But according to A, the Tonkatsu were so-so.

The Beef with Mushroom was delicious. The beef was tender enough too. The sauce for the Breaded Fish Fillet was the bomb. It had this garlic-y taste that was just right.

These containers had Yakimeshi Rice, Plain Rice, and other viands I no longer got to see. On the far left were pasta sauces, red and white both. I didn’t try the red. The carbonara was okay. I still prefer my recipe though. Haha.

They also had Miso Soup, which was too salty. And some pickled vegetables that I didn’t try. They also had Sukiyaki, which I also didn’t get to taste.

For dessert, they have brownies, tarts, revel bars, some fruits, ice cream, halo-halo, and parfaits. Because I was already full, I only got a brownie piece, a revel bar piece, and some avocado ice cream. I love the ice cream! It tasted like real avocado. It’s too bad I only got to eat a little of it. They also had another unusual ice cream flavor, Sesame. I didn’t get to taste it but I heard it was good. Well, maybe next time.

I ended dinner on a very high note because of this dessert. Well, mostly it was just the ice cream that was awesome. I love avocado. Therefore, I loved this.

All in all, Roboto San had hits and misses, like most buffet restaurants out there. Its choices are limited too, unlike Yakimix or Vikings and Buffet 101. But still, we enjoyed the food. But mostly the company. I love my friends. Haha!

Another thing I can commend is that they don’t use generic plates, bowls, and saucers, they have the name of the Roboto San printed on them. The servers are dressed like astronauts, minus the head gear. They are attentive too. They will refill your water even without you asking. They also assist you in the buffet table. And they have ushers waiting on the ground floor, on the street, willing to assist you to their location in the second floor. So you feel like a VIP. Haha. But they got our headcount mixed up. They insisted there was 8 of us in the group when in fact we were only 7. I’m not sure who to blame for that. Other than that, everything went smoothly. Will I go back? I still think so.

By the way, here’s the price list for Weekday Lunch and Dinner, and also the Weekend rates and for children too. I asked my friend to take a picture of it.

Banana Leaf

For our usual after-grocery Sunday night dinner, we went to Banana Leaf. A suggested it, since he said it’s one of his favorites.   He said the food’s really good so he keeps coming back. I was excited since it will be my first time. I then learned that it being called Banana Leaf, you literally eat on a banana leaf. It takes the place of ceramic plates. I wonder how they make the leaves sturdy. From experience, these leaves easily rip. Good thing that didn’t happen last night, though.

We ordered Mee Goreng, a Malay fried noodle dish. I really liked this. A thought it was too salty though. But I guess that’s why I liked it in the first place.

Mee Goreng, Php 188

For our rice, I wanted to get just 2 cups of plain rice. But A wanted the Nasi Goreng and I let him order it. It came with a sunny side up fried egg on top.

Nasi Goreng, Php 188

We wanted to order Malaysian Noble Leaves with Garlic but we were informed that they already ran out. So we settled for the Stir Fried Chinese Kangkong. It was mixed with shrimp paste but it was not too salty. We both really liked it.

Stir Fried Chinese Kangkong, Php 168

For our other viand, I suggested we get the Wok Fried Squid With Basil and Chili. We rarely get to eat seafood so I wanted us to not eat meat this time. I was a little disappointed with this. The squid was cooked right but I was looking for the hot and spicy taste since it has chili. Sadly, not even a hint of it can be found. I even tried eating the chili but still, nothing.

Wok Fried Squid With Basil And Chili, Php 238

A wanted to get dessert to counter the saltiness since what he ate last was the Mee Goreng. I pointed to a picture and asked a waiter what it was. He gave a name then we said we’d order that. But then he came back to inform us that he gave us wrong information and in the process informed us that their bestseller is the Sago Pudding, seeing that we were a little undecided. So since it’s the bestseller, we ordered the Sago Pudding instead. When it was taken to our table, lo and behold, it was the picture on the menu I was pointing to. Haha. We weren’t disappointed. It really was delicious. It was like Maja Blanca, with small sago and some sweet potato bits mixed into it. We would have ordered more if we weren’t full already.

Sago Pudding, Php 80

A was right, the food’s great and I wasn’t disappointed with my first visit. I will definitely go back. I have taken note of some items I would still want to get a taste of.

Tao Yuan

After reading about it on my Twitter timeline, I immediately searched Google for some information regarding this restaurant and got consistent reviews, that their Hainanese Chicken is really good and that it’s the best in Manila. Being a fan of the said dish, I immediately asked A if we could eat there sometime. Since he was also intrigued, we had lunch at their branch at Greenbelt 3 this Sunday, after hearing mass at the Greenbelt chapel. It’s located on the 2nd floor, along the row of Recipes, and Banana Leaf.

The restaurant was almost full when we got there, considering that it was just around 11:30AM, and it’s not quite lunchtime yet. It seems a lot of people were goin’ on an early lunch, maybe to avoid waiting. Upon browsing their menu, I immediately confirmed what my friend told me, the prices were steep. It took us a while to choose what we wanted since they had a lot of items on the menu and everything seemed good. After we placed our order, we were given peanuts for appetizer, which were really good that A had to ask for a second serving.

We decided to order a bowl each of Singapore Laksa. I said we should just share but he anticipated that he would not be satisfied if we shared just one bowl. Their Laksa tasted amazing. The soup was just the right thickness. And it was real hot without overwhelming your sense of taste. It had a lot of toppings too. But I thought it had too few noodles in it. We were sweating and had runny nose after finishing this dish.

Singapore Laksa, Php 328

I was already a little full from the Laksa but we still had a half order of the Hainanese Chicken. I have tasted a lot of versions of this Hainanese Chicken from various places and I can say that this one’s really one of the best (Wee Nam Kee‘s version is good too).  The meat was really tasty even without the sauces. Just seeing the yellow color of the chicken was already appetizing.

Half Hainanese Chicken, Php 450

The sauces though, I was disappointed with. I thought that the ginger sauce was lacking in ginger. It seemed that the spring onions overwhelmed it so the ginger taste was a little toned down. I’ve had better. The supposed chili sauce was not spicy at all. It was even a bit sour.

The Hainanese Rice, I must say, it’s unparalleled. It’s the real thing. Authentic at its finest. You can really taste the chicken broth it was cooked with.

Hainanese Rice, Php 50

My stomach was close to bursting after finishing all that. But since they offer complimentary desserts to all diners, who can say no to that? And you gotta admit, there’s always room for dessert no matter how full you say you are. They gave us lychee flavored jelly with a piece of lychee fruit. I would have wanted a stronger lychee taste but who am I to complain, it was free.

I can say that the food at Tao Yuan lived up to the expensive prices attached to them. We would definitely go back to sample the other items they offer. Their space at Greenbelt is a little too small though. It was cramped. Even the servers need to constantly excuse themselves and wait for another person to pass just so they could move around. But another thing I loved is their service. The crew were really attentive, they would refill your tea, or water even without you asking. They also gather your used tissue so your table’s free of unnecessary clutter. They even offer a change of plates, which works well for people who don’t like mixing their viands together. I hope they will be able to keep this up.

Fuerza Bruta

I am writing about my Fuerza Bruta experience after just coming home from watching the show while the memory of it is still fresh on my mind. Some weeks ago, I came upon a blog entry regarding Fuerza Bruta, or was that a facebook post? I don’t really remember. My curiosity was piqued but not enough to actually ask my friends to come with me to watch the show, especially after finding out that ticket prices are somewhere along the lines of Php 3, 000. But just this Thursday, J sent us an email asking if we wanted to watch it since they’re selling coupons at the discounted price of Php 1, 450 on Ensogo. He was dying to watch it and it’s the last 2 shows already. So I said why not. I saw the coupon too and I was actually about to ask them to go with me. As it turns out, our friends were not available but we still went ahead and finalized the purchase for the both of us. I couldn’t contain my excitement.

J picked me up at the office so went to the Manila Hotel together. We were 2 hours early and had time to kill so we first roamed around the hotel lobby. After freshening up at the restroom, we went outside and proceeded to the tent where the show will be held. We were ushered into the Fuerza Bruta lounge where they had chairs, couches, cocktail areas, and of course, a bar. We each ordered a bottle of Antonov Mandarin and killed time playing games on our iPad and Kindle Fire.

Then it was show time. We were directed to the area of the tent which would serve as the “stage”. Technically, there was no stage to speak of since the show was an interactive spectacle of dance, acrobatics, visual displays, heart-pounding music, and other antics which would take place around us. There were no seats provided because you had to move along as the show progressed.

It’s interactive because the audience is asked to move around depending on what the act requires. The cast even mingles with the audience and sometimes you’ll just be surprised to find them standing next to you or running past you. There was also one act where it required some audience participation. They would pick out some individuals from the audience whose head they’ll hit with a styrofoam and once it shatters, will release a rain of small paper cubes like a piñata. I love the way they dance, full of energy and uses all body parts. They encourage the audience to dance with them too. You will really feel the rhythm of the show with the music making your heart literally pound. If only I wasn’t carrying my office laptop on my back, I would have danced my heart out and enjoyed it more.

My favorite part of the show would have to be the part wherein the women swam around in this suspended pool with transparent bottom above our heads. It hurt to look up though. And that part was really long. But it was totally worth it. these women actually throw themselves face-down into the pool bottom. Hard. I even had to clutch my chest, imagining how much that has to hurt. I think the men enjoyed it too since the performers were dressed in panties and flimsy tops with no bra. And since this is an act with water, alam na. Haha. They also lower the pool towards the end and the audience is allowed to touch it, like touching the women, through glass. Here’s a short clip I was able to take while that part of the show was starting: Click here

One thing I noticed though, with a show like that, it is more than a little difficult if you are horizontally challenged. I’m already tall but there were times I had to step on tiptoe just so I could get a better view more so since there were a lot of cameras raised in front of me. One hour flew by so fast. I actaully felt bitin at the end. I wanted more!

I brought my camera but didn’t really take a lot of pictures or videos since I wanted to simply enjoy the show. And enjoy I did. I think I was watching with my mouth hanging open more than half of the time. Haha. I need to watch more of these types of shows.

It has its hits and misses but overall, it was one spectacular show I wouldn’t mind watching again if there was a second run. The final performance will be on the 26th. If you were able to read this in time, do catch the show, you won’t regret it.  Here’s a picture of the performers as they were taking their bow:

I AM FAT

I came across this awesome blog, The Plump Pinay just today, after random searches on google and  snooping around Our Awesome Planet. It’s awesome because it’s a blog by 2 plump Pinay twins who are so kick ass beautiful and confident that I instantly fell in love with them. I love that they’re trying to advocate beauty no matter your body type and clothing size. They’re not trying to conform to society’s idea of what beautiful and sexy should be. They’re not model-thin but damn they ARE SEXY! Check out their blog and see for yourself. I feel like I’ve found kindred spirits. No, I’m not plump. I AM FAT. Although technically I am obese, and that’s according to my latest physical exam.

It took me a while to admit, even to myself, that I AM indeed FAT. I wasn’t born fat. I was the normal kind of thin right up to 5th grade. I only started gaining weight when I was in 6th grade. And I haven’t stopped gaining ever since. I could come up with a few factors for my weight gain: puberty, my sedentary lifestyle, love of food, my mom spoiling me with food and not material things, sweets. Lemme dissect them 1×1.

Puberty. I used to have neighbors who were my playmates. Everyday I would go  outside and run around with them, playing agawan base, 10-20, Chinese garter, luksong baka, and what have you. My cousins would even sleep over during the weekends just so we could all play together. But then puberty came. Things became awkward. We were no longer kids who wanted to just play. We were growing up and growing apart. So I stopped going outdoors altogether.

My sedentary lifestyle. This came right after puberty. Since I no longer went out to play, I wasted my time on watching television. Sometimes I’d watch movies too on our VHS machine. I watched the Star Wars Saga and the Indiana Jones trilogy over and over. I was also into video games, Atari, Family Computer, Play Station, and PC games. It was also during this time that I got hooked on reading Sweet Valley, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and all other stuff that I can read around the house.

Love of food. I don’t know how it started but like most people, I have come to associate food with emotions and milestones. This is especially highlighted in this blog since most of my posts are about food. I ate when I was happy, I ate when I was sad, I ate when there was something I needed to celebrate. In general, there is nothing entirely wrong with that but my problem was controlling my portions. I always ate a little too much than what was necessary.

My mom spoiled me with food instead of material things. Our family isn’t well off. We couldn’t afford a lot of things when I was growing up. Whatever luxuries I owned, they were usually given by my uncles or my grandmother. I was spoiled on my mom’s side of the family because for the longest time, I was the only niece and grandchild. Anyway, in all fairness to my mom, though there were a lot of things we couldn’t buy, our refrigerator was never empty. She makes sure we will never run out of things to eat. And she also taught me never to waste food. She will not let me leave the dining table if I didn’t finish all my food. And I guess that became sort of a problem. Because now no matter how full I am, I will finish the food on the table because I can’t find it in my heart to throw away food. I always feel guilty if food goes to waste.

Sweets. As a child, I had a sweet tooth. I was fond of eating chocolates, cake, ice cream, candy, and all other things that are loaded with sugar. I also loved soda. It’s only now that I am able to say no to sweet stuff. I guess that part comes with getting older.

But no matter the reason, the fact remains that I AM FAT. When I was young, I wasn’t really bullied because of my weight. Most of the time I didn’t really feel fat. There was nothing thin people could do that I couldn’t do. Up until high school, I had been so good with PE. I even perform better than some of my thin classmates. They actually wonder how I was able to do cartwheels, and other stuff they thought I’d have trouble doing. Heck, I was even running faster than most of them. But I wasn’t cool and confident all the time. There were times I got frustrated because buying clothes became harder and harder and most of the time I had to contend with ill fitting clothes just so I could have something to wear.

Then college came. I think it was during this time that my mom started to constantly bug me about losing weight. I would pay her no mind because I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with me. I still felt loved and accepted by the people around me. And in my mind, I wasn’t fat. I would picture myself as a thin girl. I was so drowned into my denial of the truth that as I graduated and started working, my weight gain still continued. With the occasional fat joke here and there, I get self-conscious but in my head deny that it is about me.

My mom hasn’t stopped nagging me about my weight issue. Until now, because I wear what I want, she would always make comments about how fat I am or how big my tummy is, or how I’d be more beautiful if I was thinner. I wear short shorts. So what if I have large thighs and legs? What you see ain’t my problem. Look away If you find it repulsive. That’s what’s comfortable to me so that’s what I will wear. My mom would often ask me if I’m not in the least bit shy about it and I would say no. I have learned to disregard what other people will think of me as long as I am happy. Well, comfortable and happy.

It’s absolutely absurd that I only get teased about being fat now that I am older. But I’ve learned to take it all in stride. I don’t get pikon but I still lacked confidence every now and then. Fairly recently, I have noticed a positive change in myself. I have finally acknowledged the fact that I AM FAT. I can even tease myself about it. I can say it out loud. What was once taboo to me is now nothing but just another expression. Yes, I AM FAT. I claim it. I own it.  And I realized it’s because finally I have accepted myself and my size. And with this acceptance has come the first step into making a change. I have finally gotten the push I needed to do something and lose weight. That may seem confusing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my fat self and I am confident despite of it but I think I needed this acceptance to fuel myself to be a thinner version of fat. I’m not aiming to be skinny. I just want to be plump, with curves in all the right places just like my two new favorite girls, Danah and Stacy.