Lutong Hapon sa Joed's

*Late post.

Another firsts with my TT gurls. Our ventures lately has not been travel nor coffee but food.

Joed's is somewhere in Panagdait road. If you're planning to go, be on your street-wear, you may want to bring a fan and a hanky. Just picture it this and you would know the "get-up" needed, you sipping hot Ramen in a low ceiling, less ventilated space.

Last warning, the following scrolls is food porn.

The Menu.
The price range is more evident than the actual food, i know!
At least this would give you  an idea of the price range.

I enjoyed their California Maki.

The Ramen is okay, but I can't say that I am a fan of it.

The aftermath.

And the verdict.. hmmm...
Joed's, I would say, would give you the worth of your  penny -Jap Food that is just enough for what you pay for. Of course, if you are a sucker for real Jap Food, you would know that the real Jap Food would come with a price.

Has 2 branches - G/F Enmore Residence Hall 257-A, Don Jose Avila Street and second one is along F. Cabahug Street, Mabolo (near Sarosa Hotel).

Hours:

 11:00 AM - 1:00 AM

xoxo

A night of Firsts : Simply J's and SLT

This gastronomic destination has been on our prospect list for the past 2 months, and finally last Sunday we had to celebrate a little victory, a reason to have a fancy dinner and indulge, not to mention a reason to be with the whole gang. I have heard several nice things about Simply J's Cafe, one of which is that it being a home decor shop and a resto in one. I would be swooning when I go to Simply J's, I thought. And I did!

Ops, the happy eating didn't stop there. Hubby said on our way to the resto that he likes to have dessert after the dinner (dessert is for me only of course, hubby doesn't like sweets) and chill some more. If you are from Cebu and have been checking out some new places, you would know that Simply J's is just a block from SLT and Sprockets. And I thought, with a huge smile on my face, can this night go any better?

Simply J's has been adorned with paintings and wall decors, table tops, plates!, cabinets with a price tag. Yes, they are for sale. In case you are in for some multitasking, dinning while shopping (or even window shopping, like I did), Simply J's is the place to go.

*Warning: The following scrolls is food porn!

Soup Fondue (Mozzarella and Spinach Soup with chunks of toasted bread *missing bread) 

The best order of the night. simutsarrapp!

Taco Salad. The usual greens seasoned with ground beef, taco chips, corn and their taco dressing.

Salsa Cream Dory. Pan fried Cream Dory with a tomatoes, onions and herbs

Chicken Citrus Marinade. 2 pcs steamed chicken with orange marmalade
Oh wait, have I told you that each Main Course is served with a cup of rice?

Hawaiian Pork Chop. Pork steak served with mashed potato and gravy

We also sampled their famous Baby Back Ribs (Chef's Signature Baby Back Ribs, which some of our companions said to be better than Casa Verde's), Garlic Mushroon Pasta (which was a bit dry), Pasta Vongole (spaghetti with clam sauce, which is too earthy for me. I like my pasta creamy. Just a personal taste.)

Overall, Simply J's is a (relatively) new resto offering its own taste of the usual menu served in any other restos in town. They offer not complicated, not overly flavored dishes which is a good variation from "the other restos in town" that mostly served strong flavored dishes. If you're looking for a subtle taste (take note, subtle and not bland!) for tonights dinner, Simply J's is the choice.

Food porn is not over yet. Here comes dessert!

Box of 6, (L-R) Red Velvet, Mud something (i forgot!), Lemon Custard, Cappuccino, Red Velvet again, Cookies and Cream
definitely a sweet way to cup the night.

Happy eating was once again accomplished!

Simply J's Cafe

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Js-cafe/160348150649487
Apitong St., corner N. Escario
Cebu City

Sweet Little Things
http://www.facebook.com/SLTCakes
Aside from the branch near Simply J's, they have a branch in SM Northwing too.

xoxo

Thai Cuisine

My only other acquaintance with Thai Food  was with Awesome Siam. Last weekend we decided to give that 'acquaintance' a challenge match by trying another Thai Resto. Let us just accept that explanation for our indulgence so we can move on, awryt? :)

It wasn't my first, nor hubby's first, but it was our first together, so expect a little play of 'critics and reviews' here. And since my visit was more recent than his', we followed most of my suggestions. Opps, warning! This is a bit of a food porn post.

(Not part of the review) Our nice pics had nothing to do with the place or lighting , hubby's cam was just great! 'heheh

So, for the first critic: The place is nice and cozy, a bit private considering its location in The Terraces. The crew were still nice. My first visit was dinnertime, busy as it was, the crew accommodated our several requests to transfer tables (due to unexpected additional 'characters') and our little request to charge my friends iPhone (for free ha!). For this visit, they honored our request to sit in the couch even if they were preparing those tables for a dinner reservation (we had lunch @ 2:30 pm) and warned us on hand that that part of the resto is a bit warm. It was enough to let go of the fact that they served our Spareribs a little late. Three and a half spoons for the accommodating crew.

Lets go to the food, shall we?

Citrus and Herb Lemonade
195 Php for Pitcher and 85 Php for a Glass

I'll give this drink 4 and a half spoons! Very light and refreshing. The missing half to make it perfect 5 would go to consistency. My first try was better than the second -the second was less lemony.

Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Baby Prawns & Lemongrass soup)
245 Php
You can request for mild if your not a fan of spicy foods.

This is another 4 and a half spoons! The soup is really good and the shrimp was cooked just right. I love it too that you can still feel the texture of the vegetables -they're not overcooked or overpowered by the soup.

Peppered Squid
(yep, you read it right, it doesn't have its 'thai birth name')
185 Php

Now, this is just 2 spoons. Hubby is s sucker of sea foods and it was his idea to sample the Peppered Squid. We should have taken our queue on its lack of 'Thai birth name' that this is not one of the bestsellers. tsk tsk tsk. The sauce was really good but the Squid and its coating was just bland.

Pineapple Rice
good for 3-4 persons, 160 Php
(but if one of you is a sucker for rice, dahh.. this would be enough for 2)

Hmmm, this is 3 stars. I'm not a fan of sweet rice, I love the savory ones. This is a bit bland for my taste too. The Bagoong Rice made its mark on me, I'll remember to stick to that next time.

Suon Nuong (Grilled Pork Spareribs)
245 Php

This is 5 spoons for me when I first tasted it -and it still is on my second try! Now, this 3rd dish is a too much for 2 persons dining but I recommended this to hubby. This was the reason for our Lemon Grass trip, so there goes the explaining again.. (hahaha) The pork is juicy and has softness that melts-in-your-mouth. The pork alone is a bit too sweet but dipping it in its sauce give it a totally different taste. Almost heavenly! :) I love the cucumber salad that goes with it too.

Lemon Grass
Lower Ground Floor, The Terraces
Ayala Center Cebu

I want to develop a better relationship with this Resto, not just an acquaintance! Their prices are definitely not for everyday indulgence so here's what I recommend -put them at the top of your special-occasion-go-to's.

xoxo

Awesome Siam

It was not my first time in Siam, in fact, it is worth mentioning that Hubby and I had our full and Red wine during our 2nd anniversary there.. however, I would say our last visit there was the best so far. Best by category of satisfaction, not just with food, but overall experience. Whahaha.. Let the pics narrate the overall experience.

However again, let me just iterate that Siam is a must-visit and must-come back because of their awesome lighting -the even yellow lighting! Oh well, must-visit and must-come back with a camera! Don't get me wrong, the food on its own is superb -affordable for its caliber, the service is not impeccable but not bad also. The staff is accommodating, serving of first round of order is fast.. noticeably though, second or additional orders takes longer. 

Top to Bottom: yumyum Tom Yum, Tropical drink (forgot the exact name),
Siam Sampler and Chicken with Walnut.

Oppsss, before I'm lost, let me go back to the topic. What made a great impact with our recent visit was the splendor their lighting would do to our photos. We were just using a 12.1mp Digital Camera but the product was two-thumbs up! There are a lot of resto that would offer good food, good service, affordable dining experience but only a few would give all those PLUS awesome lighting for awesome documentation produce. oh, diba.. endorser na ako ng Siam.

Papa

Miguel

Me

See what i meant? =)

So, for good food + awesome documentation, visit Siam.

Siam Thai Cuisine

Ground Floor

The Terraces - Ayala Center Cebu

xoxo