Kettle Restaurant at Shangri-La Mall East Wing

I have heard a lot of good things about Kettle Restaurant at Shangri-La East Wing prior to my visit. Most of the food bloggers in Manila which blogs I constantly read echoes the same sentiment that Kettle is indeed one the best restaurants in Manila we have these days. While I trust the judgement of these food enthusiasts, I know for a fact that I must pay a visit. 

Despite the impossibly erratic schedule I been dealing with for the past couple of months, I took some time out to join some friends to check out Kettle Restaurant. There are things worth moving mountains for, and during that time I can sense that Kettle is one of them.

My friend Richard of Tales From The Tummy whose palate I trust was the one who arranged the luncheon at Kettle. He was also the one whose definitive description about the food that Kettle dishes out almost drove me to my wits end. And you know the thing about people you trust? They are most of the time right. 

Tablea Cheesecake of Indulgence by Irene

I saw it coming. Playing the oldest albeit tried and tested trick on the book, chocolate cheesecake is after all a classic. But Indulgence by Irene knows better than to settle for the usual. Hence, Tsokolate Tablea Cheesecake was born and taken under her arsenal of well-loved line of cheesecakes. Opting for the local chocolate variant instead of hyped imported ones, Irene’s penchant for combining ingredients close to the hearts of many Filipino to her cheesecake made her products speak not only of talent but of passion and love.

Indulgence by Irene’s famous Queso de Bola Cheesecake that can rock anyone’s world, the Choc-Nut Cheesecake that tickles the kid in all of us, and the Ube Cheesecake that features a bond between two talented home bakers are all well worth celebrating for. Equally impressive is the Tablea Cheesecake, home baker Irene’s interpretation of the richest thing that resulted from marrying her preferred brand of cream cheese and the traditional Filipino cocoa.

In hindsight backed up with shameless honesty, excitement did not rear its head upon learning of this new variant. Jaded by encounters with various grades of mediocre tablea cheesecakes in the past, I knew I have had enough. So when I was handed this Tablea Cheesecake of Indulgence by Irene, it was a shame to admit that I was struggling to fend off the usual impulse to turn away from it. 

WeChat and Lazada Philippines Partnership: More Discounted Gadgets and Best-Selling Items Up For Grabs!

It was only recently when we learned about the partnership of WeChat, the leading social mobile app to an online shopping mall, Lazada Philippines. The 2nd Year Anniversary Sale of Lazada wherein they surprised WeChat users with the Php 999 priced 7" Android Tablet was a success. Hundreds of specially marked down tablets were sold within hours.

This proves that the partnership between WeChat and Lazada Philippines is definitely noteworthy. Now in the event that you missed the previous promo, worry not because WeChat and Lazada Philippines is still on a roll in providing best deals we all should not miss.

Currently, there are a lot of discounted items at Lazada Philippines that anyone can purchase through WeChat. Big discounts on your favorite gadgets and other items are currently up for grabs so better hurry. 

Vikings Megamall: Vikings Luxury Buffet Restaurant at SM Megamall

I think one of the best food related news I ever received this year by far is the opening of Vikings Luxury Buffet at SM Megamall. Vikings Buffet is one of the few restaurants  my family would always get excited about. So it is always easy to drag them on a food trip if it is Vikings Buffet we are talking about.  

Vikings Buffet rates and promos are always enticing plus the fact that they do offer wide selection of International cuisine is an added points. Since they opened their first branch at SM MOA (Mall of Asia) they have further branched out and now has five branches and is still yet to add other branches soon.

Prior to my visit at Vikings Buffet at SM Megamall, it was their branch at SM MOA which my family and I frequent to. Birthdays and other special occasions were held at Vikings Buffet especially when no one in our household are up for intense cooking in the kitchen. 

I will be writing about my Vikings MOA experiences here at YedyLicious but I will still sort out my photos since most of them comprised of personal photos with family (which I do not post here on my blog for privacy reasons) and just some snapshots which were mostly chaotic albeit happy scenes at Vikings. For now, let's focus on their newest branch, Vikings Buffet in Mega Fashion Hall at SM Megamall.

New Dishes on the Menu of Yomenya Goemon Japanese Spaghetti House, Greenbelt 3 Makati

Yomenya Goemon Japanese Spaghetti House is a Japanese restaurant here in Manila that specializes in Japanese-style spaghetti. Located at Greenbelt 3, Yomenya Goemon opened its door last 2012 and still making a lot of food enthusiasts happy. There are other restaurants and foodie places that serve Japanese-style pasta as part of the menu but I think none of them offers wide variety and extensive selections the way Yomenya Goemon does (If you know of any other restaurants, the comment section is open for you to share your thoughts.)

Not a lot of us are well acquainted with this rather unique rendition of what most of us know as an Italian specialty. For some, it might be weird. I myself was a little adamant about Japanese-style spaghetti at first, I guess that is why upon hearing of the opening of Yomenya Goemon, it doesn't really enticed me. Until I had my first taste of Mentaiko pasta at Diamond Hotel's The Cake Club and Lobby Lounge. Boy did I fell head over heels! This year I thought it is high time to explore other options and expose myself to other delicious possibilities with regard to Japanese spaghetti. Good thing we have Yomenya Goemon here in the Philippines.

East Café in Rustans Makati City

I remember way back my pre-food blogging days, my mother would always talked me into trying East Café located inside Rustans Department Store at Makati every time we visit the area to shop. It is one of her favorite dining destinations when in Rustans because that is where she usually meets up with her friends. I never heeded to such call because in all honesty, I found the feel of the restaurant a bit classy for a taste of a youngster like me during that time. I always wanted my usual burger, soda, and fries so why would I bore myself to death to something that for me only mature women like my mom seem to enjoy?

Little did I know, I was missing on something great. Fast forward to the semi-mature me days, after trying out East Café at Rustans Makati, I would say that I should have listened to my mom and gave it a go even before. The things we learn too late in life, eh?

Good thing though that after a decade in the business, East Café is still standing strong amidst competitors in Makati area so I got to try some of the dishes that East Café is proud of. 

Cinq Dessert Boutique along Jupiter St. in Makati City

Along Jupiter St. in Makati City, a new French dessert place named Cinq Dessert Boutique opened its door to cater to dessert loving food enthusiasts. Desert places in Manila are aplenty but not all are well worth the calories, I must say. Bumping into ones that shook my world inside out is like finding a gold mine, well at least for me. Being introduce to Cinq Dessert Boutique is one of those happy moments of having gold at hand.

Cinq (pronounced as Sank) is a French word for “Five” that according to owner Angela Villoria Tolentino stands for the five basic ingredients namely flour, eggs, sugar, milk or cream, and butter which are all used in baking.

Weeks ago, we were invited to sample some of the delectable desserts they offer at Cinq Dessert Boutique. It was their soft opening during that time but this quaint dessert place was already gaining thumbs up to some of the foodies in Manila I consider the best.

Grab That 7" Android Tablet for only Php 999 Exclusive Price for WeChat Users!

I am really excited to share this good news to my fellow WeChat users because seriously, 7" Android Tablet for Php 999 only? Wow, I know!

WeChat, the country's leading social mobile app in partnership with an online shopping site Lazada Philippines is rolling out discounted Android tablets in line with Lazada Philippine's 2nd Anniversary celebration.

This special promo is available for 1,000 WeChat users following Lazada Philippines's official WeChat account. The original price of the 7" Android Tablet is at Php2,499 and if you are one of the chosen WeChat users, then you can have it for only Php999.

I suggest that you do not miss out on this celebration so, if you are a WeChat user, be sure to follow Lazada Philippines on WeChat (Official WeChat ID: Lazada_PH) and if you have not joined the WeChat community yet, now is the right time to create your account.

Ginza Bairin Philippines: New Dishes on the Menu

When tonkatsu craze hit Manila the past years, Ginza Bairin which first Philippines branch is located at Glorietta 2 in Makati City was one of the restaurants that offer what Manila food enthusiasts craved for. Since it opened last year, Ginza Bairin remained to be one of the Tonkatsu Restaurants with glairing positive reviews. Now with another branch located at UP Town Center, Ginza Bairin step up a notch higher on its league by introducing new items on their menu.

Weeks ago, I got to visit Ginza Bairin at Glorietta 2 with some friends to try some of these new additions. The fact that they are considered as the Home of The Number 1 Donburi in Japan plus the positive reviews I have read, I kind of have high expectation as to what we are going to feast on that afternoon.

Osaka Ohsho Megamall: The King of Gyoza Now Serving The World's No.1 Gyoza in the Philippines

Osaka Ohsho located at SM Megamall Mega Fashion Hall in Mandaluyong City is one of the newest international franchise restaurants that landed Manila which offers what they dub as "The World’s No. 1 Gyoza." Most of the food bloggers in Manila which I follow have already written their opinion about Osaka Ohsho, even Kris Aquino raved about the goodness of Osaka Ohsho on her T.V. program. I deem that most of them believed that indeed, Osaka Ohsho is the King of Gyoza. 

Osaka Ohsho’s humble beginnings can be traced back in Japan during the year 1969. Fast forward to 2014, Osaka Ohsho boasts of 300+ stores worldwide including the one here in the Philippines, all thanks to the same group that brought Wee Nam Kee here in our country. Its signature gyoza is the main highlight of Osaka Ohsho’s menu, the very same reason of its popularity.