Serenitea: Holiday Drinks Part 3

It's that time of the year when Serenitea's Jumbo cups awake from their year-long slumber. I was finally able to pass by a store during the promo period after attempting for the past 2 years.

Though the service was little slow (maybe because they just opened), we spent our time deciding on what variant to get. We specifically ordered less ice and a lower sweetness level. Only pearls were the available sinkers at that time. Here were our orders:


Okinawa Milk Tea

Serenitea's popular brown sugar based milk tea (left). Notice the slightly browner color.


Emperor Milk Tea

Royal milk tea was used for your highness, Emperor milk tea (right).

This whole jumbo cup lasted until the early afternoon! See you next year, jumbo cups!



Branch visited located at: Two Ecom, Pasay City

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Backlog Post: The Burger Lab Part 2 - Formula For a Tasty Burger

A few months ago, we used our remaining Burger Lab online discount coupon that we bought.  Last time we ordered two of their specialties. For this visit, we tried a burger that was recently added to the menu. 

B + M = Burger

Indeed a delicious formula for burger. Bacon + Mushroom and cheese and a beef patty is an equation for a delectable burger. I think their patty improved  in terms of texture and taste compared to the last time we ate when they were still on their soft opening. 

Pesto w/ Chicken

Then we tried something non-burger from the menu. A generous serving of pesto pasta topped with grilled chicken was our second item.

Branch visited located at: Two E-com, Pasay City

The Burger Lab: From Double Patties to Smoky Servings

New restaurant time! Another restaurant recently opened in Two E-Com, just beside Up Rice - also a recently opened food place, that we tried a few weeks ago. And just like Up Rice, online discount vouchers were available too. So we tried out The Burger Lab.

There were some flasks and beakers on display to add to the lab theme. The highlight of the store is that you get to build your own burger and experiment with combinations of toppings and patties. But unfortunately, the discount vouchers we had were not valid for the build your own burger. Instead, we ordered two burgers with the chef's recommendation icon on the menu plus one order of fries.

The Cardiac Burger

Double decker patty of chuck, rib, and fats, plus cheese in between. Plus an onion ring and bacon on top. Plus potato chips on the side.

The patty had a beefy taste and some beefy oils but it had some tough parts. I prefer my burger to be well-ground and more tender. It was very filling. I wonder how full I would have gotten if I ordered a milkshake.

The Smoked Gun Burger

Described as a burger with smoking BBQ flavors, this burger was served smoking - literally. The burger and the potato chips was housed in a transparent dome clouded with smoke when it was served on our table. For a while I wondered what the dome was for since the other burger was served normally. Then, our server slowly removed the dome to release the smoke and reveal the burger and chips.

The texture of the patty itself was quite similar to the cardiac's patty with some chewy parts here and there. The difference is that everything tasted smoky - the burger, the bread, the coleslaw, and even the potato chips.

We wanted to try out their mushroom burger but it was not available...Hope to try it when we use our remaining discount voucher.

Branch visited located at: Two E-com, MOA Complex, Pasay City

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Up Rice: Rice Toppings and More

A good time to try out new food places is when there are discounts offered. We bought online discount vouchers to try out Up Rice. This place opens as early as 5:30 AM and closes around 1:00AM the next day which makes it a place to get breakfast, lunch, and (late) dinner. But it is closed in the afternoon around merienda time.

House Corned Beef

Looking at this made me feel like I am starting a new day even if it is already lunch time. The meat and runny sunny side up egg characterized the usual breakfast. Salty-sweet, their house corned beef is generally tender and easy to take apart. Although I am not a fan of the tougher parts of the meat/tendons. Crunchy shoestring potatoes were served on the side. The potatoes can also be ordered separately.

Sausage and Red Pesto

A good thing about this was it was generously showered with parmesan cheese. Sun-dried tomatoes made up the red pesto sauce that coated the al dente pasta. It was not really a saucy pasta. The sausages provided the protein and were just okay.

Crazo

Meringue that looks like a churro on top of a brazo de mercedes cupcake spells a sweet dessert. I loved the meringue. The brazo part was really sweet (a bit too sweet for me) and sticky which made it quite difficult to eat if you were trying to bite into it like a cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Brownie

Oh no, the ice cream melted already. We should have had the desserts served after we ate the main dishes. The brownie itself was soft, chewy, and chocolate-y.


Branch visited located at: Two E-com, MOA Complex, Pasay City

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Backlog Post: House of Wagyu Stone Grill

Wanting to explore the world of beef and steak, we bought a voucher from an online deals site that gave us about 50% discount for a meal at House of Wagyu Stone Grill which included a 350 gram, grade 9 Wagyu beef. It also came with soup of the day, mashed potato and vegetables.

French onion soup (soup of the day) is pleasantly served into three bowls. I liked the presentation where an herb infused oil over the soup mimicked latte art. The soup itself was thick and creamy. I am not really a fan of onions in burgers, but I like the taste when they are all caramelized and sweet. You could pair it with the house bread if you like.

Apron time! Before our main dish was served, we were assisted by the serving staff to wear aprons. Yes a full upper body apron. I wondered about the necessity of the apron for a while, but I guess it was part of the experience.

Then comes the slab of raw meat on top of a piping hot stone. The stone grill is sort of a cross between a sizzling plate and a smokeless grill (the types you see in yakimix). It cooks the raw slab of meat on the spot so you get to decide on your doneness.

…After a while we noticed some oil marks of the paper covered table. We realized that the brown apron was to cover our clothes from the occasional juice that sizzled out of the stone grill.

I remember being specifically instructed by the server to slice a few pieces of meat off the slab and cook it a few slices at a time, not chop the whole slab into pieces at once and cook it altogether. This is to keep the natural juices in the meat and enjoy the full flavor.

House of Wagyu smokeless grill is a bit pricey but the meat you get is worth it. The meat, the raw meat grilling in front you, just seeing that juice and smelling that beefy goodness, you’ll know you have something good. When I tasted my first slice, it had all that natural beef flavor . This is the natural version of all those beef flavored bouillon cubes in the market. Even without additional salt and pepper, the meat had enough flavor all by itself. It was also tender and did I already mention juicy?

Before I forget, the mashed potato with vegetables was a good pair to the meat. The mashed potato has a cheese-like flavor but not overpowering. The vegetables were fresh and crisp. I’m glad that it had broccoli and cauliflower and not just the usual corn and carrots.

My opinion is quite torn on cook it yourself food (i.e. smokeless grills, hot pot, etc) because I often do not want to wait for the food to be cooked (already hungry) and I just want to eat. But still, cooking it yourself is what makes the experience different compared to other types of food service.

Nonetheless, I loved eating at House of Wagyu Stone Grill. Their meat really tasted good. Imagine having that flavor without any sauces! I haven’t had any beef with that kind of taste all on its own. This Wagyu beef is a must try. And seeing the meat get cooked in front of you is plus factor for dining experience. You could also get a view of the Manila Bay sunset if you dine in the afternoon.

*This is a backlog post. Actual food expedition was made more than a month prior to publishing of this post.

Branch visited located at: Technically, this is located at Two Ecom Center (beside Mall of Asia) but it is still within the Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City