March 2014 Bargain Finds!

My mantra when shopping for clothes and shoes is: buy only when on sale! Thus, I only shop when I see discounts or bargains and going to outlet stores in pampanga or in laguna or wherever!

Thus when I saw a shop called Outlet Store in San Juan, I checked it out immediately.  Outlet Store is located at 2/F Ongpauco Sisters Building, P. Guevarra cor. Wilson St., San Juan, Metro Manila. Store hours is from 10am to 9pm.

The store carries a variety of branded factory overruns such as F21, aeropostale, banana rep, old navy, etc. 

Here are my finds:

P359 for the off-white/cream blouse below. 

P495 for this peach lacey blouse.

As both are neutral colors, it will be perfect for any of my jeans or slacks!

I gave my mobile number so I can be included in their SMS blasts for new arrivals. I will surely visit again!

I also found this pair of comfort plus soft pink pumps from one of my favorite shoe stores - Payless! While strolling around Greenhills, I visited the store just to check if there are any good deals for my size 8 feet. I saw this last pair and only costs P567 from its original price of P945! I didn't hesitate to buy this as I always have a hard time buying shoes since my feet are wide and i have bunions :(

I love my bargain finds this month, what are yours? :)

Nic's Gourmet Desserts

I've been passing this place in Addition Hills, San Juan several times and decided to try it out when we chanced upon it one weekend afternoon.

We found out that they not only offer a wide range of desserts, but also salad, breakfast, sandwiches, and pasta! As we were a little bit hungry, we decided to try out 2 pasta dishes.

Meat and mushroom pasta for P195. This is just ok, nothing spectacular.

Vegetable lasagna for P295. I loved this pasta, doesn't really taste like veggies and is very creamy/cheesy. The soft breadsticks that go with it is to die for! I believe the servers just heated my order in the microwave (frozen packs available for takeout) but it still tasted good.

We found the price of their pasta a little bit pricey, as portions are very small. We can get the same pasta in other restos for a lesser price.

For desserts, we tried the dark toblerone sans rival and the dulce de leche. We literally had a hard time eating the sans rival (P145 per slice) as it came directly from the freezer. But if you let it thaw for after a few minutes, you'll appreciate this dessert! Best paired with brewed coffee.

The other slice of cake we tried is the dulce de leche for P95. This is just ok.

BJ tried their Double Fudge Frappe for P175. It looked very appealing, but it actually tasted like milo drink :)

We also tried their chicken parmigiana for P295. Also just ok, we just found the price too steep for the serving. Food pic available at the end  of this post.

We'll be back to try out their other desserts, and products (bottled dips, bread chips, and other pastries).

If ever you're in the area, and wanted to have some snack or a chit chat with friends, this is a cozy place to try.  Nic's also offers other food products such as dips, bread, cookies, pastries, etc. which are perfect gifts and pasalubongs to loved ones.

Nic's is located at 172 A. Mabini St., Brgy. Addition Hills, San Juan, San Juan, Philippines. Store hours are 7am to 9pm daily, with last order taken at 8:30pm.

Happy eating!

P.S.

Can BJ pass as Nic's endorser? BJ shown below together with the chicken parmigiana pasta and with photobomber at the back haha!

Kos Greek Ouzeri

This is the first restaurant we tried when we first went to UP-Ayala Town Center in Diliman Quezon City, right after the Dela Strada Church along Katipunan.  

We tried their Cheese and olive spread for P130 with unlimited bread. Yes, we loved this combination! The dip was a lot for 2 people, so we got to take it home.

I liked their chicken souvlaki for P350, this is skewered meat (2 sticks) with roasted vegetables, yogurt, garlic sauce and red pepper sauce. Chicken was very tender and meal can be split into 2.  Also good with the unlimited bread.

We also ordered their Greek pasta with tomatoes, feta and dill for P300. We found this a little bit bland. We should have just ordered the dip and souvlaki.

We'll probably try the other restos when we come back in the area. But if you're craving for some Mediterranean food, you can also try this one.

Parking might be a bit tricky as it is located past the UP town center. We were lucky as we were able to park in the center's parking lot, and I believe there are only 20 slots available (or maybe less!).

Happy eating!

P.S. While waiting for our food, this is us attempting a "selfie".

Hermanos Taco Shop

Another mexican favorite of ours is Hermanos Taco shop located at 27 Granada Avenue Corner Jose O. Vera Street, Valencia, Quezon City. It is inside the Petron gas station and right across Ferino's Gilmore.

A lot of showbiz and sports personalities visit this quiant little place as can be seen in the pictures posted in their wall. Mexico map displayed in one of their walls.

We have yet to order their bestsellers such as their specialty burrito and fajita, but for those we have tried, we like best their cheese quesadillas for P190 and their rolled tacos for P195.

Cheese quesadilla on the left, rolled tacos on the right.

Close-up pic of the rolled tacos (combination of beef and chicken)

I also like their carne asada fries for P195 (regular size). Unfortunately, wasn't able to get a pic of this.

The carne asada tacos (P175) and tamales (P320) are so-so.  Maybe I'm just not a fan of corn tortillas. 

Tamales covered with cheese.

It is open from 11am until 10pm. Also worth a visit if you're in the Gilmore area.

Happy eating!

Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina

This is one of our favorite comfort food restos in Kapitolyo! We have been here a couple of times, either as a couple or with a group of friends. 

Silantro is located at 75 East Capitol Drive, Pasig City. It is along the streets of Charlie's, Cab Cafe and immediately after  Rub.  It is right before the Holy Family Parish church. You might miss this small place, so be alert when you see Rub. 

Here are our top picks (not sure if there were price changes):

Dinamita for P140! A combination of jalapeno and cheese. Very much recommended as an appetizer and as pulutan!

Silantro's quesadillas for P145! A different take on the usual quesadilla I'm used to. Some may find this very rich and creamy, but is just fine for me. 2 pcs of quesadilla with fries. 

Calliente wings for P170! 4 big pcs of buffalo wings, a little bit sweet, and is perfect with the cabbage that comes with it.

Burrito for P160. Even if I'm not a fan of burritos, this is worth a try! (Sorry wasn't able to get a pic of this one)

Other items we've ordered that are also recommended:

Silantro's pork ribs for P195, just perfect with rice!

Nachos for P145.

Some say their paella is also good, but haven't had the chance to try it.

They serve Pepsi products and beer, but I always order their dalandan juice. 

The place gets pretty full at night, so either be early for dinner or be willing to line up. I believe it is open from 11am until 11pm Sun-Thu and until 1am on Fri-Sat. Parking is on the side street, but there are some barangay tanods and street boys to assist customers.

I love how they incorporated cilantro in their dishes. Reasonably priced food for the quality and serving size. Great for group dinner/gimmick. Very much recommended. Note: forget that you're on a diet if you plan to eat here :)

Happy eating!

B and T Mexican Kitchen

And so we are on a Mexican food craze! Saw a Facebook post from BJ's friend and we just had to try this out.

B&T Mexican Kitchen is located at the G/F of Sekai Bldg, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan. If you're coming from Greenhills shopping center going to New Manila, it's the building right after Mercury Drug and Madison Square. 

Servings are big! We ordered their soft tacos and chicken mole meal. You can customize your meal, in our case we made our soft tacos (3 pcs) - 1 fish, 1 shrimp, 1 beef. The fish is the best one for us. 

We also loved the chicken mole meal. It's chicken with rice, tortillas and chocolate, yes you read it right! It sounds and looks weird (as it looked like dinuguan) but tastes good - sweet, spicy with that distinct Mexican flavor. But if you're not the adventurous type, don't order this one.

I was intrigued with their tamarind drink so I ordered one. Being a sampaloc lover, I loved this one as it really tasted like sampaloc! You can order it virgin or spiked. I ordered the virgin one as I did not feel getting tipsy late in the afternoon haha!

Total bill is P820, a dish averages around 300-350. Our orders can actually fit 3-4 people, as we still had leftovers. I suggest going with a big group to be able to try out their different dishes like burritos (heard this is also a big one!), nachos, fajitas, pizza, burger, etc. They also serve Pepsi products and imported beers.

We're the only customers when we came in at around 5:30pm, but I expect this to be packed at night. Parking might be a problem, as I think there are only 15-20 slots in the building.

We'll be back again, care to join us? :)

Happy eating!

P.S.

Here's my food partner, while waiting for our orders (gutom na ata)

It's never too late...

I've been wanting to have a blog but never had the chance to start on it. So here I am, in the middle of March, trying to jumpstart this blog. Happy blogging to me!