Resto Review: Monkey Grounds

If you're a yuppie and wants to drown yourself in coffee, Monkey Grounds is the place to be.

If that sounds rhyme-y, blame it on the literature stack, the place has.

This quaint little place is located just below the overpass in Barangay San Rafael along Benigno Aquino Avenue (Diversion Road) and Donato Pison Avenue.

I have been here 3 times and I ordered a different pancake each time. And so far I have not been disappointed. As for the coffee, I am not a fan but my friends always orders, so far no complaints, so you will just have to take my word that they loved it.

The price ranges from 50 to 250 Philippine peso depending on what your order is. They have pancakes, sandwiches, pasta, coffee, some fruit juices and yogurt, and they also have brownies and cakes and yeah! milk and coffee.

Monkey Grounds Menu

This week, we felt like chilling out on a Saturday night, so there were only a few people. The place is not too crowded, though that also depends on the time and day because sometimes when I pass it also has a full house especially on weekdays.
But I guess the relaxing atmosphere and good music always draw people in.

As seen from inside.

Our orders were: Funky Monkey is a pancake with attitude, that's Peanuts and Banana Toppings with Chocolate Syrup. The yogurt tasted like Dutch Mill, so tangy with a hint of strawberry.

Funky Monkey Pancake with a glass of yogurt.

 Garlic Bread and the Dip is made up of Mozzarella and Spinach and some other cheese.

Garlic Bread with Spinach Dip or somethin

 Spinach and Mozzarella Melt Sandwich: The name I think suggests what its like, so no need to explain. It comes with a Tomato Dip and French Fries as a side, so it's really worth it.
The Fried Mushroom is a different appetizer though.

Spinach and Mozzarella Sandwich and Fried Mushrooms

 And for dessert, it's brownies because, with chocolate, one can never be wrong.

Brownies

I forgot to take a picture of my friends coffee.
I got distracted by the food.


Anyway, let me know if you liked your own visit.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Resto Review: Into the Rabbit Hole

If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the new tambayan of yuppies and teens in Iloilo which is Smallville. I recommend you go visit a quaint little place near Atrium that will remind you of a childhood classic.

Let’s get lost together down the Rabbit Hole with the White Rabbit and your friends to attend the tea party.

Me and my friends are always on the lookout for new places to eat here in Iloilo. We heard a bit of a place called Rabbit Hole near St. Paul University but did not really know exactly where it was until I stumbled upon it by accident when I took the wrong turn when walking to Tibiao Bakeshop.

There was the small sign that said Rabbit Hole.

So me and the friends decided to try it out one Friday night.

On the door, it said Café + Bar. We hesitated for a bit before entering because none of us is much of a drinker, but decided to try the menu, if nothing else.

The café is small and one of the company said that it used to be an internet shop when he was in college. So that might explain the setup.

It has a high rise table (portion of the wall) that looks like it holds something and the cashier desk is somewhat further in with displays on shelves which now shows the menu but once upon a time displays available food.

Anyway, the place was small, about 10-11 small tables with 2 chairs per table. But it was comfy and dim lighting really creates a relaxing mood plus the music playing are the usual un-irritating top hits.

The neon lights and the art works displayed on the side does not cause loss of appetite at least. 

When we were handed the menu, I resisted a giggle because at the top it read Eat Me! for the Food Menu and Drink Me! for the Cocktails and other drink selections.

At the side, the menu is also displayed.

(That's the door to the kitchen)

So for the Food we ordered their Rice Meals: Honey Chicken, Mongolian Beef and Pork Schinitzel.

We also have 3 orders of Hot Box Burger, 1 Buffalo Wings and 1 Mozzarella Sticks.

For the Drinks, we only tried their Blue Turnate that turns the drink from Blue to Purple when Calamansi or Lemon Juice was added.

The food though was mouth-watering. Its presentation will really whet your appetite. And the taste, the taste of the food is heavenly. The honey chicken tasted sweet but you can really feel the tenderness of the chicken. 

 

Honey Chicken and Mongolian Beef

The Mongolian beef was easy to chew and the sauce in the Pork was creamy but not bland. 

Pork Shinitzel and an Exra Egg

The mozzarella was melted just right and crunchy even though it was chewy. 

Mozzarella Stick and the Hot Box Burger

I even nibbled on the Buffalo Wings even if I have a no-no rule for spicy foods. I think they added cheese in the Buffalo Wings and that added to the taste. 

Buffalo Wings

I only had problems with the Hot Box Burger because the patty was too salty for my taste but the other 3 people who ate the burger does not agree with me, they are highly recommending that you try the burger.

Hot Box Burger from the drinks

Purple Turnate

Don’t ask us about the drinks because we did not order any except for the Blue Turnate.

But I am recommending you try the place out and discover for yourself the wonders of their available cocktails.

You will get your money’s worth in terms of food quantity and quality.

That goes for drinks too, because even if we are no longer actively drinking socially, I am still aware of the price range.

So visit the Rabbit Hole, at Gen. Luna St., in an alley in-between Tibiao Bakeshop and St. Paul University, in front of Atrium.

Bring your own Alice or invite the Mad Hatter.

Youcan find them on Facebook:

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Restaurant Review: KSpice

I am not really into Korean Food or anything too spicy for my taste. But we found ourselves having dinner with friends in a quaint little resto just outside MegaWorld called KSpice. They have a wide variety of food on the menu but our friends ordered the 350 pesos Eat-All-You-Can set where meat and condiments are all unlimited, you just ask the waitresses.

The restaurant is located at Taft North, Manduarriao, Iloilo. Just a few feet away from the newly-opened Jollibee Fast Food. It is quite a small place but at least it has its own parking area, so customers won't be parking on the side of the road. It is easy enough to find, though not really noticeable when you are riding public vehicles going at top speed. You will have to walk or take a taxi, or you can ride the jeep whose route is to and from Mandurriao.

The place is clean and has table settings for different group types. Table for twos, fours, eights were arranged around the room. If there are more of you, I guess you can request for additional tables and chairs. Each table setting has a table with a single burner grill which is used by the customers to cook their own meat. The grill is also replaced from time to time depending on the amount of grease it has. Ours were replaced thrice.

The food consisted of 4 types of meat, Spicy Pork, Pork, Chicken, Kimchi Bacon. Then for the unlimited condiments, sotanghon, kimchi, and rice. Can't really remember everything since I don't eat them. The meal set is also accompanied with a glass of iced tea and unlimited rice or chinese cabbage leaf/wrap.

It was a nice dining experience. you have the illusion of cooking for yourself though its only grilling really. Still, the meat was delicious and I don't mind eating Kimchi Bacon and Spicy Pork though at a minimal amount and at a very fast rate of chewing.

I am not really the best person to recommend a Korean dining since I do not float this boat. But if you want a different Korean experience, visit KSpice and judge for yourself.


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Restaurant Review: Kusina NaNam

After the Siomai incident, we are now off to a restaurant to try out their menu. A friend is trying to regain weight and we are invited for the pig-out :D.

So we are off to a classy restaurant named Kusina Nanam, located at 180 Jalandoni DeLeon St., Iloilo City. It is actually a hotel restaurant for the Chito Hotel.

Our friends arrived ahead of us almost 2 PM and were told that the kitchen is closing and they are allowed to order before 2 and that's that. They called us up, and without perusing the menu we just ordered something up. So the hubby said any meal made of beef and I said pasta and that the barkada can decide on whatever is available.

When we arrived at the resto, the food is already waiting for us. Our friends ordered medium-well Americano Roast Beef for the hubby and instead of pasta, they ordered Barbecue Ribs for me.

The Barbecue Ribs was excellent, the meat separates from the bone without any effort on my part. The taste was perfect including the sauce. The hubby agrees, his Roast Beef tasted great, though he thought that it was Pork Roast instead of Beef at the start of his meal. But it turned out OK in the end. (Sorry for the lack of pictures, we were too busy eating :() Our friends had some leftover NaNam Pasta, so we also ate those as well but for me, the pasta tasted bland, it lacked cheese or some other ingredients. The cream overpowers everything. But our friends said it tasted OK. So I think it's just me and the hubby because we are choosy in our pasta. After all, there is no great tasting pasta in Iloilo. Just OK Pasta but not something that you would go back to all the time.

NaNam Pasta

Anyway, the place is comfortable, the ambiance is great, the lighting excellent. The service was fast and the staff friendly. If you want the full experience, the place is open from 10 AM to 2 PM for the lunch hours and 6 PM to 10 PM for the dinner hours. They also accept reservations. Please click on the links above to visit their page and get more details.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post a new article every two days!!! Just because!!!