Features | YOU Magazine

YOU magazine turns its eyes on our 5-month-old food blog in its feature "Manila Foodistas: Student foodies chronicle their campus food indulgences." Here's a photo of our feature in the magazine.

Again, thank you YOU magazine for having us. We're very humbled to be included in your issue.

Manila Foodistas represent!

Grab your copy of Sept/Oct 2008 Issue of YOU in any of your local magazine stands nationwide.

Restaurant Review | Heaven N' Eggs

Heaven n' Eggs
Level 1, Space 1140, TriNoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Ave, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: American
Average cost per person: Php 200 to 300 (US$4.34 to US$6.50)
Overall Rating:

Joey was originally wary of eating here because she wasn't very fond of American cuisine or enticed by the idea of having breakfast all day (or, at least, the idea of having breakfast all day with the sorts of breakfast with fried eggs and fried anything in it). But every time we go to TriNoMa, Harrell would suggest eating at Heaven n' Eggs and, figuring that she ought to at least try it, Joey finally agreed.

We're happy to say that Heaven n' Eggs did not disappoint. The interiors of the restaurant were warm and inviting and reminiscent of charming diners and while we didn't quite understand why they had them, we were tickled by the TAXI signs that adorned the top of every bench/seat. Their service, we are very happy to report, was excellent. Our server, Arnold, upon our entering the establishment, swiftly ushered us to our table and handed us our menus. He was very helpful and attentive: helping us select our meals and generally made our dining experience that much better because of how comfortable and attended to he made us feel, even while also tending to other tables.

Since Heaven n' Eggs is famous for their meals of steak and eggs, their pancakes, and, well, their breakfast meal offerings, in general, and since we didn't think we could stomach their meals with larger servings, we decided on having two of their, according to Arnold, more popular non-breakfast dishes.

Heaven n' Eggs is definitely a place we'll be going back to one day. Maybe next time we'll have appetites enough for their (what we hear are) delicious Steak and Eggs. :)

Manila Spare Ribs (Php 195, US$4.23)
Delicious!! Joey initially had her reservations, since she's not one for sweetly marinated meat, but she was taken from her first bite. The meat is perfectly cooked and flavored and sits on a generous serving of java rice. The serving is quite large, but not a bit of it was wasted -- definitely a dish to try!


Roastbeef and Rice Skillet Slammer (Php 275, US$5.96)
This dish was not bad, but not excellent. The serving was enough, but the roast beef could have been a bit more tender. It could also have been more flavorful, as the dish seems to get rather monotonous after finishing half. Harrell liked Joey's dish more.

Reviewed by Harrell and Joey.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Restaurant Review | Wong Nai-Nai

Wong Nai-Nai
6 Christian Street, Grace Village, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: Php 50 to Php 65 (US$1.11 to US$1.45)
Overall Rating:

It isn't often that we venture into this particular area of Quezon City. Since we were going to be in the area for an org affair that day, our friend, Francene, insisted that we have lunch in a place she called Wong Nai-Nai.

Situated within walking distance of Grace Christian High School, Wong Nai-Nai is a small, unassuming hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. It was pretty empty when we arrived (around 1.30pm), but we were told that during lunch time and after classes the place was always packed. Upon perusing the menu, we could already understand why.

Their prices are really cheap! We thought that it would mean that the servings would be small, so we were very pleasantly surprised when we discovered that their servings were very generous as well. And, even better, the food was good! We realized then why Francene was so fond of the place,and why it was so popular in that area.

Wong Nai-Nai is definitely worth a visit, if you're near the Grace Village area! Delicious food in generous servings and surprisingly low prices -- three things that instantly won our favour.

Steamed Sharksfin (Php 25, US$0.56)
We ordered this under Wendy's recommendation (a friend of ours who was the only customer there when we arrived). Of course, it's not actually made from a shark's fin. We suspect its prolly pork prepared so that it would taste like sharksfin ought to. Whatever it is though, it's very cheap and yummy.

Kiam Pung & Adobo Egg (Php 30, US$0.67, & Php 10, US$0.22, respectively)
This is what Francene calls the Filipino-Chinese sort of comfort food (her exact words were: "If Pinoys' comfort foods are bulalo, isaw, etc., these are the Chinese's counterpart for that."). Tasty and savoury and incredibly cheap.

Chicken Teriyaki (Php 65, US$1.45)
Wendy swears by Wong Nai-Nai's chicken teriyaki: "Super yummy!" There's a delicate balance of sweetness and spiciness. The chicken is not too tough and not too soft either. They don't try and make the dish look bulkier by putting too many vegetables and too little meat -- really great value for your money.

Wanton Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
It was surprising to see how generous they were with the serving. We don't think we've ever had a bowl of noodles with so many wantons till Wong Nai-Nai -- Francene wasn't kidding when she said to Joey, "That's a lot! Sobrang nakakabusog yung mga noodles nila!"


Chicken Steak Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
The chicken steaks themselves were a bit tough, although plentiful. The noodles were great, and made Harrell rather wish that he'd ordered the Wanton Noodle like Joey did.

Reviewed by Harrell and Joey.
Special thanks to our guest reviewers, Francene and Wendy.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Thank you! ♥

Never did we imagine that our less than four month old blog would be counted as one of the most influential emerging blogs of 2008! We feel incredibly blessed that we were given this honour and we are so very thankful to everyone who believed in us, who cheered for us, and who helped us get to where we are now.

This was all just for fun, and to find that what we do for fun is something that people enjoy and find helpful makes us all very proud. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to everyone who reads, comments, shares, enjoys, listens and gets involved in our blog!!

And, of course, thankyou and congratulations to Ms. Janette Toral for hosting and spearheading this wonderful project! There would be no Ten Most Influential Blogs named if not for her.

Again, thankyou so much to everyone who has given us love, support, and votes (hahahh!) -- you know who you all are :) We hope you continue to read and enjoy what we do :)

Lots of love,
Your Manila Foodistas
Joey, Bong, Harrell, Pat, Tiff, Mark, Hannah & Kat

Harrell, Joey & Bong at the Awarding

You guys made this possible -- thankyou!

Restaurant Review | Leslie's Restaurant

Leslie's Restaurant
Silang, Tagaytay City
Type of Cuisine: Filipino
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

Conveniently situated along the highway, Leslie's Restaurant opens its doors to accommodate weary travelers with authentic Filipino food and breathtaking views. The cool air this time of the year offers the perfect excuse to indulge in body-warming food the restaurant has to offer -- this meant more protein-rich food were of priority for us.

The ambiance is very Filipino, as it features a Nipa Hut inspired spacious interior with wooden chairs and tables to go along with it. The restaurant is seated on a cliff with quaint little outdoor huts overlooking Taal Lake and the famous Taal Volcano.

The dishes were in large servings, typical of the Filipino extended family setting. The taste of the dishes were not of the extraordinary but the scenery and the warm Filipino feel and taste made up for it.

It was the birthday of Gwen, who, coincidentally, was with the Foodistas. With Filipino restaurants, roaming guitars and singers are typical and are a unique part of the ambiance. It also exemplifies music as a vital part of the Filipino culture. The song numbers were very good and completed the Foodistas' dining experience.

Beef Kare-Kare (Php 299, US$6.85)
The beef was very tender and it can be easily separated with the use of a spoon. The sauce was rich and tasty. A person with a liking for large helpings of sauce with meals will find this dish heaven-sent.


Bulalo Special (Php 499, US$11.44)
The star of the meal. Both Bong and Harrell have Bulalo as their favorite soups. The cool weather upped this Bulalo experience even more; they both agree that it's definitely the soup of warmth. The bone marrow cut (Harrell's favorite part of the dish) was very large and there was more than enough for everyone.

Crispy Kangkong (Php 175, US$4.01)
A must for fat seekers. The Foodistas thought that it was too oily. Your usual deep fried Kangkong and batter - with extra oil.



Tuna Belly - Small (Php 330, US$7.56)
Very fresh, soft, and tender. Definitely better than Sukat Sili's, according to Tiff and Bong. The tuna was seasoned well and the taste did not overpower that of the dish. Definitely a must-try.

Reviewed by Bong, Harrell and Tiffy.
Photography by Bong and Tiffy.
See more photos on Bong's and Tiffy's Flickr.

Restaurant Review | Tokyo Cafe

Tokyo Cafe
Level 1, The Block, SM North EDSA
Type of Cuisine: Japanese
Average cost per person: Php 160 to Php 200 (US$4.00 to US$5.00)
Overall Rating:

If there's something to be said about this place, it would have to be that their service is fast. After having ordered our respective lunches, we waited for only about 5 minutes before all our orders were on our table, ready for us to devour them. Even better news? They were all perfectly cooked and wonderful.

Another thing we noted was their dishware. They make an effort to make sure your food looks not only appetizing but also pretty. From the eclectic bowl Bong's bisque was served in, to the colour, shape and form of the plates they used for each dish, each served to make your meal not only tasty but that much more delightful to your eyes. (Joey's Note: View the photos and see for yourself what I mean. :] )

The Tokyo Cafe experience for us was a good one: good food, lovely plating, great service and nice ambiance. And Harrell says the waitresses are pretty. What more can we add to that? :P

Shrimp Bisque (Php 85, US$2.13)
This creamy soup had a lot of flavour in it: a bit spicy and a lot herby. Bong's only complaints were that there was false advertising ("The photo in the menu had a shrimp in it. My bisque has none at all.") and that he would have enjoyed it more had it been accompanied by a slice of baguette or ciabatta.

Tuna Salad Sandwich (Php 125, US$3.13)
The tuna salad sandwich was good as well. It's basically tuna chunks with greens, tomatoes, and mustard in ciabatta bread. It's a refreshing dish which Bong really enjoyed. It came with a serving of fries, which made for a happier Bong. (Bong likes potatoes.)


Shrimp Aglio Olio (Php 230, US$5.75)
This was quite light, for pasta. Mildly spicy and briny, and, unlike with most food establishments, they were very generous with the shrimp.

Tokyo Boneless Chicken (Php 160, US$4.00)
This was great! The chicken was very juicy and tender, and the dish in its entirety was very flavourful. Joey highly recommends this dish, especially if you want something savoury but isn't heavy.

Reviewed by Bong, Harrell & Joey.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.