MUST TRY MONDAYS

Aloha!!! Finally I'm back and blogging. I was bedridden for almost a week because of one nasty flu virus! Now I'm still coughing but feeling better and blogging! I hope everyone's in good health today.  It's a Monday so let's start the week right. ☺


MUST TRY # 1: HAPCHAN CRAB & CORN SOUP AND SHRIMP BALLS

So when I got sick, I wanted to eat soup because my sore throat wouldn't let me swallow much.  Crab and corn soup has been an all time favorite - whether it's the instant one or the real one.  Hapchan's crab and corn soup did not fail.  It was very hot, it had egg, and the taste was perfect.  I also love shrimp balls. Even if they were a bit hard to swallow at that time (sore throat) because of the breading, I still ordered.  I just sliced it into small pieces so it would be easier to swallow. Even if my tastebuds were weak I was happy because the shrimp balls tasted a-ok!


MUST TRY # 2: MAMOU BEER BATTERED FISH WITH MALT VINEGAR

Really soft and juicy fish. And I mean really soft. The batter was delicious (not too salty) and the yummy crispy fries were a bonus. The only downside was the serving - it was too small for me.


MUST TRY # 3:  BUGSY'S BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

One word: AWESOME. This one's another all-time favorite bar chow, appetizer, snack, or even viand!  I love the taste and texture of the chicken.  It's a gulity pleasure because you can enjoy eating your favorite buffalo wings without the hassle of removing bones.  Love it! ♥


That's all for now. Have a good week everyone! ☺

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Do Your Health A Flavor

Okay so my friends contradict me on this.  They all love the famous Red Mango.  But no matter what they say or do, I won't change my mind.  YOH-FROZ is my favorite frozen yogurt!  The first time I tried it, I just got plain with no toppings, and instantly fell in love with it.  It's so creamy and the sweetness is just right.  It's almost like ice cream but with the health benefits of yogurt.  I don't like Red Mango that much because I find it too sour for my taste. I do like it's super fine texture though.  White Hat and FIC's froyo, not so much either.  The texture is quite grainy for me.  Golden Spoon, well, it doesn't look and taste like yogurt at all. Too sweet, even sweeter than ice cream.  I love both California Berry and Qoola for their flavored froyo (Blueberry and NSA chocolate).  Although sometimes when I think about it, I'd rather get real ice cream than their flavored yogurt.  It depends on my mood really. :)

If I want to eat real frozen yogurt (no in betweens), it always has to be YOH-FROZ.  Nothing beats it's creaminess and sweet (but not too sweet) yogurt taste.  I always order mine with crushed Graham crackers and cheesecake bits.  Sometimes when I feel guilty, I only go for the crushed Graham.  Try it and do your health a flavor.

Photo taken via INSTAGRAM for iPhone

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Snacking at Burgoo

It is quite impossible to miss the bright yellow signage of Burgoo when you walk around the mall looking for a place to eat.  This American resto has already been here for a while and it has become a usual go-to place for burgers and other American staple alongside its competitor, TGIFriday's.  Aside from the good 'ol burgers and steaks, they have huge platters of appetizers, soup, salads, desserts, etc.  Very American catering to the Filipino taste.

So one hot afternoon after watching a fashion show, my friends and I decided to dine in Burgoo again to get a quick snack.  (I don't know how many times I've eaten here already but maybe more than five.)  I decided to order the Supreme Sampler, the Oklahoma Pulled Baby Back Sandwich, and some Dalandan Shake as refreshment.  You're probably thinking those sounded more like lunch or dinner than snacks...well you know me haha! ☺ 

I particularly enjoyed Burgoo's Supreme Sampler.  I've always loved samplers because I want a little of everything.  The Onion rings were crispy and cooked perfectly, the Mozzarella sticks were...well they're my favorite so... the Buffalo wings were yummy, and the Santa Fe spring rolls had great flavor and were extra crisp.  It's a great snack, appetizer, or bar chow slash "pulutan".

Supreme Sampler, Regular (P395) - Large is at P595

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy my burger as much as I enjoyed the Supreme Sampler.  Perhaps I expected a lot because the name Oklahoma Pulled Baby Back Sandwich sounded fantastic! It was not that "bad" but I did wish I just ordered the usual Hamburgoo instead.  It just wasn't tasty and the meat was not juicy and tender. I'm not sure if the meat was overcooked or if they did not use baby back meat to begin with, but the dry and hard texture was really a downfall. Too bad because I was imagining really tender and juicy ribs-like meat in my  sandwich with flavorful sauce. Anyway, at least the coleslaw was good and I had a lot of fries as siding.

Oklahoma Pulled Baby Back Sandwich (P325)

Because it was such a hot day, the hero for me would surprisingly be their Dalandan Shake.  Very very refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness and citrus tanginess.  I wish there was an option to make it bottomless.  That would be perfect especially during the summer.

Dalandan Shake

Overall, I enjoy dining in Burgoo because of the ambiance and the decent American food.  They also have satisfactory customer service.  Not bad for an All-American snack fest.

Snack time over! Ciao! ☺




You may visit Burgoo at the following branches: Powerplant Mall Rockwell,  Robinsons Galleria,  The Podium, Gateway Mall,  Greenhills Shopping Center,  SM Mall of Asia,  SM Marikina,  SM North The Block, and Tomas Morato. 

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Dreamy Sushi: American Dream

A is for AWESOME, D is for DREAMY...  That is how I'm going to describe The Fat Vain Shopper's all time favorite, American Dream Makimono from Omakase. ♥

American Dream is made up of cooked salmon and cream cheese wrapped in nori, Japanese rice, and deep fried with light breading.  It's not the conventional sushi/maki with raw seafood but I like it.  The dipping sauce makes it extra special too.  I love the combination of salmon and cream cheese with the crispiness.  It's really a fine comfort food that's hard to resist.  Although for healthy conscious folks, I suggest you stick to the conventional sushi because this has extra calories in it.

I don't mind loading on extra calories because of its goodness so I'm quite biased.  In fact I can eat one order all to myself.  (THIS IS WHY I'M FAT haha!) Good thing it's very affordable!  Only P195 for one order (8 pcs.).  Woohoo!  I can eat it everyday!

Try American Dream on your next visit to Omakase.  Let me know your verdict! ☺


Check out OMAKASE at the following branches:  Alabang Town Center, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Greenhills Shopping Center, Il Terrazo, and Libis QC.  

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MUST TRY MONDAYS

Hello readers!  Can you believe it's already August??? Wow!  Next month will start the "ber" months already.  Before we know it, it's Christmas time! Anyway, here's the second installment of Must Try Mondays! Enjoy!


MUST TRY # 1:  SERENITEA

Serenitea Hokkaido and Chicken Chops

There has been a constant battle of which is the delicious milk tea in Manila.  There's Serenitea, Bubble Tea, Cha Time, Happy Lemon, etc.  They started as small specialty shops but now they can be found even in popular malls (which is great so we can easily have access to them).  Milk tea has been a personal favorite, not just a fad, and I would love to drink any from the shops I just mentioned.  However, TFVS's all time favorite would still be Serenitea.  Serenitea's Hokkaido Milk Tea 50% sweetness with pearls to be exact. ♥ It's a comfort drink and I just love the taste - perfectly sweet if I may call it.  I remember there was a time when I bought Serenitea everyday.  Talk about semi addiction. ☺ So if you happen to pass by Serenitea, PLEASE order Hokkaido or Okinawa 50-100% and you'll love it.  Try the chicken chops as well.  Very tasty and perfect match for the milk tea. 


MUST TRY # 2:  CAFE BRETON EXCALIBUR

Cafe Breton Excalibur (P195)

Who hasn't tried Cafe Breton?  I'm sure most of us have at least once.  It's like a go-to place for comforting crepes and fabulous desserts.  Although, even if their sweet/dessert crepes are more popular, TFVS personally loves their savory crepes.  My favorite would be the Excalibur which has ham, emmental cheese, asparagus spears, sauteed in onions and mushrooms.  Really mouth watering!  It's perfect as a snack or a light dinner when you're on a diet. Oh and check out the X asparagus haha! ☺


MUST TRY # 3:  CRAZY COMBO = LAYS BARBECUE + VANILLA ICE CREAM

CRAZY COMBO: Lays Barbecue + Vanilla Ice cream

Okay, I have to warn you, TFVS is very fond of crazy combos.  I dip my fries in bbq sauce, I put ketchup in mostly anything, so don't find it weird.  Trust me though because I vouch for the yumminess.  Anyway, as I was watching a UAAP game on TV one weekend, I decided to eat my Lays Bbq with vanilla ice cream.  I just put some of the chips on top or I eat it alternately.  Surprisingly, the contrasting flavors were perfect!  The sweetness of the vanilla mdae the bbq flavor even stronger and the bbq flavor made the sweetness even lovelier.  Perfect contrast that creates a yummy combo! If you're adventurous, try it! ☺

All photos are taken with my iPhone


It's been raining all week so keep yourself dry!  ☂ Have a good week TFVS readers!  ♥

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Johnny Chow

Me: "Let's eat at Johnny Chow!" Brother: "Jackie Chan??" Me: "No, I said JOHNNY CHOW!" Brother: "Oh, okay."

What comes to mind when you hear the name Johnny Chow? Asian? American? Chinese food? Martial Arts? Well, I think the name is very clever.  It's catchy and you know right away that it's Asian with a twist.  They market it as having "Amazing Asian Cuisine" and yeah I think they do. ☺

Johnny Chow is located at the Newport Mall, Resorts World.  It is actually managed by the same people behind Sumo Sam, John and Yoko, and Mr. Kurosawa, which are all excellent fusion restaurants.  So I am not surprised that it also has that charm and appeal plus having good fusion cuisine.  The first things you'd notice from the outside are the huge bright and colorful (almost neon) signage, the cute tables and chairs, and the waitresses dressed in sexy cheong sam and colorful wigs.  Talk about good first impressions huh.  Your eyes will definitely feast on the playful interiors and furniture.  I am particularly a fan of the chairs with Asian faces. They're so cute!

Outside Johnny Chow with the waitress in wig

Cool creative playful interior design

I love their cute chairs!

Their menu boasts of a wide variety of Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Korean, Thai, Malaysian, and a lot more! It's actually a bit overwhelming to look at the menu because there are a lot to choose from and everything looks appetizing. Yes, you'd already know how it looks because in their menu, every dish has a really big picture as well as a description of what's in it.  Very good for indecisive people and very good marketing strategy for visual people like me. The names of the dishes are also as playful unique and interesting as the ambiance.  Let me show you what we ordered....

On the table:  Eat Pray Love (Salad with crispy prawns and mandarin oranges), Tropic Thunder (Vietnamese rolls with a twist),  Jet Li Wagyu (Black peppered beef with shoestring potatoes),  Ming Dynasty (Salt and pepper oysters), Hot and Sour soup,  Emperor Wenzong (Crispy Asian chicken with barbecue sauce), Johnny Chow Fried Rice, and Goddess of the Sea (Steamed Lapu-Lapu with supreme soy sauce). We also ordered a pitcher of cold Lemongrass Tea.

Eat Pray Love Salad (P325)

Tropic Thunder (P278)

Jet Li Wagyu (P385)

Ming Dynasty (P278)

Hot and Sour Soup (P275)

Emperor Wenzong (P330)

Johnny Chow Fried Rice (P230)

Goddess Of The Sea (P495) - at least what's left of it coz I took a photo after eating sorry

Lemon Grass Iced Tea (P285)

I'm a fan of creativity so I do appreciate their dishes' naming convention.  Perhaps if I own a restaurant int he future, I'd also name my dishes in a unique way.  The more important thing however is if they achieved the same charm and creativity on the taste itself.  Well, I am happy to say they did.  The rich dynamic flavors I was expecting were present in most of the dishes.  The salad and rolls were wonderful, the Wagyu was very well seasoned with a kick of spice (might be too salty for others though),  the chicken was cooked perfectly and reminded me of Hong Kong, the Lapu Lapu was soft and juicy with just the right amount of soy sauce, and the oysters were tender and fantastic!  Even the tea, I also liked because it had mild sweetness with citrus pizzaz.  So there you go, the food did disappoint me.  As for the pricing, I think the range is average (not that affordable, but not that expensive).  If you have a tight budget, maybe it would be better to come back next time because I assure you, you would be tempted to order more than 3 dishes.  I actually wanted to order everything on the menu! ☺

Obviously, I enjoyed dining in Johnny Chow.  It was a feast not only for my eyes but for my taste buds as well.  I am definitely coming back for more AMAZING ASIAN CUISINE.  Thanks, Johnny Chow! ♥ 

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