This is why five-class restaurateurs would hire a wine connoisseur to make sure that their customers get the perfect wine for every order. But if you would take a close look into these wine experts, they don’t just know what these wines are made from and why they would complement a certain ingredient, these people know how to sell these wines to the customers through their knowledge and expertise. As long as they show confidence with their presentation, anyone would surely want to take a glass of wine and enjoy their food.

I know I would.

This is why I want to let you know of a site called wine.com that features a Wine Club that allows people who join in to learn and experience the true meaning of drinking wine. Additionally, those who are members of the club have become well educated as far as their tasteful experiences are concerned. Their mission to become the trusted resource of any wine enthusiast, plus they offer wide selections of wines together with their informationin low prices so that people can enjoy the taste of these wine with utmost confidence.

So if you are having a formal party at your residence and you don’t know which wine to choose from to serve your guests, then it is best to consult the experts and start joining the wine club for a more in depth lessons.

Because of the differences in the nature of various fields of business, POS systems are often designed based on the type of business it is to be used for. A coffee shop POS or restaurant POS is often designed differently from retail POS systems. For hospitality and restaurant point of sale systems, Volante Systems is trusted by numerous businesses such as restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, stadiums, and convention centers, among others.

VolanteSystems.com is the website of Volante Systems. The site provides comprehensive information on Volante Systems and their products and services. The home page greets visitors with a predominantly gray webpage design which exudes professionalism and seriousness. The header links provide a good overview of what you can find on the website with links such as Industries, Technology, Products, Services, Success Stories, About Us, and Support.

Although the site has a wealth of information, visitors will have to browse within the website to be able to access this information. The home page simply acts as a cover page for the site albeit a very simple one. Finding what you need is still quite easy because the links on the header can bring you to the relevant information.

I was with my daughter, my cousin, and her boyfriend. The couple were craving for Mang Guo Bing (Chinese for Mango Snow Ice) so when we saw this big ad near the parking area, we decided to look for this restaurant, and luckily, it was easy to find the place.

Ambiance was super nice and cozy and the place was very clean. The moment I went into the restaurant, it felt like I had to be at my most careful steps not to ruin their cleanliness and orderliness. Seriously, the place was squeaky clean. The designs were hip and trendy with the vectored images on the wall, so it gave me the sense of being in a modernized Chinese restaurant.

Here’s a photo of one of the images found around the restaurant:

The servers were very polite and accommodating, which is one thing I always look for in a restaurant, aside from the food of course. They greeted us with a smile and handed us their menu:

Their menu consisted of mainly Chinese favorites, usual Hong Kong and Macau recipes, plus if my memory serves me right, there were few hints of Singaporean food as well.

I was browsing their menu but since we were there for desserts (we already ate lunch before we went to MOA), we got what we were there for:

The couple got their towering Special Mango Snow Ice (Php 125):

Presentation wise, it’s amazingly done, yet somehow got us all a bit scared, c’mon look at the picture, won’t you be nervous to dig in and fear that the shaved ice might collapse on you? LOL! As for the taste, I was only able to try this for one bite and I could say that it was worth every peso especially if you are a mango fanatic. Though I’m pretty sure it’s easy to make one if you have an ice shaver at home.

I, on the other hand, ordered their “volcanic-like” Special Strawberry Snow Ice (Php 145) both for me and my daughter (we’re both strawberry lovers, teehee!)

My daughter and I weren’t able to finish this. For one, the restaurant is actually cold to begin with, plus eating shaved ice literally gave me the chills. So I had to ask the servers to have the leftover for take out.

One disappointment though was that they placed the leftover Strawberry Shaved Ice in a plastic bowl like it was some kind of a soup (think Chowking noodles take out bowl) and gave me a straw. Seriously, how were we supposed to eat that in a soup bowl with a straw??? So, my cousin had to sneak into getting a Chinese spoon and tucked it inside the plastic bag. Now that just made me “a Chinese spoon thief”! As early as now, I would really like to apologize for whatever damage that action may have caused, however, the moment was so hilarious that we had to quickly get out of the restaurant before the staff finds out! But hey, in our defense, c’mon, we needed something to scoop out those shaved ice from a soup bowl, right? And I don’t think a straw would do its job, unless if we were given a tall plastic cup, which I think should be more appropriate.

Anyways, Attila, my cousin Jo’s boyfriend, also ordered Roti Prata with Sausage:

Wasn’t able to try it so I can’t really tell if it was good. But I didn’t hear any complains from the guy, so I’d reckon it was okay.

My cousin got herself their Hot Coconut with Sago.

I seriously envied her when she got that. She gave me a taste of the warmed coconut meat and it was superb! The Hot Coconut with Sago actually tasted like Ginataang Halo-halo, and the reason why I envied the dish was because I was feeling cold that time with my shaved ice and having a taste of the hot coconut soothed me. I swear I could have also ordered one if I’d known that I couldn’t take the coldness of the Strawberry Snow Ice with the aircon. LOL!

But instead, I got their Fried Dumplings.

I’ve had a lot of fried dumplings before from different restaurants, and for me, this was just okay. It was not something that would really make me go back, although I do loved the skin.

What makes me want to go back to Xin Wang was their Hot Coconut with Sago, and the other varieties of food in their menu. I am definitely going back to try out other stuff, but this time, I promise no more “Chinese spoon grabbing”. LOL!

Xin Wang Hong Kong Café
North Wing, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Bay Blvd.,
Central Business Park, Bay City, Pasay City Philippines

So what is Umami? As per our ever so trusted Wikipedia:

Umami, popularly referred to as savoriness is one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Umami has a mild but lasting after-taste difficult to describe. It induces salivation and a furriness sensation on the tongue, stimulating the throat, the roof and the back of the mouth….

During our Pinay Mommies Community Grand Eye Ball 2 last November 22, 2011, one of the sponsors for the said event was Ajinomoto, who was very generous enough to give all the 50 moms each a loot bag full of Umami goodness.

When I got home from the event, I handed these out to my mom, who usually is the one who cooks for the family. Since then, the food that we’ve been eating tasted much better. I didn’t know that my mom’s cooking can still be enhanced by the Umami products.

One of my all-time favorite dish is Fried Chicken. I love how my mom makes her marinade, but when I tasted this batch of chickens, it tasted much better than the previous ones I had before. I asked her if she added something different on her marinade, she told me that she used one of the Umami products that I gave her.

The chicken tasted so good that it lingered around my mouth, and made me wanted to eat more even though I was full. The feeling was exactly the same as how Umami was described in Wikipedia: “…mild but lasting after-taste difficult to describe”. Even the aroma was different, but in a nice way.

I was so glad that I got the chance to savor the Umami taste. I would highly recommend for households to stock up on Umami products and as their saying goes, Eat Well, Live Well.

What is Tokyo Café? This is based from their website:

So on to our experience:

First, once you enter their restaurant, everyone would greet you hello or good morning / afternoon / evening in Nihongo (Japanese). Made me feel like I was watching an anime or something LOL! The ambiance felt very cozy and it can actually be somewhere just to relax with the family, or maybe have a get together, or probably just to chill and have a few chit-chats with friends. We, on the other hand, decided to try the food while waiting for the movie.

The servers were very friendly, courteous, and are very prompt. They handed us the menu and it took us a while to decide. Why? Because of their wide range of food to choose from. Check out their menu in their website and you’d know what I mean. *wink*

Once we were ready to order, we decided on these items: Clam Chowder, Mango Chicken Salad, Chicken and Cheese Rolls, TenJu, Iced Chocolano, Strawberry Orange Smoogee.

We were actually planning to play Magic: The Gathering card game while waiting for the food to come, but before we could even start shuffling our decks, the order starting coming in. Yep, that was super fast service if you ask me. For the first time, we had a lightning fast service from a restaurant. It was really great. Especially the fact that we needed to finish up in an hour before the movie starts.

So on to the food review…

Here’s a picture of the Clam Chowder. Honestly, the serving was a bit small compared to other restaurants, but as far as the taste goes, it’s actually very creamy and tasty, though they could have added more clams to satisfy its name, plus it would have been better if it was served a bit hotter (for me it was kind of warm, and I like my soups hot). Nevertheless, it didn’t take us 5 minutes to finish this dish up which means that it tastes good. If you are eating this alone, you’d love it, but if you are sharing, one would not be enough.

Next in the list is the Mango Chicken Salad served with Caesar dressing on the side (forgot to include the dressing in the picture, gomenasai…) The dressing really complemented how the chicken salad tasted. For me, it was just right for my taste buds and I always liked my chicken salad served chunky. The greens, mango, and grapes tasted really fresh, although with the big serving, I wasn’t able to finish this dish. It was a first for me not to be able to finish a salad dish, which only means that the serving was hefty. I was literally trying hard to finish this up because it tasted so good, but I was just too full.

This is the Chicken and Cheese Roll. For a chicken and cheese lover, this combination was heaven. This was served with salsa dip and Potato Salad on the side, which tasted a bit bland for some, but personally, I didn’t really mind, because I like it that way. The rolls were nicely cooked, however there were some tough chicken parts. But all in all, it’s a great addition to the meal.

And here’s their TenJu (shrimp tempura), served with side salad. I’ve ate at different restaurants that serves shrimp tempura, and I must say that they all tastes the same to me, but what made this one my top choice (as of now) is that I loved their tempura sauce so much. This was not my order by the way.

Lastly, the drinks. My companion got the Iced Chocolano, which for me is something that I can’t stand because it included Espresso (yeah, I’m not really a coffee lover), but for the sake of this review, I tasted it. As expected, the coffee was too strong for me but it got milder after we mixed in the syrup. I, on the other hand, enjoyed my Strawberry Orange Smoogee.

We were late for the movie by the way… LOL! But this was one of the best lunch I have ever had.

Tokyo Cafe, SM Megamall
3/F, Bldg. B, SM Megamall, Julia Vargas Ave
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 477-3354

For the last 25 years of living around Chinatown area, it was unfortunate of me to never have tried the food in Café Mezzanine. It’s found in the second floor along the corner of Ongpin and Yuchengco streets, right in front of Shopper’s Mart (you won’t miss it).

photo from: http://mayniladailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/01/cafe-mezzanine.html (forgot to take a picture of the place and its ambiance)

This place is also known as the Volunteer Fireman’s Coffee Shop and its proceeds go to the volunteer firefighters association in Binondo. By the looks of it, you’ll definitely know that this place is dedicated to the firemen as fireman’s helmets, hose, and other firefighting gadgets were used as decorations around the area.

Also, as far as I know, and a few researches here and there, the place is also owned by the owner of Eng Bee Tin (very famous for their hopia and tikoy).

So on to our food choices… Just a few words of advice, make sure you go with someone because their servings are pretty big and filling.We thought the foods there were good for one serving, but it turns out that they were good for 2 to 3 people (yeah we forgot to ask).

My cousin was craving for Pansit Canton so we got that. Here’s a picture:

It’s not just the typical Pancit Canton that we see in other restaurants or how most households would cook them, this one came in with a hefty serving of noodles and toppings, very Chinese-style.

Next is Beef Maki Mi. It’s a noodle dish made from thickened beef or pork stock with either sliced beef, pork, or chicken (depending on your choice). You can order this without the noodles (beef maki), or with noodles (beef maki mi). Of course, being a noodle person, I must have it with noodles. Now I’m craving for a bowl.

Next were Fried Dumplings. Again, we thought it would be for just a few pieces, but when the order came in, we got quite a lot of dumplings in the table, not complaining.

If you’re in Binondo or Chinatown area, it is simply a must for you to try Kiampong. It’s a Filipino-Chinese version of fried rice with meat, mushrooms, seasoned well, and will not be complete without peanuts on top. It was definitely great with the dumplings!

Here’s another favorite… Ma Chang. Sticky rice with pork, chicken, and mushroom, usually covered in banana leaves. But this one was served without the leaves so it was easier for us to eat. Yum!

Verdict: We loved the ambiance and food, especially the Ma Chang. Despite that it’s one of my favorite foods, the one in Café Mezzanine was to die for. Although for smokers, this may not be a place to really stay and have chit-chat with friends because it’s an air conditioned place without a smoking area. But food wise, I’d definitely go back and order their other choices.

Cafe Mezzanine
650 Ongpin Cor. Nueva Streets,
Binondo, Manila
(+632) 242-9759
(+632) 241-9999
(+632) 247-2222

If you LOVE brownies, chocolate cakes and cookies, then I suggest you definitely try Sweet Affairs goodies. This is actually my cousin Lyssa’s small business and it’s really doing great especially this coming holiday season!

Jo, another cousin of mine, was an angel and brought me few samples, which made me hate myself for not being able to go to Zamboanga to taste these delectable treats right after they were made, but nevertheless, those sweet treats were sinful yet heavenly.

I got to taste my cousin’s “must try” Moist Chocolate Cake (photo courtesy of Jo):

Look at that picture, doesn’t it scream MOIST CHOCOLATE? The chocolate cake was really addicting when I had my first bite. Flavor is just right, not too sweet, not too bitter (chocolate wise), and it was so perfect. Moist level? Super moist, even after 2 days in the fridge. I didn’t even realize that I was already halfway done just in a span of few minutes! It’s a 4” round cake so I consumed 2” of it without even noticing it. That’s how addicting it was. No wonder this is a must try, most likely the best seller as well!

Other goodies that I had the liberty to taste was a piece of Fudge Walnut Brownies. Just like the moist chocolate cake, the brownie just melted in my mouth without the need of drinking water (for those who doesn’t know, I am unable to eat pastries, breads, and the like without any liquid nearby). I’m sure my cousin gave me other flavors but too bad I was not able to taste them as my parents ate them all. That only means that they were that good (considering how picky my parents are when it comes to sweet treats).

By the way, here’s another edited picture my cousin Jo made:

Should you guys want to inquire about the products (and probably ask if she do deliveries outside Zamboanga), here’s the list of treats and goodies available and how to contact Lyssa:

PS: While Lyssa is my cousin, all views and honest opinions are mine.

Okay, first and foremost, I don’t really want to sound like a hater, but this is more of a review than just a rant. As the title states, I am not impressed with McDonald’s online delivery.

Why?

Alright, so first I made a profile and logged in. The interface is very user-friendly, and the fact that you can customize your own avatar was really cool, you can find your avatar at the upper left of their page.

So on to the ordering… The process was actually super easy, especially if you made a profile with them. As mentioned, the website is very newbie friendly so anyone can easily order. So I did…

I got an email confirmation after I hit the submit button:

After an hour, the order has not yet arrived, nor was there any call from one of their agents. So I had to call in to ask for the status of the order. Apparently, the order didn’t push through because they were not able to contact me through my cellphone and verify the order with me.

When I checked my profile, I found out that I typed in one of the digits of my cellphone number incorrectly, yes my mistake, but shouldn’t they at least emailed me to at least notify me that they were not able to reach me during that time, instead of just making me wait for almost an hour expecting for nothing?

So I had to re-order via phone, and the lady told me that delivery should be in within 30 minutes. But alas! The food came in after 35 minutes. By then, I was not in the mood to eat anymore, my appetite was gone. Oh, and plus the fact that the burger was not hot and the fries were lapsed, no straw for my drinks… it was really disappointing.

All in all, it took me almost 2 hours just to get my order. I know it was my mistake for typing in the numbers incorrectly, but shouldn’t they also notify me via email that I was not reachable so that I could have checked on it earlier on? What was the purpose for them getting my email then? Or maybe they should also ask for another contact number just in case one is unreachable…

Next time, I’ll just dine in. I could have if it were not 12:45 in the morning…

The sauce as mentioned was a bit spicy (just a bit), plus the sweetness made the whole Jollibee experience unique. It was unlike their other menu so it was totally a different taste.

I ordered the meal that comes with 1 pc. chicken joy and it was great that I did, because one thing that I would love to improve on this dish was its lack of chicken, so I just shredded some chicken and added them into the pasta, and mind you, it tasted really great! As for the mushroom servings, it was just right. Plus the cheese made its consistency better.

Verdict: I will surely be ordering this one again (yes including the chicken). It’s surely worth it for those pasta lovers who are in a tight budget.