Santis Deli-Cafe -- More than you usual deli

I've always liked Santis Silang for two reasons. One, the store may be small but it's complete. It has really good quality cheese, hams and other meat products, and hubby's favorite ladyfinger cookies. Two, the store is very accessible to me as I can drop by anytime since it's very near our house. Of course, it goes without saying that the staff there are among the most friendly and courteous I've met, and over the years, hubby and I have come to regard them as friends. They even call the little boss "Santino", as hubby used to joke that he was raised on Santis ham during my pregnancy. That's not entirely true, but the joke stuck, and the little boss is "Santino" to them.

Santi's menu

Fresh produce

Cheese, cured meats, hams, cold cuts, and sausages 

Steaks and other meat, fish and seafood

Imported items like chocolates, biscuits, teas, sauces, and more!

Wine selection

During a recent visit, hubby noticed the brochures for their Roast Beef Night and remembered the Chef mentioning it to him a few months back. He wanted to try it but never got around to it, and we thought the promotion ended. Apparently, it was a hit with their customers that they continued offering it every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Judith, the store manager, invited us to give it a try, and as it's been quite a while since we last dined there, it was not hard to persuade us. For good measure, we invited some friends who also like a good slab of steak every now and then, thinking that if we were splurging a bit, might as well have company, eh?

We got there early on a Saturday night as the place easily get full during weekends. As expected, hubby and our companions all ordered the roast beef.  Each order consisted of a generous serving of their US Angus Ribeye with a preferred side dish and sauce, a serving of salad greens with choice of dressing, and a glass of Argentinian red or white wine. Hubby and our friend decided to have red wine to go with their steak, while our friend's wife and their son had theirs changed to soda.

Hubby and the little boss while waiting for our companions

The Day's Special. But we were there for
the steak, so nobody really took notice.

Dessert choices which we opted to skip.

As I was sharing with the little boss, I got the broiled chicken in mustard, which I've had a couple of times in the past. It's grilled chicken fillet in a mustard-based marinade served with a side of home fries. The skin was removed, fried to a crisp, then arranged with the grilled chicken. The chicken was tender and seasoned nicely, with the mustard flavor not too overpowering. I have to admit to being a little disappointed with the fries, though. The fries used to be fresh-cut potatoes that were fried and lightly seasoned with salt and a dash of spice, hence the term home-made fries. The fries that accompanied my order were the usual commercial variety that one can get in a grocery. That aside, my chicken was as good as I remembered it to be.

Warm rye bread to start your meal.
The little boss liked it so we asked for another slice for him.

Broiled chicken in mustard with cripy skin.
I miss their old home-fried potatoes, though.

Hubby and I shared the salad that came with the steak, which we asked served with orange vinaigrette instead of our regular ceasar dressing. This is Tagaytay territory with Gourmet farms less than a hundred meters away, so it was no surprise that the greens were fresh and crisp. I particularly liked the vinaigrette, it was slightly sweet and light, very refreshing.

A generous serving of salad greens with your choice of dressing

US Angus Ribeye cooked medium-well,
served with baked potato and a glass of red wine.

I also snitched a few bites of steak from hubby's plate, and was not surprised that it was melt-in-your-mouth tender as a good quality ribeye should be. Hubby opted to have his steak with au jus instead of his usual gravy, and it was good decision as the natural flavor was not masked  by sauces or seasonings. I'd probably get a steak that good from famous steakhouses for more than double the price, and without wine or any other beverage at that. It was really good value.

We skipped dessert and opted to have coffee in a newly-opened local coffee place. But I know we'll be back should our craving for good quality steak hits again.

Santi's ladies. Forgot to invite Chef to join them. Sorry Chef!

Photos by Mike Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post

Park Avenue Desserts Part 1: Macarons de Paris and Molten Brownie Bites

Browsing through an online buying site (I have developed a very bad habit of checking their deals on a regular basis), I chanced upon an offer for Park Avenue Desserts. Now I have a really sweet tooth, so anything that says dessert is sure to get my attention. However, I was hesitant to buy the whole dozen of assorted mini cakes in the deal as I felt that 12 cakes ware just too many for our family of three. Also, I checked Park Avenue Desserts' FB page and found out that they have French Macarons, so I decided to try those first. BUT, I did buy the deal for the mini cakes, too, though that would be the subject of another post.

Anyway, I managed to convince hubby to drop by Park Avenue Desserts in Paseo de Magallanes on our next trip to Manila. The place was not hard to find although it was at the very end of the row of buildings facing SLEX. The store was a bit small, with about four or five small tables inside and a few more outside. Though it was a bit cramped inside, the size actually made the store feel cozy and homey. There were chalk boards on the wall with the menu written on it, apparently the place also offers a selection of snacks and meals. But as I was there for the dessert, I went straight to their display cases and zeroed in on the French macarons.

PAD's display cases

Hard to resist those goodies inside the chiller case.

They have cronuts! Will try this some other time, though.

I don't remember what these are, sorry!

Little pastry chef

PAD has a lot of macaron flavors to choose from, and at the time of our visit, there were eight flavors available: Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Tiramisu, Pistachio, Lemon, Mint Chocolate and Bubblegum. One box contains eight macarons in a plastic, shatterproof box, and I got one of each flavor except for Bubblegum, substituting it with another chocolate piece. Each piece had a generous filling of buttercream, while the shells were were light and crispy with a chewiness near the center, just the way macarons should be.

PAD's pretty packaging

The macarons in a plastic, shatterproof box. Nice!
A box of eight costs Php360, or Php45 per macaron.

Our box of sweeties before the little boss and I attacked them, haha!

I was expecting the Chocolate macaron to be my favorite, but surprisingly, I liked the Salted Caramel and Red Velvet better. The chocolate was good, but it didn't really stand out, at least for me. I guess I was expecting it to have a richer, more intense chocolate flavor.

Chocolate macaron. See that how thick the filling was? Yum!

The Salted Caramel was bursting with creamy caramel flavor that contrasted nicely with the hint of saltiness. It looked like it had the usual buttercream filling, but when you bite into it, you'd be surprised by the caramel hidden inside. Yummy!

Salted Caramel Macaron, my favorite of the bunch.
There's the yummy salted caramel in the center!

The Red Velvet, meanwhile, was very rich with its thick cream cheese filling, and oddly enough, tasted more chocolatey than the chocolate one. I was actually surprised that I liked it so much, given that I am not too fond of cream cheese on pastries. (I normally scrape the cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls if the frosting is too thick.) Unfortunately, I was not able to get a photo of it as the little boss claimed the Red Velvet macaron for his own and would not let go of it, only allowing me to have a bite because I begged.

The Lemon one tasted really tart and lemon-y, prompting hubby to comment that PAD was not kidding around with their lemon flavor. Lemon lovers would not be disappointed with this one, though I was not quite taken by it. I didn't get to taste the rest of the flavors, either because the flavor didn't interest me, or it was eaten by someone else, haha! The whole lot was gone by next morning.

Aside from the macarons, I also got a small container of their Molten Brownie Bites. 

Molten Brownie Bites, Php150 for a box of 8. Not bad!

 At first I couldn't understand why it was called such, until I bit into one:

There's the generous chocolate filling inside the brownie.
Nice and rich, though a tad too sweet for my liking.

Each round brownie had a chocolate center, much like truffles. The brownie itself tasted more like dense chocolate cake, soft and heavy, while the chocolate inside though soft was not quite molten. Perhaps next time I should pop them for a few seconds in the microwave to truly experience that molten chocolate bite. Hubby and I liked it, though after you've had a couple you'll feel like it's a bit too sweet due to the chocolate center.

It took our little family just a couple of days or so to finish those macarons and brownies, so naturally I had to get on the online buying site to purchase Buddy's Dozen, an assortment of 12 of Park Avenue's best-selling mini cakes. As we are only about halfway into finishing our dozen, I will post a separate blog on them. Now, back to those cakes...

Photos by Mike and Shella Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post. 

Weekday lunch at Buffet 101, SM by the Bay

Truth be told, I wasn't too keen to try Buffet 101. I've read reviews comparing it to a similar buffet place and in most of these reviews, Buffet 101 came out second in ranking. I also learned that it is owned by the same people that own Yakimix, and having been to Yakimix several times already, I assumed that there wouldn't be much difference between the two.

Buffet 101, SM by the Bay

However, I'm not one to pass up a good deal, either. So when I saw that Buffet 101 lunch vouchers were being sold at a discount on an online buying site, I purchased a few, intending to use them for hubby's office staff lunch out. As it turned out, we dined there twice, once with hubby's staff, and second with my sister who spent her short vacation with us.

Buffet 101 rates
(Photo downloaded from the web)

Reserving a table is quite easy, as it can be done via their Facebook fan page. The first time we got there, there seemed to be some confusion with the reservation as my name wasn't on the list, but I had a text message confirming my reservation, so the staff hurriedly ushered us to a couch table near the dimsum/Chinese section. We were a bit cramped as there were four of us plus the little boss who was given a high chair at one end. The second time, we got a table beside the wide glass windows facing SMX Convention Center which was good for six, and there were just three of us plus the little boss. But that was fine since the little boss fell asleep about thirty minutes into our lunch so I was able to lie him on the long couch beside me.

As expected, I saw quite a number of dishes that I would normally see in Yakimix, plus a whole lot more. Here are some of the photos that we took during our visits:

Salads and appetizers

  

Sausages and roast meat at the Chinese section

Assorted makis

A whole lot of cooked dishes

Barbequed ribs at the Meat section. Not as good as it looks, though.

Seafood for grilling. These are display items only as the seafood
to be grilled are already inside the kitchen.

Seafood chowder with pastry puff.
I wanted to try this but was discouraged by the large serving.

I honestly don't know what section this was, although it was beside
chafing dishes of pasta, spinach with cheese and baked oysters.

As it is really quite impossible to sample everything in a large buffet, I would focus on the good and not so good things at Buffet 101.

First: The Good.

A lot of people say that Buffet 101 has the best tempura. Well, I wouldn't say it is the best, but it could be one of the better-tasting tempura around. The batter is not oily, as is the problem with some tempura, and the shrimp inside is perfectly cooked. Downside is the serving dish is almost always empty, and diners are always waiting for the next batch. It seemed that as soon as the tempura is served, it's all gone within a couple of minutes.

I also liked the shrimp on stick that was buried in a mound of warm sea salt. I initially though it would be too salty, but it wasn't. My guess is that it was cooked by dry heat then buried in sea salt, but then I might be wrong. Just the same, I liked this better than the tempura. Didn't get a picture of it, though.

Spinach with cheese on top. Very, very good. Spinach is one of the few vegetables that I actually enjoy eating. Pair it with cheese and you've got me hooked. Again, no picture. Sorry!

The buffet had a lot of cooked dishes that I think I lost count of how many there are. Although I did not get a lot from this section, my companions said that most of those that they tried were good.

Another hit with the diners were the live swahe which you can ask the chef to cook for you. However, we were seated beside the aquarium where the swahe were swimming, and it was just a tad uncomfortable to see the cute shrimps get scooped up in a net, dumped in a pot of boiling water then served to waiting diners. It reminded me of an inasal restaurant that was so famous in one part of the Visayas region where the decor were live chicken inside glass cases embedded into the walls beside the diners' tables. But that's another story.

I also like the fact that they have a shake station that offers about three or four different fruit shakes. During our visits, they had pineapple, watermelon and grape. What I didn't like, though, is that the shakes were too sweet. I thought they just made a mistake of putting too much sugar in my shake during our first visit, but it was still too sweet on the second visit. I asked my companions, and we all agreed that the fruit shakes were too sweet. It was even sweeter than the iced tea and lemonade.

The Not So Good:

All of us were quite disappointed with the steaks that they served. They had prime rib on both our visits, but I have to say it didn't taste like prime rib at all. The meat was quite tough and bland. They also had tenderloin which is cooked upon order, and we asked that ours be cooked medium well. Upon serving, the steak was very well done that it was a bit tough, and the meat was marinated so that all I can taste was the sweetish marinade that they used. I did not ask for it on our next visit.

The prime rib. Taste and quality is below par.

The desserts -- Although they had a wide array of desserts, I cannot really say that I enjoyed them, except for the dark chocolate mousse that I had on our second visit. It was designed to look like a plant pot and was really nice, although I got a nagging suspicion that they copied the presentation from a "Cooking Like Heston" episode which was shown a few weeks prior. The rest of the desserts were so-so.

Red ribbon cakes

The smallest chocolate fountain I've seen in a buffet. 

  

The only dessert that stood out: dark chocolate mousse

Hubby's dessert plate. He didn't like the creme brulee and
that mango something with cherry on top.

The only good thing on my dessert plate is the chocolate mousse.

The Chinese/dimsum section had no hakao. They got a lot of other dimsum items like chicken feet and siomai but no hakao.

One thing that we particularly didn't like was an incident during our first visit. Halfway into our lunch, the smell of something getting burned suddenly permeated the air, and we saw a bit of smoke from the stove inside the Chinese section. The staff quickly put out whatever it was that got burnt, but not before a Korean chef, who was obviously one of the bosses, got wind of the incident. For more than 15 minutes he was shouting and berating the staff responsible for the incident, repeatedly making threatening gestures like he was going to hit the poor guy. The Filipino chef who seemed to be the one in charge of that section had to put himself between the two when the Korean starting pushing the staff on the chest. A lot of diners couldn't help but stare at them as the shouting seemed to go on and on. I guess the Korean got mad because the incident could have caused a fire, but the humiliation he inflicted on the staff was totally uncalled for. The proper thing would have been to call the staff to the back kitchen and give him a stern warning, not humiliate and threaten to hurt him in full view of everyone including the guests. That incident left a bad taste, and hubby really didn't want to dine again at Buffet 101 after that, only we still had a few vouchers left from my purchase.

Buffet 101 certainly has a lot going for it. Although it cannot boast of having the best buffet, their selection is quite good given the prices that they charge. It can certainly attract a lot of the buffet-going crowd. However, an incident like the one that we witnessed can turn off potential patrons. It not only shows lack of professionalism on the part of the Korean, but lack of respect for the staff concerned. I sincerely hope that such is not a preview of how the management treats its employees, particularly those who hold lower positions.

A Taste of Ilocano Heritage Hospitality at Hotel Felicidad

I am not really an avid traveler. In fact, about 80% of my previous trips were work-related (ok, maybe 90%). This is because I am what folks in our place would call "namamahay", I don't sleep well in other places except home. Pickylittleme is picky in more ways than one. Ugh!

Hubby, meanwhile, is my complete opposite. He likes to travel, mainly to check out the architecture of a place and take lots of photos as he is also an avid photo hobbyist. When he was asked to make a site inspection in Tarlac late last week, he saw it as an opportunity to visit one place that he has long been wanting to go to: Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

So last Friday, the three of us along with our little furkid Poknat hied off to the North for a combined business-pleasure trip. We were accompanied by a few friends who had some business to check out in Ilocos, and we were glad for their company as we had never gone North by ourselves. Plus, it felt better to make a long trip in convoy in case something goes wrong with the car. We got to Tarlac by mid-morning, and was headed to Vigan by late afternoon, making a side trip to visit The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag on the way.

We got to Vigan pretty late. After a quick meal at our companion's relative, we went off to look for a place to stay. We had no reservations since our trip was not really planned. The relative invited us to stay the night, but we declined as we had Poknat with us and we did not want to impose. Hubby went into Vigan Plaza Hotel to ask if they allow dogs, and someone there directed him to Hotel Felicidad, a newly-opened boutique hotel a few meters away. It was a very charming hotel, located just around the corner from the famous Calle Crisologo. The exterior and  interior are designed in accordance with Vigan's heritage theme, but without the spooky or eerie feeling that I sometimes get from old-looking buildings. The rooms are spacious and a combination of vintage furniture and modern amenities, making it a very relaxing place. Unfortunately, I was unable to get better photos of our room as it was already past midnight, so these will have to do.

The main entrance of Hotel Felicidad.

Front desk

The stairs leading to the second floor. We weren't to able to
check it out due to time constraints.

The hotel lobby

Foyer/Lounge area leading to the patio. This is where we passed through
when we arrived as the only parking slot was just outside the glass doors.

The covered patio where pets of guests are supposed to stay.
It's located beside where we parked.

Check in was a breeze, as the staff were very friendly and helpful, allowing us to park in the parking space beside the hotel's patio so we have easy access to our car. However, it was a single-car parking slot, so our companion had to park in the hotel's carpark which was located some distance away. We filled out the necessary paperwork and went to our respective rooms, happy to have gotten a place so soon that allowed our little Poknat to stay with us.

The standard room where we stayed.

Closet and vanity made of solid wood inside our room

View of our room from the door

A couple of minutes later, the front desk called to ask if Poknat was in the room with us, then politely informed me that he had to stay in the patio as dogs are not allowed inside the room. We were surprised as it was the first thing that hubby asked when he looked for accommodations, so he went out to talk to the staff. Turned out they misunderstood him when he asked if Poknat could stay with us. As we did not want Poknat staying by himself outside (even with one of the staff offering to check on him constantly), the front desk personnel called their Officer-in-Charge (OIC) so hubby can talk to her. Hubby explained that Poknat has always slept in our room and might cause a ruckus if he was separated from us. He then offered to pay for any damage or inconvenience that Poknat may cause while inside the room, at the same time assuring the OIC that our little dog is house-trained and had never caused damage even when he was a puppy. The OIC was very kind, and agreed to hubby's compromise. Finally! Rest for the weary!

Our happy little boss. We forgot to bring Poknat's bed, so he had
to make do with his doggie blanket :(

The little boss goofing around in the middle of the night. 

The next day, we had our breakfast at the patio so Poknat can join us. The standard room that we occupied comes with set breakfast for two and you can choose your set. Hubby had Vigan longganisa with fried egg, steamed rice, sliced tomatoes and cucumber on the side, and coffee. I had danggit with the same accompaniments, and ordered an extra breakfast set of pancakes with hotdog and orange juice for the little boss. The food was simple but very good, though I think it would have been better if they served the rice meals with garlic rice instead of plain rice. The front desk already asked us our preferred breakfast set when we checked in, and when hubby went out in the morning to walk Poknat, another staff asked him what time and where we wanted the breakfast to be served, so we did not wait long for our food. As the previous night, the staff that brought our food were very friendly and nice, checking if we got everything we need before leaving us to enjoy our breakfast. 

Enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the patio with my boys. Bliss!
Forgot to take photos of the food, though. 

We checked out early as we had quite a few places on our list and we didn't want to go back just to get our things. While checking out, the OIC, Mia Aguila, came in and immediately recognized hubby as the guy she talked to on the phone when she saw him holding Poknat at the lobby. She was indeed a very nice person, giving us tips on where to buy pasalubong and places to visit. She chatted with us while were were checking out and invited us to come back. Our thanks goes to her and the rest of the staff of Hotel Felicidad Vigan for their consideration and understanding of our situation with Poknat the previous night.

Our group during check out. The petite lady in the white blouse is Mia Aguila,
Hotel Felicidad's gracious OIC, while the lady beside her is the front desk
officer whose name I forgot to ask.

So will I recommend Hotel Felicidad? Most definitely! Very nice and spacious rooms, excellent service, very friendly and hospitable staff, and affordable rates. What more can you ask for? The place truly lives up to its motto of "Ilocano heritage hospitality at its best". This hotel is on the top of my list on our next trip to Ilocos.

You can find more information and photos on Hotel Felicidad thru their Facebook page: Hotel Felicidad Vigan

Note: This is not a sponsored post.