Toasted Subs at Quiznos

QUIZNOS: Mmmmm... TOASTY @ Eastwood

We were in Eastwood again last week looking for an affordable place to eat. Then I remembered that Quiznos recently opened and we have not tried their sandwiches yet. It is located at the ground floor of Techno Plaza 2. The place was small but filled with bright colors. 

Quiznos Menu

Quiznos Menu

Quiznos Counter

Quiznos Claiming Number

CHICKEN CARBONARA

CHICKEN CARBONARA (REG) - Php185

 

The girl at the cashier told me that among their Signature Sandwiches, their Chicken Carbonara is their bestseller so I got a regular (8inches) one for myself thinking that small would be too..small for me. When we got our orders I got shocked at how enormous they were. Honestly, I did not think that they would be that big. So naive. HAHA. Anyway, I really enjoyed this sandwich. It was creamy, and the all the meat were tender. The creaminess of the sauce went well with the taste of the cheese. By the way, when you order they will ask you if you want Rosemary, Wheat or the regular White bread. I did not really know what to choose so i told the girl to give me whatever goes best with my order and she gave me Rosemary. I, however, thought that the bread lacked a cheesy taste. Aside from that it was difficult to eat the bread because it had a rubbery texture. You know when a bread is a day old then you heat it in the oven? After which when you eat it, it is very chewy. Like a gum? That's how the bread was. I'd rather have Ciabatta than this bread next time. Nevertheless, it was a great sandwich. I loved it. Even Geraldine loved it. So this is a CRAVE HIT!

THE TRADITIONAL

THE TRADITIONAL (REG) - Php175

Next up is Geraldine's Signature Sandwich called The Traditional. The lady at the cashier told me that this is their bestselling Signature Sandwich so I ordered it. It had beef, chicken, ham, tomatoes, black olives, lettuce, ranch and cheddar of course. This was also good but we liked the Chicken Carbonara more. The cheese tasted great, the ham was sweet and tender. All the meat they used are really of great quality. It was a really good sandwich. Although I have the same complain about the bread. Rubbery texture. Other than that, their food was great. This is a HIT.

Quiznos not-so-spicy Chili Sauce

This sauce is one great sauce. As soon as I saw the word "CHILI" on the bottle I did not even dare to try it. But Geraldine was braver than me and she put a small amount on her sandwich. When she told me it was not spicy, I tried it too. And hey, it went well with my sandwich. It has a sweet, savory taste with a kick of hickory flavor. Adding it to our meaty sandwiches just made our food extra flavorful.

Quiznos Plate

Quiznos offers great American-style sandwiches that uses quality ingredients. They have a wide array of sandwiches to choose from. Next time I eat here I am going to try their steak sandwiches. Heard their Double Cheese Cheese Steak is their best sandwich. They also offer salads, rice bowls and sliders. When you visit Quiznos feel free to share your experience with us! :)

Quiznos

G/F Techno Plaza 2

Eastwood City

Libis, Quezon City

http://quiznos.com.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/QuiznosPhils

Xocolat: A Chocolate Haven

Xocolat in Katipunan is a favorite among students from UP, Ateneo and Miriam because they serve unique dishes (everything has a touch of chocolate) and of course YUMMY desserts. It was back in December last year when Geraldine and I had lunch here to satisfy our sweet cravings.

To start off this is Xocolat's Parmesan Crusted Sole Fillet served with Potato Gratini (Php195). It is just an ordinary fish with parmesan crust I could hardly taste. The sauce that came with it was okay as well. But nothing extraordinary about this dish.

Parmesan Crusted Sole Fillet

Xocolat's Cream Dory (Php185) is also served with Potato Gratini and comes with cream sauce. This is a CRAVE HIT for us. The five spice dory with a little bit of that basil cream sauce was just really delicious. They said that this was one of their bestsellers and we highly recommend it too.

Cream Dory

Cream Dory

For the dessert we ordered their bestseller: That Xocolat Cake (Php95). It did not disappoint. It had the right kind of chocolate sweetness. This is highly recommended specially when there are occasions such as birthdays, valentine's, anniversary, monthsary, weeksary. You name it all. This cake is perfect for any day of the year. One whole cake will cost you Php695 but I say it is worth it.

That Xocolat Cake

We ordered this other cake but we totally forgot what it is called. It was not in the menu either. We even forgot what it tastes like. If it was good we would remember it. Since we did not remember, just skip this and try other cakes.

We would surely go back to this place and try their other chocolate-laced dishes and other delicious looking cakes. This is a place for those people who enjoy the company of chocolate in everything they eat. Even their pastas, paninis and meriendas have a touch of chocolate. This homey place in Katipunan is truly a chocolate haven :)

Xocolat
172 B. Gonzales St.
Loyola Heights
Quezon City

929-4186

xocolat.com.ph/

Breakfast for Dinner at IHOP

When IHOP opened earlier this year, bloggers, journalists and netizens were all going crazy. Everyone wanted to try the pancakes that conquered America. So as all of you may know already iHop is just a diner in the US. Apparently it was marketed as more upscale or sosyal  here in the Philippines by making it a restaurant. The location itself of the restaurant is a major selling point.

We were in High Street just this summer and we headed to iHop for dinner. When we got there the place was already full. I just gave my number to the hostess and she said that she would text us as soon as there is a vacant table. So we strolled for a while. After 20 minutes, the girl was not texting so we just went back to iHop to check and ask. Apparently there was a seat available but she did not text us so whoever was there waiting got the table. However, there were vacant seats at the first floor so we just sat there. We were so hungry to wait for another table to be vacant at the second floor. After all we went there for the food.

Onion Rings

For our appetizer I ordered Onion Rings. We did not actually order this at first but I saw the table next to us and it looked so crispy and golden and sooo delicious. A bowl of these costs Php195 which is a little bit expensive but they were good. Instead of the usual garlic mayo dip this one had salsa. CRAVE HIT!

Big Steak Omelette

For my main dish, I picked from their Hearty Omelettes. Not only do you get an omelette but also two buttermilk pancakes. I picked the one that looked the most exciting, the Big Steak Omelette. It had tender strips of steak, hashbrown, tomatoes, cheese, green peppers, onions and mushrooms and was served with a salsa dip. This is a lovely dish. I love the omelette. It tastes different than regular omelettes I have tried. Maybe it was because of the batter they used. It made the egg fluffier and tastier. The strips of steak were definitely tender, the cheese and hasbrown were amazing. Everything about this was amazing. This omelette is a CRAVE HIT. They had a generous serving and the egg had a lot of fillings inside. This dish costs Php375 but if you want to substitute another pancake flavor for the buttermilk pancakes you have to add Php50.

New York Cheesecake Pancakes

I was enjoying my dinner at IHOP so I did not go for plain buttermilk pancakes. I chose to have New York Cheesecake. I don't think I even have to tell you my verdict. The picture itself tells you how appetizing the pancakes are. This is undoubtedly a HIT. It does not even need syrup. It was really fluffy and the strawberries were soooo good. To make it a little bit sweeter we poured a little bit of Old Fashioned syrup and it just made the dish even more amazing. Definitely a must try.

New York Cheesecake Pancakes

Aside from the Old Fashioned syrup they also have Strawberry, Blueberry and Butter Pecan.

Strawberry Banana Danish Fruit Crepe

Geraldine ordered the International Crepe Passport Combo. So what is it exactly? It is your choice of crepe served with two eggs, two bacon strips and two pork sausages all for Php285. Since she has a sweet tooth and she loves strawberries she got the Strawberry Banana Danish Fruit Crepe. We loved it. Of course the crepe was soft, the strawberries were good and the cream cheese added a bit of sweetness. Everything just went well together. A must try, a CRAVE HIT.

Two eggs, Two pork sausage links, Two bacon strips

Even these guys here did not disappoint. The sausage links tasted great. Geraldine even wanted more of them. The bacon were crispy just like how she wanted them. The eggs were, uhmmm, eggs. LOL.

We loved our iHop experience. It was worth the wait and the long lines. And their food was really heavy. We were not able to finish everything. Their breakfast meals are perfect any time of the day. We went home happy (and with a lot of takeout). 

IHOP PHILIPPINES

W Global Center

30th St., Corner 9th Ave.

Bonifacio Global City

Taguig

808-9589

https://www.facebook.com/IHOPPhilippines

https://twitter.com/ihop_ph

California Pizza Kitchen's National Pizza Day

08.15.2013 - California Pizza Kitchen declared it as National Pizza Day which means that if you buy any regular pizza, you get another one for free! Your choices for the free pizza are Untraditional Cheese, Garlic Chicken, Hawaiian, Wild Mushroom and Caprese.

We went to CPK Eastwood since it is the nearest branch for us. When we got there of course it was jam packed. We were told that we can sit outside but as soon as a table is free we can go inside. We were willing to wait in the name of free pizza so we sat and waited outside. After a few minutes of deciding what to eat, we ordered The Original BBQ Chicken and Garlic Chicken for our freebie. Their serving time was 40 minutes to 1 hour so we just sat down and waited patiently. Meanwhile, Geraldine took some pictures to kill time. 

Here is the menu

CPK put up a tent outside for those who are ordering pizza for take out.

After about 30 minutes we were able to get seated inside the restaurant. The place was really small compared to their other branches. No wonder a lot of people were waiting outside.

Now here comes the disappointing part. As mentioned earlier we were told that our food will be ready in 40 to 1 hour. After an hour Geraldine was already being a little bit impatient. However I decided to cut them some slack because I figured it must be really a very very busy day with all these customers. Besides, their servers were really nice. They were all still smiling even though it was a very difficult day. It was also that branch's first National Pizza Day. A waiter even gave an order to the wrong table and only realized it after a few minutes. Lucky him, the girls at the table did not touch the food yet. A Chinese mom beside us was also getting pissed already and ranting to her son "how long does it take to make my pizza?" She has been there before us so I get why she is getting all worked up.

However, after an hour and a half has passed I started to be a little bit irritated. Different waiters/waitresses would approach us and ask what our order was to follow up. Don't they have a record of all those orders somewhere??? Five different people followed up on our orders but still no pizza. Geraldine ordered fries because she was starving already. The fries, which by the way are not good, was served in less than five minutes. Finally I snapped so I called a waiter and asked him how many more hours until they serve the pizzas because we have been there for almost two hours. And of course, he asked us again what we ordered. My voice was a little loud already because I was really pissed. I think I even scared the really nice girl who took our orders. After about two more minutes they served the much awaited dinner for the day. 

Homemade Fries - Php95

They served the Garlic Chicken first. When I had my first bite I was even more disappointed that the pizza was not hot. How come Pizza Hut delivers HOT pizzas while CPK serves cold ones for dine in?? I did not even bother to ask them anymore. It was sad because this was actually a good tasting pizza. If you would ask me, this is actually a HIT if it was served with the right temperature considering we waited for almost two hours.

Garlic Chicken

Next up is The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza. Same thing. It wasn't hot. I really don't get why. This was really disappointing considering that this is CPK's best because of that BBQ flavor, giving the pizza a smoky and sweet taste. Nevertheless this is still a HIT. CPK undoubtedly serves great tasting pizza.

The Original BBQ Chicken (Regular) - Php375

While we were eating another family was also complaining already about how much longer would they have to wait. The dad even asked the waitress, "Miss ilang oras pa? Sabihin mo lang" in a sarcastic manner. A waiter also approached us and apologized for serving our food late. 

I really do hope that CPK Eastwood improves their system most specially during National Pizza Day. They should have anticipated the number of people coming in that day and devised a plan to handle everything. Maybe they can offer on-the-house appetizers for their guests.

Despite all the problems we encountered that day I would like to commend their staff for being very customer friendly. From the beginning of our stay until we left the restaurant they were still smiling and very attentive.

California Pizza Kitchen is a must try! Pizza lover or not you will love everything they have to offer. What about you? What was your experience during National Pizza Day? Share it with us :)

California Pizza Kitchen

G/F Eastwood Mall Veranda

Libis, Quezon City

http://www.cpk.com.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/CPKPhilippines