Salty-Sweet: My Favorites

Candy corn

I was browsing a bunch of food blogs just now, which I often do while I snack (such a bad idea), and I came across this post from Dessert Comes First asking readers to chime in on their favorite salty-sweet combinations. That got me to thinking about my favorites, which took me all the way back to my childhood.

Filipino street-style pancakes

Is there anyone who hasn't tried McDonald's fries dipped into their ice cream? Usually the caramel sundae. I don't know when or why people started doing this, but it seems like something everyone has done since childhood, which makes me think it's a purely instinctual thing to do. Hah, we were having salted caramel before it was even invented (or at least became popular)! Another childhood treat that I enjoy to this day is pancakes, Filipino street style, slathered with margarine and sprinkled with white sugar. Filipino street pancakes use watered-down batter, which makes them flatter, floppier, less dense, and less sweet--a perfect backdrop for the margarine and sugar. Think of them as a cross between a pancake and a crepe. And finally, treats from my yearly Halloween haul: candy corn; Pete's butterball (buttery caramel-flavored hard candy); and those absolutely divine, chewy, perfect little caramel cubes by Kraft.

Above: McDonald's caramel sundae
Right: Kraft caramel cubes

Garrett Chicago mix popcorn

I also made a few delicious discoveries during my teens and early 20s. On a visit to Chicago, I got a tub of Garrett's Chicago mix popcorn, a combination of caramel and cheese popcorn. I was no stranger to salty-sweet popcorn, having been addicted to kettle corn at some point, but I was rather skeptical and a bit grossed out by the cheese-and-caramel combination. I wrinkled my nose and sort of held my breath as I tossed a few pieces into my mouth... and what a revelation! I'm really not a big fan of popcorn (besides kettle corn)--my boyfriend and I even got into a silly fight once because of it--but this popcorn, I like a lot, so much so that I even started to preach the gospel of cheese-and-caramel popcorn. Another discovery was salted caramel--which, reflecting on all the salty caramel I enjoyed as a kid, is really more a re-discovery. I like salted caramel anything: cakes, cupcakes, ice cream. Give it to me and I will devour it, happily. And how can I forget Trader Joe's milk chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels? Bite-sized pillow-shaped crisp pretzels filled with peanut butter and coated with chocolate. What's not to like? Arr. I'm salivating just thinking of it.

Trader Joe's milk chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels

Finally, my current favorites. Cheese pancakes (shaved cheddar or parmesan). I'm not a huge fan of traditional pancakes (I much prefer them Filipino street style), but incorporate some shaved cheese into the batter and my, what a difference. Ditto Oreos: I'm not really a fan (except mint Oreos, which I just cannot stop eating), but separate the cookies, put some grated processed cheese (Eden/QuickMelt/Velveeta) in there with the frosting, put it back together, and my goodness. It's like having little bite-sized Oreo cheesecakes. And finally, queso ice cream--so simple, so rustic, so homey and familiar and comforting. Love in a scoop.

Looking at what I've listed, a few things have become clear to me. I  never thought of myself as someone who particularly liked the salty-sweet combination, but it looks like I've always loved salty-sweet and just never realized it. Also, I'm seeing two things a lot of my favorites have in common: caramel and cheese. Finally, my list is full of things that are traditionally sweet, with an added dash of saltiness. But there is nothing that is traditionally savory, with sweet things added in (e.g., meat dishes with raisins or pineapple, soups or stews like nilaga or pochero with banana--not a fan!). A true testament to the sweet tooth I am!

BOBAttle: The Quest for the Best Milk Tea in Town

With the number of milk tea places that have popped up and still are popping up, there's no way I could ever hope to try (or even know about) every single one of them. This review is by no means comprehensive, and I'll update it each time I try a new place.

Initially, I had planned on ranking all the places I've tried. However, I realized (1) that some places might be different but equally good and (2) that I'd have to keep adjusting the rankings after trying out new places. So I've decided that it makes more sense to classify them into 3 groups: YES, SO-SO, and NO.

I. The YESes

Chatime (http://www.facebook.com/chatimephilippines)
Location: Multiple branches in Metro Manila
Originally from: Taiwan
What I like: The consistency of their pearls: smooth on the surface, chewy but not too hard. The milk tea is well balanced: I taste the milk, I taste the tea, and the flavor balance is just right. Their cups are always well sealed. The price is slightly less expensive than most other milk tea places, without a drop in quality. Bonus points for the delicious chicken chop! Also, upon ordering/paying, customers are given a pager that vibrates and lights up once orders are ready--totally unnecessary for smaller stores, but it's a nice touch nonetheless.
What I don't like: The plastic they use to seal the cups is a bit hard/thick, so it's hard to poke the straw through it without some of the milk tea coming out.
My favorites: Chatime Roasted Milk Tea, Jasmine Green Milk Tea

Gong Cha (http://gongcha.ph)
Location: Multiple branches in Metro Manila
Originally from: Taiwan
What I like: Consistency of pearls, well balanced milk tea flavor, well sealed cups.
What I don't like: Although the milk tea flavor is well balanced, I'd prefer a little less milk and a little more tea.
My favorites: Matcha Milk Tea, House Special Milk Teas

Tokyo Bubble Tea (http://www.facebook.com/tokyobubbletea)
Location: Multiple branches in Metro Manila
Originally from: Japan
What I like: Huge selection of drinks, and the most wonderful option of having small bubbles (pearls), big bubbles, or combination. The bubbles are tasty, with a sweetish tinge, and the milk tea is good. More than a milk tea place, Tokyo Bubble Tea is a full-service restaurant with a well-trained staff and a HUGE menu of Japanese appetizers/snacks, sushi, mains, and cakes. And it's open till 1 am on weekdays and 2 am on weekends!
What I don't like: The prices are a bit higher than most, and the sizes are a tad smaller than most, though  still big enough for an enjoyable portion.
My favorites: Japanese Green Milk Tea, Jasmine Milk Tea (with combination big and small bubbles!)

Quickly (http://www.quickly.com.ph)
Location: Multiple branches in Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Cebu
Originally from: Taiwan
What I like: Less expensive than most milk tea places. Quickly has been in the Philippines much longer than all of these other milk tea places, even before milk tea became popular, and the fact that it's still around says something about its taste and quality.
What I don't like: Nothing I can think of.
My favorites: Taro Ice

II. The SO-SOs

Dakasi (http://www.dakasiphil.com/)
Location: Multiple locations in Metro Manila
Originally from: Taiwan
What I like: You can ask for more tea, less milk, which is exactly the way I like it. The staff seem well versed on everything on their menu. Also, it seems that each branch offers a buy-one-get-one-free introductory promotion for the first month or two of operation. They also offer drinks containing bits of cereal--not my cup of tea (pun not intended), but I guess it's good to have that option.
What I don't like: The milk tea is nothing great, though not bad either. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but if I were craving milk tea and there were no other stores around, I wouldn't mind having some Dakasi.
My favorites: Nothing in particular. Maybe the Almond Milk Tea.

Serenitea (http://www.facebook.com/iloveserenitea)
Location: Multiple locations in Metro Manila, and one or two in Laguna
Originally from: Manila! Proudly Pinoy!
What I like: It seems each newly opened branch offers, just for a day, free upsize to a super-enormo size (not regularly available) when ordering one of their top 10 offerings in large size. I was lucky enough to walk by a new branch offering this. Fun!
What I don't like: To me, their milk tea tastes a bit watered down. Also, their staff seem to be among the most frazzled and disorganized I've encountered. At Serenitea, more than at any other place, I've experienced them running out of pearls, giving me the wrong order, and handing me a sticky cup.
My favorites: Uji Matcha

III. The NOs

Tea Talk
Location: Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque
What I don't like: The guy at the counter was completely disinterested and got our orders wrong. Their cup covers aren't leak-proof. The milk tea was just so-so, totally unmemorable. The pearls were mushy on the outside, hard on the inside, and all clumped together. Not going back.

Zagu (http://www.zagushakes.com)
Location: Multiple locations in Metro Manila
What I don't like: Their drinks taste completely artificial. Of course, they cost less than half of what other milk tea places charge, so I guess it's nice that there's a version more people can afford.

NEXT ON THE TO-TRY LIST: SenCha, BF Homes, Paranaque (http://www.facebook.com/senchamilkteaplace)

BOBAttle: The Quest for the Best Milk Tea in Town (A Prelude)

I've always loved milk tea or, as I used to call it back in the day, boba or bubble tea. (I suppose the term "milk tea" is more appropriate, since after all, you can have it with "sinkers" other than boba/pearls/bubbles, like grass jelly and pudding, or with none at all.) But back then, it was an occasional treat, something I had every few months at most but usually no more than a couple times a year. It wasn't that I deprived myself of it. It just wasn't such a widespread thing that it crossed my mind--or my sight line--often. Thus, I had it only when I really wanted it, when I actually had a craving for it come out of nowhere, and I had to purposely head in the direction of a boba place.

Today, however, whichever way you go, you're bound to encounter multiple milk tea places (and thus decide you want milk tea, or decide to have some even if you don't particularly want it!). In the late 90s, it was the Starbucks frappe; in the mid 2000s, it was fro-yo (Frozen yogurt). Today, it's milk tea. And it seems that milk tea has reached a level that neither of its two predecessors did. Sure, the Starbucks frappe was mega-popular, and yes, this did lead to other coffee chains opening to offer some competition (e.g., Figaro, Seattle's Best). But there was never a time when, at every turn, I saw a coffee shop/frappe place. Plus coffee shops have other offerings aside from frappes: hot coffee, hot tea, iced tea, juices/smoothies, and light meals--so not everyone who goes gets a frappe. At a milk tea place, you get milk tea (or some variation thereof).

The fro-yo craze likewise never reached the wild popularity of milk tea today. True, there were times when the line at White Hat was long enough to make me decide to go another time. But there were also times when it was completely empty, and for significant stretches of time; I've never seen a milk tea place empty. Maybe once or twice, but they didn't stay empty for long. And even during the height of fro-yo, I never saw all that many people walking around carrying a cup of yogurt. Today, whichever way you look, there's a person holding a glass of milk tea.

Perhaps that's a big part of the popularity of milk tea: you can have it on the go. Sure, you can have a frappe on the go, but then how would you fuss with the whipped cream and the straw? No, a frappe is best had sitting down, in the company of friends. Fro-yo, much the same: it's so much easier to walk around and suck milk tea through a straw than it is to walk around having to occasionally scoop up some yogurt and spoon it into your mouth. The drink + food aspect probably helps too. A frappe is a drink, although a heavy one. Fro-yo is food, although light. Milk tea is both! You drink the milk tea and chew the sinkers. Plus milk tea is generally less expensive than a frappe or a fro-yo. (Some people might include the argument that milk tea is good for you, but we all know that's just justification of our greed! Milk and tea are absolutely good for you, but whole milk is full of fat, and sugar is not so good for you.)

Sooo this introduction to milk tea ran much longer than I anticipated. I was planning on one to two paragraphs and then quickly moving on to reviews. I got carried away: I guess I've been ruminating on on the phenomenon of milk tea more than I realized. In the interest of avoiding a ridiculously and tediously lengthy blog post, I'll end this one here. Consider it a prelude. On to the reviews! :)

Resist Decline: Sensei Sushi, BF Paranaque

R and I might never have discovered this little hole in the wall, sandwiched between and dwarfed by a massage parlor and a Korean grocery, located in a quieter part of Aguirre. Good thing they decided to offer a half-off promo via Groupon. The moment I saw half off, sushi, and down South--three of the very best things in the world, and not a combination I come across often--I was sold.

The first time we visited Sensei was July this year. Armed with vouchers, empty stomachs, and anticipation/excitement, we prowled Aguirre Ave in BF, eyes peeled for this place. We almost missed it, as the storefront is tiny and inconspicuous, but we spotted it just in time to abruptly stop, reverse a little, and pull into a parking slot.

We were greeted and seated upon entering. The place is small, just enough for three tables for 2, a table for 6, and the bar, which seats maybe 4 or 5 (if I remember correctly). Their menu is written on a giant chalkboard on the wall. On another wall, there is a smaller panel listing the sashimi and starters available for the day.

R and I decided on the salmon sashimi (a Japanese staple for us), spicy tuna roll (one of my top 10 favorite foods, PhP 195 [~USD 5]), tuna tartare on kangkong (water spinach) crisps (PhP 155 [~USD 4]), and battered fried oysters topped with kimchi (PhP 132 [~USD 3]). The chef/owner, Bruce Ricketts, was in, and he prepared our food himself and also stopped by our table for a quick chat. Love that personal touch.

The food was absolutely divine. The spicy tuna roll did not disappoint (although I would've liked more spice, but that's just me). The salmon sashimi was fresh, flavorful (lightly drizzled with soy sauce, maybe?), and beautifully plated (as was everything else, but extra points for the sashimi because it was plated in a truly imaginative and novel way). The fried oysters with kimchi and tuna tartare on kangkong crisps were such creative combinations, and every bite delivered a subtle but complex balance of flavors. Absolutely delightful. It was love at first bite, and every subsequent bite thereafter, and right then and there, Sensei became one of our absolute favorites.

I wish the story would end there, but alas, it doesn't. I remember reading a quote, I forget by whom, saying something like, "if you want a happy ending, it depends on where you stop the story." So I'm telling you, dear reader: if you want a happy ending, stop reading the story right here.

Sometime in August, we decided to check up on our favorite little sushi spot down South. We ordered pretty much the same things as the first time (coz we loved all of it), plus a salad with baby octopus. Chef Bruce wasn't in this time, so I was a bit apprehensive of a decline in the food's quality/presentation/taste. Everything, including the octopus, was good, but there was a bit of a decline in the food. The flavors were still there, but not as delicately balanced as last time. The presentation was a tad sloppier, although I didn't mind this too much. And the servings were a little smaller too. But it was still a good meal, and the decline wasn't so steep that I had to declare it over for me and Sensei.

And so, in September, back to Sensei we went. I was hoping Chef Bruce would be in, but he wasn't. We were pretty hungry this time around, so we ordered all our usual stuff, plus a hamachi roll (PhP 340 [~USD 8]), pan-roasted salmon with noodles (PhP 265 [~USD 6.50]), and the half-baked chocolate cake for dessert (PhP 200 [~USD 5]). Again, all our usual orders were still pretty good, but there was again a decline from the last time we visited. The food didn't  taste as fresh, and it seemed a bit carelessly prepared--we even found a few scales in our salmon sashimi. Also, the servings were noticeably smaller. There was one less piece of salmon sashimi and one less kangkong crisp than last time, and the pieces were smaller too.

The hamachi roll was nice, with a sweetish tinge to it, but the piece of fish used in the roll was so tiny, we could barely taste it. The salmon with noodles was a pleasant discovery. The salmon, glazed with soy and orange flavors, was delicious, with a crisp skin, moist and tender meat, and mild but beautiful flavor. The noodles with truffle oil were tasty and a great complement to the salmon. The biggest mistake of the night was the chocolate cake. Their version of molten chocolate cake is the worst I've ever had: tiny (considering the price), eggy, and completely amateur tasting, lacking any of the balance and refinement of all their other offerings. There was also something in/on it that wasn't food, like bits of wax or something. Dessert is supposed to be a wonderful ending to a meal, but in this case, it ruined it. Again, a case of a happy ending (relatively happy, anyway) depending on where the story ends. We should've ended our meal with the salmon and noodles and had dessert elsewhere.

Sensei Sushi is still one of the better places down South. Chef Bruce's creative take on Japanese food and his ability to create a sophisticated and fresh balance of flavors are a gift to Southerners. However, I can't help but be concerned that, as time passes, they're getting complacent, getting careless, slipping. The food--flavors, serving sizes, presentation--has declined each time I visited, and it hasn't even been a year since they opened. I really, really, really want this little gem of a restaurant to stick around and to maintain the high quality of their food. So please, Chef Bruce and staff, resist the call of mediocrity and stay on top of it! I--and all the rest of us down South--would be ever so grateful!

*Photos to follow; they are with R. I'll update this post with the photos once I have them.

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Sensei Sushi
268 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque
+63 2 754 9526; +63 919 377 2966
https://www.facebook.com/senseibf

Open Monday to Sunday, 11 am - 10 pm

Chinese Royalty: LiLi Yum Cha Buffet, Hyatt Manila

A panel decorating the wall at Li Li

A few months ago, maybe in August, R and I went to the Hyatt Hotel Manila for the Yum Cha Sunday brunch buffet at Li Li, the hotel's Chinese restaurant. We were supposed to have gone in July, for my birthday, but we couldn't find the time to go until weeks later.

I like dim sum, though I wouldn't say I'm crazy about it. I eat it when it's there, and I do like it. I'd experienced an enjoyable and filling all-you-can eat dim sum lunch a couple of times, and if someone were to take me to another, I'd very much look forward to it. But if I were hungry, or if someone were to ask me what I wanted to eat, dim sum would not be the first (or second, or third) thing to cross my mind.

R is even less into dim sum than I am. He doesn't dislike it, but like me, he wouldn't even think of it when trying to decide on what to eat. He's also had far less exposure to dim sum than me: probably just the usual siomai (meat and/or shrimp dumpling, steamed or fried), siopao (steamed BBQ pork or meatball bun), and hakaw (steamed prawn dumpling).

I figured it was time to change that. He is dating a (1/4) Chinese girl after all, and I thought it was about time he was introduced to the world of dim sum. As luck would have it, a few weeks before my birthday, DealGrocer offered a voucher for 26% off on the Sunday Yum Cha buffet (PhP 1,150 [~USD 27] instead of the usual PhP 1,550 [~USD 37]). I know the discount isn't tremendous (DealGrocer seems to more carefully pick their merchants but offer smaller discounts than other group buying sites), and more than PhP 1,000 per head is still a rather expensive meal. But based on the quantity and quality of food that we anticipated, the numerous positive reviews, and the restaurant's award-winning status, we decided it was worth a shot. It was, after all, for a special occasion, so we could afford to splurge a little.

And boy, was it worth it. R and I were among the first to arrive, since we wanted to get a good table and eat at a relaxed, comfortable pace. The place was gorgeous: what I imagine Chinese opulence looks like. It looked oriental, expensive, but still cultured/sophisticated. The staff were welcoming, warm, and polite. They were pleasant throughout the entire brunch: from the moment they welcomed us and led us to our table, while they took our orders and served our food and refilled our drinks, and all the way until we left the restaurant. They were quick, careful, and attentive.

The food, of course, was the star of the show. While waiting for our dim sum to arrive (they cook it to order, so it's fresh), we got some food from the starter/live cooking station. I got a bowl of hot and sour soup (my favorite), some jellyfish (also my favorite), barbecued pork belly with mustard sauce on the side (flavorful and perfectly balanced!), and the most divine tea egg! I don't even like boiled egg all that much, but this was sublime, the best egg I've had, ever. R had congee and some of the other starters. We agreed: not a single dud in that spread.

Hot and sour soup

Before we even finished with our starters, our dim sum started to arrive. I won't go through this in detail because with all the food we ordered, it would take too long, and honestly, it was all kind of a blur as one dim sum dish after another arrived--a completely happy, hedonistic blur. Glutinous (gluttonous!) roll, steamed squid, puff pastry with barbecued pork, chicken feet, ham shui kok (deep-fried sticky dumpling with minced meat filling), egg custard balls, and more... there wasn't a single bite that didn't delight the palate. The house guava iced tea (bottomless, included in buffet price) was as good as advertised. I'm not big on beverages--I usually just stick to water or tea and have trouble finishing one glass of juice or iced tea--but I had a few glasses of their iced tea.

Chicken feet

Ham shui kok

Egg custard balls

Some of our starters and dim sum

The one thing we did wrong was that we ordered main courses (included in the buffet). We had shrimp and chicken salad, Fookien fried rice, fried pork ribs, braised chicken with basil, and beef tenderloin in Mandarin sauce. Although they were pretty good, they weren't amazing. We could've done without them and instead focused more on the starters and the dim sum, which were absolutely magical.

The Yum Cha buffet also includes a dessert spread. We were already seriously stuffed from all the food we'd had, so we went easy on the dessert. I had a fluffy marshmallow-like thing, creme brulee, some sort of coconut milk and bean custard, and two servings of mango pudding topped with tiny cubes of fresh mango and a bit of cream/milk, which to me was the best of the lot. (I know I said we went easy... this is going easy, for me and my massive sweet tooth.) I like that their desserts come in small portions, allowing one to get a taste of everything without burdening the stomach. We had some hot tea to go along with dessert (also included in the buffet price) to help us digest everything we ate.

Some of the dessert offerings

Tea cup and utensil cradles

And thus ended what has to be one of my very best culinary experiences, ever. The service was impeccable, the food was spectacular, the place was beautiful and set the right ambiance. They got everything right, down to the details: the table setting, the plates and glasses, and especially those little cradles where you can lay down your utensils and chopsticks when they're not in use or on a plate--every restaurant should have those!  Even the the restrooms were nice, which always gets bonus points from me.

For giving me a few hours of feeling like Chinese royalty, Li Li's Yum Cha brunch gets an unequivocal 5 stars from me. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday lunch date, and there couldn't have been a better introduction to dim sum for R.

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Li Li at the Hyatt Hotel Manila
1588 Pedro Gil corner MH Del Pilar
Malate, Manila
+63 02 245 1234
http://manila.casino.hyatt.com

Daily all-you-can-eat dim sum (PhP 788 nett [~USD 19]): 12 nn - 3 pm
Sunday Yum Cha buffet (PhP 1,550 nett [~USD 37]: 11:30 am - 3 pm
   --dim sum plus starters, main courses, dessert, and free-flowing drinks (iced tea, soda, beer)

I Used to Love Him: Breakfast at Antonio's, Tagaytay

I'm not too happy about my first post being a negative review, but what can I do? I've been meaning to start a food blog for years, and it just so happens that when I finally decide to start it, my most recent culinary experience is a dud.

I wasn't expecting this. I used to love Antonio's--especially Breakfast at Antonio's. The first time I ate at Breakfast was maybe 10 years ago, when it was still at its old location, along the main road of Tagaytay, and I've loved it since. The food was wonderful, well plated, with hearty servings. The service was pleasant and professional. The ambiance was casual but classy. The overall experience was very "country club." I always left Breakfast with a satisfied palate, a full (but not too full) stomach, and an overall feeling of contentment, relaxation, and happiness.

But not last Saturday. Last Saturday, the wait staff barely paid attention to us as we entered, and we had to walk around and stand around and basically make ourselves look conspicuous before anyone approached us and gave us a table. Note that this was not a busy hour, and there were at least 3 employees standing around doing nothing, not paying any attention at all. However, we saw this as a minor, passing thing and forgot all about it as we ordered and awaited what we expected, based on previous experience, would be a lovely meal. Our waiter seemed a bit disinterested, like he didn't really care to be there, but he did take our orders and answer our questions--not the level of service we've come to expect from Antonio's, but it was good enough.

R ordered corned beef and eggs, sunny side up. I ordered a feta and spinach omelette. We also ordered cheddar pancakes to share. I was afraid we'd over-ordered, which we're prone to doing, but I figured that after a tiring work week, we deserved to indulge a little.

Our orders came quickly, in a matter of minutes, which was wonderful. But that's pretty much where wonderful ended. R's corned beef (which was pretty good) was served with scrambled eggs instead of sunny side up. They did replace the eggs (actually, they let us keep the scrambled eggs too, which I guess was nice of them), but the sunnies seemed haphazardly cooked: the yolks were nearly solid, and the whites were dripping oil and brown around the edges, like they'd been cooked in a used pan.

My feta and spinach omelette was a massive disappointment. The omelette and the hash brown and piece of bread that came with it lay atop a somewhat oily plate. There were maybe 5 pieces of feta and 3 tiny clumps of spinach in there. Most bites I took had neither feta nor spinach. For the most part, it was just egg and tomato. It wasn't inedible, but it wasn't good, not even average really. I honestly could've made a better one at home, and I'm not much of a cook. I asked the waiter about it, but he saw a piece of feta and a spinach leaf on my plate and assured me that this was, indeed, their feta and spinach omelette done right. How could I argue? All I could do was quietly, and a little sadly, finish the lump of egg and tomato on my plate.

My feta and spinach omelette and a bite of R's corned beef. To be fair,
the corned beef and hash brown were pretty good, but not enough to
salvage the meal.

The pancakes, too, were a disappointment. They were smaller and flatter than they used to be and tasted completely average. Still, it's a good thing we ordered them because otherwise, we wouldn't have had enough food to fill us up.

As if disappointing us with the food wasn't enough, they frustrated us with their service too. The staff were inattentive and disinterested throughout our meal. It took us about 10 minutes just to ask for the bill, and again, this was during a quiet hour. The servers were there, in the dining room, doing nothing, but for some reason they just never looked at or checked on the customers. When we asked for our water glasses to be refilled, the waiter spilled some water on my cellphone and didn't apologize or even bat an eye.

To be fair, we did come in at 3 pm, and the kitchen closes at 4. Perhaps by that time, the chefs and wait staff were tired and just wanted to go home. Still, they were open, and customers who come in during the last hour of service should not receive any less than those who come in earlier. Another disclosure: we used a Groupon for PhP 800 (~USD 20) worth of food (for which we paid PhP 400 [~USD 10]). (We did go over PhP 800, so we paid the remainder in cash.) But restaurants and merchants who offer deals on group buying sites should deliver the same quality of food and give the same level of service to voucher holders and full-paying customers alike.

I know everyone has off days, and maybe we just so happened to chance upon one. Antonio's has been one of my favorites for about a decade now, and I'm not ready to write it off based on one bad experience, no matter how far below expectations it was. So I'll give it another chance, maybe next month, and I'm hoping and wishing really hard that they'll take that second chance and remind me of why I fell in love in the first place and prove to me that they deserve that love.

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Antonio's and Breakfast at Antonio's
Purok 138, Barangay Neogan, Luksuhin-Mangas Road
Alfonso, Tagaytay
+63 917 899 2866
http://www.antoniosrestaurant.ph

Open Tuesday to Sunday
Breakfast: 7 am - 4 pm
Lunch: 11 am - 2 pm
Dinner: 5:30 - 8:30 pm