The Mercado that I am talking about is not a market place like how Cebuanos would call it. It is a restaurant inside Resort World Casino where my husband and I had lunch just recently. What’s special about it is that they’re offering their buffet lunch for only P188++ (Breakfast P88++). I remember as we were entering the buffet area, I saw the price and I was so disoriented that I asked my husband, “Is it in dollars?!” (While making peso-dollar conversion in my head) My husband said no, and I think so too or else it would be too expensive.

Food choices were not as fabulous as Sofitel, Circles or others of the same sort but definitely worth way more that P188. I was able to make myself four “courses” and they are as follows:

1. If others would skip the rolls section of every buffet table, I don’t. So I had an onion roll and a muti-grain roll from their bread section to match my mushroom soup.

2. Next, I prepared a small salad with balsamic dressing. What makes it different from other buffet I’ve tried is that their salad area comes side by side with their sushi section. So, beside my salad, I placed 2 california maki and 2 other sushis on my plate.

3. For the main course, they have 3 different viand choices (seafood, chicken and meat), vegies, rice and pasta. So I had very small servings of each just to know which tastes better.

4. Finally, I placed coffee jelly and 2 leche cakes on my dessert plate. I was actually waiting for creme brule but gave up because it took them too long to replace their empty tray.

With good food and casino-ambiance, my husband and I left Resort World with full stomach spending only approx P600 (inclusive of drinks).

I’ve read that the promo will run till Oct. 6, so you still have a few days left to try it yourself. It is in Newport City complex, infront of NAIA terminal 3 and beside Villamor Airbase. Btw, no reservations needed.

And Yes! It would have been better if I took pictures of it but I’m sorry CCTVs are everywhere. And when I say everywhere, IT’S EVERYWHERE!

Let me do a restaurant review this time.

Last week my family and I decided to have dinner at Serendra since we haven’t tried eating there as a family. Well, I have tried Conti’s, Duo and Mary Grace already so I was hoping none of those will be my husband’s choice. I was somewhat hoping we could try Polu Kai Grill but I was actually open to any of his suggestions. Luckily, it was also his choice, without me saying anything or giving out clues. Hehe…

So we ordered the following:
(1) Seafood bucket which includes lobster tails, fish fillets and fried calamari served with tartar sauce.
(2) Giant Squid Steak
(3) Aloha Rib and Chicken, and
(4) Hawaiian Keiki Pizza for Zach

I don’t know if it’s pure luck or this restaurant just serves all good food because I have to say I loved everything we ordered. The squid were soft and easy to chew, while the ribs were juicy and very tasty. The chicken though was not as fabulous as the rest but still good, so maybe you can order just the ribs instead. The iced tea tastes good and not the usual Nestea flavored served in other restaurants. The place is not intimidating and is really good for bonding with family and friends. I must say I would want to go back to this restaurant and try the other food on their menu. I suggest you do the same.

My college batch mates, specifically those coming from Tomas-Glen’s Nuptial (from UST-IE batch 2001 also), decided to continue the party at Hooters, located at the back of Mall of Asia. I decided to join them realizing that it has been years since I made myself available to spend time with them. Honestly I was not really comfortable with the place they chose imagining girls with big boobs serving us food. More than that, as what I’ve seen in the movies, I expect men wearing leather jacket, long beard and holding beer mugs outnumbers the crowd. But then I realized, what can I do, it was my batch mates’ choice and I was just invited. Relieved when I entered the restaurant, normal, decent and mostly young people populates the area. Yes, the waitresses were wearing very short orange shorts and plunging sleeveless shirts but they were not as boobsy and pretty as I imagined them to be. Bad as you may describe me but they really are not. What about the food? I think they’re overpriced. Their prices are comparable to that of TGIF’s minus the presentation and ambience. So I guess the cleavages and legs that these waitresses flaunt are not free after all. All in all the experience was good, having the chance to get updates from my college friends and relieved that biker-looking men are nowhere to be found. Haha!

Oh finally! We now have the opportunity to be part of the mutiny. I encourage all of you to leave the comfort of your homes and be involved. What?!

Mutiny is synonymous to rebellion, revolt, insubordination or sedition. But this is not what I am talking about. PMAers from class 95 and some civilians came up with this bar called MUTINY located along Macapagal blvd in Paranaque City. According to the owners, it is the place to “Chillax” (Chill and Relax).

The place was introduced to me (and the rest of my cousins who were able to come last Saturday-March 29) by David. We were eight that night, three of whom are PMA graduates. (Zandro Alvez – class 95, Ryan Cayton – class 04 and David Cayton – class 07). Only during reunions do I come to realize that I am surrounded with military relatives. My grandfather and all of my four uncles (my mom’s brothers) are in the army. My grandfather (obviously) and 2 uncles are now retired (the retired general is now acting as Security Consultant at Camp John Hay) and 2 are still active (one currently a brigadier general). Whew! Want a piece of me? Haha! A number of cousins, who are now part of the third generation, are making sure that the tradition goes on. It should have been me who represented the Cayton-Dizon family because my mom was convincing me to enter PMA in 1995. Oh puhlease…

So what did we order then? As we were scanning their menu, I can’t help but look first at the price of their beer. Their smb light costs 35 per bottle, a bit more pricy than the other bars but still within the acceptable range. And oh! Considering that every 1 peso of it goes to charity, not bad at all. Hmmm… the more you drink beer, the more money you give to the poor? (nice!) My cousins and I agreed on ordering from their Unit Beer-busting treats. It was the SQUAD which caught our attention. Was it because it was the cheapest? Haha! Not really, the other selections were too much for us to consume. SQUAD costs Php1,600 and this includes 1 case of beer, Nachos, Boodler’s treat (hotdogs, squid balls, fried potatoes and nuts), Crispy Chicken, Sizzling sisig, and few thin slices of sashimi. Slurp!

More than the place and the SQUAD, I enjoyed the company of my cousins. To think that we were outnumbered by the boys department, I was thinking what more if more of the girls department were there that night? So, calling the girls department of CaySer headed by Ate Mayen… let’s plan for the next MUTINY.

Thanks to Gary’s ‘extra income,’ we enjoyed a week of Almon Marina Dinner. At first I was feeling guilty because being budget conscious, I thought it would have been better if we have our dinner at home and Gary would just put-in his money to remove some items from my unending grocery list. Little did I know that the delicious combination of salad, pasta and sausages that I had was not as expensive as I thought it was. My husband and I enjoyed their food so much that we cannot help ourselves but stop at Almon Marina before we could get a ride home. Aside from my usual order of sausage and pasta, I also enjoyed their chicken and sandwiches. Truly a treat!