Flavours Gastronomica's Chef’s Ultimate Burger

Chef’s Ultimate Burger 
by Flavours Gastronomica

We again had the chance to visit my family’s favorite
restaurant in Naga City- the Flavours Gastronomica, 

 

 

…and ordered our all time favorite
appetizer- the Fish and Chips, 

 

…and Lemon Lime Chicken both of which
have been subjects of my blog in the past.

 

My son ordered the Kids Menu that had Grilled Chicken Tenders, 
Fresh Tomato Spaghetti, a generous serving of Herbed Rice and soda.
He loved his food as the chicken was tender and tasty, while the spaghetti
had a tomato rich goodness and not the disgustingly sweet Pinoy version.

 

It came with a choice of drinks and
we ordered a glass of Coke Zero.

 

We have been coming back to this restaurant, and I thought
we have tried almost all what they had to offer, I realized
that we haven’t tried their Flavour’s Signature Pasta, so
I ordered one. It was plain looking pasta flavored with basil,
garlic and chili in olive oil. It tasted so naturally good and
I wondered how something so simple could be so delicious.

 

We love burgers and it was a wonder why we weren’t tempted to
try any of  the burger offerings in the menu during our past visits.

 

The Chef’s Ultimate Burger caught our attention and we ordered one.
It was humongous and towering burger that had a thick slab of quarter
pounder beef patty, made tangy with a garlic flavored aioli mayonnaise.

 

It almost had everything on it; cheese, bacon, fresh tomatoes,
lettuce and interestingly- cucumber which together with the
caramelized onion, added texture and crunchiness to the burger.

 

It was bathed with teriyaki sauce that created a merry mix of
tangy- sweetish, tender yet crunchy feast for the gustatory senses

 

 

It was served with equally delectable French Fries 
which was also bathed with aioli and teriyaki sauce.

 

Once again, Flavours Gastronomica had lived up to its name
as an excellent gastronomic dining destination in Naga City.

 Read on the links below for related posts:

Flavours Gastronomica:Glorious Salmon Festival

Flavours Gastronomica: Peaceful and Delicious Culinary Refuge 

 Flavours Gastronomica: Penafrancia’s Culinary Miracle    

 Flavors Gastronomica: Delicious Christmas Weekend (Christmas 2014 Series 4) 

Tatsu at Narita: Fresh Japanese Food To Go

Tatsu at Narita 
Fresh Japanese Food To Go

We needed a quick lunch at Narita Airport in Tokyo
while waiting for our connecting flight to Florida,



...so I looked around for a restaurant where I could
buy something o eat, and Tatsu caught my attention.

 

It was a sleek restaurant outlet that offers a wide
variety of freshly prepared Japanese dishes.

 

My family Japanese food and there is no better way
to experience authentic Japanese food here in Tokyo,
on a very limited period of time but here in Tatsu. 

 

I ordered rice topped with assorted sashimi,

 

 

…and a bento bowl of assorted maki sushi.

 

 

Everything tasted invigoratingly fresh and tasty. 



Tatsu outlet at Narita made it possible for
my family to experience delicious, authentic
Japanese cuisine on our very brief time in Tokyo.

 

It was a fast, healthy but tasty way
to fuel up of the long haul trip ahead.

Seven Knights Restaurant: Superb Food, Blustering Drunken Ambiance

Seven Knights Restaurant 
Superb Food, Blustering Drunken Ambiance

 It has been very difficult to dine on weekend

evenings at the Magsaysay Strip as the traffic

is very heavy and the  parking space is rarity.

 

The good thing is- numerous restaurants are sprouting

in Roxas Avenue which unlike Magsaysay is still traffic

free on weekend evenings. Seven Knights Restaurant 
is one of the restaurants that we recently discovered here.

 

Seven Knights Restaurant had dark interiors and dining 
here would make the family with young kids feel out of place.

The sound system was excellent but the music was too loud

for comfort, but that’s not the worst part of this restaurant.

as everybody seems to be talking at the top of their voices. 

 

From a group for middle- age costumers across our table 
where everyone could hear the women’s ear piercing shrills 
and irritating shrieks and loud drunken laughter, to a group of
 young adults  bragging how much they earn abroad as OFW’s.

We could hear every word in the conversation of the

costumers from the neighboring tables, that even the

loud background music failed to dampen and stifle.

But the food they serve was otherwise delicious.

The Pork Sinigang had a perfect degree of sourness

not enough to wrinkle your face in acerbic disgust.

This is one of the best sinigang concoctions on the city.

The Pinakbet was a bit on the salty side as it was being

overwhelmed by the bagoong, but the veggies were fresh,

crispy yet perfectly cooked and still tasted very good.

Wild Wild Ribs was ferociously delicious.

It appeared like a pre- grilled spare ribs,

served in a sizzling hot plate and bathed

with a tasty western style barbecue sauce.

The Chicken Torino was a revelation. It was made of dough-

coated crispy fried chicken and later bathed with sweet and

sour sauce. It reminded me of a family favorite Orange Chicken

but this one had a delightful pineapple aftertaste. An awesome

variation of this extremely popular Chinese dish. This is a not

to be missed and must try dish to anyone dining in  this restaurant.

Despite the raucus and blustering drunken ambiance

of Seven Knights Restaurant, we still enjoyed our

very first dining experience as the food was superb.

If the restaurant could wake up from its inebriated stupor,

it could become one of the best dining destinations in the city.

Regent’s Pork Floss Bread: Craving Buster Sweet and Salty Combo

Regent’s Pork Floss Bread 
Craving Buster Sweet and Salty Combo

I love Pork Floss Bread and I was delighted to find out  
while shopping in Puregold Mall Naga, that of this
popular Singaporean bread is available in  supermarkets.

 

I was also intrigued on what was written
on the label: Delicious and Tangible.

 

It was a rolled bread, with alternating
soft dough and pork floss for a crust.

 

When the dough crust is peeled off, it revealed
a generous layer of yummy pork floss, and I finally
understood what the tangible in the label meant.

 

It had a sweet white jelly filling,

 



…and the perfect sweet and salty blending was so delicious
and creates a delightful gustatory high in your mouth that
your taste buds would not know what to do with themselves.



This craving-buster pastry lets you have it both ways:
awesome sweet and salty combo in one delicious bread.
The label was right after all; It was delicious and tangible.

Holiday Inn Makati: Executive Floor Suite Room

Holiday Inn Makati  
Executive Floor Suite Room       

This is the fourth time that we stayed in Holiday Inn Makati. 



The first time during our flight Jakarta on a Manila
layover about  two years ago where we stayed in one
of their standard suites for several hours. We didn’t
want to get stuck at the horrible NAIA Terminal 2
while waiting for our flight to the Indonesian capital.



We stayed overnight in their one- bedroom suite
at the executive floor level when we returned to
Manila from Jakarta on our way back to Naga City.







We booked at Holiday Inn Makati again when we traveled to 
Orlando  during our overnight layover in Manila this year, and stayed 
once more when we returned to Manila on our way back to Naga City.



On our last two stays, we booked were on their
executive floor level’s standard suite rooms.
The people at the concierge at the ground floor,

 

 

...and on the  front desk by the lobby
were courteous and helpful.



 

we were offered cold drinks at
the lobby being IHG members,

 



…the check in was a breeze,

 



…and we were in our room in a jiffy.

 

Interestingly, we stayed on the same room on
our way to Florida two weeks earlier and when
we returned to the Philippines two weeks later. 


Stay 
Executive Floor Suite Room      

The room was exactly identical as the
the standard room at the lower level.

 

…but more spacious.  



It had two double beds designed
to sleep two persons per bed,



...and provided with both
firm and soft pillows.



It had a comfy lounge chair by the bedside,

 

.... a well stocked mini bar,





... and refrigerator,

 

… a huge flat screen TV,  

 

...and a working/study table by the TV,
provided with all sorts of electrical outlets.  

 



The room had panoramic windows offering
a spectacular view of the Makati skyline.  

 

The closets were spacious and provided us
with amenities that would make us feel
at home, safe and comfortable.   

 

 

It also had a sturdy stand alone coat hanger 
and this is the only difference with that of the
standard room at the hotel’s lower floor levels.   

 

The bathroom was beautiful and spacious,

  

 

....unlike on the lower floor rooms the
executive floor suite room had a bathtub,

 

...and provided with sufficient toiletries.

 

 

This is also one of the few hotel that 
had a bidet by the water closet.

 

The room had three land line phones,
 one on the working table,



...another by the bedside,

 

...and one the toilet.  



It also had a fast and free WiFi  internet, making
connectivity to the outside  world was not a problem.  

 

They also have a business center where guests could use 
and even  print airline tickets and boarding pass to free.



Stray 

The hotel is located right beside and had
a direct access to the posh Glorietta Mall,  

 

…so there is really a lot of places to visit and
very close to so many dining destinations.


Play 

Holiday Inn has a beautiful
and scenic roof top pool.  





It also had a well equipped gym.  

 

Flavors Restaurant   

Flavors Restaurant, had a glorious
spread of international  dishes,  





…on their dinner buffet.  

 










It also serves as a venue for the
free massive breakfast buffet.   

 

 

Executive Lounge  

Our Suite Room stay came with a privilege
of a buffet breakfast at the Executive Lounge.  



The service here more personal
as the place was more exclusive,



…but the buffet spread is not as massive
as the free breakfast buffet at Flavor’s.  



The OZ Bar  

The hotel has a hip bar at the rooftop called
the OZ , that serves as a poolside restaurant,   

 

...and as a restobar  for those wanting

to hang out  and relax at night.  



Holiday Inn Makati is a very affordable but luxurious hotel,   
with five star hotel amenities, at unbeleivably a three star price.

Read on the link below for relapted post:

Holiday Inn Makati: Luxury on a Budget