Chez Toztar

Out of curiosity again, we went to the restaurant we happened to ignore when we decided to try STK ta Bai! You wouldn't be able to notice there's even a restaurant opposite the crowded place. Well, thanks to the power of technology. 

Though the Chez Toztar is located in a two-story house, only the ground floor is opened to the public. The place is not that big but luckily, we were the only customers. We got to talk loudly with no one being disturbed (or maybe the waitress. Haha). The interiors make use of spoons and forks. Like these..

You get to see pics of their best-sellers in the walls. I ordered Pork Belly.

While waiting, I kind of explored the place. When you go out, the smell of grilled seafoods from STK greets you. I was so hungry.. There was a garden.. 

Then there’s this wall which I would talk later..

After around 20 minutes, it was served, together with the other dishes.

First, I never expected this dish to be pork belly. Haha. The chef gave a twist to this famous food by coating the belly with flour and topping it with cheese. Then I realized, the menu didn’t say “grilled” pork belly. Haha. But the flavor was really good.

Pork Belly

 Then, there was the ribs..

Ribs

 Then, Tilapia..

Tilapia

 Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu

Then, their pasta..

We really enjoyed the food since we were all starving already and we consumed a lot of energy talking while waiting for it. We felt we owned the place as no other customers were there.

It’s a very cozy place and great for not-so-big groups. And I'm glad they have this tree where we get to mark our thumbs as leaves! 

By the way, here's their menu.

Duz Grill

Though very busy for an urgent matter, my officemates tempted me to dine out.  And the very easy-going me did not turn them down. We just found ourselves in the taxi, exiting IT park and passing by Apas Lahug for the very first time. Turning to 4^th street in San Antonio Village and stopped by outside this big blue gate.  

that blue gate!

So, what are we doing here in a drizzling evening? Well, we realized we wanted to try DUZ GRILL out.

Actually, a true hole-in-the-wall restaurant, there was not even a hint that this house, located in the farther end of 4^th street, has something in it. No signage plus the gate is closed. We pressed the doorbell before somebody let us in.

 Well a white house with a very wide lawn with very cozy and cute open cottages. Of course, we stayed in one of those. 

cute!

Actually, the area is so wide, the cars are parked inside. A lady approached and handed us a menu. Of course, we wouldn’t want to miss their specialty and best-seller, RIBS! We had both original and spicy!

While waiting, we explored the “white house”. The ground floor was turned into a dining area. It was air-conditioned and there seemed to be a group celebrating in one of the private rooms. 

Then there was the kitchen, a bar.. 

..and the chef himself who accommodated with a big smile when asked where the wash area was. Here he is, had to get this shot as remembrance. Haha.

Okay, then after a few minutes, our orders were served!

spicy ribs!

So, after having eaten ribs from various parts of the Philippines, my hopes were really high on this as the presentation was really appetizing already. 

So how did I find it? Well, the serving was big, it was so tender.. I loved how mildly spicy it was.. and I just regret it now (while writing this) why I did not finish it as I was so full already. We even ordered extra rice. 

Enjoyed it!!!

Wow. This place is so worth it. I wouldn't mind going back to try the other dishes! You might wanna plan ahead on what dish to eat.. 

I hope you'd enjoy as much as we did!

  

Crazy Crab

Okay, I just immediately thought of eating crabs - even if we had lechon in the pantry, whatever is happening to me, I super thank my search engine as I was able to locate the nearest crab restaurant and my officemates for accompanying me to satisy my craving.

Our destination? Crazy Crab in Gaisano Countrymall.

None of us ever tried this place, so we were so excited!

A very appetizing aroma meets you as you enter. The place does not have any open spaces. So, you get to dine inside (thankfully, the smell didn't stick with us). It excited me even more knowing I get to pick my own crab!

I had garlic crab and my officemate, hot and spicy, two of the best sellers. The rest of them ordered non-crab dishes. While waiting, I took a pic of the interiors.

After around 15 minutes, our orders were served!!

We wasted no time.. We explored every bit of these mouth-watering dishes that my other officemates could really tell we enjoyed it a lot (I even forgot to take a pic of their food)!!!

I love the place - the variety of dishes they offer, ensuring the freshness of your order and giving you the option to choose the size of crab you want at a very affordable price! No doubt a lot of Koreans visit it too!

Here's a glimpse of their menu:

I'm just glad I know where to go if my "crab craving" strikes back. :)

Phoebe's Cupcakery

After our Little Saigon Big Bangkok food trip, we headed to a dessert place named Phoebe's Cupcakery. It was just few meters from the restaurant. And I just love the facade.

It was such a cute place and reminded me so much of a doll house but a much bigger version.

Before we got to order, Ms. Pia Cayetano , in sports attire, also entered the place. We had a souvenir shot of course.

Then, we picked our cupcake choices. Well, Vi treated us so, we ended up choosing every flavor.

Top: Scarlette (Red Velvet) and Cinabunny
Next Row: Lemony Snicket, Nuts for Nana and Violet (Blueberry)

We ate these at the office and I enjoyed the Lemony Snicket the most! Go, try them!!!!

Little Saigon Big Bangkok

Together with my new teammates, we went to Little Saigon Big Bangkok on a very humid noon. We first planned to go to the original location in Banawa but we found out they closed their first home and the one in Paseo One in Banilad remains.

So, we went to the place and thought at first that it was closed. Well who wouldn't when this greets you?

Thankfully, a waitress came out and confirmed they were indeed operating this very hour. We later found out that there were customers already but preferred to dine inside the air-conditioned room, which we also did.

Little Saigon Big Bangkok has this "Fresh Asian Street Food" tagline which kind of raised my expectations considering that I've been to Bangkok and experienced their food culture too.

We ordered and filled those "waiting" moments with stories, bullying and laughter. We were so hungry when the dishes were served.

First up is Tom Yang, a popular Thai soup. I love how hot and spicy it was. 

Then, Goi Con, a fresh Vietnamese spring rolls and Cha Gio, the fried version. Not that enticing for me. 

We also had Thai barbecue termed "Satay". It's different from a pinoy barbecue since it's not covered with the usual orangey sauce and tastes kinda different too. See this.

Then we tried the 2 fried rice dishes they have (no pictures) - Smoked Pork and Seafoods I enjoyed the former though the latter is not bad really. There was this Thai Fried Chicken as well and my favorite, the Thai Chicken in Mango Salsa.

We never really thought that mangoes blend with onions. So, we kinda enjoyed eating this dish.

All in all, we were so full. We enjoyed every dish as well as each other's company. 

I think the ambiance would be much better at night. I would love to come back and experience it.

Here's a glimpse of their menu:

You can also choose dishes from their daily board too.