Outback Steakhouse

We were in the mood for steaks so we decided to try the most famous steakhouse in town... OUTBACK! (We actually wanted to try Tony Roma's but we did not have the money :D)

Outback Steakhouse, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Looking at the menu, I was surprised at how long it had been since I last visited. Everything was alien to me. Back then, I would always flip to the page of the menu where there were different cuts and sizes of steaks. It took us some time to order but it's good to know that there are still some things that remain.

Complementary Bread, originally uploaded by belly happy.

I have not eaten the complementary bread for the longest time. It was a welcome mixture of the sweet and buttery flavor that is not usually in the normal bread servings from other restaurants. I can even say that this is my favorite.

Caesar Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

My taste buds are not that well trained to distinguish one Caesar salad from the next or previous one. I just remember the crunchiness of the leaves and the taste of the dressing. For this particular selection, the former is worth mentioning. There are notable Caesar salad dressing from other restaurants but this is just a simple mixture. She likes to add parmesan cheese and I like a touch of pepper.

Potato Soup, originally uploaded by belly happy.

One of us was sick that time so we decided to order potato soup. We do not order a lot of soup so we have no idea what great soup tastes like. I remember adding pepper to the soup so I guess it was not without its flaws.

Chicken Quesadilla, originally uploaded by belly happy.

The Chicken Quesadilla was her choice. I had no idea what a quesadilla should be or what it would look like but once I saw it and tasted it, I wanted more. This was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

North Atlantic Salmon, originally uploaded by belly happy.

This was one of those days when her dish tasted better than mine. I normally do not eat fish at home because of the limited fish recipes we know. The fish was great with everything! Eat it with the veggies, with rice, with or without the sauce, it was terrific! Because I was so in love with the dish (hers was served first), I had very high expectations of mine....

Beef Tenderloin Steak Tower, originally uploaded by belly happy.

....But was terribly disappointed. This looks a lot better on photo than in real life. The mashed potatoes and the pork & beans were good. But the steak was hard to chew! It was so dry that the steaks of old are a distant memory. I don't know. Maybe it was just the chef at the time or they really cook it that way. I felt robbed! This definitely was overpriced. I wanted to wash off the disappointment with a dessert that our waiter recommended.

Chocolate Down Under... (something), originally uploaded by belly happy.

The dessert reminded me of Racks's chocolate mud pie. I really don't know which is better. The Mud pie had more serving though... 

Overall, it was not the experience I was expecting after not visiting Outback for a long time. We ate there because I missed the steak. Now that it's different, I don't what to miss anymore. Maybe the bread, maybe the quesadilla, but if those are the things that would draw me to Outback, then, I better think of an alternative. The overall quality was not worth P2k+++.
2.5 stars!

Kai Restaurant

It was one of those days again wherein we didn't know where to go. We had our favorites in mind but it's been quite a while since we tried something new. We walked along the sides of greenbelt 5 and thought about eating at one of the places there. We then passed by Kai Restaurant and I remember reading about this in an article about Manila's Best Restaurants. It was ANOTHER Japanese restaurant. And we went in to find out if it could stand out from the rest.

California Maki, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We usually have a set menu for Japanese Restaurants. We are so used to eating at Teriyaki Boy that whenever we go to other restaurants, we order the same thing. After all, they are serving the same cuisine.
Most of the time, we go to Japanese restaurants whenever she feels like eating California Maki. This was not one of those days but this is part of our "set menu". We have eaten a lot of variants of this dish (even though they look and taste almost the same) but this one is definitely at the top of our list.

Age Dashi Tofu, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We would always order this dish along with the California Maki. Throughout the different Japanese restaurant experiences we've had, the presentation would look the same. Perhaps, a slight change on the accessories surrounding the tofu but that's about it. This time, it was the Tofu that looked different. It was crispy to the bite but it explodes in your mouth. The presentation was simple and yet unlike for other restaurants, the star here is really the tofu. Not the accessories. Not the sauce. The tofu.

Ika Karaage, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Perhaps the least favored among our dishes. She really didn't like it. It was dry and a little bland. The taste relied on the dip on the side which was (to our guess) some mixture of vinegar. I was able to finish it all with her taking very few bites. It was disappointing.

Wagyu Strips Teppanyaki, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Good thing we had this. This definitely would be my favorite dish among the rest. Without this, it would have been an utter disappointment. It was our first time to try Wagyu Beef as a full-fledged entree. Once you've tasted Wagyu Beef, you're bound to look for it again. We were first uncertain because of the price but it was really worth it. The beef was so soft that you could almost cut it without using your teeth while the juices are seeping out. What a treat!

Ebi Tempura, originally uploaded by belly happy.

The Ebi Tempura was presented in a different way but the taste was nothing special. If you've tasted Tempura from other restaurants, then you probably won't notice a difference between those and this one.

The pros: Wagyu Teppanyaki, California Maki, Agedashi Tofu
Like the other award-winning restaurants, it cost us about P2000++. Some dishes weren't worth the money for us. For the favorable ones, we wouldn't bother to have paid more. It was certainly a mixed experience. The search for the best Japanese restaurant is still on...

Casa Armas

Want spanish food? Think Casa Armas! After going around, window shopping, bellyhappy and i find ourselves craving for good food and GREAT dessert and Casa Armas has it all. If you plan on taking someone out for a date, this is the place to go. Great ambiance, great service, GREAT dessert :D (i love dessert) haha

Ensalada del Cesar, originally uploaded by belly happy.

For starters, we had the Ceasar Salad. Just your regular old ceasar salad, but we find this one as one of the best since it's not too tangy and the croutons? yum! :D
Bellyhappy: This may be one of the most unique presentations of Caesar Salads that we've encountered. It's uniqueness is only matched by its taste.

Espaguetas Marinera, originally uploaded by belly happy.

For the main course, we had pasta and two other entrees. I think this was the seafood pasta. Bellyhappy really liked this dish and of course, he finished it all!
Bellyhappy: Our perennial concern for seafood dishes would always be the "fishy" taste. And here is where this pasta is successful. The ingredients are combined in a way that brings out the best taste in each of them.

Lomo con Pimiento, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Bellyhappy: Most of the time when we go out, one would always say "I like your food better". This time, it was my turn. (See steak below) I wanted to try something new so I randomly selected a dish whose name sounded interesting. Sadly though, I did not like the presentation. It was like pieces of pork swimming in gravy-like red-pepper sauce. The taste was not as good as I expected and I am one who attaches taste to the price. This one however, did not live up to its value. I guess it's just a matter of preference--this one wasn't for me.

Solomilio Ala Pobre, originally uploaded by belly happy.

I had THE STEAK. Usually, i like gravy with my steak. Lots of sauce in my steak and potatoes makes for a very good meal. But this is one of the rare occasions that i put my choosiness aside and had THE STEAK. It was pretty good... something i might have again. but i still like my gravy ;p
Bellyhappy: This would have been my ideal meal. There was just a little too much garlic on top but it was a feast!

Pijama, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Ooooooh! Dessert! I love dessert! Usually, bellyhappy and i dont order dessert in the same restaurant because we'd be uber full after finishing our entrees. But for Casa Armas, we make space. Not only for one dessert, but two!!!

I LOOOVE PIJAMA. I turned down Max Brenner for this dessert. Bellyhappy and i would usually fight over the last bite. haha It's a simple dessert. It has a bit of custard underneath the ice cream, then peaches. Usually they use vanilla ice cream, but they ran out so i chose cookies and cream instead. It was even better! i tried making something like it at the mandarin buffet..not quite the same. We love pijama!
:D
Bellyhappy: Being the sweet boyfriend that I am, I always give her the last bite :)

Churros con Chocolate, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Last but not least: Churros! The best churros we ever had was at Larry's. Sad to say, Larry's didnt make the churros as good as the first time we had them when we ate there again. Sooo, the hunt for great churros was on! And we're happy to say we liked this one :) It's almost as good as the churros we ate at Larry's (back when they sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the churros and had uber thick chocolate sauce). If we werent so full, we would have finished all of it :)

We give Casa armas 5 stars!!! It's a little pricey... i think we paid around P2000++ for our meal but we think it's worth it. A happy meal is a happy belly! :D

p.s. try the pijama! for P100+ bucks... it's suuuper duper worth it!

(Other restaurants mentioned will be up for future review)

Magyar

We've not seen each other for a long time (a couple of weeks) and this was our way of making it up to each other--A whole day date!

For some reason, the restaurant beside Dayrit's in Magallanes closed shop and this was its replacement. A week before, my family and I wanted to eat out for dinner and Paseo de Magallanes was the perfect place. I wanted to go to Dayrit's (A future review) but this restaurant caught my attention. Beside from it replacing Aling Nene's, it had a weird ring to it--Magyar.

Because of the experience and the new cuisine that it introduced, I wanted to take her here the next time we went out and here we are.

Mushroom Goulash, originally uploaded by belly happy.

These were the exact same meals that my family ordered and one thing good about this place is consistency. The Mushroom Goulash apparently was a native dish in Hungary and I wanted her to try it. As with the rest of our entrees, we had nothing to compare this with so we just went with it. After all, this was an entirely new cuisine to us.

Beef Tokany, originally uploaded by belly happy.

This was Beef Tokany. We have absolutely no idea how this was cooked but I really liked it the first time so I ordered it again. She didn't like the white macaroni-like rice substitute but the texture, taste, and chemistry it had with the rest of the things on my plate made it perfect for me.

Chicken Paprika, originally uploaded by belly happy.

For her, I ordered Chicken Paprika. This time we had an idea as to what the main ingredient is besides chicken---Paprika! She was not able to finish it because of all the food we ate at Kulinarya so I ate this one too. Both dishes tasted the same but I did not complain... I really liked it! Or maybe I was just hungry.

Nonetheless, we were delighted to be able to try something new. We always want to try new things as this is how we see life. Maybe next time we'll try some new dishes too! And dessert! :D

Kulinarya

Kulinarya is love :) bellyhappy brought me here when we were in college --- we celebrated one of our monthsaries here i think. it's one of those places that we just HAVE to go back to. the food, the people, the ambiance... THE HOUSE BLEND ICED TEA. it is love :)

Crab and Mango Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

one of my favorite salads :) simple and yummy! the bellyhappy wanted to try something new though, but with my "beautiful" eyes and a kiss, i got my way and we ordered the crab and mango salad. the first time we had this, i think we ordered the large size (good for 3-4). and yes, we were able to finish it. (as you may have observed, we eat a LOT :D)

unfortunately, he was not able to take a picture of the original plating because it was not designed to stand long (logical as it should be eaten). Of all the salads we have eaten, this had the most exquisite and photogenic design. Sadly, as it was laid on our table, the opportunity lasted for only 3 seconds--he'll be ready next time! :D

Kulinarya Spring Rolls, originally uploaded by belly happy.

After the salad, we had two appetizers: the spring rolls and buffalo wings. both newbies for us to devour, and devour we did. i think we didnt talk much when we had our appetizers. we were too busy going "mmmm" and thinking who was going to get the last piece.

Asian Buffalo Wings, originally uploaded by belly happy.

by this time, you'd think that we should be full already. naaah. we always have space for the main course (and dessert!) the bellyhappy had lamb chops. i am not a big fan of lamb chops. it's food that ive yet to be 100% confident about. but for some reason, when he orders it, it always tastes great as opposed to when im the one ordering it. needless to say, i wanted to get one of his lambchops and i did! (that's love. haha) --- but i wasnt a fan of the white stuff (risotto, i think). eeew (-_-)

Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops, originally uploaded by belly happy.

for my main course, i decided to try the salmon. i forgot the name of the entree, but it's supposed to be asian something barbecue. not sure. i enjoyed my food --- fish. light. yummy. but i think i would've liked it more if i had the sauce on the side. the sauce was a bit too strong for me (or maybe i just ate too many buffalo wings :D)

Salmon..., originally uploaded by belly happy.

hmm... sadly, we didnt have dessert this time. maybe next time. but surely, we left kulinarya with very big and satisfied bellies :D

Felix

Saturdays are reserved for good food (at least we hope that the food is good).

This time around, we wanted to try one of the new restaurants in Greenbelt 5. Our strategy now is to find out about the restaurants present in a particular area that we are heading to so as to familiarize ourselves with the menu and not be surprised of the price once we get there.

I remember reading about Felix in a review of restaurants in Manila and it was hailed to be one of the best--and we tell you, it did not disappoint!

Ostrea , originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

On this particular day, I was not in the mood for salad or soup so we decided to order oysters. We ordered "Ostrea". This is probably one of the few dishes which sounds like its name. The oysters were baked in "3 terrific flavors" and indeed they were distinguishable. Even though we enjoyed the oysters, it did not meet our expectations. For us, nothing still tops the oysters at Mr. Rockefeller at Greenbelt 3. The taste quite pales when compared to Mr. Rockefeller's but it satisfied us nonetheless.

Ala Jay, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

This dish was called "Ala Jay" which was "Truffle cream with crispy parma ham". The description was a mouthful so maybe settling for "Ala Jay" was a good choice. The look did not impress us as it looked your ordinary carbonara. To my surprise, it was the dish I enjoyed the most! I'm a sucker for pastas as I've read that eating pasta makes you feel full for a longer period of time (which is exactly what I need if I want to eat less).

Mactan, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

Now the names get weird from here... She ordered a "Mactan" (but deep down, she really wanted kare kare ;p) The entree had "Grilled prawns with dried scallops, chili, cucumber, radish and XO sauce, served with rice and green asparagus". Fancy! As with all our food adventures, she shared this with me. Again, I liked this better than my food. I guess that's just the way it is. She tends to make the better choices.

Cordero, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

My order was a "Cordero" which was "Lamb short ribs with sauteed fennel and thyme potatoes". Given several choices of meat, I try to eat healthy(?) by ordering Lamb and this was not any different. I liked the blend of the sauce with the lamb as it did not overpower the taste of the meat. I thought I'd get away from rice for that meal but the potatoes definitely cannot replace the void from my belly that only rice can fill. Maybe someday I'll be able to do away with rice and settle for substitutes :D

Abi, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

We ordered two desserts. This one was "Abi" or creme brule (she loves creme brule). Personally, I prefer this over the other one (and she loves creme brule :D). Although this was pricey for its quantity, "Abi" made up for taste. My only regret on this was that I ate it too quickly. Since one serving fitted one teaspoon full, I ate it that way. Note to self: eat slowly next time especially with dessert ;p

Treviso, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

I've been craving for Tiramisu for quite some time and when we saw this on the menu, I was very eager to try it. Much to my discontent, it was not what I was hoping for. Needless to say, I'm still looking for my good Tiramisu fix (0_0)

Overall, we thought that the bill was a bit too pricey for the experience that we had. As with restaurants that have the sticker of "Manila's Best Restaurants" on them, the service was pretty good. However, taste always weighed more. After all, people go back for the taste and not the service.

My Thai Kitchen

Yes! It was time again for another belly happy date! All week, she was craving for Filipino cuisine. She's got it planned: Kare-kare. After all, she can "eat it for an entire day" and maybe more. We knew the perfect place to get our Filipino cuisine fix. You'd think that since the cuisine is native Filipino, there would be a lot of restaurants to choose from but NO. The fact is, since the cuisine IS Filipino, we'd have pretty high expectations as we'll already have the ideal taste.

Anyways, we were headed to Mesa Grill (future review) at Greenbelt 5. Apparently, everybody else also thought that the place is one the best in Manila and decided to ruin the experience for us.

Since our bellies are in need of immediate attention, we left the long waiting line and decided to explore the nearby area and search for a place we haven't tried before.

Alas! We came across the old Temple Bar to discover that it was replaced by MY THAI KITCHEN. The ambiance looked pleasant enough and surely there was no line because it was a shame that nobody was eating there during this busy lunch hour.

Since our bellies were talking nasty to us... We ordered Tom Yum Goong, Thai Fish Cakes, Crispy Tofu with Vegetables and Chili, Pineapple Fried Rice, Stir Fried Squid with Pepper (Something), and Moo (Pork) Red Curry.

Tom Yum Goong, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We really do not have a lot of experience in Thai Food. We've only tried two other places namely: Dusit Thani in Glorietta (good times!), and Jatujak (yummy!!!) at SM Mall of Asia (drool). We always seemed to order the same stuff over and over as there isn't actually a wide array of selections (or maybe we're just not THAT familiar with the cuisine). We always started with this soup, Tom Yung Goong (different restaurants spell it differently... I wonder why). The taste was amazing. It had the right mix of chili and sour taste that I, bellyhappy, proclaimed it to be the best soup that I've tasted (among the other restaurants).

Thai Fish Cakes, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We don't usually go for appetizers in Thai Restaurants as we go straight to the main course and frankly, even though she and I eat meals good for 3-4 people, we won't be able to finish everything.

But this day was an exception. Call it hunger, call it frustration from not being able to go to the restaurant that we wanted, call it lunch...

The fish cakes were a welcomed addition to our table. All our six dishes were served instantaneously and again, we felt eyes glancing at us from those working there.

"What an odd couple..." ( but a cute couple nonetheless :D )

Crispy Tofu with Vegetables and Chili, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We always make it a point to (at least TRY to) eat healthy even though we eat a lot. This was our vehicle for satisfying our covenant to do so. I expected the usual vegetable dish that was more of a side dish than a main course but this really surprised me. I ended up getting more of this dish than the others in the table. I guess I can say that I ate healthier now (?)

Pineapple Fried Rice, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We are actually cutting down on our rice consumption. She always says "those will just be added carbs". I don't really count carbs but lately I rationalized that I'd rather taste more entrees than fill my belly with more of the same thing.

This time though, after seeing the picture in the menu and my belly commanding me to feast... I couldn't resist. Surely as always, my belly was right. The rice was full of taste and blended perfectly with the rest of the courses.

Stir Fried Squid with Pepper (Something), originally uploaded by belly happy.

For some reason, whenever we see this in the menu and couldn't think of anything more to order, we get this. This is my favorite seafood after all. Having all of our experience in this food in our history, we were pretty adept to how it should taste. Consistently with My Thai Kitchen's other dishes, this one did pretty good in our books as well. The Squid had a very nice texture which went perfectly with its sauce.

Moo (Pork) Red Curry, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Lastly, we wanted to try this dish solely for its name--MOO. We like cows. This particular moo however, meant pork which was contrary to its name. Nevertheless, I think we can both agree on this, that it was the best curry that we've tasted. (ooooh yes :D)

Fate really has a way of humoring us. It turned out that the long line in that other restaurant was a catalyst for bringing this wonderful taste to our bellies. I was able to practice taking more pictures with my camera and ended up capturing my favorite photo of her. As we left the restaurant, we forgot that we wanted Filipino cuisine. She still wanted Kare-kare though... Maybe next time :)

Capricciosa

The past week was tough. So for the weekend, bellyhappy and i planned to do something within our comfort zone. We said hello to an old favorite, Capricciosa :)

The story: After killing zombies and buying tickets for Avatar, we looked for a place to eat. We thought of trying a new restaurant but my very hungry tummy didnt want to go far. Then, we saw Capriciossa. Aha! Perfect!

We first tried Capricciosa back when we were in college --- kinda pricey for mere college students but we didnt mind (we've always loved food and it was that goooood!). They always had stellar service and great ambiance. The place wasn't too crowded; perfect for couples who want to have that roman-tick moment! Considering it has been a while since we've been there, we decided to order something familiar and something new.

Caesar Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Yes, the Ceasar Salad is good for 4 persons and yes, we finished it all. We finished it not because of the price but because we missed it (and we were really hungry). I'm a big fan of salads, and i have to say that their Ceasar Salad is out of the ordinary. It had the clean, fresh taste that i like ---the dressing not too intense, just the way i like it!

Escargot in Garlic Butter Sauce, originally uploaded by belly happy.

When we saw this in the menu, we weren't sure what it was. After a few bites, we still weren't sure what it was but we didn't care--bellyhappy thinks it was some sort of a breed of shellfish which was cooked in a certain style. Needless to say, we loved this dish. We were smiling like little children after each bite! :D How we ate the Escargot: First, we dipped the bread into the sauce, then we ate the bread with the Escargot. <---- this is highly recommended! get your hands dirty... oh yeah! It was at this point that we were getting relatively more attention from the attendants compared to the last time we were there. The added service was most welcome. We thought about it and could be either one of two things: 1) Their management was really into customer service (because we still recognize the woman attending to us), or 2) They thought we were food critics because we were taking pictures of the our food. Nonetheless, it helped the experience. If bringing a camera warrants more attention and service, then it's definitely something that we would welcome.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio E Pepperoncino, originally uploaded by belly happy.

When he first ordered this dish, i wasnt too happy about it. i thought it was too simple. but after trying the Spaghetti, i couldnt help but have some more. We usually order the Squid Ink Pasta (it's a must-try!) but this is a great alternative. We wanted to order it but I didn't bring my toothbrush :D If i just had more tummy space, i would have finished half of the pasta. Naturally, he was the one who finished it.

Chicken Cacciatore, originally uploaded by belly happy.

And Finally, the Chicken Cacciatore. We loved it the first time, and we still love it now! :D Looks can be deceiving and this dish has deceived us before. The first bite was a total surprise. We never thought that the chicken would still have a crunchy bite since it was covered with sauce. And the side dishes? nice, crunchy, yummy, and not to mention, healthy (plus points for healthy)!

Capricciosa is definitely our top choice for Italian cuisine. They have really nice attendants, very tasty food, and a subtle lighting that positively influences the quasi-formal, roman-tick ambience. We'll go here again and next time--with our toothbrush ready.

Mario's Restaurant

January 2, 2010.
We've been planning to start a blog for a while now and with the start of the new year, we knew when and where to start it.

We usually have lunch dates every Saturday and we make it a point to eat at places that will satisfy our 'bellies'.

With little knowledge about the place and an empty stomach (literally), we and our wallets were off to Tomas Morato to try out one of the best restaurants in Manila.

What better way to start the year (not to mention the blog) than through great food and great company! We had our lunch at Mario's Restaurant today and it was surely worth it!

Bread, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-As with most restaurants, they served us the usual 'bread and butter'. Usually, I (bellyhappy), would not finish an entire basket of bread because I save some of my tummy space for the other food that we order... but MAN! their bread was really good and i wanted to have it all. In the end, we didn't finish the basket as she (bellyhappy too) pushed it out of my reach and distracted me until our salad came (which was too long because I kept staring at the bread that seemed so, so far awayyyy).

The ambiance is hard to describe through text as it surely is something that you need to experience for yourself in order to appreciate it (like kissing). Let's just say that the arrangement is like a mix of a hotel lobby and an old house with wooden fixtures and huge glass windows to add a natural lighting to it. (cooooooool)

Crab and Mango Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-She has been craving for crab and mango salad and I believe that this has been satisfied. There is a natural blend between the flavors that we were able to finish it in no time. It was at this point that they noticed that we were taking pictures of what they served us as we heard a waiter saying to the chef "(name), kinukuhanan ng picture yung luto mo!". We don't know if this unintended and misconstrued display of criticism somewhow affected the plating for the next orders to come but we welcomed it nonetheless.

Surtido De Tapas, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-The Surtido De Tapas was served after just a couple of photos we took of the salad. We don't know what Surtido De Tapas means but based on their menu, we're a little confident that 'Tapas' is the same as 'appetizer' and not the TAPA that you put in TAPSILOG. This mix of appetizers included four types of dishes--Sausage, Calamari, Buffalo Wings, and Drunken Shrimp or Nilasing na Hipon (We're really interested on how this is made and what beer they use to make the shrimps drunk). There are three types of dips--vinegar for the shrimps, tartar sauce for the calamari, and salsa for the buffalo wings. Out of the four, I'd have to say that I had no favorite dish but my least favorite would be the sausage. Maybe because there's no excitement of dipping it in a sauce although she, the ever-experimental one, tried dipping it in different sauces. (-_-)

Steak and Shrimp Orientale, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-At last! The main courses! We have this habit of sharing our food since we both want what the other is having. She orderedd Steak and Tempura which surely was one of the best steaks I have tasted. We usually request for our steaks to be medium-well which usually makes the beef juicy and this was perfectly achieved. The tempura was delicious as well although we don't have a lot of experience in Japanese food that we can compare it to. Nonetheless, it satisfied our palettes which was our goal. The fried rice was also very tasty and i ended up eating half of her rice. Honestly, I wished that I ordered her food instead.

Lengua Con Setas, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-My order was Lengua Con Setas which I only understand as 'Tongue blah blah'. The mushroom gravy was very rich in flavor which was only complimented by the mashed potatoes and sauteed string beans. (she on the other hand ended up with half my potatoes and veggies)

Overall, we had a great meal and we cant wait for our next visit to mario's. Despite the long drive, it was worth it. The price range is almost 500 an entree. in our case, it cost us almost 2,000 bucks. Though it was a bit pricey, the meal made us very happy anyway and we gave a little extra for the waiters who welcomed and served us like we've been there before.


...and that was our first adventure for the year. As they say, start your year right... And we surely did.