The Unintentional Rice Party at Patio Carlito

The problem with ordering food separately when you’re in a large group (and you’re celebrating something) is that you have no idea what everyone else has ordered.

The funniest thing happened at Patio Carlito when we celebrated our friend’s birthday there. When the food arrived, we were surprised that most of us just ordered rice in different varieties.

There were 2 large plates of Paella, a large plate of Adobo Rice and 2 cups of Plain rice. Thankfully, someone had the sense to order a bowl of “Sinigang na Hipon” (Shrimp Soup) and Chicken Wings, if I’m not mistaken.

It’s a good thing the birthday girl loves rice.

The food tasted ok, nothing spectacular. A bit pricey. What I didn’t like though was the service. It was so slow. We were already starving when the food arrived.

And I also heard this really nasty rumor about a Paella incident that happened there (which I’m not going to divulge here in case it isn’t true). Careful. Careful.

I give it 3 spoons.

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Patio Carlito

84 Sct. Tuason St. cor. E. Lopez Sr. Ave., Brgy. South Triangle
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Go Bottomless at Agave

I love Mexican food (even if it makes me feel bloated afterwards). I know it’s a little messy to eat and makes you gassy but I like it. Well, except for the gassy part.

Agave Mexican Cantina has three branches. There’s one in Eastwood, one in Bonifacio High Street and one in Tomas Morato. My friends and I frequent the one in Tomas Morato since it’s near our office. If I’m not in the office or at home, there’s a chance that you’d find me there or somewhere around the area.

Let me tell you the reasons why I keep coming back.

1. Bottomless Mojitos (285 pesos or around 6-7 USD)
2. Bottomless Margaritas (295 pesos)
3. Bottomless Chips and Salsa (300 pesos)
4. The food (150-1,350 pesos or 4 – 31 USD per person)

I have a strong feeling though that most of my friends would say it’s probably because of reasons number 1 and 2.

Okay, okay. I do love my alcohol. But I’m not an alcoholic. I would just like to clear that up. There’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks once in a while. I admit I used to drink almost everyday in my mid-20s. But now, with all the work that I have to do, I’m lucky to be able to drink twice in a month (did I just try to explain myself?! LOL). Oh by the way, I prefer their mojitos over their margaritas.

If you’re not in the mood to drink, you might want to try their food. If you have a big appetite, try one of their Combinaciones. I’ve tried Combo Uno (Chicken Quesadillas, 2 Crab and Shrimp Chile Rellenos, Rice and Beans served with your choice of Salsa – 260 pesos or 6 USD) which turned out to be a bad idea because one, I was only able to eat half of it and two, I got really, really bloated after 4 mojitos. A huge plate of food + bottomless mojitos + me = NOT A GOOD IDEA.

I give it… 4 spoons.
Probably even higher if I had several mojitos.

Oh, did I mention that kids get to eat free on weekends?

Kaya Korean Restaurant

In Sanskrit, Kaya means “body” or “nature”. In Filipino, it means “can” (as in, you CAN do it). In Jamaica, Kaya is a word for cannabis or marijuana. I don’t know what it means in Korean though. I don’t know if it even has a Korean meaning at all.

Anyways, since my friend and I were craving for something different and this restaurant happened to be in front of us (while malling), we decided to try the food there.

We ordered Aligue Bibimbap (rice topped with vegetables, an assortment of seafood and crab fat which costs around 300 pesos or 7 USD), Bibim Gooksoo (fine noodles topped with spicy Kimchi – 300 pesos as well), Dak Bulgogi (grilled spicy chicken fillet, also 300 pesos) and of course, Kimchi (100 pesos or around 2 USD).

It’s a little pricey but the food was really good. The flavor of each dish just explodes in your mouth. Soooo delicious! I would definitely come back to try the other dishes.

I give it 4 out of 5 Korean chopsticks.

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Kaya Korean Restaurant

Branches: Glorietta 4, Jupiter St., Paseo Center, Power Plant Mall, Robinsons Place Manila, SM Megamall and The Podium.