Doing It at the Worst and Best Food Establishments
Top 3 Worst Food Establishments
They’re out there to make you feel that the price you pay isn’t worth it. It’s as if the purpose of these food establishments is to remind us that the world is not perfect and life is unfair.
3. Chowking Philcoa
Praise be to Chowking, it gives an irony to fast food restaurants. Ordering consumes a lot of time, cooking time spends more time. Before your food arrives, your glass of beverage would be past half empty. A good thing is that they now have combo meals because way, way back, I really had to contemplate on their food choices because they were a la carte. But even with combo meals, I still spend ample amount of time before arriving on my decision of what to order. Looking on their menu board make me feel woozy. Also, this branch always looks dirty and they always run out of chopsticks.
2. Superbowl of China, SM Pampanga branch
A fine Chinese restaurant with fine food but lousy service. This branch is a disgrace to the restaurant chain. The servers are like freshies on their first day of class. They don’t have any idea. It appears that they don’t have ample training. The branch manager even looks haggard maybe because of her crew or maybe because of the hot tempered customers or maybe because of the civilization living inside their comfort room.
1. McDonald’s Philcoa
Everyone says that Mc Donald’s Philcoa is the worst Mc Donald’s there is. And in my entire life, I totally agree. The food is, umm, typical McDo food. The problem is not the service, but the servers themselves. The rationale that they have is asinine. What could be the best example is taro pie dressed in apple pie wrapper. Or suggestive selling that is out of proportion. Or how their faces suggest danger from within. You don’t wanna go back in there, but sometimes, you’re left with no choice.
Top 5 Best Food Establishments
From my experience, here are top 5 food establishments that I want to recommend to Kapampangan students like me who are studying in UP Diliman (you’ll see why I specified a place, I had to).
5. Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop
Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop in North Walk (it’s in City of San Fernando, Pampanga) is the best place to read your favorite book. It is best after taking off the bus from Cubao. Gloria Jean’s is not crowded w/ Blairwitches with eyeliners and Super Saiyans in fitted neon jeans. You could enjoy a variety of flavors of ice blended, hot and cold drinks. Don’t try the one with Macadamia nuts though, for it tastes like plastic balloon.
Price Range: P150-250
Ambiance: 4 (out of 5)
Service: 3-4, it depends whether the barista is rude, indifferent or overly friendly (FC)
Palate: 4.25
I recommend: Voltage -- a strong ice blended espresso drink. The absence of whipped cream makes it brusquer.
4. Starback (Balara Food Complex)
Ah, dining al fresco style. Consider jeepneys as Model T Fords, smog as fog, and your fellow eaters as OFWs, you’ll think that you’re in a café in Paris! But on the real side, Starback is no Paris. It’s an ambulant food service (carinderia) for jeepney drivers. It’s open from morning until night. It doesn’t boast its food but the price that it charges.
Price Range: P10-40
Ambiance: 2.5. You wouldn’t want to eat beside a sewage, do you?
Service: 4. Really, they boast their prompt service, but yeah, minus the smile.
Palate: 3. Sorry, but with your budget, asa ka pa! Wag ka nang mareklamo!
I recommend: Nothing. The price is good though.
3. Likha Diwa sa Gulod
Located near the Arch of the Ligas-ed Cross is a garden-slash-art exhibit-slash-vegetrian café that goes with the name Likha Diwa sa Gulod (it would really be helpful if you guys know what Gulod is). It has Boho-Filipino ambiance with artwork display on the walls. They have an area for floor sitting people and smoke belching people. And they have handmade menu. This place is a no-no for ruthless animal-eating blood hungry people. The place offers food items for vegetarians and vegans. But they still offer meat – seafood.
Price Range: P75-200
Ambiance: 4.5
Service: 3.5
Palate: 4
I recommend: Vegetarian Kare Kare has a nice roasted peanut taste and it comes with Vegetarian Bagoong. Amazing? I definitely think so!
2. Coffee Library
I love the sitcom Friends and I consider this place as my Central Perk. I, together with my friends, enjoy having coffee klatch here. They have an ample selection of drinks and they have some affordable and delectable cheesecakes.
Price Range: P60-150
Ambiance: 3.75. Too hot outside, too cold inside. The flush on their toilet is hard to push. The place is also too small.
Service: 3.5. Watch out for the barista for he gets grumpy near the wee hours.
Palate: 4.5
I recommend: Ice-Blended Coffee Caramel -- a bitter sweet concoction that is a best seller. This was my first drink that I bought from the café and I haven’t forgotten the taste since then.
1. Combi
The best dining experience that I had was not in a fancy restaurant (which I don’t eat in often because of budget constraint). Have you heard of Combi? I called it Combo before.
This establishment was featured in past issues of my favorite food oriented magazines, Appetite and Yummy, and Combi had a good review. Why else would Combi be in those magazines of it wasn’t good enough, right?
Combi has a retro ambiance, with cute miniature super heroes with large heads, lava lamp, colorful mono bloc chairs, colorful show plates. They have the cheapest bottomless iced tea and they serve food in bowls (except for vegetable items).
What I like about Combi is not the food really, but the exceptional service. After you order, you don’t need to speak, for everything is in order (this might sound really exaggerated). Their service is fast and prompt; it is really at par with top restaurants.
Price Range: P50-100
Ambiance: 4. Too small, as if you’re cramped in a cubicle. But the interior is great!
Service: 5
Palate: 4
I recommend: Mapo Tofu -- It’s a twist of the real thing. Fried tofu smothered with sweet sauce topped w/ red bell peppers, kangkong and fried noodles.
3. Chowking PhilcoaPraise be to Chowking, it gives an irony to fast food restaurants. Ordering consumes a lot of time, cooking time spends more time. Before your food arrives, your glass of beverage would be past half empty. A good thing is that they now have combo meals because way, way back, I really had to contemplate on their food choices because they were a la carte. But even with combo meals, I still spend ample amount of time before arriving on my decision of what to order. Looking on their menu board make me feel woozy. Also, this branch always looks dirty and they always run out of chopsticks.
2. Superbowl of China, SM Pampanga branch
A fine Chinese restaurant with fine food but lousy service. This branch is a disgrace to the restaurant chain. The servers are like freshies on their first day of class. They don’t have any idea. It appears that they don’t have ample training. The branch manager even looks haggard maybe because of her crew or maybe because of the hot tempered customers or maybe because of the civilization living inside their comfort room.
1. McDonald’s Philcoa
Everyone says that Mc Donald’s Philcoa is the worst Mc Donald’s there is. And in my entire life, I totally agree. The food is, umm, typical McDo food. The problem is not the service, but the servers themselves. The rationale that they have is asinine. What could be the best example is taro pie dressed in apple pie wrapper. Or suggestive selling that is out of proportion. Or how their faces suggest danger from within. You don’t wanna go back in there, but sometimes, you’re left with no choice.
Top 5 Best Food Establishments
From my experience, here are top 5 food establishments that I want to recommend to Kapampangan students like me who are studying in UP Diliman (you’ll see why I specified a place, I had to).
5. Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop
Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop in North Walk (it’s in City of San Fernando, Pampanga) is the best place to read your favorite book. It is best after taking off the bus from Cubao. Gloria Jean’s is not crowded w/ Blairwitches with eyeliners and Super Saiyans in fitted neon jeans. You could enjoy a variety of flavors of ice blended, hot and cold drinks. Don’t try the one with Macadamia nuts though, for it tastes like plastic balloon.
Price Range: P150-250
Ambiance: 4 (out of 5)
Service: 3-4, it depends whether the barista is rude, indifferent or overly friendly (FC)
Palate: 4.25
I recommend: Voltage -- a strong ice blended espresso drink. The absence of whipped cream makes it brusquer.
4. Starback (Balara Food Complex)
Ah, dining al fresco style. Consider jeepneys as Model T Fords, smog as fog, and your fellow eaters as OFWs, you’ll think that you’re in a café in Paris! But on the real side, Starback is no Paris. It’s an ambulant food service (carinderia) for jeepney drivers. It’s open from morning until night. It doesn’t boast its food but the price that it charges.
Price Range: P10-40
Ambiance: 2.5. You wouldn’t want to eat beside a sewage, do you?
Service: 4. Really, they boast their prompt service, but yeah, minus the smile.
Palate: 3. Sorry, but with your budget, asa ka pa! Wag ka nang mareklamo!
I recommend: Nothing. The price is good though.
3. Likha Diwa sa Gulod
Located near the Arch of the Ligas-ed Cross is a garden-slash-art exhibit-slash-vegetrian café that goes with the name Likha Diwa sa Gulod (it would really be helpful if you guys know what Gulod is). It has Boho-Filipino ambiance with artwork display on the walls. They have an area for floor sitting people and smoke belching people. And they have handmade menu. This place is a no-no for ruthless animal-eating blood hungry people. The place offers food items for vegetarians and vegans. But they still offer meat – seafood.
Price Range: P75-200
Ambiance: 4.5
Service: 3.5
Palate: 4
I recommend: Vegetarian Kare Kare has a nice roasted peanut taste and it comes with Vegetarian Bagoong. Amazing? I definitely think so!
2. Coffee Library
I love the sitcom Friends and I consider this place as my Central Perk. I, together with my friends, enjoy having coffee klatch here. They have an ample selection of drinks and they have some affordable and delectable cheesecakes.
Price Range: P60-150
Ambiance: 3.75. Too hot outside, too cold inside. The flush on their toilet is hard to push. The place is also too small.
Service: 3.5. Watch out for the barista for he gets grumpy near the wee hours.
Palate: 4.5
I recommend: Ice-Blended Coffee Caramel -- a bitter sweet concoction that is a best seller. This was my first drink that I bought from the café and I haven’t forgotten the taste since then.
1. Combi
The best dining experience that I had was not in a fancy restaurant (which I don’t eat in often because of budget constraint). Have you heard of Combi? I called it Combo before.
This establishment was featured in past issues of my favorite food oriented magazines, Appetite and Yummy, and Combi had a good review. Why else would Combi be in those magazines of it wasn’t good enough, right?
Combi has a retro ambiance, with cute miniature super heroes with large heads, lava lamp, colorful mono bloc chairs, colorful show plates. They have the cheapest bottomless iced tea and they serve food in bowls (except for vegetable items).
What I like about Combi is not the food really, but the exceptional service. After you order, you don’t need to speak, for everything is in order (this might sound really exaggerated). Their service is fast and prompt; it is really at par with top restaurants.
Price Range: P50-100
Ambiance: 4. Too small, as if you’re cramped in a cubicle. But the interior is great!
Service: 5
Palate: 4
I recommend: Mapo Tofu -- It’s a twist of the real thing. Fried tofu smothered with sweet sauce topped w/ red bell peppers, kangkong and fried noodles.
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