I've been living in Mandaluyong for about 6 years now and I've been to every nook and cranny of this place while going on my foodventures. But on today's food diary, I'm not sharing something new--instead, I'll share this constant favorite I've had since I moved here. My place is fairly situated in the city center. I have a ton of options when it comes to food like Mcdonalds, Subway, Binalot etc. You can see the place has really diverse choices which is something I love. One of the things we don't have a lot of though would be home-cooked comfort meals. I mean I love myself some fast food every now and then but home-cooked meals is where my heart is at. 

Enter Plana's Pantry. Originally when I moved in, they weren't in the area yet. But I think about 2mos in, I was curious because it's just right in front of the condominium complex I live in and the interiors looked so fancy. When I stepped inside, I wasn't disappointed with the place. 

THE PLACE

As mentioned, I eat at this place pretty often because it's so close to me but if you're using public transpo it's also pretty accessbile. If you're bringing a car, parking is available but really limited--like there are  only 2 tandem slots shared with a nearby bank. If you're going I highly recommend not taking a car. Parking aside, the interiors are all sorts of lovely. The place has a clean, rustic overall vibe with framed quotes blasted all over. I've memorized the time slots when there aren't a lot of people so ordering-wise, I always get my food faster than usual. 

THE FOOD

Food is hit/miss but mostly it's amazing! I remember when they opened, they had this amazing set of fish and chips and they used real fish. But now, they only have fish nuggets and chips so that was kind of a let down, Eitherway, most of the dishes are really good. Their bestseller would be their ribs--humongous serving for a fraction of the price! They also literally pair it with a mountain of rice given the huge serving. Another favorite would be their Lengua--legit lengua that's so tender and melts in your mouth! Those two are probably the ones I order the most. 

For dessert I've always gone for their ice cream. I don't know how it's made but the taste is very far from store-bough ice creams and it's soooooo gooood! The Chocolate Rumble tastes like creamy dark chocolate while the avocado wasn't overwhelmingly fruity and just had the right milky/fruity texture.

THE PLACE

I love Pares. Well, not as much as I love Sashimi but it's one of my favorte Filipino food. Best served with torched bone marrow but I wouldn't mind having it on its own. From what I recall, I first had Pares around 2014 at my ex's house. Their helper's Pares was one of the best I've tasted. I've asked my Mom to make it and apparently she doesn't know how to that's why we never had it at home. In a nutshell, I love Pares. Everytime I try out a new place, a friend or colleague would always recommend something else they'd want me to try and this how I discovered Goto Tendon. 

Goto Tendon has been making the round of most of my food groups on Facebook. They're best known for their Sizzling Tendon Pares which has taken my social media groups by storm what with all the videos of this sizzling plate with tendon pares served with rice. It made my mouth water so one morning I thought I'd give it a try. It was just right after the holidays and the streets weren't as busy so I was thinking perfect timing. 

THE PLACE

A few details about Goto Tendon before we get started. "What makes this goto special is heritage. Nena Peñaloza, John’s grandmother, passed the recipe onto Jenny in 2002. Amah, she’s called, recalls feeding young John this goto to make his knees stronger. And ever since Jenny got a hold of this recipe, she spent her time further enhancing the flavor of the goto to what it is today. Now, Goto Tendon serves not just goto but also a bunch of other Pinoy favorites like pares and silog, all cooked with only the best ingredients and lots of love." (via)

Would I come back? I don't think so. I'm very practical when it comes to spending for food and I just couldn't justify spending around P150 for a meal that doesn't even have drinks. If someone asked me to go with them I'd probably go out of courtesy, but that's about it. Have you tried Goto Tendon? How was it for you?

I think a part of growing older really is hating loud noises. I remember a few yrs back I would scour the bars at night jumping from one to the other looking for the best happy hour deals while dancing my heart away. But now, all I wanted was to drink in my hotel room and be cozy with my blanket, lol. Anyway I brought that up because that's how I discovered this new restaurant I'll be sharing. 

So because food was my main priority when I went to Boracay, I spent most of my time on Trip Advisor looking for new/old restaurants to try. Some of the ones listed were really pricey so I decided to go for a moderately priced place which led me to Nalka. We were checked-in at Station 2 so I didn't see it while I was going around because it's on the far end of Station 1. 

Service was also relatively fast. There was no one in sight of our dining area but for some reason whenever we're ready to order, someone would appear. The waitress would also come to us every now and then to check if we already wanted to order. During our visit, we were the only diners which was quite surprising because the food was great. That's when we were told the promo is relatively new so I'm spreading the word so you guys don't miss out!

I was in Boracay over a month ago and while I have a barrage of complaints over the "new Boracay", I don't think this is the proper avenue. Follow me on twitter instead for the tea, lol. Anyway, for this series I don't think I'll be able to share anything budget-friendly because most of the restaurants we've tried had a pretty steep price tag. So I think, this series will just be all about the best bang for your buck since you'll be spending. While there are cheaper options like Mang Inasal, Andoks, etc. I just feel that we already have enough of those here you probably won't be looking forward to them in Boracay. 

So let's get it on with our first pick--Station X! Discovered this through a friend and we also passed by it. We also kept seeing it in AirBnbs ie location is near Station X and we were wondering if it's a new station added after the rehabilitation lol. Station X is an amazing place for foodies because it is conveniently located at Hue Hotels, which by the way offers a day package so you can make use of their amenities. What caught my eye was Streetmarket because it looked like an extremely posh food court I probably wouldn't walk in if I were in Manila lol. But there weren't a lot of people so I figured I'd give it a try. 

THE PLACE

Station X's Streetmarket offers a wide variety of cuisines from Japanese to Italian to Filipino. The ordering system is also organized because you can just order at the stall of your choice and they'll have it delivered to your table hence not being limited to just one cuisine--very helpful for those who usually have picky eaters as companions. Service was also relatively fast and everything is conveniently delivered to your table. The place is also spacious if you're dining with a big group and they have really decent bathrooms. 

I have loved mukbangs ever since I first discovered there is such a thing through Kinoshita Yuka--a Japanese oogui eater. Back then I was more impressed by the amount of food she consumed being she's a competitive eater, but my fascination later led me to discovering cuisines from other culture. Aside from mukbangs, I'm also deeply immersed in ASMR and we all know a huge chunk of ASMR creators are Koreans which is why most of the food I crave on a daily basis as I watch these videos would be korean food. 

I mean, I've always loved Korean food that's why it doesn't surprise me that korean food + asmr would be my go to sleeping pill. I make my own korean dishes but there's one that I always see in mukbangs that I can't really make myself--soy-marinated raw shrimp. I've seen how it's prepared but I get scared because marinating raw food in soy sauce is something that we don't usually do here in the Philippines. So you can imagine how long I've been looking for a restaurant that can cater to my infinite craving. Unfortunately, I've scoured Manila high and low but have't found one that can. But as luck would have it, I was in Boracay a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon a restaurant that can address my curiosity. 

THE PLACE

KD Pocha is Korean-Filipino Fusion Pub. It's hidden just below Island Nook, so it may prove difficult to find. But one you get to Island Nook, you're good to go. The place, as the name suggests, looks more like a pub rather than a family-friendly restaurant with all the Soju bottles displayed on top of the counter. They offer authentic korean dishes such as the one I was extremely excited to try. The owner is also Korean and assures that they only offer the best and freshest seafood.

Would I come back? Definitely. Even if I wasn't amused with the new Boracay with all the surge of expensive Chinese restaurants driving prices to insane levels, I'm still glad there are hole in the wall finds like KD Pocha--not insanely overpriced but still gives you a chance into exploring the flavors of their culture. Korean cuisine is something I'll always be fascinated with and KD Pocha has been added to my go-to's should I crave again for another time. I just hope tickets to Caticaln were that cheap, but eitherway if you guys are ever in the area make sure to drop by!