by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 22, 2020 | Product and Service Review
Have you heard of Lola Remedios? No, she isn’t the kindly grandmother who lives down the street who dotes over her apos and all the kids who come visit her in the neighborhood. But she may as well be, as that is how much she cares.
Ingredients of Lola Remedios
Lola Remedios is a soothing tonic with all-natural (traditional) ingredients – ginger, honey, fennel, mint, and clove.
- Ginger treats muscular aches and pains, sore throats, and cramps.
- Honey is a potential treatment for cough and cold symptoms and gives symptomatic relief to sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infections. It also increases our immunity and has antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.
- Fennel provides relief from stomach pains caused by indigestion and gas.
- Mint has menthol which has a known cooling effect that relieves sore throat, nasal congestion, and muscle aches. It is often also prescribed to address nausea, diarrhea, indigestion, headache, and a cold.
- Clove is known for its antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anesthetic properties.
How to take Lola Remedios
Its taste is reminiscent of Halls Menthol candy (original flavor). It is a thick syrup with a strong menthol flavor and is very easy to take. There are three steps:
Each box contains 12 sachets with 15 ml. of tonic each and is safe to take 3 times a day at most. Take one sachet, give it a good shake, tear off a corner, and just pour the contents into your mouth and drink it.
Give the sachet a good share, tear a corner, and then pour its contents in your mouth and get ready for that cool, mentholated syrup to slide down your throat.
Does it address any illness?
When I started taking Lola Remedios it was because I was looking for something to ease a sore throat. As a teacher and as a member of a church choir, preserving my voice is very important. But easing a sore throat is just one thing that Lola Remedios is supposed to be able to address.
It is actually touted as a cure-all for general malaise, also known colloquially as lamig. You know how sometimes you have a general feeling of unwellness but you know you aren’t really sick? THAT is lamig. It usually manifests as aches and pains all over your body, a heavy feeling, and hard knots on the shoulders and back.
Speaking of which, my sister just passed behind me right now saying she is turning in early because she isn’t feeling too good so I gave her a box of Lola Remedios and told her to “take one sachet tonight and let me know how you feel in the morning”.
You can purchase Lola Remedios at Mercury Drug, Watsons, and 7-11. For more information about Lola Remedios, you can visit the website at http://www.lolaremedios.com. You can also follow Lola Remedios on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the account @lolaremediosph. Because #LolaCares
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 16, 2020 | Yummy Reviews
For quite some time now samgyup has been the binge-eating go-to for many Filipinos in the metro. With so many such restaurants (sometimes a stone’s throw away from each other) it has become a challenge for foodies everywhere to find the perfect samgyup restaurant. I, myself, have tried more than a handful from north to south and it always interests me to discover what new thing or “uniqueness” each place has to offer.
Finding the place
There it is! This is the view from near the escalator.
Earlier this week I was invited to try out this fairly new place at Fisher Mall. I was told it was on the fourth floor which I thought was unusual. The fourth floor is the cinema level and there weren’t any restaurants there before (to my knowledge). You see, I live quite near to Fisher Mall and I find myself there at least once a week and yet I never noticed a restaurant (and a full meal restaurant at that!) on the fourth floor.
I later realized why … it was a part of the mall I rarely (if at all) go to because it goes beyond the VIP Cinema. The few times I’ve been to that part of the fourth floor is when I took the east escalator going up, but I didn’t bother to look across to that direction. So, finding Samgyup King is like finding hidden treasure.
What makes Samgyup King different?
There is ample space to walk in even while carrying dishes and trays.
Once you enter you will be surprised at how wide and spacious and deep it is. I certainly was! I am used to going to samgyup places where you are sitting so close to the people at the next table that you are bumping into each other every time you move. But not here, this is a breath of fresh air for claustrophobics like me.
By now everyone knows how samgyup works … you sit at a table with a round hot plate grill in the middle and you are served a multitude of side dishes for you to consume and raw meat that you will then cook yourself. But before we talk about the grill and the food, let us first talk about the service.
Self-Service
From the get-go, this already makes them different. No more waiting for the waiter to bring you the meat or side dishes you want. Just stand up, go to the side table and kitchen counter and just get what you want or need there. Do you need meat? Sauce? Side dishes? The only thing you will need to ask the waiter is the ramen, the milk tea, and the bill. 🙂
Are you counting your steps? If so, then your fitness tracker will be very happy. Every time you need something you will have to stand up and walk to the back of the restaurant then back to your table. Since you can only carry so many things at a time, this translates to several trips! In other words, you exercise while having lunch. 😀
Milk Tea
Every person is entitled to ONE milk tea order. Each milk tea order is served with black pearls in a tall glass with LED lights at the bottom (which are supposed to be turned on). You can choose from Hokkaido, Okinawa, Thai, or Taro Milk Tea, whichever is available at the time of your visit.
On any given day they only prepare two variants and when I was last there only the Thai and Taro Milk Teas were available. Luckily for me, what I wanted was the Thai Milk Tea, so it all worked out. Next time I hope they serve Okinawa or Hokkaido as I want to try those, too.
Side Dishes
Samgyup King offers side dishes just like the other places, but they offer some unique twists, too.
- Pickled radish and carrots – think atchara but bigger thin slices, not strings
- Marble potatoes
- Kimchi – according to Chef Raymond they make this fresh every day, but they don’t serve it until two days later to allow it to ferment.
- Egg rolls – sweetened scrambled eggs that are cooked thinly and rolled
- Rice – served in a giant rice cooker at the buffet table. Go ahead and have your fill!
- Ramen – think of it as a slightly spicy noodle soup. This was not at the buffet table, so you have to ask the waiter to serve it to you.
- Chicken wings – this is one of the most sought-after side dishes. It is absolutely delicious! And you have 4 different sauces to choose from, too. Some people have even professed that they are ok with just eating this
- Mojos – when I was there, I was able to try two flavors: cheese and sour cream and onion. I prefer sour cream and onion. 🙂
Food for cooking
Seasoned meat
Other places give seven varieties, eleven varieties, etc. In contrast, Samgyup King provides just five varieties of meat for grilling:
- Chicken bulgogi
- Pork bulgogi
- Beef bulgogi
- Salt and pepper pork
- Salt and pepper beef
Bulgogi is a sweet soy sauce so whatever meat is marinated in this would be sweet. Usually, the meat is sliced very thinly (sukiyaki cut) to make it easier to cook. The salt and pepper beef is cut just as thinly but is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, as the name suggests.
The salt and pepper pork is thick-cut meat in comparison. Think of a pork steak that is lightly seasoned. To cook this properly you will need to cut up the meat when it is half-done.
I know, at first, it seems like this is not much. But wait, there’s more!
Skewers
This is one of the features that make Samgyup King different … their skewered dishes. I was really looking forward to this.
My family loves to order these freshly grilled barbeque style meats from the corner of our street whenever we don’t feel like cooking. These are what they are offering for rotisserie grilling:
- Pork barbeque
- Spicy pork barbeque
- Chicken barbeque
- Chicken wing barbeque
- Gizzard barbeque
- Pig intestine
- Chicken intestine
- Pork skin
- Pig ears
- Sausage
- Garlic longganiza
- Hamonado longganiza
- Sweet corn
My favorites of the bunch? The pork intestine and the pork skin. 😀 I ate a LOT of those 😀
Time to cook!
The Grill
At Samgyup King each table has a long rectangular open metal grill at its center with grooves along its side. This grill is filled with high-grade charcoal brisket for you to cook with. On one side the staff will place a flat rectangular hot plate for pan grilling. This is where we cook the meat samgyup style!
The Rotisserie or Rotating Grill
Remember those grooves I mentioned earlier? Those are for the special skewers they use for the rotisserie grill. Each skewer has a flower-like disk towards one end with spokes. The skewers are placed with the spoked disk aligned with the moving chain track located just beyond the grooves. This is what makes the skewers turn to make cooking the meat evenly. Just make sure to space the skewers so that they can turn easily as they cook. Crowding the skewers just means only one side will get cooked (and burn).
That being said, there really is no reason for you not to cook the skewers on the flat grill if you wanted to, it just won’t cook as evenly. What we did last time was we cooked it on the rotisserie first then when it was almost done, we removed them from the skewers and put them on the flat grill to make them a little crispy.
Do they have dessert?
Available flavors: sweet corn, milk, chocolate milk, chocolate mochi, and watermelon
The dessert is not indicated on the menu because it isn’t part of the cost of the buffet. However, a variety of ice cream is available at the freezer at the back for P20 to P25 pesos.
Is it expensive?
The regular price is P599 with an introductory price of P499. When the owner, Sir Willy, was asked about how long the introductory price will be implemented he candidly said he doesn’t know yet as they are playing it by ear.
Here’s some good news for those who are looking for additional discounts. Samgyup King is on Metrodeal! Get your vouchers on Metrodeal and instead of paying P499 you will only pay P399. What a deal!
It is important to note that they do honor senior citizen/PWD discounts. However, while they apply the 20% discount, they do not remove the 12% VAT anymore that is the norm for senior citizen/PWD discounts because, they said, their price is already discounted.
If you are a senior citizen or PWD I would recommend that you just buy a voucher in Metrodeal instead of using your SC/PWD discount because the Metrodeal offer is still cheaper by P20. I know many seniors who might find using an app like Metrodeal challenging so either ask your kids or grandkids to get the voucher for you if you want to save the P20 per senior citizen/PWD ID holder.
Recommendations
I reviewed them in 2018 and if I compare their offerings and service then and now, they have definitely improved a lot! If you would like to try this place out, here are some tips I would like to offer:
- Weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) are toxic, meaning the waiting list is long and the waiting time could take long, too. If you must go there on a weekend for lunch, try to be there when the mall opens at 11am so that you have a better opportunity of eating immediately/sooner. 3pm is also a good time as the lunch crowd has left (or are leaving).
- Weekdays (Monday to Thursday) are good days to visit.
- If you are a big group, then it is a good idea to make a reservation
- A minimum of two people per table is required to eat here.
- For extra savings, purchase vouchers from Metrodeal.
- Samgyup cooking is faster than rotisserie grill cooking. This is because the meats prepared for the flat grill are sliced quite thinly that they would definitely cook faster. Rotisserie grill cooking takes longer because the meat slices and the skewers hover over the heat source rather than direct contact. Just have patience, though. I promise it is worth the wait.
- If you are really hungry and the cooking is taking some time, then grab some chicken wings and mojos. They are ready to eat and available on the buffet table.
- DO NOT EAT THE MEAT RAW. If you get sick, the management is not answerable for your stupidity.
- When cooking, please make use of the hood provided over each table. This will lessen the smoke and food smells from clinging to your clothes and skin.
Bring your family, bring your friends, bring your co-workers! Come to a place that offers more than just samgyup. Go to Samgyup King.
Samgyup King is located on the 4th Floor of Fisher Mall on Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, with branches opening soon at Cubao and Novaliches.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 23, 2019 | Yummy Reviews
Yakikai, what a funny name to say. 🙂 ‘Tis the season to forget about that diet and indulge, as they say, and Yakikai is definitely a place to indulge our appetite. 🙂 A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to eat at Yakikai Grill and Fusion Buffet located at Scout Dr. Lazcano Street near Tomas Morato in Quezon City. For those who can’t quite imagine where this is, your nearest landmark would be Starbucks Reserve across from BPI on Tomas Morato Avenue. Yakikai is on the block where Starbucks is. 🙂
This restaurant was easy for me to find for these reasons:
- I live nearby
- this used to be Bagoong Club which I once frequented
- it is a stone’s throw away from my favorite Starbucks branch, the Starbucks Reserve Legacy Store on Tomas Morato. 🙂
For people with cars, if you arrive early enough you can park right in front of Yakikai, otherwise, your next available parking will be on Tomas Morato. Not to worry, though, as Tomas Morato is a very short distance from the restaurant … very walkable.
The first time I heard about Yakikai I couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be any different from other samgyupsal restaurants I have visited in the past. While there are definitely similarities, the owner, Ms. Sam, introduced us to some features that make this restaurant stand out. FYI, Ms. Sam used to be the owner of Sodam, a samgyupsal restaurant in Greenhills, which she has since sold before she opened this place.
Dining Area
Since I have been to this building before when it was a different restaurant I was interested to note if they changed anything about its appearance or layout. So far, they have made the dining area brighter and, of course, there is the addition of the ventilation pipes for the hoods over each table.
There are three dining areas on the ground floor: the main area near the buffet which can seat approximately 24 or more people, another one just to the right of the main dining area which can comfortably seat 30 people, and an outdoor seating area at the lanai which can comfortably seat another 24 people.
On the second floor, there are two rooms. The room on the right could possibly seat around 20 people while the room on the left could possibly seat 50 people. This set up makes Yakikai ideal for big groups. While their Zomato page says they do not take table bookings, I think they do take reservations for special events.
Restrooms
It is important to note that there are two gender-neutral restrooms, one on each floor. This is a carryover from Bagoong Club. However, I wish they could maintain it better. One tip I would possibly give them is to have one of their staff check the restrooms every 30 minutes or every hour to make sure it is still clean (and not stinky) and clean it when necessary.
The Menu
As with other restaurants they have an ala carte menu and an “eat all you can” menu. In this review, I will focus on the latter because this is the menu that they really want to push. That is my gorgeous sister holding up the menu for me. 😀
They only have 2 sets to choose from. The premium set and the emperor set.
Premium Set
The first is the PREMIUM SET. This was originally priced at P499 but, at the moment is available for P339. Unlike other restaurants, this package is composed of chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp, cheese, plus the buffet! Talk about value for money.
The meat selection is basically the same as what you would find in every other samgyupsal place but the addition of the shrimp and cheese (which is a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese) at no extra cost brings them up a notch. I even noticed that there was one table that ordered just the fresh shrimp! That was so smart! I should do that next time.
Emperor Set
The second set is called the EMPEROR SET and is, of course, the one they highly recommend. Originally priced at P699, it is currently available for P599. The emperor set is composed of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, fish, Jjampong nabe soup, and cheese! Specifically, what makes the emperor set are the following:
- salmon sashimi
- chuck eye steak
- shrimp tempura
- and Jjampong Nabe
When cooking any kind of meat (and steak especially) it is important to know when to stop cooking it so that the meat is still edible. When it comes to the steak which compared to the other meats served is thick, cooking it too long will make the steak hard and dry. Your goal should always be medium. Some like it medium-rare, others medium-well.
We asked Ms. Sam if they served tuna sashimi aside from salmon sashimi and she said that they don’t serve tuna as it spoils faster so if it is not consumed quickly they end up throwing it away. Salmon, on the other hand, handles better and lasts longer. I love salmon anyway so this was no hardship for me. 😀
The Jjampong Nabe might be removed from the menu as they have received feedback that many patrons find it too spicy. They are still thinking about what to replace it with if they decide to remove it. Any suggestions?
Buffet
Both the premium and emperor set comes with the buffet which is self-service and you can go back as often as you want and get as much as you want.
At first, it would appear as though the buffet offerings are limited, but as each dish is emptied, it is replaced with a different dish (if similar) dish, which makes for an almost limitless buffet.
In this photo here you can see that the options have already changed. The dishes that I kept going back for are the shredded sweet Japanese corn and the japchae. For those who do not know, japchae is a Korean noodle dish made with vermicelli noodles with vegetables and beef tossed in.
Sushi options at the buffet
On the far left of the buffet is a selection of different kinds of sushi from the all-time favorite California Maki to salmon, shrimp, and tamago (egg) variations. At the window above the buffet are the chefs who were busy preparing refills of all the dishes in the buffet.
I am very keen on anything spicy I sampled the spicy tuna. The sushi tasted as expected, which is a good thing. 🙂 I had a few pieces of spicy tuna and tamago sushi. 😀
Is “buffet only” an option?
We asked Ms. Sam if it were possible for guests to order just the buffet and no grilling and she said no. When I think about it, though, that really isn’t too bad since the price of their premium set is not really that expensive.
Dessert and drinks
For dessert, you can ask for any of the Korean ice cream available from the freezer at an additional cost (they are not part of the package). Same with the drinks, the packages only come with water but you can order soda or juices from the menu at an additional cost.
Eat-All-You-Can
I ate all I could and there were still so many dishes that I was not able to taste. A tip to beginners, make sure you are hungry when you go here because I promise you, there is almost no waiting time between sitting at your table and eating. While they set up your table you could already start on the buffet.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2019 | Yummy Reviews
Nitro 7 Coffee and Tea is not new to me. I have been to Nitro 7 Coffee and Tea at Robinsons Magnolia at the Foodcourt before and I have tasted their cold brew coffee and I liked it but this was the first time I was able to go to the branch at Robinsons Manila and let me tell you, it is not easy to find.
Finding Nitro
- The layout of Robinsons is already confusing, everything just kind of moves around in a circle (or series of circles) so you could be in one wing and then suddenly find yourself in another wing without realizing how you got to that wing.
- Nitro 7 Coffee is not even in the mall directory.
- Google maps do not say what floor it is on so relying on Google Maps will just make you go around and around unless you do a Google search (and not use the map) and you will then see that it is not on the ground floor.
Eventually, I just had to rely on my navigation skills and just crossed my fingers that I would not get lost. On the upside, my fitness app was happy! I got a lot of steps in, lol! Here’s a tip if you want to know where it is, look for Toys R Us on the mall map, Nitro 7 is in front of it. Right now I cannot even tell you what floor it is but it is most certainly not on the ground floor.
Nitro 7 Coffees
We got to try the bestsellers, Irish Creme Breve, Black Nitro, Hazelnut Caramel Mocha, and Chocolate Macadamia. Because we didn’t want any of the coffee to go to waste we asked the barista to just give us dixie cups (which they called sample cups) so that we could just pour out a little of each flavor and taste it all.
The Chocolate Macadamia and Hazelnut Caramel Mocha are very similar in flavor, with the Hazelnut Caramel Mocha being slightly sweeter. The Chocolate Macadamia had that distinct macadamia flavor that instantly made it my favorite of the four. Have you ever tried Hawaiian Toast chocolates? That is what it tasted like. 🙂
The Irish Creme Breve was quite creamy and had that slight alcohol taste we tend to associate with anything Irish.
The Black Nitro, which is their base drink, was just way too strong for me, so no. I like my creams and sweeteners. 😀
Sandwiches
The highlight for me would probably be the grilled sandwiches. Here’s a spoiler … they all have cheese in them. 😀
None of these sandwiches are difficult to make as I’ve made my versions of them at home. But not everyone likes to cook so for those who like to eat out or eat and run, these sandwiches are good options. While we were there we were able to taste the following in the order they were served to us:
Ham and Cheese
This ham and cheese sandwich is easily a favorite. There were no surprises when it came to the taste but the ham slices were thicker than can usually be found in ham sandwiches sold in cafes and the cheese is ooey-gooey. This made us feel that the customer would be getting good value for their money.
Three Cheese
The three-cheese sandwich combines three different kinds of cheese … they didn’t tell us what they were but my tastebuds and eyes say they are cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack. It was delicious! It has the right balance of saltiness that we look for in cheese without being overpowering. The combination of cheeses was just perfect.
Just like the next normal person, I like cheese, but if you are lactose intolerant or on a diet then this might not be the sandwich for you.
Corned Beef
Yes, the corned beef sandwich still had cheese there was more corned beef than cheese. The cheese acted as more of a binder. Tastewise, it was good. Probably nothing to write home about but ok.
Tuna and Cheese
The tuna and cheese sandwich was the most disappointing of them all for me, probably because I know I can make it better. It was bland. I think they could have improved it by using spicy tuna instead.
With the addition of the cheese, the spice would have been negligible but enough to give this sandwich a little kick which I felt that it needed especially as tuna is the obvious choice for those who are trying to avoid red meat.
The Holiday Offerings
We had the opportunity to try their holiday offerings, namely:
- Black Cherry Mocha
- Chocolate Berry Snow
- Orange Joy Milk Tea
The Black Cherry Mocha tasted like a black forest cake in a cup.
The Chocolate Berry Snow had a similar flavor but in frap form. To me, it tasted like a high-end version of Scramble, that shaved-ice concoction we used to eat after class that was sold from a cart from the vendor outside school. 🙂
The Orange Joy Milk Tea is probably not their best seller because it is hard to explain how it tastes. It tastes good, don’t get me wrong, but describing how it tastes is quite challenging.
I don’t know that I would get any of these drinks in the future as I am not a fan of berries, but I can see that there would be an audience for it.
We don’t know what happened, there was probably a miscommunication but for some reason, we were not served as much food and drink as we were promised. In a nutshell, we were cut off! Lol! But we decided not to take offense and just give our honest review.
We were able to taste everything we were served after all, even if we had to share everything. Meaning, everything was split 5 ways. 1 sandwich divided by 5, 1 drink divided by 5. We all got a bite or a sip of everything we were served and that was enough for us to have an opinion.
But because we were cut-off just like that I find it difficult to rave. Nonetheless, do consider Nitro 7 Coffee and Tea when looking for a new place to enjoy cold brew coffee.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 22, 2019 | Food & Beverage, Yummy Reviews
There are many types of bread in the market but none so special as Hearty Bread which is healthy, yummy, and easy on the budget. This post contains materials provided by Hearty Bread plus my (and my family’s) review of their products.
A special type of diet usually arises from a health condition or a call for a healthier lifestyle. Having to adapt to a new diet is hard enough especially if this is accompanied by medicines in the case of those who have diabetes, cancer, renal failure, and other diseases that call for a Low-Carbohydrate/ Sugar-Free diet.
Why go gluten-free?
Diabetic Cases
diabetes calling image credit to https://www.ormc.org/
The Philippines is considered one of diabetes “hot spots” in the Western Pacific region. It is estimated that 1 out of 5 Filipinos are diabetic. This statistic is very alarming and calls for the attention of the general public. Several cause-oriented groups have already started campaigns to spread awareness in the hope to help hinder the growth.
It was noted that the unhealthy lifestyle habits of Filipinos are the main cause of diabetes. This was also tackled by World Health Organization and they also included sedentary lifestyles as major lifestyle risk factors, stating that 1 in 3 is overweight and 1 in 10 is obese.
Obesity
Obesity cases are another red flag in the country. Those who consume an excess of sugar and carbohydrates lead to accumulating that excess weight over time.
Per record, the Philippines has an estimated a staggering 18 million citizens who are either obese or overweight.
Cancer Cells feed on Sugar
To clarify, consuming sugar does not cause cancer. Studies have been conducted which prove that sugar essentially feeds tumors and encourages cancer growth. Hence, starving these cells from sugar may help cancer patients.
Given these health conditions, a group of young entrepreneurs has decided to develop bread alternatives for those whose dietary requirements need special attention. Evan Dykimching and Vicson Ngo are the people behind Hearty Bread, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free.
How did Hearty Bread begin?
The company started out as a supplier for some of the major hospitals in the Metro. They cater to doctors and in-house patients with cancer or diabetes.
Evan Dykimching
Evan recounts “When one of our family members got confined in the hospital, we were surprised that the price of our bread was quite high due to several administrative fees”.
With the company’s desire to promote affordable and quality health, they created the brand “Hearty Bread” to make healthy bread readily available and affordable to the general public.
To give you an idea, if you are not familiar with the price of the Gluten-Free/Sugar-Free market, other producers are selling at P500 to P600 per loaf. For most people, this price tag is very expensive.
Hearty Bread Almond Loaf Line
Hearty Bread invested in research & development for two years in order to come up with bread that is double the size and sells at half the price. Hearty Bread’s Almond Loaf line retails at only P180 for the plain Almond Loaf while their Cheesy variants – Cheesy Charcoal and Cheesy Coffee are pegged at P250 per loaf.
Hearty Bread Sourdough/Probiotic Line
They also have other products such as their Sourdough/Probiotic line which includes Malunggay Sourdough Pandesal which sells at P40 for 6 pieces, while their other Sourdough loaf sells at P115. Hearty Bread’s Fruit loaves are also in demand, Banana Sourdough Loaf retails at P200, Banoffee Walnut Sourdough Loaf and Pumpkin Carrot Sourdough Loaf sells at P280 per loaf. These are all Gluten-Free/Sugar-free!
A lot of other products are in the pipeline and are being developed which gives those who are into these types of diets something to look forward to.
Pricelist
Here is the price list to guide you. A quick glance will already show you how much more affordable Hearty Bread is than other gluten-free/sugar-free brands. Also, so many choices! This just makes the journey to good health more fun!
The Review
I cook and I bake so I can appreciate the research that went into making these breads. FYI, sourdough is a much healthier alternative to white bread and is better for digestion, too!
Banana Sourdough Loaf
If you like banana bread then this banana sourdough loaf will be something you would enjoy. Instead of lacatan they used saba which has a smoother consistency and comes out sweeter when ripened (aged) correctly. I would have preferred this loaf with walnuts and probably not as sweet. I am assuming that they used artificial sweeteners like Splenda. I prefer the taste of honey.
Banoffee Walnut Sourdough Loaf
The banoffee walnut sourdough loaf is very similar in taste to the banana sourdough loaf except with the addition of two very important ingredients … coffee and walnuts.
I personally preferred this one but having said that I still found it too sweet. My mom, sisters, and the kids really enjoyed it, though.
Cheesy Charcoal Almond Loaf
I confess, for us, this bread was a turn-off but we gave it a shot … several times in fact! We figured, if Hearty Bread would go to the effort of making this bread there has to be something good about it, right?
Well, like my sister, Ginny said … it is like eating Diatabs if Diatabs were baked into bread. My nephews, niece, and daughter said they couldn’t get passed that grainy charcoal taste. My mom saw it and didn’t even try.
I tried it myself and I really, really gave it a chance but, sadly, even with the addition of cheese and almonds, this loaf of bread did not wow me, not even a little bit. But I understand why they did this. Activated charcoal is known as a good ingredient for improving elimination (aka bowel movement) and addressing flatulence. What I would recommend, perhaps, is not to make it so pure. Probably, half charcoal then half premium sourdough then mix it so it bakes into a marbled loaf. It would still have the activated charcoal but not overwhelmingly so.
Ezekiel Almond Loaf
This was easy to eat but we couldn’t find the almond taste … or the almonds. It tastes just like regular bread so the kids could not even taste the difference. Eating it as a sandwich certainly makes it look “normal”.
The taste was also quite mild so this was not difficult for my mom to try. To her, it was just bread, which is a good thing.
Moringa Premium Sourdough Pandesal
For a few years now there has been a campaign to promote malunggay pandesal as an alternative to regular pandesal and, at the beginning people have looked at it with suspicion. Some have tried, and some have continued with what they are used to.
We ourselves have shifted to malunggay pandesal so we had a basis of comparison.
- Hearty Bread’s moringa premium sourdough pandesal is BIG, it is just a little bit smaller than my hand.
- Hearty Bread’s moringa premium sourdough pandesal has just the right level of sweetness.
- Hearty Bread’s moringa premium sourdough pandesal does not have that grainy texture we have come to expect from healthy bread
Multigrain Sourdough Loaf
This was my personal favorite, but then again, I have been known to buy multigrain bread on occasion. At home, I am the only one who really eats multigrain. My parents found it too nutty but I love it!
I would like to request more pumpkin and sunflower seeds, please. 😀
Premium Sourdough Loaf
Of all the bread my family and I got to try this was probably the easiest to try as they couldn’t tell the difference between this and the bread they like to buy in the grocery.
So for someone who is transitioning into a gluten-free/sugar-free diet then this bread is a good way to start.
Hearty Bread outlets
Hearty Bread can be purchased at the following outlets. Find the one closest to you and enjoy!
For more information, you can check out their Facebook and Instagram accounts or visit their website.
Evan also shares the secret to making their bread available at a very low price – “We can really lower the cost of our products since we produce them commercially in volume quantities. We also own the lot where our facilities operate so we don’t pay rent.” He further explains “We make our bread affordable not to kill the market price but to make these healthy bread affordable and help those who are burdened, to begin with.”
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Aug 25, 2019 | Yummy Reviews
Last August 14, 2019, I had the opportunity to try out Premier The Samgyupsal in Greenhills. I have tried Korean barbecue places in the past and I was looking forward to finding out how this one is different from others.
The Unli Menu
Unli Samgyupsal
Premier the Samgyupsal unlimited menu
PRICE = P500 to P580
Just as with other samgyupsal places, Premier The Samgyupsal offers unlimited samgyupsal. This is what I got to try at my last visit. The options are:
- P500 for unli pork (4 kinds) and chicken
- P580 for unli mix (supposedly 8 kinds) which, based on the menu includes 3 kinds of beef, 2 kinds of pork, and chicken
Both come with 15 different side dishes plus unlimited rice.
As with most samgyupsal restaurants they require a minimum of 2 people to order from the unli menu.
They also offer a promo rate if you dine between 10am to 4pm.
- P450 for unli pork and chicken
- P500 for unli mix
If you want to add ramen to your meal just add P100 to your bill per order.
Unli Shabu Shabu
While we didn’t get to try this shabu shabu is not a new concept for me either. Their version lets you choose from pork or beef. Each shabu shabu comes with unli meat, vegetables, and rice.
Side dishes
This is probably the feature Premier The Samgyupsal that made me very, very happy. So many side dishes!!! We were told that they serve a total of 15 side dishes and that they change every day depending on what is available.
In addition, they also serve steamed egg and seafood soup. They aren’t officially categorized as side dishes but are also served with every unli order. Fyi, I like the chili powder they sprinkle on the egg. 😀
The Ala Carte Menu
PRICE = P350 to P1,200
The ala carte menu available for those prefer to eat just one or two things, or probably went there for a specific dish.
- Pro: there are more options offered on the ala carte menu in pork, beef, and special menu.
- Con: it comes out more expensive especially if you want more than 1 kind of meat
It also offers set meals that range in price from P200 to P480
Drinks
PRICE = P70 to P250
This is probably one aspect where they have bested other samgyupsal restaurants. Premier The Samgyupsal offers its patrons a bigger selection of drinks to choose from.
Non-alcoholic beverages
Other places offer the standard sodas.
- If Coca-Cola products they would have Coke, Coke Zero, Royal, and Sprite.
- If they carry Pepsi products they would have Pepsi, 7-Up, Mountain Dew, and Mug Root Beer.
Here they offer Cherry Coke, Coke Light, Coke Zero, Coke Classic, Royal, Sprite, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Dr. Pepper, A&W Rootbeer, and Classic Pepsi Cola. Whichever soda you choose to order, the price remains the same at P50.
Other places may offer canned juices, too. At Premier the Samgyupsal they offer more options, all of which are Del Monte juices … mango, pineapple, four seasons, and pineapple orange.
All canned juices cost P70.
Alcoholic beverages
Unlike other samgyupsal places, Premier has the most extensive alcoholic beverage offerings. They have local San Miguel beers, foreign beers, AND several flavors of Soju. For patrons who want to imbibe in alcohol while they eat and want more options, then Premier is definitely the samgyupsal restaurant you. Whether local or foreign, beer is priced at P80 while Soju is priced at P250.00.
Dessert
A Korean meal just isn’t complete if you do not cap it off with Melona or Samanco. Unlike other places, they serve many variants! This tipped the scale in their favor in my book.
The Venue
Dining
While the place is not large it does have two floors which means the seating capacity is good. For our event, we held it on the second floor.
Airconditioning
Arctic! This was different from the getgo. I am usually resigned to the heat when eating at samgyupsal places so finding out that they keep their aircon set at freezing was different.
The Toilet
The toilet is gender-neutral and is clean. My complaint, if any, is that they didn’t keep it dry (as a matter of fact there was a puddle near the toilet bowl itself). A lot of accidents happen in the bathroom/toilet. Safety first, right?
Overall, I enjoyed the experience and will surely return again soon. Premier The Samgyupsal Greenhills is located at Wilson Street. See the map below to help you find it.
Each box contains 12 sachets with 15 ml. of tonic each and is safe to take 3 times a day at most. Take one sachet, give it a good shake, tear off a corner, and just pour the contents into your mouth and drink it.
When I started taking Lola Remedios it was because I was looking for something to ease a sore throat. As a teacher and as a member of a church choir, preserving my voice is very important. But easing a sore throat is just one thing that Lola Remedios is supposed to be able to address.
It is actually touted as a cure-all for general malaise, also known colloquially as lamig. You know how sometimes you have a general feeling of unwellness but you know you aren’t really sick? THAT is lamig. It usually manifests as aches and pains all over your body, a heavy feeling, and hard knots on the shoulders and back.
Every person is entitled to ONE milk tea order. Each milk tea order is served with black pearls in a tall glass with LED lights at the bottom (which are supposed to be turned on). You can choose from Hokkaido, Okinawa, Thai, or Taro Milk Tea, whichever is available at the time of your visit.
At Samgyup King each table has a long rectangular open metal grill at its center with grooves along its side. This grill is filled with high-grade charcoal brisket for you to cook with. On one side the staff will place a flat rectangular hot plate for pan grilling. This is where we cook the meat samgyup style!
Bring your family, bring your friends, bring your co-workers! Come to a place that offers more than just samgyup. Go to Samgyup King.
As with other restaurants they have an ala carte menu and an “eat all you can” menu. In this review, I will focus on the latter because this is the menu that they really want to push. That is my gorgeous sister holding up the menu for me. 😀
In this photo here you can see that the options have already changed. The dishes that I kept going back for are the shredded sweet Japanese corn and the japchae. For those who do not know, japchae is a Korean noodle dish made with vermicelli noodles with vegetables and beef tossed in.
On the far left of the buffet is a selection of different kinds of sushi from the all-time favorite California Maki to salmon, shrimp, and tamago (egg) variations. At the window above the buffet are the chefs who were busy preparing refills of all the dishes in the buffet.
This ham and cheese sandwich is easily a favorite. There were no surprises when it came to the taste but the ham slices were thicker than can usually be found in ham sandwiches sold in cafes and the cheese is ooey-gooey. This made us feel that the customer would be getting good value for their money.
The three-cheese sandwich combines three different kinds of cheese … they didn’t tell us what they were but my tastebuds and eyes say they are cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack. It was delicious! It has the right balance of saltiness that we look for in cheese without being overpowering. The combination of cheeses was just perfect.
Yes, the corned beef sandwich still had cheese there was more corned beef than cheese. The cheese acted as more of a binder. Tastewise, it was good. Probably nothing to write home about but ok.
The tuna and cheese sandwich was the most disappointing of them all for me, probably because I know I can make it better. It was bland. I think they could have improved it by using spicy tuna instead.
We had the opportunity to try their holiday offerings, namely:
Obesity cases are another red flag in the country. Those who consume an excess of sugar and carbohydrates lead to accumulating that excess weight over time.
If you like banana bread then this banana sourdough loaf will be something you would enjoy. Instead of lacatan they used saba which has a smoother consistency and comes out sweeter when ripened (aged) correctly. I would have preferred this loaf with walnuts and probably not as sweet. I am assuming that they used artificial sweeteners like Splenda. I prefer the taste of honey.
The banoffee walnut sourdough loaf is very similar in taste to the banana sourdough loaf except with the addition of two very important ingredients … coffee and walnuts.
I confess, for us, this bread was a turn-off but we gave it a shot … several times in fact! We figured, if Hearty Bread would go to the effort of making this bread there has to be something good about it, right?
This was easy to eat but we couldn’t find the almond taste … or the almonds. It tastes just like regular bread so the kids could not even taste the difference. Eating it as a sandwich certainly makes it look “normal”.
For a few years now there has been a campaign to promote malunggay pandesal as an alternative to regular pandesal and, at the beginning people have looked at it with suspicion. Some have tried, and some have continued with what they are used to.
This was my personal favorite, but then again, I have been known to buy multigrain bread on occasion. At home, I am the only one who really eats multigrain. My parents found it too nutty but I love it!
Of all the bread my family and I got to try this was probably the easiest to try as they couldn’t tell the difference between this and the bread they like to buy in the grocery.
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