No Place Like Omakase

Omakase for me is comfort food! Whenever I’m having a lousy experience trying out a new restaurant, I long for nothing but to be transported to Omakase where I can indulge in simple but good food. I recently got my wish and ordered some old favorites.

American Dream (195php)

The dish that made me love Omakase. It’s so good that I never fail to order it on every visit. Words really can’t describe how much I love this crunchy delight which has two of my favourite food ingredients: cream cheese and salmon. Best to try it yourself and don’t forget to dip the roll in Omakase’s addictive secret sauce.

Everything Tastes Better with This

Spicy Tuna Salad (220php)

The tuna is usually fresh with just the right amount of spiciness to keep this dish interesting. Unfortunately, I found the salad served this time lacking the usual kick it had. An off-night maybe?

Chicken Bento (335php)

This was Nina’s order and she had trouble finishing it as the bento was carbo heavy with servings of fried rice, California maki, & breaded shrimps. She was also disappointed with the tiny portion of Teriyaki chicken. A scoop of ice cream comes with the bento by the way.

Gyudon(240php)

Murtle was generous enough to let me have a taste and this was better than other gyudons I’ve tried. It was flavorful, tender, and not dry at all. A good dish to recommend to rice lovers.

As always, Omakase didn’t fail in delivering a comforting dining experience. Other dishes in Omakase that I recommend are Jurassic Maki, Oyster Butteryaki, and Aspara Beef Roll.

If you have been living under a rock and have yet to visit Omakase, do yourself a favor and head to the nearest branch right now.

Omakase is located at Upper Ground Floor Il Terazzo Sct. Madrinan Corner Tomas Morato Quezon City 3324115. It has other branches in Libis, Alabang, and Greenhills.

Rough Night at Ascend

Another Banawe escapade, another massage parlor to try. I didn’t enjoy my experience at Ascend though.

Ascend's Lobby

It's cheap... that's for sure!

I, in fact, hated my Chi-Thai massage for several reasons:

1. STUPID STICKS: I was excited to try the Chi-Thai massage because I thought it was going to be different for it utilizes sticks in the massage process. The massage indeed started with the sticks but it was all for show. There was no technique or science behind the use of the sticks and it certainly didn’t give any comfort to the body. Walang kwenta!!! Good thing the stick show only lasted for a few seconds.

2. ROUGH TECHNIQUES: I also felt that the techniques used for the massage were a little too rough for one to relax. I don’t mind a little stretching but the stretching component of Chi-Thai massage was simply too much. I was put in such awkward positions that I wondered if I would be breaking a bone in the process.

3. SLEEPY THERAPIST: My therapist was also probably tired from the long night that there were some instances wherein she just stopped from what she was doing. I guess that I should be thankful that she didn’t completely fall asleep as she resumed after a few seconds. This, however, is simply not acceptable.

It’s safe to assume that I will never go back to Ascend. There are far better massage joints in the market for me to return to this one.

Ascend Chi-Thai Therapy is located at 115 D. Tuazon Cor. Maria Clara St. Quezon City. It is open daily from 11am to 12midnight.Telephone number is 6646585.

Chateau Hestia Wonderland

My friends and I celebrated 10 years of friendship in Tagaytay. See what we were up to. This is the last of 3 parts.

Before leaving Tagaytay, my friends and I made sure to have lunch in a Tagaytay restaurant that we’ve all not tried before. We ended up at Chateau Hestia, a European insprired restaurant.

I love the overall look of this garden restaurant.

Entrance to Chateau Hestia



Chateau Hestia is also a bed & breakfast. Here's a model unit.

Dining Area

On to the food...

Complimentary Bread Basket

Loved the variety of bread.

Hestia’s Onion Soup (120php)

Good version though I wish that this was presented more appetizingly.

Forest Mushroom Soup (130php)

Certainly better than the canned variety.



Alt Wiener Erdapfel Suppe or Potato Soup (125php)

 My favorite soup among the three. Rich in potato flavor.

Pasta di Mare or Scallops and Prawns in Pomodoro Sauce (320php)

My favorite dish at Chateau Hestia. Has to be because of the sauce’s strong garlicky taste.

Say Cheese (540php for 12 inches)

My friends loved this cheese pizza but this just tasted ok for me. Probably because I had a cheese overload before going to Tagaytay.

Wiener Schnitzel or Pork Schnitzel Vienna-Style (380php)

This is supposedly a famous Viennese dish of pan-fried and thinly-sliced pork cutlet. This, however, was a disappointment as it just reminded me of liempo. The bread also had the consistency of a fruitcake. Not what I expected from a house specialty.

Osso Buco Milanese (480php)

The beef was at least soft but the flavors of this osso buco was bland. Enjoyed eating the mashed potato more than the osso buco.

Sausage Platter of Debriziner, Austrian Buren,
 and Bockwurst with cheese (430php)

I only liked the Austrian Buren as the other two tasted like commercial sausages that I could easily get from the supermarket. (think of the Purefoods and Swift variety) Needless to say, Santi’s sausages are far superior than Chateau Hestia’s.

Chateau Hestia is known for its Limoncello so we had to order it. It was the perfect way to cap a 10 year anniversary weekend.



Limoncello (750php per bottle)

 While this looks harmless, the Limoncello was certainly no mild drink as some friends (who will not be named) reeled from too much “celebration.” 25% alcohol content if I’m not mistaken. Tastes only a hint of lemon as the strong alcohol flavor dominated every shot.

Though the food didn’t wow us, we have no regrets in choosing Chateau Hestia to cap our Tagaytay weekend as the Limoncello made us forget about any negative thoughts we had with the place. Chateau Hestia is a place where visiting it once is enough. Good to try but I don’t think I’ll ever be back.

Chateau Hestia Garden Restaurant is located at Purok 5, Brgy. Bukal, Silang, Cavite, Philippines 4118. For more information, visit http://www.chateauhestia.com/