The Foodinista: June 2016

Bench Fix Salon: Worst Hair Cut Experience

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Bench Fix Salon

My HAIR is my HOLY GRAIL. My hair is so long almost reaching the butt area. I rarely have a major hair cut but I do a monthly trim around 1 inch a month to cut away thesplit ends. I love my hair being this long, it adds more confidence and makes me feel more beautiful - talk about my low self esteem! I have fat cheeks and kind of a big head so I think having a long hair makes my face look thinner and smaller. O diba, todo judge sa sarili!

I decided to have my hair cut at Sm San Lazaro Bench Fix Salon because they did trim my bangs very well last time. So I told myself why not try to have my hair cut there again since i'm already confident with the results before. I've officially decided to have my hair trimmed around 4 inches long that's a hard decision to make for me because I know it will take years and months before I grow that hair back again.

I have been experiencing dry ends and super tangled hair lately because my hair dried out from intense colouring without any treatments. It was freakin' hard to comb it and blow drying my hair every morning and became a pain in the ass! Imagine spending most of your time just to comb and fix your hair, what a waste of time!

I went to Sm San Lazaro right away and scheduled a 4pm booking for my hair cut. I will not mention the name of the stylist so to protect his reputation.

I was confident at first but right after seeing the result, I was shocked. Akala ko nga namamalik-mata lang ago and then I asked the stylist to re-do it and adjust, but it seems like he can't see the difference dun sa hair cut. He trimmed it a little and explained to me that it's because of the shape of my hair and texture that's why it looks like it's not even.

Since it looks like I don't have a win in the situation, I just gave up. Paid and left the salon.

Check the photo below, as you can see the ends should be layered but it looked so awkward. Other areas are so even and others are not.

Bench Fix Salon

At first, I thought it was okay and no one would notice. But every time I comb my hair, napaansin ko talaga so I tried contacting Bench on Facebook and apparently they kept "seen-zoning" me. They didn't even reply to my e-mail as of this writing which is more than a month after this hair tragedy LOL. I lost my patience already and ranted on my Instagram account. I tagged Bench Fix Salon's Page and even had the courage to tag Mr. Ben Chan who is the owner of Bench Company to resolve this issue.

Maybe you would ask why I ranted instead of going to the Salon directly to form a complaint?

Well it's because I don't trust them enough to have my hair done there again. They might ruin it even more, I got paranoid and thought they might gang up on me.

Hair Cut Bench Fix Salon

GUESS WHAT?

Mr. Ben Chan replied to me 10 to 15 min. after that post. Gosh I was so happy yet a little embarrassed at the same time thinking maybe he was laughing while reading my rant and told himself talagang sa Instagram nagreklamo to. Haha! But I am happy to know that he is very reliable. He replies faster than their customer service, just wow.

His manager Dale sent me a DM and asked their store manager to contact me so they can fix it. However, I told them that I'd have my hair remedied on a different branch nalang cause I was too afraid that they might ruin it more. My intention here is not actually for them to fire the stylist or reprimand him, I just want to have my hair cut fix without having to pay another extra fee and of course for them to know they should double check the quality of work their stylists gives at Bench Fix. Awareness, kumabaga.

Ms. Jessica who is the Head Store Manager contacted me right away the next day and I was very happy how she handled the situation. She calmly apologized to me and told me they'll fix everything and gave me a free hair cut. I explained to him that my hair is of course my holy grail and I chose their Salon because of my trust on their services.

I was sent to Bench Fix Greenhills Branch which is my choice of branch for a re-do of my awful hair, and I was very happy on the service they provided me. My stylist's name is JAMES and he is a senior stylist in Gh Branch. I recommend you look for him when you pay a visit here, he is really good and obviously, he knows what he's doing. According to him, my hair is really awfully cut. It's not really even. Especially because I have a very straight hair which makes minor mistake on cut too obvious.

Thank you Mr. Ben Chan and Sir James and also to Ms. Jessica for accommodating my concern.

Anyway, it's a good lesson for me to do research first before I go to Salons. Also, do not be afraid to complain when you have one or even rant if needed. Companies need to know what they have to improve on their services and that should be from us customers. Feedback is always important for the betterment of their service.

HAVE A HAPPY HAIR DAY LADIES!

Reply From Mr. Ben Chan of Bench Fix Salon

Beef Salpicao

Runner's Kitchen, Tomas Morato

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Runner's Kitchen Front

I have been a very active reviewer on Looloo when I discovered the app and I must say hard work really pays off! Haha! I have been invited to Looloo Eat Ups and have won GCs because of being an active reviewer. I appreciate how they thank their reviewers through constantly sending out gifts and freebies. I've won a P500 worth of Runner's Kitchen Gift Certificate. Thanks to Ms. Looloo Peanut D. So when I received it, I really looked forward to the time where I will be able to use it.

Runner's Kitchen is located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. It's very easy to locate and is even below a gym so if you live in the area, it will be nice to drop by after an exhausting work out. I visited around 2pm in the afternoon on a weekday. There were few customers I guess because it's not peak hours when I went there. I was greeted politely by their staff and to be honest, I've felt a little embarrassed going there just to claim my Gift Certificate.

I'm no healthy eater. I hate veggies. Not OA ha but that's how I feel about veggies. We were not really raised eating healthy foods. My parents know how much I hate veggies so most of the time, they will not serve me any since they know the food will just be wasted if they cook one for me. Though you might find it weird that I enjoy DRINKING Veggie smoothies or juices. I can tolerate them even more when drank cause the awkward taste don't linger on my taste buds and I can just gulp water after to avoid feeling gross out of it.

Anyway, back to Runner's Kitchen, when I researched and read reviews about it, I knew I'd be eating something and HEALTHY AND ORGANIC. Actually the term healthy gives me goosebumps, it's alien to me. I also had the impression that HEALTHY FOOD is equivalent to NOT TASTY; and most of the time tastes blunt. I'm no health buff or calorie conscious so I've never really experienced eating in a restaurant which serves organic food.

Inside Runner's Kitchen

Runner's Kitchen serves organic food and vegetables which means it's not processed. They even have gluten free dairy free and gluten free food, with this they support local farmers which is really admirable. Runner's Kitchen is owned by Bianca King, Glaiza De Castro, Xander Angeles, Abby Assistio and more.

As I went inside, I was like WOW! This place is so freakin 'cozy and nice. The details were very intricate, looks like they really thought about the interior and decorations really well, it is very curated and very INSTAGRAMMABLE. Rustic feels, Wooden Chairs and Tables, Fancy Wine Bottles, Hanging Lights Bulbs, Typography Boards, Fancy Plants (For Flatlays) LOL! Name it all.

Cashier Area of Runner's Kitchen

The best place is to sit down on this area which is just below the bike. It has a good lighting for Food Photography and best for Instagrammers.

I ordered the Beef Salpicao as my main course. Haven't had lunch yet when I went here I was craving for something heavy with rice. When I saw the menu, I got a little overwhelmed cause I felt like I have no idea what I should be ordering. Beef Salpicao looked familiar to me so I ordered it. It's P395 which is a little pricey for a meal without rice.

Beef Salpicao includes Organic Sirloin, Wilted Kale and Tomato Confit. I ordered an additional starch - Black Rice for P50. Never tried black rice before so it made me a little nervous. Surprisingly, I LOVED IT. The beef was so tender and I was able to eat the Kale cause it was so DELICIOUS. Everything was very well flavored, with just the right amount of saltiness.

At first I thought the black rice will not be enough cause I'm a huge rice consumer. I can't skip an important meal without rice. But 'twas good.
PLUS POINTS on the plating which made me really earned a lot of likes on Looloo cause it made the photo beautiful!

Beef Spareribs P395

Beef Spareribs Close Up

I was sitting under the bike section and I enjoyed this view. (Down Below)
I spent my time looking into every detail of this restaurant cause they've really put a lot of effort to it.

For the drinks, I ordered their MALUSOG smoothie for P160. I find this cheap for the quality of serving. The mason jar was so full. Good!

MALUSOG is made of Spinach, Oats, and Banana + Cashew Milk. I really had a hard time looking for a smoothie to drink because I wanted to try everything. I believe I made the RIGHT choice. It's well worth it! The banana complimented the overall taste and the cashew milk just made everything balanced. I was even munching on tiny bits of oats.

healthy P160

Overall, I totally enjoyed my first experience with Runner's Kitchen and will definitely come back if I have the chance and of course the ka-ching! Haha! I suggest you follow them on Instagram and Facebook cause they are very active on social media. HEALTHY AND HAPPY customer here, will definitely be back!