The Foodinista: Sandwiches

Subway, Festival Mall Alabang

Monday, July 09, 2018

The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 33,000 locations in over 92 countries. Coming to the Philippines in 1990, Subway's first branch was in Glorietta 1.

Today, Subway has 40 branches in the Philippines, serving freshly made subs to our customers every day.

Imagine freshly baked bread stuffed with tender sliced chicken, ham, crispy bacon, melted cheese, and your choice of tasty vegetables and condiments. Now, stop imaging and get your mouth over to your nearest SUBWAY® Restaurant.

Sandwiches don't make me go crazy. It's probably on one of the the least favorite food I'd want to eat. Maybe cause it's not as appetizing and sinful as burgers!? LOL! I'm not a fan of sandwiches because I feel like they are not filling and would tastes bland at most times. I'd prefer salad wraps, panini or bahn mi over sandwiches. My sister asked me to give Subway sandwiches a chance because she started replacing her rice meals over it and she has been really enjoying this healthier and tastier option so far.

When I went to Alabang Festival Mall to hang out with my friends, I had the opportunity to dine at Subway so I gave it a try!
I'm clueless on what to order at first because everything on the menu seemed the same to me, then SUBWAY MELT caught my attention. The word 'melt' made me think that the sandwich must taste close to Wendy's Bacon Mushroom Melt and so I ordered it right away!

Subway restaurants look so aesthetically pleasing! The green and yellow general color palette with vintage brown accents reminds me of 60's retro pop. Dining here feels like being taken to the past and set to eat in a classic sandwich bar.

The SUBWAY MELT is priced at ₱245 for a foot long which can already be good for 2 people to consume. You can ask them to slice it in half in case you plan on sharing it. The price point is reasonable because of the healthy fillings available that you can choose from.

HEALTHY FOOD = EXPENSIVE; this has always been the equation.

My boyfriend and I just shared 1 order and I can say it's unexpectedly filling!

Final Verdict: 50/50

I think all the ingredients available were something that can be prepared and made at home except for the perfectly toasted bread ~ you can't replicate that! The bacon was crispy and the ham added savoriness to the sandwich. If it weren't for the meat, the sandwich would taste bland. I'm not a fan of cucumber and pickles so I immediately removed them. Overall it was an OK meal. There was nothing really special about it but it is something that I would eat again if I want a meal that's light, easy to eat, re-heat and healthy!

Subway Melt

Board Game Cafe

Tabletaft Boardgame Cafe, University Mall

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

TableTaft is a brand new and insanely fun hangout place in Taft. Students in the Taft area can now experience a fun filled and stress relieving good time with friends and classmates with their extensive collection of over 150 modern designer boardgames! Compliment your gaming sessions with their snacks, rice bowls, pastas, and milkshakes that will surely satisfy your cravings while you play.

Tabletaft Boardgame Cafe, University Mall

TableTaft is located at the 2nd Floor of University Mall in Malate, Manila literally just beside LRT Vito Cruz Station and just a few steps away from DLSU South Gate. It's a pretty spacious boardgame cafe that can cater up to 70 people.

I'm really not new to the current era of modern boardgames, but the ones I've gone to before are located at Makati, Quezon City and Pasig. Finally, I'm glad that a new boardgame cafe has opened in the Manila area that's really accessible due to it being right next to an LRT Station and a main road where different buses and jeepneys pass by.

Interior (Old photo during their soft opening)

The cafe has a very homey, light, and minimalistic vibe. The white brick wall on one side of the cafe gives the place a very clean yet classy and modern look.

I'm fascinated with the level of details they put into the design and intricacies of the cafe. They even have a few giant Monopoly inspired "property cards" hanging on one side of the cafe where they changed the properties from the original game into different intersections of Taft Avenue such as P. Ocampo, Pedro Gil, and Kalaw. On the opposite wall is a chalk mural of different icons and characters from various classic and modern boardgames.

Chalkboard Graffiti

For first timers, they have a list of boardgames for first time players. Here, they recommend different boardgames for different types of game mechanics such as cooperative games, luck-based games, friendship over/bluffing games, party games, and competitive strategy games. This is a great way of introducing the modern era of boardgames to beginners. But if you prefer a more personal approach, they have a full-time game coach to help you choose games and even teach you and guide you through the games.

Hall of Fame

150+ Board Games

FOOD

Jalapeño Poppers

Their Jalapeño Poppers is the perfect finger food if you want to enjoy your meal without being too messy. I surprisingly liked it despite not being a fan of Jalapeños, or anything spicy to be honest. It has the right amount of spiciness and wasn't too intimidating.

I appreciate that most of the food they serve here are made with the thought of "playing while eating" in mind. They make sure the food can be eaten without messing up the games.

Jalapeño Poppers

Beef Salpicao

TableTaft's Beef Salpicao is one of my favorites! The meat is tender, very buttery and sautéed perfectly. I usually mix the rice bowl first so that the I can spread the butter evenly. It's not dry and even the mushrooms were well-seasoned. <3

Beef Salpicao

Crispy Mushroom Pasta
The most sulit P150 I've spent for a pasta dish. A penne pasta lathered in white sauce topped with bits of crispy oyster mushroom with a side of garlic bread. The sauce has a creamy buttery taste which I find a little too much when I finish the whole plate. I would prefer if the mushrooms were bigger instead of the mushroom bits which I think will add more flavor to the dish.
One of the TableTaft's MUST-TRY Pasta Dish!

Crispy Mushroom Pasta

Salsa Verde Fish Fillet

Dory fish topped with white cream sauce mixed with chopped kangkong. Perfect for those who want a light yet filling rice bowl. :)

Salsa Verde Fish Fillet

Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken thigh drizzled in savory special teriyaki sauce sprinkled with sesame seeds.

MUST-ORDER!

This is one of TableTaft's best-selling dish and according to them some students keep coming back for this. <3 Teriyaki's aren't my thing cause i'm not a fan of sweet-savory food but their version of Teriyaki has the perfect balance of sweet and salty that makes it bearable for me to eat. The chicken was pretty tender too, I loved it!

Chicken Teriyaki

DRINKS & DESSERTS

SPECIAL BREWED ICED TEA P50

Iced tea has been a staple drink in many fast food chains and restaurants especially in the Philippines. With the number of restaurants creating their own version of this much loved drink it became pretty challenging for me to look for the best one. When I discovered Tabletaft's Special Brewed Iced Tea it was love at first sip! It's very light and has a distinct leafy taste that makes it refreshing and unique among other Iced Teas i've tried. Definitely one of the best in town!

Special Brewed Iced Tea

ICED COFFEE

Iced Coffee

MILO DINO

Milo Dino

S'MORES MILKSHAKE

S'mores Milkshake

OREO COFFE JELLY
It's simple yet very tasty. I love the fact that it contains different things that I like such as the slight bitterness of the coffee jelly, the crunchy Oreo bits and the sweet cream poured all over.

Coffee Jelly

APPLE TURON A LA MODE
I heard from friends that this is the dessert than turns into everyone's favorite when visiting Tabletaft.
I find the taste and texture interesting when the hot apple turon is eaten with the cold vanilla ice cream on top. The contrast really spikes my tastebuds! It's also interesting how they changed the typical banana turon and instead made it with a sweet apple filling.

Apple Turon A La Mode

Students in the area can spend their breaks here whether long or short ones. It's a great place to hang out and chill with your classmates or to reunite with old friends over great food choices to compliment a fun filled boardgame session. :) Their growing collection of 150+ boardgames is more than enough for both casual players and hardcore strategists, and I'm really excited to try all their games! First time players will definitely want to come back and spend more breaks here to try and play their entire collection, and of course to try other items from the menu.

TableTaft's current operating hours is 11am – 9pm from Mondays to Wednesdays and 11am - 10pm on Thursdays to Saturdays.

Bahnmi

Bon Banhmi Vietnamese Sandwich, Makati

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Background

The National Geographic has ranked Vietnamese Banh Mi as one of the most 15 delicious sandwich of the world.

According to Richard Johnson, author of the book "Lonely Planet's The World's Best Street Food", Vietnamese Sandwich is the best street food in the world.

The 70 year history of Vietnamese bread has created a unique combination between baguette and traditional food into tasty and nutritious dish. Ingredient selecting would be the first part with the highest requirement for freshness. They are all provided from reliable suppliers with the strictly process of hygiene and quality control.

Bonbanhmi will definitely be the most perfect bread from Vietnam. Actually, Bonbanhmi is pleased to bring you a delicious healthy meal, it also is super fast meal for the hustle pace of modern life.

Biting a very crisp of Bonbanhmi, you are just like enjoying the best fine cuisine and the top of taste balancing skill in Vietnamese Sandwich.

Bon Bahn Mi Sandwich

I have always been fascinated on how Banhmi Sandwiches tasted. I'm not a fan of sandwiches so it's not something I would crave for from time to time, not until I have tried Bon Banhmi's sandwich in Makati! I can't believe my workplace is very close to the BEST, if not one of the BEST Banhmi sandwiches in Manila. The only branches I have visited so far would be their Mayapis branch and their newly opened stall in Taft, Vito Cruz!

Bon Banhmi offers a very limited set of menu but i've tried almost everything on their menu and neither one of them disappoints <3

I was so happy when they opened a branch in Vito Cruz cause it's so convenient for me to buy one for lunch before I go to the office. I also feel happy for the Lasalle Students that a healthy take away meal is now available just a few steps away from School!

New Stall in University Mall

I am a person who's always in a hurry as in - late - not punctual and I always end up eating fast food which isn't good for my body especially if it's becoming an everyday routine so when I discovered Bon Bahnmi, Dang it was heaven sent! It's everything that i've always wanted - a quick and healthy take-away meal that is also affordable!

Updated Menu

TOP 3 FAVORITES

1. Roasted Pork Banhmi

2. Grilled Beef Banhmi

*3. Traditional Banhmi

This includes three types of ham. Made of pork lean paste, sated shredded meat, pig's head past, boiled meat, jambon, bahn mi's special paste, and mayonnaise.

I usually order the Large one before priced at P119 but I can't seem to finish all of it so I just order their medium size. They don't scrimp out on the ingredients and the sandwich still stays crispy even after leaving it for an hour untouched!