Movie Review: The Wolverine

Image from here.

When he's most vulnerable, he's most dangerous.

As much as we'd like to forget the first Wolverine movie, The Wolverine is the second film based on the character. Chronologically set after the forgettable X:Men: The Last Stand, this is now the latest story in the X-Men universe. An emotionally scarred Logan is faced with a whole new type of threat as he travels to Japan with his immortality compromised.

The movie is dark and realistic, which is a perfect way to narrate a story for this superhero. You can even count it as being Nolanized. Throughout most of the movie, the characters and action are all very grounded and that makes everything that happens in the movie that much more special. It's barely a superhero movie anymore. It's about a warrior with a dark past, who just happens to have foot-long claws protruding from his fists.

Image from here.

Hugh Jackman does a great job and for the first time, I'm really starting to see him be the character. I don't know if it's the more mature face or just the physique, but he is no longer the lanky dude that was cast as Wolvie. He has become the Wolverine.

The setting is great for the film, though the progression of the plot felt dragging at some points. The other characters and the dynamics they provided were very interesting, however the story was at times, quite predictable. I think they set themselves up for something amazing with this film and fell short at the end of it. Still, we are left with the movie that portrays Wolverine in the best way so far.

Other Notable Cast:
Hiroyuki Sanada as Shingen Yashida - This bad-ass actor is the samurai from Lost.
Will Yun Lee as Kenuichio Harada - Voice of the lead character Wei Shen from the game Sleeping Dogs.
Brian Tee as Noburo Mori - He's the DK from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Rating: 3.5/5 - Despite being all about Wolverine only, this is a solid movie for the cool, unique take on the superhero. Definitely worth the watch for the latest events in the X-Men universe.

Loved The Wolverine? Hated it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Here's the trailer!

A Taal Tale: Café Breton

About 3 weeks ago, Alvie and I set off on an adventure with a couple of office mates to do something new: trek up Taal right to its crater! Unfortunately, Alvie did not feel well enough to do just that, but we went for it anyway. She just took a couple of books with her so while we were garnering thorn scratches and exhaustion,  she'd go on a literary adventure of her own.

We were looking for a tourist-friendly place for breakfast, dropped by Paseo and decided on Café Breton the moment we saw it. Can't go wrong there! My breakfast was a well-balanced one.

Galette Rustique, P200.00

smoked bacon, tomato provencal, mozarella, egg (sunny side-up).
Galettes are buckwheat crepes. Why are the wheat versions of everything much better?? Brown Rice > White Rice. Wheat Bread > White Bread. Bran Flakes > Corn Flakes. Whole Wheat Spaghetti.. hmm.. well maybe not everything. I really like galettes though. They're like crepes that have more texture and substance. Everything on it was great too. The tomatoes were sweet and tasty and the rest were good too. They kind of misled with "bacon" there though. This is ham! Is it Canadian bacon? Haha.

Butter & Sugar, P88.00

Crepes don't get much simpler than this, but interestingly enough, this is one of the most reliably delicious crepes they have. Confectioner's sugar and butter go swimmingly with the perfectly textured crepe. Not a bad price at 88 pesos either. Delicious!

Menu:
Dessert Crepes
Savoury Galettes

Verdict:
Galette Rustique: Good
Butter & Sugar: Very Good

Our guests also really liked the crepes! That galette rustique was a good piece of well-balanced energy for the Taal!

To be continued...
A Taal Tale: The Advineture

Love Cafe Breton? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



CAFÉ BRETON
Unit 2&3, Paseo de Sta. Rosa,
Tagaytay Road, Sta. Rosa, Laguna
(02) 687-5971 / (02) 852 6666
Facebook: Craving for Crêpes @ Café Breton


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Yabu: Bed of Rosus

I wish I could just lie down on one of these.

A couple of weeks ago, we received a very pleasant surprise and a first for us: an invite to try the new dishes at Yabu. What?? Well, allow me to check my schedu... Of course! We are extremely honored that our opinions and pictures are read and appreciated in the first place, and it's Yabu, so we accepted at the drop of a hat.

Rosu 90g Set, P315.00

Served with unlimited Japanese white rice or organic brown rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, organic cabbage with your choice of dressing and a bowl of fruit.
I get into this in greater detail in our first review, but the side dishes are as great as always. It's a meal in itself! Unlimited cabbage with awesome sauces and wasabi, great unlimited Japanese rice or healthy brown rice, Japanese pickles and refillable miso soup. There's fruit too but I don't pay much attention to that. Haha. These perfectly accompany the main dishes.

3/4 inch-thick, juicy pork cutlet with a trimming of fat. Made with certified U.S. pork, for a softer, tastier dish.
I did a bit of research so I can maintain some semblance that I'm savvy about some things. Knowledge is power! Haha. So, there are two main kinds of tonkatsu pork: Hire,which is lean pork fillet that we don't care about right now, and Rosu, which is softer and more flavorful due to slightly fattier pork loin. Yabu's Rosu katsu is all high-quality 'Merican pork.

We just got the smallest size for this one in order to conserve stomach real estate, and it was still considerably large, so that was impressive. This may have been fatty, but as you can see, the fat is perfectly distributed across the meat so every bite is a good experience. One of my pet peeves when it comes to Tonkatsu (since I was in grade school) is that sometimes, the edges within the breading are just a thick, nasty layer of fat. No such problem here!

I may be losing some food reviewer street cred here, but I honestly did not notice much difference between this and the Kurobuta pork we tried last time. This was exactly as soft. Alvie pointed out that the Kurobuta has a richer pork taste, and I think I understand. I guess it doesn't make too much difference to me since I use a lot of the delicious katsu sauce anyway. At 315 pesos, this set has great value for money. My advice is if you want to savor the true flavor of the meat, go for Kurobuta. If you're not sensitive to that, go Rosu.

Another of many options for taste would be getting the Layu Sauce (P35) for some addictive, non-spicy, rich garlic chili oil to go with your pork.

Kirin, P95.00

This was recommended to me as a good companion to the Rosu pork and I'd say it was. A sip of Kirin then a bite of Rosu and it almost felt like Christmas. Truth be told though, I don't count myself as a beer drinker. I only drink when there's nothing else around and would take Tanduay Ice instead any day of the week. Just the same, Kirin had a very smooth taste and is a fair deal at 95 pesos. I found it to be a bit too bitter, which is what I don't like about beer anyway so don't take my word for it. :) It's also served in an ice-cold mug so that you don't need ice watering down your drink.

Kurobuta Miso Katsu Set, P580.00

Yabu's miso katsu is your choice of rosu, hire, or Kurobuta pork cutlet topped with sweet miso sauce, sprinkled generously with spring onions and ground sesame seeds, all served on a Japanese hot plate.
This is served with all the side dishes as the Rosu set above. Erika, our food guide for the day, recommended that we try the Kurobuta version and we were more than happy to. The Kurobuta meat did not fail and was as soft as ever, almost melting under every bite. The delicious pork taste was accentuated by the miso sauce that it had absorbed at the bottom. I liked the miso sauce, it was a subtler, sweeter, yet still-as-tangy version of the normal Katsu sauce. If you like the usual tonkatsu but prefer your dish with more moisture, this would be your ideal order.

Seafood Katsu Set 2, P545.00

Salmon, black tiger prawn, crab, oyster.
For our last dish, we deviated and indulged in the fruit of the seas, Yabu-style. As usual, all side dishes included. This is a bit much to talk about so let's tackle this one by one.
Salmon - This version of my favourite fish is something I might actually like more than the Rosus and Kurobutas. I'm not decided yet. :) What I'm sure of though, is that the salmon was really good. It is enveloped in the Katsu breading and yet, is not overcooked at all. It was very moist and juicy, seemingly only semi-cooked in texture.
Black Tiger Prawn - A Katsu Tempura. It was good, but did not really wow me. I would normally prefer the regular tempura because you get to savor the shrimp's feel more but I still enjoyed this for variety.

Crab on the left, Oyster on the right.

Crab - Creamy shredded fresh crab meat on the inside. It was good and because I have zero patience for digging out crab meat from its shell, this is one of the few opportunities I have to enjoy fresh crab meat.
Oyster - Fresh oyster pieces in Katsu were amazing. The oysters were very fresh and tasty, and quite addictive. It was malansa in a great way, so much so that no matter what sauce I dipped it in, the rich oyster taste just pierced through it all and went straight for the warm embrace of my taste buds.

Menu:
Tonkatsu Sets
Miso Katsu Set

Verdict: 
Rosu 90g Set: Very Good
Layu Sauce: Good
Kirin: Good
Kurobuta Miso Katsu Set: Good
Seafood Katsu Set 2: Very Good

That was quite a lot of food for the two of us! I was raised with a habit of not leaving food on my plate as much as possible and it's turning me into a glutton. Haha! A big thanks to Erika for introducing us to all these wonderful dishes, making us feel very welcome, the nice conversations, and not throwing us out when we amateurishly started snapping photos with our cellphones. We had a great time and this was a monumental occasion for us! :)

I liked Yabu after our first visit and now, I love it. I can't wait to visit again and try even more dishes. I've had my eye on the soft-shell crab for the longest time! I think we aren't even close to halfway through the many great offerings they have.

Love Yabu? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!

DISCLAIMER: This was an invitation, but all opinions and descriptions in this post are my own, except for the menu descriptions I sometimes place below the pictures in italics. ;)



Our First Visit:
Yabu: Enter Kurobota

The Rival:
Saboten: Enjoyin' Some Loin

Other Restaurants in SM Aura:
Sbarro: Rolling in the Deep Dish
SM Aura Premier: Pepper Lunch Express under the Sky Park

Other Restaurants in The Fort:
Good Earth Roasts (GER)
Gyu-Kaku: The Time is Ripe to Grill Some Tripe
IHOP: The Latest Pancake Craze
Jollibee: Ultimate Burger Steak and Flip Float
Kasbah: A Moroccan Lunch
Órale!: The Best Quesadillas
Pancake House: Cookie Butter Pancakes Surprise
The Best Pasta of Pasto
Racks: My Favourite Ribs
Red Garlic Bistro: Trotting the Globe, Clove by Clove
S&R: My Favourite Pizza
Saint's Alp: Taiwanese Chicken Goodness
Seattle's Best: Sea Salt and Salad
Stacy's: The Sweet Kind of Retro
Stella Wood Fired Bistro: Nothing Less Than Stellar
Sunshine Kitchen: Second Dawn
Tapeo: Spanish Surprise at the Fort Strip
Toast Box: Going Goreng
Tokyo Tokyo: Burgers and Chopsticks
The Cheese Steak Shop: Philly Cheese Steaks in the Phillyppines
The Kebab Factory: The TKF Trilogy
Uncle Cheffy: A Piece 'a Panizza
Wildflour's Cronut: The Doughnut and Croissant's Love Child
Wrong Ramen: The Weirder, The Better

YABU: HOUSE OF KATSU
5th Floor, SM Aura Premier,
McKinley Parkway corner 26th St.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Website: http://yabu.ph/
Facebook: Yabu: House of Katsu

Yabu: Enter Kurobuta

Every once in a while you learn a new word that changes your outlook on food a little bit. I still remember hearing about Kobe beef and to this day, I always think of Kobe Bryant when I hear it. Haha. While I have not had the luxury of trying that, luckily for us the similarly superior version of pork, called Kurobuta, is vastly more reachable.

It really was glowing!

Everyone and their uncle has already been to Yabu and I've heard great things, so I was really looking forward to this visit. Strangely, we even got to try the recently opened Saboten first, because it was the first to open in the Fort. Comparisons below! ;)

A safe and delicious haven.

First of all, they have a great-looking place in SM Aura, right by the Sky Park! The interior looks very fancy and I love the contrast against the manga draped across the walls. From my intense sleuthing skills, I found out (from the menu) that Yabu partnered with an established Chef Kazuya in order to perfect their food. He is also the inspiration for the comic strips featuring the art of Tonkatsu. Cool!

Pick your poison.

There's definitely no lack of condiments to keep you on the edge of your plate (lol does that phrase even make sense?). Before you get started, you can start preparing your sauce by grinding sesame seeds yourself and mixing in the sweet and tangy sauce.

Alvie and I weren't hungry so we opted to get a single meal of Kurobuta (we weren't going to pass that up!) and one extra order of unlimited cabbage (P80). This is a great way of making the meal a bit lighter on the wallet, too. :)

Kurobuta Pork Set 120g, P575.00

3/4 inch cutlet made from "rosu", or pork with a trimming of fat.
Served with unlimited Japanese rice or organic brown rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, organic cabbage with your choice of dressing and a bowl of fruit.
A veritable feast of a meal! Let's walk through everything that comes with it, shall we?
Random fruits: not my thing, but okay, sure you can add that to my meal.
Miso soup: Standard, good miso soup.
Japanese pickles: I love snacking on these.
Unlimited cabbage: Mix and match the condiments to your taste! I especially love the yellow, potent wasabi. Cabbage is rarely this exciting.
Unlimited rice: The brown rice was not bad, and the Japanese rice was really good. This places anyone dieting into quite a dilemma.

Kurobuta, also known as the Black Berkshire pig, is the world's finest pork. It is called the "kobe beef" of pork, due to its rich marbling, softness and flavor.
...and of course, the Kurobuta tonkatsu. It was actually a bit thick and as soon as I bit into it, I understood the hype. It was perfectly prepared in nice and flavorful breading. The real charm for me is how soft it was. I've only had softer pork one time in my life, and it was lechon from Uruguay. The quantity wasn't bad too, Alvie and I split it and each had a decent light portion of meat. The best thing is that the pork didn't taste too fatty, and had a lean feel to it despite being so soft. Kurobuta is a name I shan't soon forget.

Saboten vs. Yabu
Now having tried both, we can do a small comparison of the two rival Katsu kings. I don't know who started copying first, but the experience was very, very similar. Think McDonald's and Jollibee. They only differ in a few things. Gun to my head though, it would have to go to Yabu for me. They introduced me to Kurobuta, something Saboten doesn't have, and totally win in variety. Lots of different interesting dishes make choosing your lunch a difficult task, and you even have brown rice as an option if you are somehow able to resist the call of the amazing Japanese rice.. As far as the experience of the two though, it's almost the same.

Menu:
Premium Tonkatsu Set

Verdict:
Kurobuta Pork Set 120g: Very Good!

We were very pleased with our meal and service was excellent. Very coincidentally, the day after we had this dinner, I was surprised to encounter a first in our young blogging history: we got an invitation from none other than Yabu to come and try out their newest dishes!

Yabba dabba doo! Stay tuned for that! :) UPDATE: Link below!

Love Yabu? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



We visited again!
Yabu: Bed of Rosus

The Rival:
Saboten: Enjoyin' Some Loin

Other Restaurants in SM Aura:
Sbarro: Rolling in the Deep Dish
SM Aura Premier: Pepper Lunch Express under the Sky Park

Other Restaurants in The Fort:
Good Earth Roasts (GER)
Gyu-Kaku: The Time is Ripe to Grill Some Tripe
IHOP: The Latest Pancake Craze
Jollibee: Ultimate Burger Steak and Flip Float
Kasbah: A Moroccan Lunch
Órale!: The Best Quesadillas
Pancake House: Cookie Butter Pancakes Surprise
The Best Pasta of Pasto
Racks: My Favourite Ribs
Red Garlic Bistro: Trotting the Globe, Clove by Clove
S&R: My Favourite Pizza
Saint's Alp: Taiwanese Chicken Goodness
Seattle's Best: Sea Salt and Salad
Stacy's: The Sweet Kind of Retro
Stella Wood Fired Bistro: Nothing Less Than Stellar
Sunshine Kitchen: Second Dawn
Tapeo: Spanish Surprise at the Fort Strip
Toast Box: Going Goreng
Tokyo Tokyo: Burgers and Chopsticks
The Cheese Steak Shop: Philly Cheese Steaks in the Phillyppines
The Kebab Factory: The TKF Trilogy
Uncle Cheffy: A Piece 'a Panizza
Wildflour's Cronut: The Doughnut and Croissant's Love Child
Wrong Ramen: The Weirder, The Better

YABU: HOUSE OF KATSU
5th Floor, SM Aura Premier,
McKinley Parkway corner 26th St.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Website: http://yabu.ph/
Facebook: Yabu: House of Katsu


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Mann Hann: Dynasty Dinners

I did a bit of research about the name of Mann Hann and came across this amusing backstory on their weird site:

Mann Hann was  derived from an ancient Chinese legend that the owners  love to tell their children.  The romance involved Mann or Manchurian and a descendant from an old Han Dynasty and how the emperor's opulence showed when entertaining foreign dignitaries by ordering “Mann Hann” Menu which consist of 200 delectable varieties.  These feasts usually took them weeks to consume.  Nobody knows for sure how the story ended but somehow synonymous with authentic Chinese Cuisine.

What a heritage, huh? Haha.

Alvie and I met up with her relatives at Robinsons Magnolia for dinner and we ended up at one of the classic Chinese restaurants, Mann Hann. The great thing about eating with a huge group is you get to try A LOT.

Sweet & Sour Pork, P260.00

Within the realm of sweet and sour Chinese food, I usually prefer lemon chicken but no one else likes it (I'm so alone :( Haha). Their version of the other usual favourite is pretty good! It was more sweet than sour and that's exactly the way (uh-huh uh-huh) I like it. I actually don't recall having a version that is better than this. The dish is better here than in Chowking (lol), North Park and Gloria Maris of SM North (Alvie insists Greenhills' Gloria Maris is much better though).

Fried Squid, P270.00

Their salt and pepper squid was good, and even better after I tried it with a dab of fish bagoong. That flavor and crunch just hits the spot. Not the best salt-and-pepper-ish squid I've had though, I prefer the one in North Park.

Beef Broccoli Flower, P275.00

I've never been a huge fan of beef with broccoli but paired with good fried rice and with some spice on the side, any dish can turn out to be much better. This dish has soft meat, good ingredients and decent flavor. I guess I just find the beef with broccoli to be boring in general.

Okiam Chicken, P240.00

I can't quite put my finger on what this tastes like. It's fried and is a little curry-ish? It isn't very flavorful though. I prefer the classic dishes much more.

Yang Chow Fried Rice, P280.00

What are all these dishes without some good fried rice? A no-rice diet or even plain rice just won't cut it for your standard Chinese dinner. This fried rice is pretty regular as far as good fried rice goes. An ever reliable choice.

Cha Bihon, P265.00

I wouldn't be the right person to talk about bihon, because except when I drown it in chili, I find it bland and lifeless 95% of the time. Haha. This and Sotanghon are my least favorites of all noodles, but I had some and it is as I expected. Not bad, but not my cup 'o noodles.

Service Tea, P0.00

Things getting too oily for ya? You can easily ask for some free tea to go with your meal. I always just prefer cold water, though.

Chilled Taho, P45.00

The chilled taho was good and isn't too expensive (for a restaurant) but it isn't too genuine as far as the soy goes. It was very gelatinous, even keeping the shape of whatever container it came from. Nonetheless, it was a light and refreshing dessert.

Nice, classy ambience.

Verdict: 
Sweet & Sour Pork: Very Good
Fried Squid: Good
Beef Broccoli Flower: Good
Okiam Chicken: Okay
Yang Chow Fried Rice: Good
Cha Bihon: Okay
Service Tea: Okay
Chilled Taho: Good

Mann Hann lives true to its name of carrying good classic Chinese dishes. Well, I don't think this is what the Dynasty Warriors were eating, but it's been around since my childhood so it's classic enough for me!

A delighted dynasty.

Love Mann Hann? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



MANN HANN
3/F Robinsons Magnolia,
Aurora Blvd cor. Doña M. Hemady,
Valencia, Quezon City
(02) 442-6431
Operating Hours:
Sun - Thu: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Facebook: Mann Hann Restaurant
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/mannhann/


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Movie Review: The Lone Ranger

Image from here.

Hi ho Silver, away!

After a great and filling day of Yabu and Saisaki on my mom's birthday, we went for our second favourite pastime, movies! I'm definitely a fan of Johnny Depp, but this movie's trailer didn't look too interesting, even apart from the strange fact that he's playing a native american.

This film is a remake of the legendary icon in American history, the Lone Ranger and his trusted partner, Tonto. Potentially a great story but I guess this movie is proof that Johnny Depp playing an interesting, eccentric character in a Disney adventure setting isn't always a recipe for success.

Image from here.

I have mixed emotions on his portrayal of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's American Indian friend. He was very entertaining and funny in the role, an aspect of acting he has certainly mastered. Well, he was the most interesting character in the movie by far. The movie would have made more sense if it was named Tonto. It's weird whenever Tonto referred to his friend as a white man, when his skin is obviously just as white. Did they think changing Depp's skin color would be going too far? Why not just find a real native american instead and have Depp play the Lone Ranger? I guess it's just Johnny's way of accepting an acting challenge and saying hey, I can play anyone. He can indeed but the problem was he was the only good thing about this movie.

Image from here.

The plot was badly strewn in this film. I wasn't too sleepy to begin with, but I actually fell asleep during this movie. Twice. That rarely ever happens to me. It's unnecessarily long (I normally have no problem with lengthy movies) and does not tell the story in an interesting way at all. There is no chemistry between characters and the supposed main character was quite boring. I think Armie Hammer did a good job of portraying the role, but the role was bad to begin with.

It slightly gets more interesting toward the end but it doesn't nearly make up for the whole movie.

Other Notable Cast:
William Fichtner as Butch Cavendish - Ever the supporting actor, now playing the main villain.
Helena Bonham Carter as Red Harrington - Helena and Johnny Depp in one movie? You don't say??
James Badge Dale as Dan Reid - He was also in Iron Man 3 and World War Z. Busy busy, aren't we?

Verdict: 2/5 - I wouldn't say it is worth watching even for Johnny Depp's good acting and comedy. Please just make a Pirates sequel next! Haha.

Loved The Lone Ranger? Hated it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Here's the trailer!

Starbucks: White Chocolate Pudding

I may just be one of the most clueless persons when it comes to knowing about deals and discounts. It's great that Alvie and a bunch of friends in the Fort seem to innately know about every promo around and almost nothing gets past them.

Last Tuesday, we heard about this new drink and the promo that came with its launch. Perfect to grab a taste! If the Starbucks Baristas in my area notice me, it would be as the only there for promos guy. I'm not one to spend a lot on coffee so I'm usually around to avail of their many deals. Haha.

Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino (Venti), P210.00
Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino (Venti), P200.00

White chocolate and pudding are two great things so dumping that into my frappe is a very welcome idea.

The Dark Mocha frappe was very rich, and there was a nice contrast between the strong sweet and bitter mocha taste and the silky smooth and mildly sweet white chocolate pudding.

The Green Tea frappe was much more subtle. The green tea was still very apparent but the combination of everything made the drink very refreshing. I like this one more, but I would still take the other one if I need a stronger caffeine kick.

The pudding was actually pretty good! The white chocolate taste was perfectly sweet. Imagine the pudding at Quickly but much smoother and creamier. And expensiver. Thank God there was a promo that day. Haha. On a related note, I never understand why a lot of people would buy just a tall (smallest size) drink at Starbucks for a gazillion bucks and not spend 20 pesos more to get a Venti. Save it for later and share it with a friend to get much more bang for your buck! Haha.

Verdict:
Dark Choco White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino: Good
Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino: Good

Thanks to Ken for deftly crafting our beverages! Going to Starbucks for a coffee break is always a good experience. The baristas are always very courteous and helpful and they don't kick me out for never buying my drinks full price! :)

Love the new pudding drinks? Hate them? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



STARBUCKS
Facebook: Starbucks Philippines
Website: http://philippines.starbucks.com/

Seattle's Best: Sea Salt and Salad

This is actually a tale of several visits to Seattle's Best, which just happens to be very near where I work. My cousin, Bobby was in the area so we met up for some coffee. We saw some new drinks and one caught our eye.

Sea Salt Caramel Ice-blended Javakula (large), P180.00

Well, I love anything salted caramel. This was good! Nice to sip on for a long chat hanging out at Seattle's Best. The little starfish was amusing and it brings something else to mind (for me anyway).

My recently-active-on-Twitter cousin also posted about our little coffee break. Check out his feed for some random jokes every now and then. Haha.

Played 3rd wheel yesterday with @joaquinigo & @alvielao @SeattlesBestPH Hati sila sa isa. Akin yung sa kanan. pic.twitter.com/To1YTCBABi
— Bobby Blues Band (@BobbyBluesBand) July 2, 2013

We eventually came back for meals several other times due to proximity, and their food is actually not extremely expensive.

Amatriciana, P175.00

Linguine pasta tossed with a tomato-based sauce and sauteed bacon slices, topped with parmesan cheese.
I'm not a fan of tomato-based plain sauce, but this was alright. The bacon slices were quite abundant and helped with the flavor.

Pesto, P170.00

Using fresh basil, this Italian favorite is sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, chopped walnuts and fresh parsley.
While not as oily as I like my pesto, this dish was actually good. The pesto is very tasty and went well with the penne. Definitely the better of the two pasta dishes we tried.

All-vegetable Salad, P170.00

Fresh vegetables topped with slivered almonds, olives, croutons, and parmesan cheese.
Sadly, I recently found out that my sugar is on the border so I am imposing a change in diet for myself. What do I start with? Salad! It's hella tough to shift to 100% greens even for just a meal so I'm glad this salad is actually pretty good. It's even enough to get you stuffed (for a couple of hours, at least). My only gripe is that there aren't any slivered almonds as the menu states. Anyway, this might be my default lunch out option in the office for some healthy and semi-reasonably-priced dining.

Menu:
Drinks
Light Meals

Verdict:
Sea Salt Caramel Ice-blended Javakula: Good
Amatriciana: Okay
Pesto: Good
All-vegetable Salad: Good

As far as coffee price, Seattle's Best is pretty up there, making even Starbucks seem cheap, but their food is quite reasonably priced. A great place for a quick and healthy lunch!

Love Seattle's Best Coffee? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below or just tweet me!



Other Restaurants in The Fort:
Good Earth Roasts (GER)
Gyu-Kaku: The Time is Ripe to Grill Some Tripe
IHOP: The Latest Pancake Craze
Jollibee: Ultimate Burger Steak and Flip Float
Kasbah: A Moroccan Lunch
Órale!: The Best Quesadillas
Pancake House: Cookie Butter Pancakes Surprise
The Best Pasta of Pasto
Racks: My Favourite Ribs
Red Garlic Bistro: Trotting the Globe, Clove by Clove
S&R: My Favourite Pizza
Saboten: Enjoyin' Some Loin
Saint's Alp: Taiwanese Chicken Goodness
Sbarro: Rolling in the Deep Dish
SM Aura Premier: Pepper Lunch Express under the Sky Park
Stacy's: The Sweet Kind of Retro
Stella Wood Fired Bistro: Nothing Less Than Stellar
Sunshine Kitchen: Second Dawn
Tapeo: Spanish Surprise at the Fort Strip
Toast Box: Going Goreng
Tokyo Tokyo: Burgers and Chopsticks
The Cheese Steak Shop: Philly Cheese Steaks in the Phillyppines
The Kebab Factory: The TKF Trilogy
Uncle Cheffy: A Piece 'a Panizza
Wildflour's Cronut: The Doughnut and Croissant's Love Child
Wrong Ramen: The Weirder, The Better

SEATTLE'S BEST COFFEE
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Movie Review: Pacific Rim

Image from here.

Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!

The film is set in the near future, where alien monsters have suddenly started appearing from within a rift in the ocean, and humanity is forced to unite and face them with their own technological terrors. Piloted Mechs are used to do battle and protect mankind from the Godzilla-like monstrosities.

Image from here.

I never really paid close attention to this movie since I thought it'd just be another lame summer movie. I began hearing good reviews about the action so I wanted to see it for myself. I have been a fan of big mechs like those in the game Xenogears, and the Megazord (Haha okay, very uncool reference) and the action is portrayed very, very well in this movie. It is worth watching for that alone. The movie is quite long too, so there will be no lack of it.

This movie is directed by Guillermo del Toro of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2, and he really does know how to tell a tale of this magnitude. Though the main character did not give a very memorable performance, the cast worked well. I especially enjoyed watching the apocalypse-cancelling Idris Elba and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Image from here.

The story wasn't amazing, but it was believable enough (for sci-fi) and did I mention the action was great? The mech and technology designs were all quite beautiful, and the creatures just looked awesome. I was on the edge of my seat with eyes wide open for most of the film. As you can see in the trailer below, there is a scene where a robot uses a ship for a sword. a ship. for a sword. yes.

Other Notable Cast:
Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Becket - He reminds me of Channing Tatum but he's much more interesting and is a better actor.
Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori - She looks a lot like Faith from the game Mirror's Edge.
Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau - Interesting to see Hellboy in human form.
Ellen McLain as Jaeger AI - GLaDOS' voice from the Portal games appears as the AI voice in the film. Now, that's cool.

Check out this cool Jaeger creator app!

Verdict: 4/5 - This action-packed film is one hell of a ride to watch. Story isn't awesome but it's a nice tale about survival. and ship swords.

Loved Pacific Rim? Hated it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Here's the trailer!