(April 18, 2013)
With the influx of new and exciting restaurants, cafes & eating
places in the city, one must be in awe as to what new places to visit and what
sort of new and contemporary cuisine to try.
With still a lot of local and nationally franchised “restos” within the
city, newer ones have to compete with these well-known & recognized
establishments and make a name to capture the market.
A variety of diners can be found in the newer malls and shopping centers
although some are found along the major streets or the newer sections of the
fast rising city of golden friendship.
I was into a few of them and I personally have nice and bad encounters
with the servers and of course, the food itself.
Just like everywhere, one can come across well-versed versed waiters
& waitresses when asked about their menus, which is a plus factor.
One thing I hate is when I asked for “recommended or most-sought after”
dish they have and they would give me 3-5 selections, which can range from
anything they have in their list!
For a very few real great places to dine, they would have great food,
great prices and great portions. But sad to say, quite a number of restaurants
I visited have ridiculous & outrageous prices for their over hyped
offerings.
The menu card or posters looks so deceivingly good, but in reality,
they are so tiny in proportions and do not even come close to what they are
promoting! Such bad and inconsiderate advertisements!
Not only that, prices are so expensive! A few examples I can give are
as follows: for a 10” boneless deep-fried
very thin bangus (with a few slices of tomatoes) costs more than
P200.00, so with the greasy letchon kawali that costs more than P250.00 for a
few slices! There was even no “plating” at all that one can say they have put
some “effort” on the dish!
One menu states so nicely, salad with feta cheese. But in reality they
used locally manufactured cheddar cheese! And for a price that is so
unreasonable! The “award-wining” kinilaw came in with a nice presentation, but
sad to say when poured into the plate, one can count the number of cubed fishes
with their fingers!
I was hoping I would have a great dining experience but to my dismay.
It was really out of this world! No wonder I remember a few “Chef-friends” of
mine from Manila some years ago who came for some exhibit and was commenting on
the “titles”, presentation and the dish itself!
The name of the dish sound so interestingly “new” and sensational but
was totally disappointed because it is not what it was supposed to be after
all! And when asked to speak with the manager or owner, they were nowhere to be
found!
In totality, I think we still have so much to learn. It is not only in
the presentation, being an award winning dish, and the other several factors that makes the
dish, but it should boil down to “value for your money”!
Yes, ambiance is important. That kind of make one wants to come back,
but not because of the place, but because of the food and the services that
goes with it!
Some plays really loud music which is great for the yuppies and the
very young but if it is meant to be a great dining experience, I don’t think
this is applicable.
Loud music tend to make people scream rather than talk in a modulated
voice.
One problem that I have also observed is the lack of parking spaces. It
is really hard to find a safe spot nearby. Either they have few spaces or they
are filled up. Having someone guide you as to where to park would be nice. It
would also be plus factor with visible security around that makes us so much
safer to park.
Surely, in due time with more newer and themed food places opening
doors to the public, one would have more choices and perhaps, the others can
and will improve on their offerings so as to be competitive.
But one thing is sure. Once a client likes the food and everything that
goes with it, that establishment becomes the ultimate place to be. That being
said, I believe is the secret of longevity in business!
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