A home-grown Filipino concept from Baguio City, Don Henrico's Pizza, Pasta and More has been around for more than two decades with various branches within Metro Manila and Baguio City.

To be honest, I can barely recall the last time I dined at Don Henrico's.  I vaguely remember it was a family celebration where we availed of its Eat All You Can Promo.


So it is a good time to revisit and check them out again!



Food

Appetizers

♥ Petite Mozzarella Sticks (220 php)

Starting with the cheesy and gooey Petite Mozzarella Sticks.

♥ Petite Mozzarella Sticks (220 php)

Paired with their Marinara Sauce, the Petite Mozzarella Sticks is perfect!

Salad

♥ Summer Salad (310 php for share)

♥ Oriental Chicken (260 php for share)

♥ Chili Garlic Shrimp Pasta in Olive Oil (340 php for share)

The Chili Garlic Shrimp Pasta in Olive Oil is my favorite among their pasta.  The generous toppings plus garlicky oil-bsed sauce is really captivating.

Tutto De Mare Pasta (350 for share)

I'm usually in favor of tomato-based pasta because I like its tanginess.  The Tutto De Mare Pasta's blend is a balance between sweet and tangy.

Crab Fetuccini (340 php)

The Crab Fetuccini is quite interesting.  Filipinos love crab fat!  And, this is one delicious treat for us!


Pizza

Four Cheese Pizza (610 php 14 inch)

The Four Cheese Pizza is the best choice for cheese lovers.  It's very rich in cheese flavor but not too salty because of their delectable bechamel sauce.

Seafood Romano Pizza (610 php 14 inch)

The Seafood Romano Pizza is like the pizza counterpart of the Chili Garlic Shrimp Pasta in Olive Oil.  If I had to pick just one, I'd prefer the latter.

Supreme Pizza (650 php 14 inch)

I don't know why but the Supreme Pizza is my last choice for pizza...

♥ Bacon Cheeseburger

Surprisingly, this healthy looking Bacon Cheeseburger is what wowed me!  Their Filipino-style soft dough bread-like crust goes really well with the bacon, ground beef patty and veggies.

Dining options have grown over the years.  But, there just seems something about Filipino food that makes me crave for it once in awhile.  It's kind of like when you wander far to the most amazing places but then, you know your heart still wants to go back home.  So this time, I ended up trying Mangan which specializes in Kapampanan food.

I've always believed that Kapampangan food is one of the tastiest of our local cuisine.

Having had several food trips in Pampanga, I would say this is up a notch over the restaurants there when it comes to interiors.  This makes it more appealing to expats and balikbayans.

Food

Aliw-Aliwang Sisig

Sisig ni Mely (260 php)

When it comes to Kapampangan dishes, how can we forget sisig?  The Sisig ni Mely came out as a surprise for us because of its unusual style of serving - wrapped in banana leaves.

Sisig ni Mely (260 php)

It gives you the pleasure of unwrapping your irresistible order of Sisig ni Mely.

Manyamang Gule

Laing with Dulong (190 php)

To lessen your guilt, why not balance with an order of Laing with Dulong?

Crispy Pata

Original Crispy Pata (100 php/100g)

That is.. before we proceed to the highlights of our meal.  Some prefer the Original Crispy Pata.

Pritson Pata (150 php/100g)

Perhaps because of my Chinese root and being used to eating peking duck that I had fun with the Pritson Pata.

Patang Demonyo (125 php/100g)

But, hey I dare all the spicy food lovers out there to try the Patang Demonyo.

Mapaling Sebo

Bulalong Baka with Mais (425 php)

One bang for the buck to order for sharing is their Bulalong Baka with Mais.

Mga Karne

Kare-Kare Buntot ng Baka (395 php)

One of the best to order is the Kare-Kare Buntot ng Baka. 

Merienda

Pansit Pusit (190 php)

For staple, you can skip the rice dishes for the Pansit Pusit or...

Pancit Puti (140 php)

the very interesting Pancit Puti.  How can be amazingly savory and delicious without any sauce???

Ispesyal Ning Bale

Bibingka Plain (120 php)

Save room for Bibingka

Puto Bumbong (110 php)

or Puto Bumbong.

Puto Bumbong (110 php)

and Puto Bumbong.

Panghimagas

Tibok-tibok with Latik (120 php)

But, when it comes to Kapampangan dessert, you shouldn't miss the Tibok-tibok with Latik.

Drinks

Wow!  Time sure passed by swiftly and high school memories seemed further and further away in the past.  My close friend has returned back from Toronto after finishing her second undergraduate degree there.  And, my close group of friends (three of us out of four) decided to go for a little high school reunion in East Cafe.


Makati seemed to be the middle ground for us and East Cafe was quite conspicuous so it offered us the privacy and comfort we wanted.  If there is one common denominator we had back then, it was that we were all introverts.  Throughout my school years, my teachers remarks on my report card would indicate me being soft-spoken as a concern.

I always wondered what it felt like to see old friends you haven't seen for a very long time.  That night, didn't feel any different for me as any other time we hanged out during our childhood.  Conservations began and didn't seem to want to end.  It was a fun chit chat over our lives and the news about our school mates.   I hope we can have another get together before my close friend decides to leave the country to pursue her love life.  I wish for her the best.

Food

East Style Maki

♥ Super Salmon Maki (320 php)

Even though my girlfriends and I are timid and shy, we all spoke up to order at least one kind of maki.  The Super Salmon Maki had an enticing menu photo so we chose this.  We made the right choice!  I loved this!  Good thing my girlfriends were petite eaters so I ate most of this. =p

Starters

♥ Malaysian Style Chicken Sate (165 php)

I chose the Malaysian Style Chicken Sate.  This is sumptous and moist.  This is one of the best rendition I've tried.

Mains

♥ Grilled Salmon in Banana Leaf (465 php)

We wanted to have some fish as we were all health-conscious.  The Grilled Salmon in Banana Leaf had a description that appeared to be enticing for us as so we went for it.  It is salmon fillet with red curry, coconut milk and lime dressing.  I loved this too and ate most of it.

Chicken and Mushroom in Lettuce Cups (250 php)

The Chicken and Mushroom in Lettuce Cups is a bit too salty for our taste.  The soy sauce depicted by the menu as light is is quite bold and strong for us.
 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
With great food and company, East Cafe has definitely left me a lasting good impression.  If you're looking for a serene place in the Glorietta area, I recommend this place.

The family has set out to try hotel buffets since forever.  Yet, I have never come across Holiday Inn's Flavors Restaurant. 

Naturally, as a foodie, I was enthusiastic in adding it to my growing collection. 

I love the interiors.  It was modern and sophisticated.  Apart from the main dining area, it also had booths on the side and a private room.  

Food
The food stations are placed at the far end.   It's quite apparent that they have limited selections.

Bread Station
The Bread Station has enough bread variants with spreads to choose from.  I had a slice of sourdough.  It was pretty good.
 
Cold Cuts
For Cold Cuts, they have three kinds if ham.  The hams are displayed on the right end.

But, you have to request them to be cut by the Grill Station on the opposite side (far left).  This didn't make sense to me.

Salad Bar
They have a make your own salad option.  And, around four prepared salads.  What I like about this station is the Middle Eastern Dips: Hummus and Baba Ghanouj which I paired with my slice of sourdough. 

Sushi Bar
The Sushi Bar has around 3-5 kinds of sushi.  Despite the appearance, they seem to have the toppings of a classic California Maki: mango, crab stick and  cucumber.  I decided to try one. And, it was okay.  The nori had the crunch of a freshly made sushi.

Soup

Minestrone

Noodle Station
The Noodle Station had many noodles and toppings to offer. 

Unfortunately,  I decided to skip this to save room for dessert. 

Grill Station
Steaks Station

US Beef Chuck Roll, Beef Sirloin and Lamb Shoulder

Since it's Steak Night Friday, we get to have three kinds of steak for a higher buffet price. 

♥ US Beef Chuck Roll

Pizza Station

Electric-grilled Pizza

Baked Mac

Chicken Cuts

Roast Chicken

I was expecting the choices to be spectacular. But, what I found instead were food variants you'd typically find in a party such as Baked Mac, Chicken Cuts, Electric-grilled Pizza and Roast Chicken. 

Honey Glazed Pork

Excluding the Staples (Plain Rice, Nasi Goreng and Pancit Canton) and Sides (Roasted Mix Vegetable, Baked Potato Wedges and Cauliflower Gratin), there are only a few main dishes to choose from. 

♥ Roast Beef

♥ Kalbi Jim

The popular items for the night are the Roast Beef and Kalbi Jim.  I liked them more than the Beef and Lamb Steak selections. 

Dessert Station

Lemon Meringue,  Macadamia Cake, ♥ La Sultan, Tiramisu, ♥ Chocolate Oheyna, White Chocolate Blondie

The best station is the dessert station. 



There is a Soft Served Ice Cream Machine, Chocolate Fondue Station, Snow Cone Station, Halo-Halo Station and Cakes Station. 

For healthier option, there are Fresh Fruits and Buko Pandan.

Tip: BPI Credit Card Holders can avail of 50% off promo.
 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I don't feel that Flavors Restaurant has lived up to its name.  The dishes where not flavorful enough for me nor does it offer enough variants to allow guests to appreciate different flavors.  The steaks were okay but the price you have to pay for it isn't reasonable.  I don't think I'll revisit unless it's discounted or it's a complimentary meal for a hotel stay.