It's been a very long time since the girls of The Foodies Circle met.  I haven't seen the girls since last year!  Naturally, a hangout together is long overdue.  And, there's no better place to chill over good food and chill than Applebee's which we have long wanting to try.

We all rarely go to Eastwood so coming from the side, we didn't see Applebee's at first.  Good thing they had a sign by their stairs pointing us to go up.


When we got up, we were surprised to see how big and spacious the place was.  The interiors gave a hint of a laid back kind of bar.


After the first portion, there are more booths that for many would be more comfortable and well-suited for dining.


Yet, it still keeps the same dim and yellow hued lighting.  Some parents would find it to be too dark as a family restaurant but then for me, some family restaurants like Tony Roma's is even darker. 

Food  

Appetizer

♥ Fried Sweet & Spicy Pickles (195 php)

There were a lot of interesting appetizer options.  But, we were really intrigued by the Fried Sweet & Spicy Pickles.   Upon trying this out, we felt that we made the right choice.  The boys were more delighted than us since this is an amazing bar chow.

Salads

♥ Grilled Watermelon & Spicy Shrimp Salad Half (445 php)

Applebee's menu has an extensive menu including greens.  So glad they have salads because I always aim for a balance meal.  The Grilled Watermelon & Spicy Shrimp Salad swooned all of us.  I like the ying and yang between the grilled watermelon offered a sweet fruity flavor and the spicy shrimp added a nice kick together.  Together with the feta cheese, yogurt dressing and almond, this salad is the bomb!

Buffalo Chicken Salad Half (325 php)

If you like a very bold spicy, sweet and salty flavors to go with your greens, get the Buffalo Chicken Salad.  But, most of us found the taste to be strikingly sharp for our taste buds.

Pasta

Spinach Artichoke and Grilled Chicken Cavatappi (495 php)

Since I'm crazy for spinach dips, seeing the Spinach Artichoke and Grilled Chicken Cavatappi instantly lured me to order it.  However, we all felt that the spinach being fried in this case was too subtle to create a good balance against the creamy artichoke sauce.


Chicken and Fish

Teriyaki Balsamic Glazed Salmon (675 php)

If there was an order we would not have made, it would be the Teriyaki Balsamic Glazed Salmon.  The thick salmon slice was not cooked as evenly as we would have hoped.

Local Favorites

Applebee's Pork Liempo Adobo (485 php)

So I suggest ditch the Teriyaki Balsamic Glazed Salmon for the wholesome Applebee's Pork Liempo Adobo.

Sandwiches, Tacos and More

♥ BBQ Beef Brisket Tacos (545 php)

The BBQ Beef Brisket Tacos is served quesadillas style with dips and sauce.


Burgers

Triple Meat All-In Burger (795 php)

Okay if you're looking for an instant heart attack, get the Triple Meat All-In Burger!  Just kidding!  But, wow this is one bad-ass burger with USDA beef burger patty, double smoked bacon, honey barbecued shredded beef brisket with cheddar cheese.


Desserts

Banofee Cheesecake (350 php)

We all yearned for an evident banana taste from the Banofee Cheesecake.  We can't help but feel disappointed that the banana component is just the banana chips.  I suggest that you order this for sharing because the cheesecake is very rich and dense. 

♥ S'Mores Creme Brulee (375 php)

I highly recommend the S'Mores Creme Brulee as a meal ender.  The slightly burnt marshmallows and rich dark chocolate fudge with caramelized crisp is wonderfully comforting to eat.  I never thought that smores could presented like this!  It is fun, appealing and delicious!


Drinks


Local Crafted

♥ Brew Kettle (110 php)

Sweet Adventures and Refreshers

♥ Strawberry Banana Colada (195 php), Fresh Mango Shake (175 php), Blueberry Cheesecake Shake (195 php), Fresh Lemonade (150 php)

Happy Birthday Surprise for Achie Joan (At Applebee's There's Always a Reason to Celebrate!!!)

We surely had a great time over Applebee's New Menu for 2017.   I have so much more to try so I'm coming back with the family next time!

After our dinner, my little sister suggested we check out Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain which she has already tried during one of her dates.  Everyone was enthusiastic about it since we all found ice cream to be our comfort food.

It was around 9 pm on a Saturday and Farmacy had a busy buzzing crowd.  The glass windows allows you to see it's unique interiors.  

Going in, I found the space too narrow.  It had a bar-type seating by the counter and another bar-type seating by the glass windows leaving a 1 person isle in the middle.  The kitchen where I assume they make their homemade ice cream is found on the right far-end which had windows but there's really no space for you to stand and watch.  I'd advise you to visit during none peak hours so you can enjoy the ambiance which was our mistake.  My poor little sister who is a pharmacist was so excited to have her photo taken by an empty bar stool but before I can take a photo of her, she was prompted to get off the stool as it was already assigned. 

Space is well-utilized the shelves add to the 19th century pharmacy while extending usefulness to hold their glass wares.  Between the racks, there's a bar which is laid on top of their fridge. 

There's an ice cream bar where you can try the flavors. We didn't get to try these because we couldn't stand the tight feel and decided to wait outside till we were assigned to a table.  Being a sister company and next door neighbor of Wildflour Cafe + Bakery, it  has a similar concept of having an outdoor seating with wooden table and chairs coupled with bottled candle lights.  You can also use Wildflour's drink frequency card here so you can achieve your free 10th drink faster.

During the few seconds we were there, I noticed that you can try a small silver spoonful of the ice cream and then drop the spoon on the bottle dedicated for dirty spoons.

Sundaes

Black Forest Sundae (280 php)

My little recommended trying their Chocolate Ice Cream which is Farmacy's best-selling flavor and she loved its bitter-sweetness.  We didn't want to settle with the plain ice cream options so we chose the Black Forest Sundae instead.  The Black Forest Sundae is a Double Chocolate Ice Cream laid on fudgy chocolate brownies topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chocolate bits and morello cherry.  I personally found this too sweet because of the over-rich and fudgy chocolate brownies and sweet chocolate sauce.  But, my little sisters loved it.

Ice Cream Floats

♥ Very Berry Float (270 php)

Being in an ice cream and soda fountain shop, big brother thought it wise to order from their Ice Cream Float selection which had the best of both worlds.  He ordered the Very Berry Float which was an interesting purple concoction with Strawberry Ice Cream and Blueberry Soda.  I loved this but my siblings preferred the Black Forest Sundae over this.  The sweet and sour bubbly Blueberry Soda and the similarly sweet and sour creamy Strawberry Ice Cream were a great duo.

Brown Cow (270 php)

Having the same price as the Very Berry Float, I thought it was inequitably not worth the money to spend for the Brown Cow.  Instead of a homemade soda priced at 120 php,  you get a canned A&W Rootbeer which they priced at 65 php and their homemade Vanilla Ice Cream priced at 130 php per scoop.  This means that if you order the Very Berry Float, you're only paying a premium of 20 php and loss the waffle cone for the glass presentation.   But, with the Brown Cow, the premium is raised to 75 php for a flavor that you can blend at your very home.

Very Thick Shakes

♥ Very Thick Shakes: Black Sesame, Coffee Almond and Pistachio (260 php)

I'm quite fond of milkshakes so I went for their Very Thick Shakes which allowed me to choose three ice cream flavors to be blended.  The server suggested a couple of famous blends by their customers like Double Chocolate, Cookie Dough and Vanilla but they seemed to common and unintriguing to me.  They had 26 homemade ice cream flavors so of course, I took the chance to be playful.  Thus, I decided to take the deviant route with a trio of Black Sesame, Coffee Almond and Pistachio.  It bore a dominant Black Sesame flavor with a detectable hint of Coffee Almond and probably super faint or barely present flavor of Pistachio.  I must say, this is a comforting blend which I'm proud to have created. The roasted Black Sesame gave a nice aromatic hint that's lightly sweetened so I was able to finish my 1 glass and half (from the silver cup) with pleasure. 

Farmacy After Dark

♥ Tequila Sunset (320 php)

My only sister who seems to enjoy alcohol more than the rest of us tried the Tequila Sunset.  It was a great choice since even I appreciate this refreshing drink.  It had a scoop of Coconut Sorbet and Pineapple Sorbet floating atop the mixture of Ginger Ale Soda and tequila.
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Overall, I think we all enjoyed the experience of having to try Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain.  I'd recommend it as a must visit for anyone.  But, I don't think we're enticed to come back.  Their pricing, inadequate service and lack of comfort due to the cramped space doesn't seem to justify another visit. 

Every time we pass by the Fort Bonifacio area, we couldn't help but notice the crowd Las Flores is drawing. That made us want to try it for quite some time so one evening, we just spontaneously gave it a go.

It's at One Mckinley Place same as Smoper Chicken and Toro Restaurant.  It has a very bright and inviting facade.  It is very attuned to its name "Las Flores" which means "the flowers".  Upon reaching their door, we were quickly assisted and ushered to our table.

The interiors were very homey and cozy. 

I love everything about the place: the plate, glass and wine displays, frames on the wall, mix match of cushioned furniture, lighted candles on every table and more.

As I've researched, this is owned by the pioneers of Barcino.  Since we've had a pleasant experience with Barcino ever since, we had even higher hopes for this one.

Food

Complimentary Bread Basket

The Complimentary Bread Basket was served as soon as we ordered.  Everything on it was warm and moist so we couldn't resist nibbling on them.


Soup/Sopa

Sopa Del Dia (Soup of the Day) (145 php)

We had our Sopa Del Dia split into two.  It was a bit watery cream of asparagus.  It was an okay starter just to have something warm for the tummy.

Cold Dishes

♥ Ceviche de Vieiras con Jamon Iberico (350 php)

Ceviche has always been my kind of thing.  But, it's my first time to try a Ceviche de Vieiras con Jamon Iberico which is a scallop ceviche with ham.  This is by far the best one I've tried yet!

♥ Carpaccio de Calabacin con Calabaza Asada y Salsa de Pimientos del Piquillo (295 php)

Okay, so I guess I'm into raw dishes in general cause I enjoy having carpaccio too.  The usual carpaccio is for meat or fish so I was intrigue by the Carpaccio de Calabacin con Calabaza Asada y Salsa de Pimientos del Piquillo which is zucchini carpaccio stuffed with pumpkin cream and roasted red bell pepper sauce.  It delivers a nice one of kind experience I'd recommend anybody to have. It's a bit pricey though.  Maybe you're paying for the beautiful plating.

Buñuelos de Bacalao con Salsa Romesco y Piñones (395 php)

The Buñuelos de Bacalao con Salsa Romesco y Piñones are codfish fritters with romesco sauce and pine nuts.  This is good but nothing extraordinary.

Setas Bio en Tempura de Cerveza y Mayonesa de Soja (195 php)

Fellow mushroom lovers should not deprive themselves of the Setas Bio en Tempura de Cerveza y Mayonesa de Soja and order it at once.  On a more objective note, I enjoyed this simply because it is mushroom cooked in beer batter.  Not much ingenuity was applied here.


Carnes y Pescados

♥ Pollo Asado A La Catalana (495 php)

The Pollo Asado A La Catalana which is roasted chicken with prunes, shrimp and apricots received a lot of praise that night.  I personally enjoyed the fruity apricots sweet notes that matched the tender chicken well.

Rice/Arroces

♥ Paella de Marisco (Seafood paella) (495 php)

This is one of the best Paella de Marisco or seafood paella I've ever had.  Even Barcino's rendition is pale in comparison.  The price is a steal too!

♥ Paella Negra con Sepia (495 php)

 The Paella Negra con Sepia is also delicious but we  preferred the Paella de Marisco over it.


I don't usually post the bill but this box is too cute not to be shared.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Las Flores is a good modern Spanish Catalan restaurant to try.  We enjoyed our dining experience.  For the food quality, ambiance and service, it's definitely worth the price paid for.