When I think of classic Korean restaurant in Malate, two names comes to my mind: Korean Palace for authentic Korean dishes and Korean Village for affordable Korean grilled dishes.   

It's a usual day and we were craving for Bibimbap so we took a short drive to Korean Palace located at the heart of Remedios Circle.  It has a very good location that is hard to miss.  Being a next door neighbor, I must've been here hundreds of time and I've seen how it was decorated countless of times.  Usual diners here are expats and local Koreans so that speaks for the food quality and authenticity right?  Sometimes they smoke a lot though so you can request a private room.  

Food

Complimentary Banchan

After taking our orders, we were served our Complimentary Banchan.  Every item is delicious!

Bibimbap (300 php)

Their Bibimbap is slightly higher than average but as you can see it's very generous with the ingredients.  This is a satisfying meal!
 

♥ Dolsot Bibimbap (400 php)

But, the Dolsot Bibimbap is a much better choice.  It has shrimps and the egg is not fried but cooked in the stoneware itself.

Complimentary Soup

Every one is served their Complimentary Soup as well.
 

Seoul Neong Tang (300 php)

If that Complimentary Soup is too plain for you, the Seoul Neong Tang or Beef soup is a great option.  It's rich in flavor and lots of tender beef meat beneath the green onions.

Complimentary Pineapple

We had enjoy the sweet Complimentary Pineapple for dessert.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Korean Palace has always been a prestigious Korean restaurant at the heart of Remedios Cirle.  It's quality is still the same over the years and it will continue to draw new customers as well as maintain the patronage of its loyal diners. 

Although our family has a wide array of cuisine interests, we can't help but go back to trace our roots and try more of Chinese cuisine.  One ordinary evening, we decided to try the new Tien-Tien Hot Pot Restaurant along Makati Avenue.

Food

Soup

♥ West Lake Beef Cream (280 php/6 bowls)

We begun our meal with West Lake Beef Cream.  This is my first time to try this and I loved it!

Seafood

Pan-Fried Shrimp (280 php)

For those who are lazy to deshell shrimps like me, the Pan-Fried Shrimp is a great choice!  The crispy shell is edible and the inside is so tender and sweet too.

Chicken

♥ Steamed Chicken with Mushroom (270 php)

The Steamed Chicken with Mushroom is one of my favorite Chinese dishes!  For the price, I'm quite pleased with the generous serving portions. 
 

♥ Lo Hon Chay (240 php)

The Lo Hon Chay is a platter filled with assorted vegetables.  The mix-match of texture makes this delightful to eat.  It was naturally flavorful too.

Yang Chow Fried Rice (220 php)

For our staple, we went for the classic Yang Chow Fried Rice which didn't disappoint.  It has bountiful toppings.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Tien-Tien Hot Pot Restaurant is a great place for an affordable authentic Chinese dinner.  Bring company as their serving portions are generous.  They also offer hot pot which most of their diners avail.

Don't we just love to compare?  So I just thought of adding a new category of comparative review which I will tag as "Battle".

I hope you like this style inspired by my favorite childhood fighting game. *Sorry I won't hint it out haha!  My ahia (older brother) and I used to play this a lot as our bonding activity.  Back then combos, we're really simple because controllers had few buttons.  And yet, I was so young and mukulit that ahia gets frustrated when I randomly pressed all the buttons just to make those combos.  I was like that for years before beginning to discover and memorize a couple of moves.  (Believe it or not, walk through and cheat guides then was rare)

I just love Pon De Rings.  In case you haven't seen, heard or tried one yet, they are Japanese style donut.  It's a hybrid of a donut and a mochi so it delivers a whole new experience.  There are currently two competing brands in the Metro.

So let the Pon De Ring Battle between Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More and Mister Donut Cafe Begin!

Taste

Mister Donut Cafe Pon De Ring

The packaging is the same as that of a typical donut.  It is pretty good in keeping the Mister Donut Cafe Pon De Ring intact even after transport.

Mister Donut Cafe Pon De Ring: Sugar-Raised, Pistachio, Sanserival, Peanut Butter, Whitee Almonds and Glazed) (clockwise from top left)

In terms of flavors, Mister Donut Cafe Pon De Ring can be divided into two categories: Classic and Premium.

For Classic flavors there are: Glazed and Sugar-Raised .

While the Premium flavors include: White Almonds, Sans Rival, Cheese, Wafer Flakes, All Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Gummy Bears, Candy Stars, Double Dutch, Rocky Road, Pistachio, Peanut Butter, Honey Sunflower, Cookies and Cream, and All Chocolate.  My personal favorite is the Pistachio.

The flavors of the Mister Donut Cafe Pon De Ring whether Classic or Premium are without fillings and only have coating on top and toppings like caramel, nuts and candies.  What's nice about the coatings and toppings is that they are light and not too sweet.  However, in terms of texture, its not very chewy.  In fact, the texture is almost not distinct from the ordinary donut.

Gavino's Pon De Ring

Gavino's box is also carton made just like Mister Donut's.

Gavino's Pon De Ring: Cinnamon Sugar, Green Tea Glazed, Red Velvet Pistachio, Green Tea Cheesecake, Triple Chocolate and Choco Almond (clockwise from top left)

Gavino's Pon De Ring: Mint N' Chips, Green Tea Cheese Cake and Green Tea Glazed (clockwise from top left)

Like Mister Donut, Gavino's have two types of Pon De Ring: Regular and Premium.

The Regular flavors are: Sugar Raised, Glazed, Choco Glazed, Green Tea Glazed, Choco Sprinkle, Strawberry Sprinkle, Vanilla Sprinkle, Nutty Choco, Cinnamon Sugar and Choco Crunch.

For the Premium flavors they have: Red Velvet Pistachio, Choco Almond, Ensaymada, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Gummy, M&M's, Triple Chocolate, Green Tea Cheesecake and Mint N' Chips (Christmas special).

Unlike Mister Donut, Gavino's Pon De Ring whether Regular or Premium have creamy fillings inside.  The texture is soft, sticky and chewy even after long and even after a day.  The chewiness is really similar to a mochi.  My personal favorite is the Green Tea Cheese Cake.

Taste
Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More	Mister Donut Cafe
★★★★★	★★★

Price

For Mister Donut Cafe the price for the single Classic is 29 php and Premium is 39 php.  That is exactly the same with Gavino's.  For Gavino's, the single Regular is 29 php and Premium is 39 php.

For Mister Donut Cafe the price for the half dozen Classic is 160 php and Premium is 220 php.  While for Gavino's, the half dozen Regular is 162 php and Premium is 222 php.  Gavino's is just 2 php higher which is an immaterial amount.

For Mister Donut Cafe the price for a dozen Classic is 300 php and Premium is 220 php.  That is the same as Gavino's once again.  For Gavino's, a dozen Regular is 300 php and Premium is 420 php. 

While the pricing may seem similar, in truth, Mister Donut is more expensive because it only has two items for Classics and the rest are the more expensively priced Premiums.  On the other hand, most of Gavino's items are Regulars and they even have a delicious and rich filling inside their Pon De Rings which is of course, more expensive than the air and dough of Mister Donut's Pon De Rings.

Price
Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More	Mister Donut Cafe
★ ★ ★ ★ ★	★ ★ ★

Other Considerations
Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More have more branches which makes it more accessible.  Most of its branches are only food stalls.  But, seating is available for its Greenhills Town Center branch.  While Mister Donut Cafe only has one branch.  But, Mister Donut Cafe offers a typical cafe ambiance with WiFi and it's open 24 hours a day.

Tsinoy Food Battle Winner

Before I announce the winner, I just want to share how much of a game geek I was...  When we were young, our mom never let's us in any store with kitchen products fearing we might break stuff so she always leaves us with our yayas to play arcade games.  Ahia would always go for the fighting games.  (They are the same ones we have at home but he says he likes the buttons and joystick better.  I never understood why.) On the other hand, I preferred shooting and racing games.  Because the "Shoot the Duck" and "Grand Prix: F-1 Race" was of course lame compared to the games in the arcade.  I was always delighted to put my own "AAA" on the top score lol =))

And... The winner of the Pon De Ring Battle is Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More!

Store Name	Gavino's Japanese Donuts & More	Mister Donut Cafe
Branches	Greenhills Town Center Unit 5 Greenhills Town Center #2 Granada St., Brgy. Valencia, Quezon City, Metro Manila Unimart Greenhills  Landmark Makati Robinsons Magnolia Food Court Robinson's Galleria Lucky Chinatown Mall   Banawe Quezon City Il terrazo  Robinsons Place Manila Market! Market! SM Megamall SM Southmall Trinoma  Rustan's Fresh Katipunan SM BF Homes Paranaque Alabang Town Center  SM Fairview  SM Clark	Greenhills Arcade N. Western Street cor. Service Rd. Ortigas Ave., Greenhills, San Juan, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Business Hours	10 am- 9pm (mall hours)	24 hours
Payment Options	Cash	Cash
Service Charge
Budget/Person	29-420	29-420
Free WiFi	No	Yes
Unlocked Foursquare Perks	None	None
Contact	(02) 477-9275	(02) 570-9773
Other	Facebook Fan Page	Facebook Fan Page

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We've been passing by Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie for quite some time but never felt like checking it out. 

Last year, we finally got to try it when my cousin invited us for my little nephew's birthday. 

Seeing a lot of publicists and famous bloggers featuring they cakes, I was really enticed to try all their recommendations. 

Aside from the already spacious main dining area, they have private function rooms like this one where we chattered and ate the night away.

Soup

Onion (160 php)

For starters, the bowl of Onion soup is quite soothing.  It was simple and light.


Beef

♥ Slow-Roasted USDA Beef Belly (350 php)

The Slow-Roasted USDA Beef Belly in rich red wine sauce was pretty good.  It was very tender.  I can't help but think it was just reheated though because it was served so fast.

Chicken

♥ 40-Cloves Chicken (285 php)

The 40-Cloves Chicken is slow cooked in olive oil and herb de provence with roasted baby potatoes.  If you love garlic, you'll definitely love every bite of this!  The chicken is also nicely cooked.

Chicken Con Chorizo (295 php)

The Chicken Con Chorizo is slow cooked in olive oil with roasted tomatoes and chorizo bits.  It was good but it was ordinary.

The chicken dishes was served with a cup of rice.

Seafood

♥ KB Baked Salmone Florentine (345 php)

The KB Baked Salmone Florentine is creamy baked salmon casserole with crusted herb topping served with a bed of spinach.  This is heavenly! 

Cake Hall of Fame
The moment I waited for...

Mango Sansrival (120 php/slice)

The Mango Sansrival is four layers of cashew meringue layered with real mango buttercream and freshly sliced mangoes covered with pure buttercream icing.  This was too sweet and heavy for my liking.  I guess everyone thought so too because everyone just got a small piece and moved on.

Chocolate Obsession (110 php)

The Chocolate Obsession is chocolate layered cake dripping with chocolate fudge.  This is probably the sweetest chocolate cake I have ever tried.  One small bite and I sense a sugar rush.  We left half of this uneaten and we rarely leave anything behind.

♥ White Chocolate Macadamia Brittle Cheesecake (180 php/slice)

The White Chocolate Macadamia Brittle Cheesecake was slightly dense and creamy. It was topped with macadamia brittle that's slight salty and buttery.  Among all the cakes we ordered, this was the first to be finished.

Purple Yam Cake (120 php/slice)

The Purple Yam Cake is a cake with purple yam mousseline and crunchy layers of meringue.  I'm a fan of purple yam so I'd prefer if it's bold taste stood out more than sweetness. 

Ice Blended Tea

♥ Fresh Taragon Cup (85 php)

The Fresh Taragon Cup is spiced nicely making it a refreshing drink.

Chai Tea (150 php)

The Chai Tea is also a great option.  The blend is right on the mark.

Cold Beverages

Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (85 php)

The Freshly Brewed Iced Tea has a nice mellow blend as well.

Hot Espresso

Although I didn't get to try their hot espresso, my companions enjoyed theirs.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie has an beautiful upscale ambiance and good food.  However, I find their pricing a bit high too as serving portions are personal.  Their cakes are for those who have a high sweetneess tolerance.  The drinks are great! 

Just adjacent Sacret Heart Chapel and beside the famous Purple Oven is Galli Village Cafe.  It is a dainty European influenced Spanish-Filipino Cafe with a humble indoor and al fresco area.

It offers adequate parking space too.

This is the al fresco area.

Aside from church goers and walk-ins, it has caters to the guests of YMCA hotel.

Food

House Specialities

♥ Paella Valenciana Good for 4 (495 php)

Their best-selling dish is the Paella Valenciana priced affordable for only 495 php.  Although did not make use of the typical Bomba or valencia short-grained rice, it is still agood paella with its rich flavor and bountiful with ingredients.  My little sister who was a picky eater gave her approval for this.

Beef Salpicao w/ Rice (195 php)

The Beef Salpicao w/ Rice is for a solo meal.  It was tender but the it didn't stand out.

Tuna Salpicao w/ Rice (195 php)

 The Tuna Salpicao w/ Rice is a nice alternative to its beef counterpart.  It did not fall short in any aspect which is why I'll probably opt for this healthier option.

♥ Shrimp Gambas w/ Rice (195 php)

The shrimp Gambas w/ Rice is just the way I like it!  It was very garlicky! 


Meal Favorites

Lengua Con Setas (160 php)

The Lengua Con Setas has excellent tender texture.  However, I found some parts of it tad too salty for my taste.

Rice Meals

Angus Beef Tapa (170 php)

Their Angus Beef Tapa is better than famous tapa chains because you get real angus beef goodness in every bite.


Rice

♥ Chorizo Rice

We all enjoyed the Chorizo Rice.  Think delicious sinangag plus lots of chorizo bits, isn't that fragrantly delicious? 


Drinks

Sparkling Lemonade (39 php)

For drinks, a wonderful choice is their Sparkling Lemonade.  It's a hybrid of soda water and lemonade.  I find this fizzy lemonade quite refreshing.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Galli Village Cafe is a cozy place to enjoy a meal when in the area especially when you're craving for paella while on a tight budget.