Maple - A New Fancy Restaurant to Try in Mandaluyong

A good friend of mine celebrated her birthday recently. We didn't get the chance to really celebrate on that day so we decided to meet up a few weeks after instead. She invited us to dinner in a relatively new restaurant at the relatively new wing of Shangri-la Mall along EDSA, Mandaluyong. The restaurant is called Maple.

It was my first time to go to that part of Shangri-la and it was my first time to eat at that restaurant. When she said we were eating there I  got really excited. I didn't have any idea about the place so I was really looking forward to eating there.

Another friend and I met up earlier than the actual "call time" so we had the chance to go around the new wing first. After a few minutes of malling, we decided to go to Maple. The birthday girl wasn't there yet but she said we could already order. We know nothing about the place so we opted to wait for her. But since we were hungry, we ordered Fiesta Chips and Dips. When it arrived, it was a total disappointment. The chips are "hard" and definitely not crispy. It's worth Php 360. I felt it was overpriced.

Fiesta Chips and Dips

When the birthday girl arrived, she ordered Caesar Salad, Maple Glazed Chicken Wings, Drippin Baby Back  Ribs, Prime Rib Tapa, fish tacos and Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower.

The waiting time was not very long. They served the food just a few minutes after we placed our order. The food came even ahead of another friend lol.

The salad came out first. I liked it because the vegetables were fresh and crisp. I  think even those who are not so into vegetables will appreciate it. They gave us just a small amount of dressing so I thought it wouldn't be enough. Well, it wasn't enough but I  didn't mind because the Romain, even without a lot of dressing was good enough for me.

Caesar Salad

The Maple Glazed Chicken Wings came next. It was okay. There's nothing really amazing about the chicken but it wasn't bad as well.

Maple Glazed Chicken Wings

The Prime Rib Tapa is something I will probably have again the next time I visit the place. The meat is tender you wouldn't really need to use the knife given. Well, that's an exaggeration but what I'd like to say is that the meat is really tender you wouldn't have difficulty chewing. It was perfectly marinated. However, it has very small fat. I like the fatty portion, you see.

Prime Rib Tapa

Maple's Drippin Baby Back Ribs is also something I would recommend. Juicy and tender -- that's perhaps the best way to describe it. And compared to baby back ribs served in other restaurants, the one served there at Maple is reasonably priced.  

Maple's Drippin Baby Back  Ribs

What came as a real surprise for me was the Fish Tacos. It's not your ordinary tacos not only because it's fish but because the 'shell' or crust is like pita bread -- flour tortillas. The salsa-ish mixture that you put with the fish when you wrap is flavorful. It's something I really liked even if at first I was hesitant because I saw an herb that I do not like. It's good the smell of that herb was masked so I had the courage to try -- I would have regretted it if I hadn't.

Fish Tacos

The Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower of course came last. It was a pity, really. It tasted so good and yummy but we were already full so we were not able to finish the whole tower. It was a great injustice to the pancakes.

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower

After dinner we decided to go to the main mall. Though we were full, we still had dessert. I think it's more for us to have the chance to talk more than to really eat something sweet. Hmmmmm......

Papa John's Pizza All You Can 2013

Papa John's Pizza All You Can is back. For only P 225 you get the chance to eat as many slices of pizza as you want and can. Last year, I tried this Papa John's Pizza All You Can promo and I think I had 7 slices. If I remember it right, they serves four flavors. I'm sure they served Hawaiian and Pepperoni but I don't remember the other two. 

This year's Papa John's Pizza All You Can is good for all Tuesdays of July, from 5 to 9 pm. Again, it's just for P 225. This comes with a regular glass of soda.

If you want to read my post about last year's promo, you may click here.

How to Prevent Yourself from Getting too Hungry while Attending Wedding Celebrations

Four Sisters and a Wedding is now showing in local cinemas. I heard there are long lines at the cinemas which is a bit expected because you have 5 popular lead stars who have their legions of fans. Angel Locsin would probably have the most but I'm sure the others are not far behind. However, the buzz about the movie is not as strong as that of other Star Cinema films like No Other Woman and It Takes a Man and a Woman.

Anyway, what's a movie doing again in a food blog? Actually, this entry is about weddings. Yeah! Weddings!

Suffering from hunger is part and parcel of weddings. You see, the time indicated in wedding invitations is actually an hour earlier than the actual start of the wedding rites. You're a good guest so you arrive on time (or perhaps even  earlier) so you'd have to wait for at least an hour before you get to hear the wedding rites. Then of course, wedding rites usually last an hour (some religions have longer) so that means another hour of waiting. Then there is pictorial. If you're lucky this would just last for like 30 minutes. Then you still have to travel to the venue of the wedding reception (time depends on how far the place is from the church --or wherever the the rites is done -- and the traffic situation). Then you'd have to sit for another hour waiting for the bride and the groom to arrive. You see, they are still out having another set of pictorials (for the SDE or same day edit video presentation or other stuff). You think that when they arrive you can already eat! Well, think again. There are still traditions that have to be accomplished -- throwing of bouquet and garter which takes so long because single guests like to play hide and seek, cutting of the cake, first dance, second dance, last dance, nth dance, etc. Then when the emcee declares that dinner is served, you can't still go running to the buffet table because you  still have to wait for your table nuember to be called. Once your number is called, you still have to go to the table of the bride and groom to have your picture taken with them.

When you finally get to the buffet table, you're already too tired to even enjoy what's presented in front of you. So what now? Here are some tips to prevent your hunger from going to levels that could rival that of the people in some African regions.

1. I am almost tempted to say go to the wedding late. But that of course is not good. I'd still say you should follow what is written in the invitation. But bring with you crackers or biscuits and a small bottle of mineral water. A small pack of biscuits (something that could easily fit your purse or your breast pocket) will do the trick.

2. Have a heavy snacks before going to the wedding. This could be a problem, though, for those whose dress or suit is already too tight. If this is the case, then just go back to option 1. You wouldn't want to look like you've gained 10 overnight, do you?

3. Bring a piece of candy. This will help abate hunger. Coffee candy would be good because it help prevent you from being too hungry and sleepy at the same time.

4. When you reach the reception venue, look for the cocktails table. When you see that they serve cocktails, it should be an indication to you that they are anticipating delays so go grab a few bites. Again. Few. Bites. Don't make yourself look as if you've not eaten in days by eating too much. Even if they just serve chips and nuts, have some. That would help.

5.  If there are no cocktails, ask the waiters for a glass of water. This will surely help.

Any of these will help you from getting too hungry. But should you still come to the point that you're feeling really, really, really hungry when you reach the buffet table , stop yourself from getting a lot of food. Trust me, you will not be able to finish them all. Get a cupful of soup, a small plate of greens -- salad -- and just enough of the other food.

How did I start this post again? Oh....Four Sisters and a Wedding!