Carlito’s Way Steak House September 30, 2008
Posted by James in Carlito's Steak House, Steak, Steak House, Tossed Salad.add a comment
It’s been a while since I made a post in this blog. Although I have a lot of pending post to make I was very busy the past few days. So I’ll just start with the most recent restaurant yaya and me ate.
Last week we had dinner together to celebrate our monthsary and I wanted to treat her at some place with good food. Although this wasn’t the first time we ate at this restaurant we rarely eat there since the branches they opened were far from both our houses. When I learned that they opened a new branch at Paseo, I thought that it might be a good idea to eat there.
The first thing I noticed there was they had a very friendly staff and that they had very few customers. It was probably because it was Sunday when we ate there. Their accommodating staff is a plus factor considering the price you pay for a meal there.
We ordered tossed salad for our appetizer and each had a different dish.
I would have to say there is nothing extra ordinary with their tossed salad. In fact I could easily make the same salad which is tastier than what we ordered. I wouldn’t expect much from this probably because this is not there specialty. All of the ingredients can be bought in the supermarket and they didn’t place anything special to add to the flavor of the salad.
Tossed Salad – P 70.00
Yaya ordered their pepper steak and it was really a mouthful dish. Even though they served large portions for their meals, they lack presentation for their meals. Presentation is really important in order to entice the senses of your customers and enhance the pleasure of eating the meal served. A meal well presented will make you salivate for that tasty meal and will make that meal more enjoyable to experience.
Pepper Steak – 195
I on the other hand ordered their house speicalty, Carlito’s Steak. Although it looks almost exactly the same as the dish yaya ordered it is quite different from that dish. I will have to say that due to the lack if presentation of their dishes, the customers can’t differentiate one meal from the other. The customer won’t have a different experience for every meal. The lack of herbs and the corn kernel side dish without any other vegetable makes this dish look like its un finished. One goog thing about their food thoug was the size of there servings. They also have tasty steaks and excelent service to their customers.
Carlito’s Steak – P195.00
The location of their branches is very accessible. The friendly and accommodating staff makes your experience there enjoyable. The large servings of their dishes is worth the money you spend, but due to the lack of presentation of their dishes and the price of their food I will have to give them a 7/10
— Boy
House K Interior September 25, 2008
Posted by James in 3d rendering, Architecture, Design, Interior Design, Residential Interior.3 comments
A couple of months ago I was commissioned to design an interior for an interior renovation of a house. I must admit the house was in such a bad condition my brother told me that the owner would be better off building a new house instead of salvaging that house. I would definitely agree with him if it wasn’t for some of the areas of the house which I thought were still sturdy enough to retain. I saw a lot of potential of the house after we could apply some changes on the interior and exterior. I saw it as a challenge and began thinking of ways on how to restore and improve it to its former glory.
I had to find ways to adjust my designs according to the clients needs and taste. The most challenging part of this project was the total rearranging of spaces in the house. I had to change certain functions of some areas in the house in order to meet the desired results which the client wanted.
Although some restrictions from the client were not met, I some how convinced him that there were other alternative design solutions to achieve his wants. Some areas of the house were a bit too cramped and there were other areas which were too large.
Even though my clients original plan was to limit the changes on the existing walls, there was something missing in the original layout of the house. It did not have any dining area in it. The kitchen was also situated in a corner where it eats up a lot of space leaving no room for the dining area. The garage on the other hand was impractically large and comprised almost a third of the footprint of the house.
My solution was to balance the sizes of the spaces with regards to the house. Large areas such as the garage were divided to make room for the kitchen and dining area. Small bedrooms were merged to create a larger master bedroom.
The reuse of existing concrete structural walls and columns was vital to the design to maintain the structural integrity of the house. We are currently in making the construction drawings for the interior, the exterior of the house needs a lot of work. The non existence of any landscaping is due to the fact this house was used as a factory by the former owner. I still have a lot to improve on the exterior of the house and I will probably post some more photos on the future.
Flavours of China September 4, 2008
Posted by James in Chinese Cuisine, Chinese Restaurant, Chinise Dishes, Flavours of China, Honey Lemon Chicken, Scallops and brocolli, Spare Ribs, Tofu and Fish.add a comment
This is probably the newest addition to a long list of Chinese restaurant found here in Cebu. In order for a Chinese restaurant to stand out among the rest here in Cebu is the flavor and prices of their food. Flavours of China adds a new taste compared to the other Chinese restaurants here in cebu.
The first thing you’ll notice with their food is the minimal use of bitsin which is commonly used in chinese restaurants. With the exception of the honey lemon chicken they have a well balanced mix of sweetness, saltiness and sourness to their food and have different sauces for their dishes.
Their Spare Ribs is one of my favorites. The meat is soft and it is easy to remove the meat from the ribs.
Scallops & brocolli – I forgot the exact name of this dish but the combination of the scallops and brocolli produced a very delicious result. What makes this dish even better is it is also healthy
Tofu and Fish – this was ordered by my parents, I’m really not a fan of tofu so I only ate the fish and it was good. If I were to choose another fish dish I would rather order their steamed fish fillet.
Honey Lemon Chicken – The chicken is deep fried to make the coating crispy, while maintaining the juiciness of the chicken. It is then topped with a thin layer of honey and lemon which adds to the flavor of the chicken.
So far they only have one branch here in cebu and it is located at the Northwing at SM City.
– Boy
