House of Wagyu Stonegrill

Like any other couples, Mr. DQ and I looked forward to our first anniversary a couple of months before. We both love to eat, swim, take photo walks, and are also strong believers of living a full and happy life by eating more – just kidding. Despite our similar mindsets, we couldn't quite decide where to celebrate our anniversary. Monthsaries have passed, which included times when we completely forgot about it during the exact date – the funny thing was that we were together one time anyway without remembering until the next day!

The day came and we ended up having dinner past 9 pm over soupy seafood pasta, stale and though steak due to schedule constraints. We decided to redo our anniversary and celebrated at a Japanese grill buffet, it was okay. Apparently, our anniversary became a month-long of mini celebrations in search for good food. Upon learning about Metrobank's 50% deal at House of Wagyu Stonegrill, we were just in plain awe. See details here. 

The idea of visiting House of Wagyu was lingering at the back of our mind but we were always busy with work, his school work and other activities with family and friends. Two days before Christmas, we finally had the time to visit greenhills branch while the promo is still ongoing. We decided commuting via LRT2 and bus ride to avoid Christmas rush and traffic.

From LRT2 Recto station, we got off the train at the third stop – V. Mapa station. Right below the station is the Aurora Boulevard towards north where Gliner and RRCG buses stop over. We would prefer Gliners because they travel faster by not staying too long in bus stops, but RRCG buses are more prominent than Gliners nowadays. Don't be afraid to get on the bus, just don't fall asleep like I do when commute time lasts more than 20 mins. Look for bus signage that has Taytay, Rizal as their last destination. The bus took a right turn from Aurora Boulevard and took more passenger besides SM Santa Mesa. It was a sunny day, in fact too sunny. Thanks to the air-conditioning of the bus, I was lulled in Mr. DQ's arms. Before I knew it, we were already across greenhills. It's a good thing that House of Wagyu Stonegrill was just a few steps from the overpass bridge. We were hesitant to enter from the back door since it seemed empty from the seemingly backdoor from the Ortigas Avenue corner Club Filipino drive. We were greeted by friendly servers and were guided to our seats. The servers adjusted our cutlery since Mr. DQ and I sat side by side, as opposed to seating face to face.

I should mind you that Mr. DQ has a more discriminating palete than mine. Yes, he eats more than I do, but doesn't necessarily mean that I don't eat much hehehe. He has shared with me the love for red meat, but the apple of my eyes have always been red-shelled meat with more than two pairs of extremities. We ordered Rancher's cut to try it out; sadly, they ran out of the choice cut and opted for the Ribeye Grade 8 for 220 grams. The differene between the two choice cuts was that Rancher's cut included the bone, while the ribeye did not. I ordered the Wagyu Combination (New York Strip for 180 grams and King Prawns) since I just could not take on too much red meat and I could not let go of my love for crustaceans.

We had time to relax, chat and secretly spy on other people's table in the restaurant while munching on complementary bread, which made me even drool more. Thank God, the soup of the day were served immediately. The soup was superb with a dash of cream and pieces of croutons on top, the pepper played up the soup's flavor. The bread appeared to be some sort of white bread shaped like a sliced baguet. Munching on the bread made me think of Olive oil based dip to go with it. As it turned out, they served the butter after emptying our basket (first timers bloopers).

House of Wagyu Review: Mushroom Soup with Pepper
(Courtesy of Mr. DQ as my soup of the day attendee #feelinglikeaprincess)

House of Wagyu Review: Mushroom Soup as Soup of the Day

As it appeared, we were just on time for lunch since people just started coming in as family or in pairs at around 1PM. The server put on our bib – this was really a clever idea to avoid unwanted splatters from the stonegrill. Likewise, giant sheets of white paper were used to cover the table cloth. The servers removed the extra cutlery for salad earlier because we did not need them, it really freed up space on our table and made room for the giant stonegrill. I was just about to go the restroom when I saw our food being rolled out from the kitchen to our location. Boy, do I feel like a queen with my food being delivered with a trolley!

The steaks were evidently being served raw and fresh, it was literally being cooked on one side straight from the kitchen trolley. (This gave me an impression that the meat did not undergo freezing to make them last longer). The server then turns the steak over to cook the other side after placing the stonegrill to unto the table. The smoke was wafting all over the place, I looked up and saw these seemingly quiet air vents that might have been the reason why we did not smell like a person would normally do after eating at a grill restaurant. The juice was oozing out from the New York Strip steak as I sliced through the slab of meat, it hummed more sizzling melody through my ears. I did not really need the giant steak knife because it was juicy and easy to cut into bite sizes, a salad knife or a spoon would suffice. For me, the steak knife just gives you a powerful gusto when slicing through a slab of beef. Not that I needed the steak knife - the knife and the slab of stone just helped my consciousness to process that I am a carnivorous civil creature, eating a piece of steak with a steak knife.

House of Wagyu Review: New York Strip ...

I almost ignored my prawns hahaha. I have a personal freshness test for crustaceans like prawn and shrimp: The tail meat must come off easily. If it breaks and sticks too much from the shell, it might be overcooked or lacked freshness. The first prawn was a bit overcooked, while the other prawn meat from the left peeled off easily from the shell and was more tender, umami with hint of lemon and pepper (just the way I liked it). The potato wedges had a fried salty crust and went well with the sweet mustardy sauce. Not sure if the sauce was for which item, but it went great for the prawns too. I wish that there were 3 pieces of prawns.

House of Wagyu Review:...with King Prawns

Mr. DQ was already halfway finished while I was still busy documenting my side. Pardon my cellphone camera. The steak was still pink and juicy inside, but not cold or bloody at any point. It was heaven. Even Mr. DQ was cursing me to express his joys while enjoying the luxurious experience. The Ribeye steak order included a side of veggies consisting of a piece of carrots, cauliflower, corn and mashed potato. It did not have the broccoli that was included in the promo picture, not sure if they ran out of it. I like veggies especially when cooked well. I was not able to take a picture of the veggies, the veggies were artistically placed on a rectangular plating. Well, yes... people came for the steak and the veggies just came as sides, but a little more quantity could not hurt.

House of Wagyu Review: Ribeye Grade 8

My taste buds did not find any big difference between the 2 cut choices; they were both tasty, tender and did not have a strong putrid odor. The 180 grams was sufficient for my appetite. Without the prawns and the potato wedges, I think I could finish the 220g of Ribeye Wagyu beef choice cut. We dined in for Wagyu beef steak as part of our month-long celebration, but mostly it's just because we wanted to try it out for so long, plus it's a great steal at 50% off.

Likes:

Meat was not frozen as stone when it was laid on the stonegrill
Meat display that showcased chilled meat pieces - not frozen 
The tenderness of beef

No post-MSG uncomfort from the food means fresh fresh fresh!

Soup of the day

Service

Ambience

Decent comfort room

Dislikes:

Veggies needed more leveling up
They could have been more generous with the sides and included the 1 broccoli found in the promotional ads

Tips:

Wait for the bread butter before eating from the basket

Ask for help from the server if not sure what to order, they can explain the cuts and help you choose to enjoy your experience
Since you're already here, please don't settle for a burger, have a steak!

Price:

Ribeye : Php 2900.00 for 220 grams

New York Strip Steak with Shrimps: Php 2100.00 for 180 grams and 2 pieces of large prawns

Original bill: Php 5000.00

(Original bill less 50% for Metrobank Platinum creditcard holder) = Php 2500.00

Exclusive service charge is 10% of original bill = Php 500.00

Inclusive of 12% VAT

Total bill: Php 3000.00

Verdict: Anniversary/Christmas Splurge-worthy, Wagyulicious!

Updates:
House of Wagyu Stonegrill Promo is extended until the end of January 2014!

Metrobank's Promo Period:  December 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013
... now extended until January 31, 2014.

Available from Monday to Sunday, 11:00am to 3:00pm (Lunch only)

Keywords: Wagyu, House of Wagyu Stonegrill, House of Wagyu Review, House of Wagyu

Singapore Day 1: Texas Chicken Review

Throughout the 4-hour Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore, I went through alternating dementias of drowsiness and hunger. I dozed off when sleepy, munched on my bag of carbs (pan de sal) when hungry, drank carefully from our limited water source. I was still hungry upon landing. My first taste of Singapore was technically cool water from Changi Airport's drinking station for free. This gave me my first impression of Singapore – clean and efficient. Again, I'm not taking low-cost aircraft anymore for more than 2 hour flight. I took a 2-hour flight in Cathay Pacific to HK last November 2012; thinking back, I wouldn't mind if it were for 3-4 hours because I was busy tinkering my personal backseat-mounted monitor.

Thankfully, Santa Grand Hotel Chinatown was gracious enough to let us leave our baggage an hour before the 10 AM check-in time. So hungry but we needed to move. A train ride from Chinatown MTR station to Harbour Front station did not take much time; I was not delirious from hunger yet upon arrival to Vivo City, Harbour Front. Let me share my Texas Chicken Singapore Review. I had the chance to visit Texas Chicken when I was in Singapore. 

Texas Chicken Review: Sjora Upgrade

While at the ordering counter of Texas Chicken, Mr. DQ and I noticed an ad that said “Every Friday is now Sjora Day”. I had no idea what Sjora was, but the ad described it as a fusion of mango and peach that’s simply refreshing. They were right. Texas Chicken Sjora was refreshing indeed!

The place did not have glass window panels like other restaurants; it just opens for customers to walk in. This setting was pretty advantageous for Texas Chicken because passers by could see that there are free seats. It was easier for us to move around and look for a place to have our lunch. 

Texas Chicken Review: (From Top left, clockwise)
Tex Wrap with mashed potatoes and Sjora, El Paso Meal: 2 pc. Chicken with fries and soda, Extra fries (because we thought we were that hungry) 

We ordered Texas Chicken Tex Wrap meal with mashed potato. Sjora juice upgrade to 16 oz. for FREE on Fridays until July 26, 2013. Mr. DQ had 2 pc. hot chicken wings with fries. We ordered an extra meal: 1 El paso meal consisting of 1pc. chicken with fries and regular Coke. One peculiar thing in Texas Chicken Singapore was one condiments that are not usually seen in other places: Heinz Chili Sauce. I have not tried it, may be next time.

Texas Chicken Review: Tex Wrap

We were too full, we even took remaining fries to go. I’m glad that we put off adding biscuits to our Texas Chicken meals because despite my inclination to sweet stuff, I couldn’t even manage a bite anymore at that time. 

I did not have the chance of visiting Manila's Texas Chicken branches when the franchise opened its branches in Manila. I can only compare Texas Chicken Singapore to Church's Chicken Manila, which is also now gone in Manila. I remember visiting Church's Chicken in SM MOA a few years before, but the taste and experience did not make an impact on me. We had a snack/dinner because my family and I were starving and it was the only place not packed with people. Mr. DQ's taste buds gave Texas Chicken Singapore a nod after recalling how Texas Chicken was in Manila back then. I'm so going to try the biscuits when I see one. So long Texas Chicken biscuit, saving you for my next visit. 

Likes:

• Free Sjora 160z Upgrade

• Chicken was large, tender and flavorful is within the chicken breast part

• Chicken wrap has big chunk of chicken in it

• Soft and chewy tortilla bread

• Friendly and competent cashier/server

• Large Fries serving - we realized that it was far too much when we struggled to crush our box of fries

• All these for only SGD 17 

Dislikes:

• I would have liked more veggies in the chicken wrap 

• I want seasonal Sjora free upgrade season (So that I can long for it and have it when Sjora Season comes)

Link to Singapore Day 1

Keywords: Texas Chicken, Singapore, Texas Chicken Review, Sjora, Sjora upgrade, Church Chicken, Church's Chicken

Singapore Day 1

Being a TV junkie, I’ve seen travel shows about Singapore. They featured Singapore’s city skylines, food meccas, the MTR, and other interesting places to visit. I could watch T.V. all day but there's nothing like getting out there in the sun and walk with your own two feet. No doubt, Singapore made it to my bucket list. Mr. DQ and a friend got a good airfare deal from Cebu Pacific so here we go Singapore!

This time, I got better at packing my things into one giant hand bag and a mailman bag for a 4-day trip – believe me this was a miracle. Our flight was about 4 AM in the morning of mid July, but we had to be there at around 230 AM. A 20 min taxi ride from Binondo Plaza took us to NAIA Terminal 3 that cost around Php 220.00. We did not have check-in baggage, but we need to make sure that we had ample time to line up for paying travel tax (Php 1620.000/pax) and terminal fee of (Php 550.00/pax). Yup, it pays to travel. No visas needed for a 4-day trip to Singapore, please check with your embassy or airline regarding your travel tax and visa requirements.

Making an itinerary draft for our first Singapore trip was not hard because useful information is really available online. We were able to find places to visit and researched how to get to where we want to be. Some might say that planning everything down kills the very purpose of traveling. Well, why not use the advantage of technology if it is already out there for everybody. We may not be in Singapore for a business trip, but having more than a piece of foldable map made our trip manageable and efficient.

This Singapore trip is the longest flight that I've been to. For 4 hours, I was juggling between being awake, slightly awake and knocked out on my seat with my eye pad on – yes eye pad for people who can't sleep with day light or who just need something soft to cover their eyes. I'm the type of person who could sleep anywhere comfy, so no issue for me as long as it is quiet and cool. Poor Mr DQ, the seats were not that friendly for a person over 6 foot tall; his knees have no space to move around and his sleeping habit is the opposite of mine. And so we decided that we will never avail of an low-cost carrier again for flights that lasts for more than 2 hours because we are getting old and need more decent rest on-flight.

Cebu Pacific does not include in-flight meal but you can bring packed food (Note: Drinks are not allowed beyond the waiting area entrance). NAIA 3 does not have a drinking station inside the waiting area but they have stores that sell beverages. Imagine the delight of people who pass from purchasing food or beverages from the airport when we found this local drinking station at Changi airport, Singapore.

Changi Airport Drinking Station

Changi Airport Immigration

I dread passing through immigration after getting off the plane, specially when I saw about a battalion of people lined up into about 6 queues in Changi Airport. Nevertheless, it was quite a breeze. I did not get to a point when I needed to stretch my legs from standing too long. In fact, a foreign couple in front of us gave way because they were still looking for their passports in their backpacks. There is free wi-fi at the airport. I know that some might have security issues from free wi-fi, but this is very helpful for letting your loved ones know that you've reached Changi Airport, Singapore and you're okay at once. Next time, I'll try to avail Singtel's $7 for 7 days of 1GB data plan. Sweet! I cannot finish 1GB of data plan within a month's time myself back in Manila. See Singtel data plans here. You can also check out other data plans from M1 here and Starhub here.

Upon reaching Singapore's Changi airport, we went to the ground floor area where MTR tickets are sold. Please be guided that Singapore has SGD 10 worth ride-all-you-can MTR card for only SGD 15, it is good for 3 days. Unlimited rides for 3 days, not bad for tourists eh? We took a the MTR ride from the Changi airport to Chinatown station. No personal reason why we stayed in Chinatown, but I admit that I felt a little more at home in Chinatown and Singapore in general because it is predominantly populated by Asians. We were supposed to stay at Becoolen Hotel in Singapore, but we chose Santa Grand Hotel Chinatown instead to avoid noises from MTR station construction.

Chinatown, Singapore

From Singapore's underground subway, Chinatown station emerges at the center of the busy Pagoda street. The last few steps from the subway to the outside world was a bit enchanting. I felt like Harry Potter going through the brick wall to reach platform 9 ¾, or Julia Robert's version of evil queen from Snow White who emerged from the mirror to the other dimension of a lake towards her burrow hahaha. It was not Chinese New Year season, but the Chinese lanterns and the energy of the surroundings greets you with a splash of excitement. If you check the map, it might seem a long walk from the Chinatown station to Santa Grand Hotel, Chinatown. See link below to read more about Santa Grand Hotel Chinatown.

We were an hour early from the 10AM check-in time but the hotel attendee admitted us. Off we go to the Chinatown station, next stop was Harbour Front Station. We grabbed a quick lunch at Texas Chicken – Vivo City, Harbour Front Walk before hopping to Sentosa Express. DQ had to load up some energy for a day's touring. It was Sjora Day – Refreshing! More about Texas Chicken in the link below. The station is found at the top floor of Vivo City, each round trip ride costs SGD 4.00. See other transportation options to Sentosa Island here.

Sentosa Express, going to Sentosa

After lunch, Mr DQ and I were went to the third floor of Vivo City, looking for Sentosa Express.  Look what we found outside the mall: a beach? The top deck of Vivo City houses a water park known as the Vivo City Sky Park that is free for all, yes for FREE! Vivo City’s Sky Park was selected as one of the best water parks and play areas in Singapore, as reviewed in this article. People are free to splash their way around, children can go crazy over a shallow pool of water. The water level is safe for children to play with; children will be children, it is still advisable to keep an eye on them of course. It was about lunch time, the only children that we saw were these students who were eagerly practicing their dance steps in the tune of “Gangnam style” - I flew all the way to Singapore only to have LSS (last song syndrome) triggered again haha. What a clever idea! The water might have dissipated some stress and hotness while practicing.

Vivo City Sky Park

Warning for batophobics (people who fear heights), Sentosa Express shuttles are air suspended via monorail. If you are taking the express, try not to look down and focus on the other passengers and the view of Singapore outside, you’ll never notice anyways since the shuttle was moving as smooth as the MTR trains. After getting off the express, I tried to carry the world over my shoulders by posting with Universal Studio's iconic globe replica for a photo op.

Next stop was the Marine Life Park to visit S.E.A. Aquarium. When we entered the park, I was already wondering why the place looked like a museum. The displays include the silk route from places like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Oman, India, etc., wherein in each country of destination have displays that were traded to the rest of the world. They could have just laid it out in a giant aquarium, with creatures of the sea, but they did not. Transitioning the audience from one sensation to the other made it truly special and presented a well thought out entertainment. I took quick pictures while walking through the silk route displays, we were too anxious to experience the park further. I've always had an affinity to zoos and alike, You could only imagine how I wandered giddily deeper into the S.E.A. Aquarium like a kid in a playground. Due to diminished energy from the earlier flight, Mr. DQ and I rested awhile and just enjoyed our time in front of Asia's largest viewing panel at the S.E.A. Aquarium. More about S.E. Aquarium on my next post.

It was hard to let go and leave the S.E.A. Aquarium park, but we needed to get going to Night Safari. We took an MTR ride from Sentosa Island back to Harbour Front, then to Marsiling station. We took a bus ride via bus 927 from Choa Chu Kang bus interchange. I love the very idea of a Night Safari park that opens at night time. I was really looking forward to this trip because it's my first time to be in an actual safari and at night time too. It may sound a little creepy, but it was really an extraordinary experience. Singapore's night safari was a leveled up zoo at so many aspects. Note to parents and children: Children must try to be as quiet as possible, as our tour guide reminded us for the nth time. There was this local kid who was so engrossed and stimulated by his surroundings. See what I mean, even a local kid is still enjoying his time at the Night Safari. Also, try to go when the weather is dry so that you could maximize the trip. Mr. DQ and I took small walks that were out of the main tour road after the tour. I would recommend the satay in Ulu ulu restaurant. View more about my Night Safari trip in the link below.

We took our bus ride back, but we did not make to the last ride from Dhoby Ghout red line to purple line. At the time that we reached Dhoby Ghout, the redline last trip to Chinatown already left. The country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, getting lost may not be that horrifying. In fact, we got lost after MTR station closed down on us and we tried to find our way back to our hotel by looking at bus route maps. We did not feel a sense of panic, only worries that were quickly calmed by the charm of the night city. I took some still city photos and enjoyed the calmness of the night. Somewhere nearby was party music, people were still up on a Friday night. We were exhausted and the systematically bus route maps did not make sense. We missed the bus, so we wandered while we waited for an unhired taxi to pass by. Take note that taxis have loaded/unloaded sign on top to let people know their availability. This means that some taxis may initially travel without a passenger and might be on his way to fetch one.

To cap off the day, I was walking like a drunk person in Chinatown; I tripped while trying to take a step up to an uneven sidestreet. Somehow, my right foot maneuvered on top of a closed road drainage that was below the uneven sidestreet and I landed on my left palm. Yes, I must have been too confident of the Singaporean infrastructures that I let down my guards. It was fortunate that I was wearing a pair of soft flip-flops that twisted with my fall. The thong was dislocated from the base of the flip-flop, a giant hole was found between my right toe and the second. Those flip-flops and sudden jolt of adrenalin have probably saved my leg from possible internal injury and our first Singapore trip. Gashes stung on both knees because I was wearing shorts when I got injured, but we laughed so hard to a point that we were tearful out of humor. It's a good thing that a convenient store was nearby, they had alcohol but did not have gauze or band-aids. The funny thing was that I brought band-aids thinking that my friends might need one just like in our previous trip in CDO. Who knew that I had 6th sense?

Day one done, flip-flops gone... literally. 

Link to Texas Chicken 

Link to S.E.A. Aquarium

Link to Night Safari and Ulu Ulu Restaurant

Keywords: Singapore, Chinatown, S.E.A. Aquarium, Vivo City, Night Safari