Meidoll's Cafe at Cainta

I've heard a lot of things about this place so I decided to see for myself what the fuss was about.  It was quite a long drive from my place (since I live near the north), although luckily I did not get lost.  It was a small place on the 2nd floor of Saunterfield Bldg. in Cainta.

The pics here are some of what my best friend and I ordered.  Here was what we ate:

Bread Rolls
My friend and I enjoyed this.  It was just simple, and you could not call the flavor outstanding, but it was the simplicity of it that made it quite good.  The dressing on top was mayo and mustard, and the bread roll was stuffed with hotdog.

Korokke
It was just your regular hash brown, Japanese style.  It was very crispy on the outside and quite soft in the inside, since the potatoes were mashed.  Quite bland, but I guess that's to be expected if someone really wanted to bring out the potato taste.  

Fried Sushi Rolls
Okay, I have to admit I didn't enjoy this dish very much.  It tasted a bit like fried suman (native rice cake) with crab sticks inside.  The yellow sauce seen in the pic is mayo + mustard, I think.  Why I didn't enjoy it?  I guess it was just all wrong for me.  It's an interesting dish, but I guess when you deep fry the whole thing, the oil just seeps into everything and in essence, it tasted like oil.

Meidoll Gyudon
I was kind of expecting something else when I bought this, since the presentation was different in the picture.  I can't compare it to other Gyudon, since I don't actually order it in other Japanese restaurants.  The taste?  It was just like beef stew.  I have no complaints though, it tasted okay.  The question is, is that really how gyudon tastes like?

Tempura Fried Ice Cream

This was my order so that we could all taste dessert.  The concept I think was fried ice cream, but they kind of made it into something like the bread roll.  It was satisfactory, although I wouldn't say the slices were really meant to be bite size since I had to half it before I could eat it.

I guess it's the novelty of the place which really draws patrons here.  The "Maids" here call you master, and they cook and serve you the food.  You can get them to sing a tune or dance for you, but of course, that all comes with a fee.  As for the meals, they could be improved, but that's not really the reason why you came there, right?

Lunch at Carrickdale Hotel in Newry

On the way to Banbridge, near Belfast, we had to stop for lunch since it was already past 12.  We stopped at the nearest hotel, which happened to be the Carrickdale Hotel.  Lunch was as follows:

This was my order: Roast Irish Sirloin Beef.  I know, it's just roast beef with a fancier name, but the side dishes were different.  There was stuffing, roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots, and of course, the mashed potatoes.  How was it different from the meal I had yesterday?  Aside from the sides, the vegetables were not very well done, which was a good thing.  The broccoli and the carrots were both crunchy.  It was the first time that I had tasted stuffing, and I have to say it was delicious.  The stuffing was made of bread crumbs and herbs, although I'm not sure what herbs it were.  

Both my brother and sister had roast lamb.  I tasted the meat, and I could say the it was quite tasty, although I know I would not be able to distinguish beef from lamb anytime soon.  I guess I would only be able to distinguish the two by texture and aftertaste.  The lamb was softer, even without gravy, and it had a very distinct aftertaste which the beef didn't have.  I should taste veal sometime for future comparisons.

Dessert!  The banoffee we shared was very good!  Unlike the ones I usually taste, the toffee was not very sweet, so you could really finish the entire slice.  The strawberry syrup was a pleasant addition.  It was not too sweet, and it mixed well with the banoffee.  The amount of cream was just enough for me, although others might find it too much.  The chocolate sprinkles on top were also of good amount.

In all, it was a hearty lunch :3

Gumbo: The New Orleans Food Fiesta Part 2: Main Course

Okay, I was just being lazy which is why I didn't make the Gumbo entry a single one. But in any case, here are the main courses we ordered:

Main Course 1: Grilled Pork chop

Looks appetizing, doesn't it? The buttered veggies were good (my friend and I both agreed on that), but the mashed potatoes were a tad bit too buttery tasting for my taste. The pork chop was good, it was medium well I think, but there were some parts which were too burned that it tasted like charcoal. I think it was meant to be a single serve dish, as compared to the other dish we ordered as an entree.

Main Course 2: Seafood Jambalaya

My friend shared this entree since I realized I couldn't finish this by myself (yes, I picked this entree, but the pork chop was suggested to us since we weren't certain what other entree to order). It was absolutely good, and it is no wonder that it is their best seller. It was not spicy, by my request, but it was very flavorful. It was also not salty despite the shellfish and various seafood included in it. My friend and I had a good time finishing it; in fact, it is the first dish that we finished! Although they said that the portion is good for 2, I think that if I were hungry enough I will be able to finish it by myself! As for my friend, he said that if he didn't need to share it he could have finished it alone.

Total bill was ~900php including the service charge. We didn't get drinks since I was worried we will not be able to finish all of our food if we had drinks as well. For the quality of the food, the price was worth it. Also, we got it cheaper than we would have if we ordered each dish separately. It was definitely worth the visit, and I'd recommend it to my other friends as well.

Gumbo

3rd floor Midtown Wing

Robinson's Place Ermita

End note: Yes, we were able to finish everything, despite the lady manager saying it was good for 4-5 people :D