Ever since my nine-year-old self sat down with my family to feast on burgers and fries at the 50’s Diner on Session Road in Baguio City, I’ve had a soft spot for diner food. A plate’s got all my favorite food groups (carbohydrates, protein, and fat), making it the ultimate comfort food. I’ve never met a diner I didn’t like, simply because I stick to the foods that diners excel at: burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

One of my friends from high school, Tin Isidro, opened a place called South Diner last December 5 with her husband Ginno and some business partners. Due to hectic schedules I wasn’t able to attend their soft opening, but tonight was the perfect time to bring together some of my friends for a girls’ dinner out.

I arrived earlier than Julia and Chok, the other two girls I was having dinner with, which was funny since I came from Pasig and had traveled all the way down south (anything south of BGC Taguig seems really far to me), while they were just within the area.

Right from the get-go, the huge retro-style sign grabbed my attention. The interiors also did not disappoint, with the cheery red-and-white upholstery, checkerboard flooring, and waiters and waitresses in uniform. The only thing missing was a jukebox, but Tin explained that a genuine vintage jukebox cost around P150,000 (yikes!).

Anyway, what I was really after was some food. An hour’s drive (without traffic) makes me a hungry diner.

The menu has several sections,and depending on your food mood you could be ordering breakfast (available all day), sandwiches, steaks & ribs, kiddie meals, and the usual suspects burgers & fries. For sweets, there are dessert selections, and different flavors of milkshake with a choice between regular or extra-thick texture.

Paying no heed to the growing spare tire around my midsection, I ordered my favorite diner combo.

It may not look like much, but diner food has always tasted better than it looks. This burger is their Philly Bacon Jack (P145), with bacon and Monterey Jack cheese over a real beef patty. I gotta tell you, that burger was incredibly filling. The beef patty was heavy, without extenders. Fries weren’t very greasy since they’d just come out of the fryer. In combination with a strawberry milkshake (P95), I was in heaven!

The food arrived within 10 minutes of when my order was taken. Because I hate allowing food to get cold, I finished it in about the same amount of time. Well, I had to leave a morsel of the burger on the plate because I was just too full!

But I wasn’t done with eating yet. When Julia finally arrived two hours later, she ordered one of South Diner’s best-sellers: the Porky Pig (P140). It’s two pork chops encased in batter, fried, and topped with applesauce, served with two fried eggs, mango salsa, and your choice of garlic rice, plain rice, or mashed potatoes. Despite the diner being nearly full, Julia’s dish arrived quickly.

Often I encounter pork chops that have been overcooked so that the meat inside is tough; the only thing that makes it palatable is the sauce. This pork chop dish, though, was unexpectedly moist and tender all the way through. The highlight for me though was the mashed potatoes, which were made with real potato and butter, slightly chunky. I’m drooling again now just thinking about it.

If you ever find yourself down in the BF Paranaque area, do check out South Diner for some great eats. Ü

South Diner is at 303 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque beside PureGold.

So many different drinks, so little time… I normally try to stay away from drinking my calories (hence I often just drink hot black tea with a little Splenda in the mix), but lately it’s been hard not to try out various milk tea, coffee, and even juice places. Here’s where I’ve gone in the past few months.

Chatime

The last time I drank a milk tea with pearls, it was at an Ersao branch on E. Rodriguez two years ago. I’d been craving that for some time and Happy Lemon didn’t do it for me (the pearls are so small!) so when I heard about this place called Chatime from my sister and her husband, I was so there. My drink is a pearl milk tea with 25% sugar and less ice. Being the milk tea place with plenty of branches, I can always count on a Chatime to satisfy my cravings.

Serenitea

This place is a favorite of some online friends, mentioned plenty on their Twitter accounts. The branch in Burgos Circle was the most accessible when I had a milk tea craving in the BGC area, so I went and got myself a milk tea with pearls (I figure it’s easier to compare between milk tea places when you order the same thing at each of them).

The milk tea mix itself tastes a little grassy, like it’s been infused with that smell the ground has when it’s been dampened by rain. The pearls were a little less firm than Chatime’s. I was already at 50% sugar but it still didn’t pack that zing I was looking for. Hmm. Wrong drink, maybe?

Gong Cha

My sister and I were at Megamall during their last 3-day sale when I spotted a red kiosk at the Atrium. They were on soft opening, but I could see plenty of people already lining up. This Gong Cha must be good, I thought.

That was the first day my love affair with Gong Cha began. I even came up with a song about it. “Gong Cha wish your milk tea was strong like me, Gong Cha wish your milk tea was fun like me, Gong Chaaaaaaaa!” My drink here was their house special wintermelon tea with additional pearls. I really love the Gong Cha cream (which is like the Happy Lemon cream cheese, less the saltiness) which blends with my tea as I sip it, creating an ever-creamier drink until the last drop.

Drink Tea

I spotted this place at Podium a few weeks ago while binge-eating Indian food at New Bombay. We couldn’t try it out back then because we were so full, but I came back the other day and ordered my usual: a milk tea with the least amount of sugar possible.

The pearls were red, a departure from the black pearls I’d been used to. They also had a different flavor, as if the sago mix contained a little cherry essence. Mmm! I’ll definitely be back.

Jamba Juice

I missed my invitation to the private launch event for Jamba Juice because it landed in my Spam folder, but it piqued my curiosity enough to warrant a visit.

Aside from its imported name and imagery, nothing really makes Jamba Juice stand out from its local counterparts which have been here for some time (owners possibly inspired by a visit to a Jamba Juice in the US). Mondo Juice in Galleria has the same blended frozen fruit and juice concept, and at a cheaper price. I ordered here the Five Fruit Frenzy, managed to finish it all, but didn’t experience my tastebuds dancing in my mouth. I think I’ll just make fruit shakes at home.

Blenz Coffee

Like I said, I’m a hot tea drinker, but when Nuffnang invited a few bloggers and myself to a coffee break at Blenz Coffee in BGC where we would learn to do latte art, I jumped at it. I mean, where else do you have license to play with your food?

Apparently, when you pull your espresso shot correctly, and when the milk temperature is just right, you can create pretty pictures when pouring the milk into your latte, and the color swirls should hold. It’s supposed to be one of the hallmarks of a good latte. Here I am with my monkey-face latte.

We also got to try out their Belgian chocolate drinks, which are made with Belgian chocolate bars melted in hot milk. So good! But what really stuck with me was their matcha latte. It’s real Japanese matcha (green tea leaves ground to a fine powder) blended with water using a bamboo whisk, which means it doesn’t clump up and look like pond scum. I’ve been on the hunt for a Blenz matcha latte fix since then.

Any other places I should try out? 🙂