Guevarra's: The Best of Filipino Cuisine

We visited Chef Laudico's Guevarra Restaurant in San Juan for my mother's birthday lunch. I have been to the restaurant with officemates before and was really excited to come back with my family this time. 

The restaurant is an old house (~ this house has so much character) turned into a restaurant.  Consistent with the theming is the Filipino buffet spread. 

We were there early (about 1 hour before the opened their lunch tables).  We live in Rizal and we wanted to beat traffic.  We waited for awhile outside. 

NOTE: If you are coming on a weekend or holiday, don't just pop up.  Please be sure to make reservations.  During our visit, we saw a couple, who had to wait for vacant seats for 2 hours (even though they came early) because the restaurant is fully reserved (reservation details listed at the bottom of this post).

My parents playing cozy while waiting.

Waiting = Selfies

We have seniors with us, so I specifically requested for seating nearest the buffet spread (#PerksWithSeniors).

I love the interiors...

Autographed plates of famous guests, adorned the walls.

Don't worry my "forgets" had double dose of their maintenance medicine for the occasion. 

So much food ~  for the price we paid (P500 for a Saturday buffet, less Senior Citizen discounts)  I would say it was "Sulit".  

Chef Laudico Guevarra's Buffet Restaurant

387 P. Guevarra St. cor. Argonne St., Addition Hills San Juan

Manila, Philippines

Operating hours: 

11:00 am- 2:00 pm (Lunch)

7:30 pm- 10:30 pm (Dinner)

Buffet Rates: 

Monday to Friday - Lunch P399/ Dinner P499

Friday to Saturday - Lunch or Dinner P599

For reservations, call: Landline: (02) 705-1811, (02) 705-1874, and (02) 502-5006 or Mobile: 0917-311-2222

For more details or information, like Chef Laudico Guevarra's Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Restaurant Review: Highland Steakhouse

My ex-bf was playing sweetie invited me for lunch at the Highlands Prime Steakhouse at SM MOA.

The restaurant has a rustic countryside ambiance ~ real cozy and homey. It was spacious  and can comfortably seat 150-200 guests.

 

We ordered:

Sweet Chili Beans (P350)

 Roast beef pasta (P400)

Cowboy Buffalo Wings (P400)

Mixed Vegetable Pizza (P400)

VERDICT:

• Location is great with a great view of Manila Bay.  Perfect place for a romantic dinner with your special someone.
• Service is A+ and on personal level.  Our attendant really made us feel important.
• All our orders were spot on delicious ~ fresh and flavorful. We were not able to try their specialty steaks, as we were not really hungry for one.  Steak cost an average P2000 per 15oz. Would definitely try this though on our next visit.   
• Pricing though is on the high side, but given the plentiful serving, top notched presentation and fancy set up ~ price was worth it.

Highlands Prime Steakhouse-SM MOA is located at the

2F North Wing ~ SM MOA

Restaurant Hours:

Sunday to Thursday: 10AM to 10PM

Friday and Saturday: 10AM to 11PM 

Contact Number (02) 556-0768, (02) 556-0769, (02) 901-3243 and 0905-269-6513.

For inquiries check out their webpage www.primesteaks.com

Coca Restaurant ~ In the hunt for authentic Thai

 

I was in a mood for something fancy and different for a lunch date with my family and found this swanky looking restaurant named COCA Restaurant.

 

Coca is a Chinese and Thai restaurant famous for it's "suki-style cooking (mixed vegetables, meat or dumplings simmered into a pot of broth)". Unfortunately the kids were not in the mood for suki, so we ended ordering other house specials instead.

 

 

 

 

I have read that COCA was derived from the Mandarin word "Kekou" which means "appetizing,"  so yes, I was expecting really tasty cooking.

 

 

FOOD

 

For appetizers we ordered "melt in your mouth" Crispy Roasted Pork Belly. 

 

Warning: this  is sinfully delicious.

 

 

 

Coca Noodles was very good. 

 

Stir Fried Squid with Garlic and Chili.  It is flavorful and savory.  I especially love the  garlic garnishing.

 

 

Coca Yang Chow Fried Rice.  We find this rather salty, so we ordered extra steamed rice to mix ~ which we liked better.  

 

 

The total meal for four (2 adults and 2 kids) costs us approximately P1200 (including service charge).

 

Note: Since we were kids, we requested for toned down spices on our orders.

 

 

AMBIANCE

 

The restaurant is spacious and beautifully decorated in rich Chinese-Thai design and embellishment.  Ambiance is restful and perfect for dates with your special someone.

 

 

 

 

 



VERDICT

 

Price may seem a bit steep, but I think it was reasonable, considering the ambiance, fine food and impeccable service.  This would be a good place to celebrate a special occasion.

 

The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes to choose from. 

 We were only able to sample some from their menu and everything that we had worked well to our tasting. 

 

Food is hands down flavorsome and really delicious. 

 

I would gladly come back for more of that crispy roasted pork belly and a taste of their famous suki.   

 

 

Coca Restaurant is located at the 5th Floor SM Aura Sky Park, Taguig. 

Open daily from 10am to 10pm.