Army Navy

My boyfriend and I decided to try out the talked about Army Navy and the branch near La Salle Taft was the most accessible to us. It was located near yellowcab and beside many other food establishments across the university. The branch in La Salle was small, but its interiors were the usual Western army bunk style. A set of condiments were on every table and gave a slight hint of the wonderful treat for the night. The garlic sauce, the chili sauce, the mustard, and the Caramba sauce were all needed, really!

condiments galore!

My friend told me about the Starving Sailor, so that is what I got for myself, while my boyfriend got for himself a burger! Freedom fries were not available during our visit and I was a bit disappointed :(. 

Actually, i was tensed that the reviews may be overrated because looking at the place alone didn't really impress me and I had too many experiences of burgers and sandwiches that looked scrumptious on the outside but tasted ordinary. There was not much interaction with the staff and waiters because you get to order your food in a counter that had glass just like those seen in UPCN aquarium and other offices. 

Where you order and pay and get your food. Self service.

Fortunately, after having our orders served, we were both surprised to find out that the portions were BIG. Big enough for us to half our orders and share with each other, so I got to taste the burger too. 

ABSOLUTELY YUMMY! 

Starving Sailor had lots of things going on inside! The beef was tender and really rich, it was juicy and you could taste the flavors with just looking at it! It had white onions (my favorite) and green bell peppers and pickles! And the mustard really gave it a tang that matched it perfectly well! Really a must-try.

Starving Sailor that Un-starved me!

The single-patty burger was next! It was awesome too...the patty was beefy and succulent! It was like those burgers in Hotshots that made you bite a big portion a lot. Single patty quarter pounder as it is, half of it made me full all the same.

Classic Army Navy Burger (P135)

We also had cheese quesadillas and they were, as usual, stuffed with cheese. And anything cheese-stuffed, for me, is totally crazy. The only problem is the salsa dip was only placed in a small container, we didn't try asking for more anymore so we have no idea if they charge extra. 

Cheese Quesadilla (P85)

I had really a good dinner that night that I think I'd love to go back to this place. The price was reasonable considering the serving size and the quality of the food. They said the burritos here are good too. We have to try it out some other time because we got too filled up too fast. I can say this poster in Army Navy really was not a deception at all.^^

Mission Accomplished.

Cafe Adriatico vis a vis Abe

My family loves to eat out a lot since it has been a form of bonding for us. One MOA lunchtime, my family and I decided to try out Cafe Adriatico. It looked posh and the ambience was a mixture of classic Filipino and Spanish. The menu in Cafe Adriatico did not appeal to my dad because my dad is a rice person and most of the meals were pastas and noodles or plain-sounding home-cooked dishes. It was then that the waiter offered us a new set of menu from Abe, which was at the other side of the restaurant. This is how we found out that Abe and Cafe Adriatico were owned by the same group of companies! Surprisingly, the Kapampangan-based Abe menu delighted my mom and dad who selected a set of Filipino specialties.

My baby brother, being carnivorous and "Western-influenced", got Cafe Adriatico's Classic Burger served with fries and pickled vegetables. My brother has an appreciation for real beefy goodness and based from his reaction, this piece of burger was for the win!

Classic Burger at P186

For the adults, generous servings of the main course included the following:

Binukadkad na Plapla at P365

Binukadkad na Pla-pla, which was basically a bigger version of tilapia. It was crispy but fleshy portions were still adequate. If not for the special sauce, this dish, in my opinion is nothing remarkable.

Abe's Chicken Supreme at P840

Mom also ordered Abe's Chicken Supreme (house specialty) which is simply roasted chicken with special sauce. Again, for me, there was nothing supreme about it. The sauce, however, helped in making the chicken bearable for me. Although my dad and my other brother seemed to delight in it.

Since we are a family of meat-lovers, a pork dish would never be missed out. Their version of the Filipino crispy pata was called Crispy Tadyang. This indeed lived up to my expectation of it being crispy while still being edible. The serving was good enough for a family of 8 people.

Crispy Tadyang at P476

But for me, the real star of them all would be their version of Pastel de Lengua. The ox tongue was cooked to a tender perfection and creamy sauce was flavorful. Although for this family dine-out, this was my favorite, I must say that still, I have tasted a better version of lengua from Kalye Juan.

Pastel Lengua at P330

Thankfully, i still got to enjoy my lunch because of my Strawberry Daiquiri 

and i got to share the dulcet Chocolate Decadence with my baby brother.

In general, the foodtrip experience my family had was satisfactory. The food here was a bit too pricey to think that some dishes are not that remarkable. Yet, we have to admit that this definitely is not the best Kapampangan restaurant there is. Despite this, the mere fact that we were happily dining together was delectable enough that no meal can be considered to be only ordinary.