COAL

Coal Resto Bar and Grill, Roxas Blvd.

Harbour Square, Pedro Bukaneg St., CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd.

Manila, Metro Manila

Philippines

As a tradition, before every Med schoolyear commences, my gay friend and I usually meet up to eat and do some catching up on a lot of things. And this time, we had our date at Harbor Square. It was my first time to try out the place and I really enjoyed the bayside view and the outdoor scenery. 

We had a hard time looking for the prefect resto to try out 'cos most of the food establishments were seen in many other places. We decided we wanted to have a good drink, so we looked at the bistros on the second level. And lo and behold, we got to COAL. 

The place had outdoor dining for smokers and I could imagine how it looked like at night. Fortunately, we were there for early dinner so not much people were around. We chose to be seated inside. The place was nice and neat. The interiors contemporary, with various pieces of blacks and reds. We were brought to a table near the glass window for a better view of the busy Roxas Boulevard. We were both amazed that the seats were Jap style ^^ we had to do some Indian sitting and I think it was cool...and comfy too.

WE were both on a diet so we ordered only a few from the menu.

First, we had pork sisig as the main course, although we didn't order rice. The sisig was just like any other sisig and I think I have tried some other better sisigs than this one. Nothing extraordinary, but not bad.

Sizzling Sisig

Then we got ourselves Pork and Tofu. It tasted as expected. Crunchy tofu. Although i hated that the pork were sliced too big. The tokwa't baboy in Binalot is way better because the pork and tofu are placed in a soysauce-filled bowl so as you eat it you have all the soy flavors in it already. I think even Chowking's pork tofu is also better than this. But of course, this wasn't bad at all too...it's just nothing remarkable.

Pork and Tofu


But something i really liked was their generous serving of baked mussels. And you should have seen the wild cheesiness going on all over each mussel. Definitely one of the BEST! Well, mussels baked this way usually taste the same anywhere, the thing is, this had more cheese and more pieces at almost the same price as others.

Baked Tahong

Something notable about Coal, and something I'd crave for and go back for would be this: their beef and cheese quesadilla! 

Ultimate crunch, generous filling! I loved how the tomato sauce and the veggies inside each piece delighted my palate with every bite. Really good. And for 2 people, it was filling. It was something that can give Mexican restos a run for their money. That Good. Haha.

Quesadilla

All in all, the last two dishes made our Coal experience wonderful. The price was reasonable and we did not walk out unhappy or hungry. I will definitely go back for those quesadillas!

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.