With the strict smoking ban in restaurants, bars, discos, cafes, hotels, shopping malls and cinemas in Manila, I cannot understand why Cafe Agnes in Sta. Lucia East Grandmall can still go right ahead with their operations. I always see their patrons, the cafe being located right smack across the third floor elevator, smoking their lungs out.

We have tried to talk to the supervisor of Cafe Agnes a couple of times to no avail. But I guess Sta. Lucia East mall cannot care less about it. As long as they are paying the rent why bother, right? The administration should really care because they are breaking the law. I have yet to see the day that that place will be free of Avo cigars and smoke. It was terrible having to pass by the area. Especially with a kid in tow. Cafe Agnes, listen up and abide by the law.

I have my RCBC-Bankard LJC Card for barely a year and I already had two perks that I availed of. First was the bottle of wine for a welcome treat and just recently 50% off on our dining tab at Abe for my birthday treat.

Forget the diet, because there is no way we’re passing this up. We love LJC Restaurants. Well, maybe best weight loss supplement can back us up when we need it.

My oldest credit card is My Dream JCB, LJC card’s sister company and I’m pretty satisfied with it. For LJC, there are more perks though. It is the credit card to have for those who love to dine out like we do.

• Up to 20% in discounts and payback
• 10% all year round discount at any LJC restaurant
• Up to 10% cash value on frequent dining program
• Up to 50% discount on your birthday month
• free bottle of wine as welcome gift

Little Asia restaurant with branches at Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig, Tomas Morato corner Scout Fuentebella in Quezon City and at the 2nd Level of the Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan are having their regular operations during Holy Week. In fact, Little Asia is open 365 days/year.

Visit Little Asia at the Venice Piazza and experience a Euro-Asian dining experience.

Celebrate the romantic month of love with Délifrance’s sweet pastries!

Indulge your loved one with Frosted Cinnamon Rolls that are so temptingly good, beautifully topped with vanilla custard swirl. The Frosted Strawberry Muffin is also a very delectable treat, bursting with strawberry and walnuts and topped with strawberry swirl. For those who want bite-sized goodness, the Strawberry Walnut Cookies and the Mocha Walnut Cookies are the gifts to give. Finally, as the pièce de résistance, Délifrance’s Chocolate Wanut Croissant is a luscious crescent shaped, golden layered pastry, oozing with chocolate and walnuts.

Visit www.delifrance.com.ph for the Café Directory

The all-day café concept provides an occasional indulgence to the “affordable luxury”. Akin to a coffee shop, Metro provides a comforting/laid-back ambiance. It is a type of café that puts emphasis on the food lines instead of coffee. As the concept implies, foods are available at all parts of the day. Izakaya is a Japanese tradition that Tokyo Tokyo wants to share to Filipinos today. In its precise definition, Izakaya is similar to an after work gimmick with friends. Alcoholic beverages and Yakitori (Japanese skewered grilled meats) are the product lines to highlight.

To complete the experience, Metro transforms to a more modern and upbeat ambiance. Metro carries the tagline: “Unique culinary discoveries from Metro; you’ll never stop talking about!” Metro wants to be known of its new and exciting culinary discoveries that create talking points to target market. It is a place of culinary discoveries, leaving customers wanting to share their discoveries to everyone. Metro is located at the pulse areas of urbanity: Glorietta 5, Valero St., SM North Edsa Annex , SM Fairview Annex and DAO1 (Salcedo St.)

The Good Earth Tea Room reopens at the 2nd level of Greenbelt 3 in Makati City with a fresher look and an improved line up of authentic Asian dishes.

After undergoing renovation last month, now the only remaining Good Earth resto opens its doors with a more cozy and inviting ambiance which is reminiscent of its original look when it first opened in the metropolis. This old-new ambiance adds to the overall effect of making diners feel that they are in a relaxing as well as thrilling place when it comes to gastronomic adventure.

Good Earth Chef Henry Cheung’s training in the kitchens of Hong Kong and his being an audacious traveler resulted in his fusion-style of cooking, merging Chinese with Western influences. Chef Cheung’s modern and innovative take on dishes makes Good Earth dishes a pleasant surprise even to those who are used to the more traditional Chinese cooking.

And, as a welcome gift to both its loyal patrons as well as new diners, Good Earth is offering an Eat-All-You-Can buffet menu consisting of 12 items including appetizers, main course and rice for only Php299.

Starting off in 1994 as a small eatery in an independent art gallery in Magallanes, Good Earth has been offering its fusion cuisine comprising appetizers like Tunaquitos, a cleansing dish of raw tuna with spring onions served in a taco shell with white sauce and wasabi, and a version of the popular Tex-Mex taquito, the Duckquitos, made up of roast duck with white sauce and black sesame seeds still in the traditional taco shell.

There is also Lily on the Pond, a delectable steamed dimsum made of a mix of vegetables and prawns in a spicy curry and white coconut cream sauces, as well as Crispy Chicken Pao and Duck Siopao.

Good Earth’s mouth-watering entrée include Popoy’s Delight, a delicious harmony of steamed fish with ham, the Crab Claws with Tamarind sauce, Pan Fried Lapu-Lapu with Mango Sauce, as well as the Lobster Ball.

Chicken lovers should also try Good Earth’s Sautéed Chicken with Pine Nuts and Lettuce, Drunken Chicken with Century Egg, Shantung Spicy Chicken, and Crispy Peking Chicken. Beef and pork specialties include Spicy Nanking Beef or Beef in Oyster Sauce, Spareribs with Mandarin Sauce or Crispy Pork.

For inquiries and reservations, you may contact the Good Earth Tea Room Greenbelt at Tel. No. (02) 757-4561 to 62.

Watch out as Krispy Kreme gives you more reasons to indulge on your decadent cravings at the upcoming opening of their newest branch at SM Fairview Annex. Now, every sweet tooth at the northern part of Manila will have more reasons to enjoy their favorite Krispy Kreme doughnut paired with the Krispy Kreme Signature Coffee and beverage.

Hold on to your taste buds and keep in the loop for updates on the latest addition to the exciting Krispy Kreme Northern Invasion.

Sabroso Lechon is the place we go to for that roasted suckling pig dish craving. Here are few of the reasons why:

lovely lighting

the interior: comfy, homey and warm

my boys, as we waited for our orders

The sumptuous and very satisfying lechon meal @ P120 a pop.

The Sabroso lechon meal consists of 150gms. of lechon, rice, sinigang soup and lemon grass iced tea. Never got to try their iced tea, though. For some reason they always ran out and we were only there a few hours since they opened that day. We did not mind, we always have lemongrass juice available at home. I interviewed the cook on how they make their lemongrass iced tea and he said they don’t add in calamansi and honey to the concoction. Just plain lemongrass leaves boiled in water and refined sugar to taste. I’d bet mine is so much better. We were not there for the lemongrass juice anyways. They slashed 20 bucks from the original price off the meal, given that the iced tea will not be served with the package. We ordered three, for me and my two boys.

Needless to say, the three of us were delighted as we devoured on each of our plates. No one can deny the magnetizing aroma of the roasted pig’s skin crackling in our every bite. It was a great treat and I could only wish for one thing- a branch closer to our place. But then again, if a branch closer will be available, then it is almost sure that I would need to get hold of the best weight loss supplement. They serve fast and have very courteous staff, too. A place that we will frequent, without a doubt.

can any other lechon place be cozier?

This tiny restaurant can sit 20 people, give or take. 12 indoor and maybe the same number of people, outdoor. They do have a parking space around the side of the restaurant, so that’s very convenient, too. Sabroso Lechon is stationed at E. Rodriguez corner Tomas Morato in Quezon City.