Category: City Living

Kermit Manila for Great Pasta and Pizza

Kermit Manila 5 Cheese Pizza

My nephew gave me a tip. The famous pizza in Siargao is now in Makati. He swears it is the best tasting pizza ever. Tourists in Siargao give it a two thumbs up. A quick search about Kermit Manila showed that it is located at Poblacion which is just a 30 minute walk from our place. That means I can eat all the pizza I want and burn the calories away by walking back home.

Kermit Manila is located in Poblacion. Just a few blocks away from Makati Avenue. They serve mostly pizza, pasta and liquor. We arrived very early when it opened at 5PM in the afternoon. It was still calm and quiet. Surely it will be noisy and loud in a couple of hours.

We ordered pizza and pasta that Gab would probably like. A 5-cheese pizza called Stimpies, Spaghetti Al Pesto and Cotoletta alla Milanese, a Chicken Schnitzel with Spaghetti Aglio Olio.

My nephew was right. Their pizza tastes great. I love how thin the pizza dough is. Yet it remains soft to the bite. The cheese is very generous and sinful for my diet. I finished 4 slices. Their Stimpies pizza included provolone and gargonzola. It’s very flavorful.

I love their Aglio Olio. I must make one myself at home. Gab eat a lot of their pesto pasta. It must be made fresh and not from a bottle.

I find their price to be reasonable. Their pizza ranges from 400-600 while their pasta dishes cost around 200-400.

Kermit opens only at 5PM. I would surely adjust my schedule to make another visit. This will make my nephew so envious since he missed Siargao so much.

Not bad, Bad Bird

Bad Bird Umami Fried Chicken

The picture of their Umami Fried Chicken at Bad Bird looks inviting. It looks perfect. The breading is cooked to perfect brown. It must be very crispy and flavorful.

I ordered their 2 piece Umami Fried Chicken Plate. Spice level was Safe. I did not choose the Spicy and the Chemical options. It comes with a Sweet Potato Waffle on the sides. There are other side dishes available.

When my order was served, I was happy that it looks exactly like the ones in their pictures. Not many restaurants can be that consistent and accurate.

The Bad Bird Umami Fried Chicken was really crispy on the outside while being soft and juicy in the inside. If that reminds you of a TV commercial, that is because eating it reminds me of Jollibee’s Chicken Joy. The flavors are different though. I find Bad Bird’s Umami Fried Chicken less salty.

The Sweet Potato Waffle was good too. I am sure Gab would love it.

The price is a killer though. Their 2-pc Umami Fried Chicken with Sweet Potato Waffle is priced at 490. If I would ever have a craving for fried chicken, a 2-pc Chicken Joy will be a good alternative for half the price.

Bad Bird has other choices in their menu that will not taste like fast food. Their Lemon Salt Fried Chicken and Salmon Steak are worth coming back for.

More about Bad Bird at their website http://bitebadbird.com/

Two Chickpeas: Craving for Falafel near Greenbelt

Finally, I found this place! I have seen the Two Chickpeas signboard outside the Eton Parkview Makati since last year but I can’t find the exact entrance. At last, they had a new signboard beside main lobby of the building. I was able to locate the place.

Two Chickpeas is the falafel house by Green Bar. I love the salad bowls at Green Bar in Buendia, Makati. This made me curious to try out their falafel house near the Legazpi Park.

The place is just small and can seat less than 20 persons. The menu is very short so making an order was fast. I ordered for the Falafel Bowl. I get to have the basic set of 5 falafel balls and a choice of lettuce or rice. Then I can pick 5 toppings to go with it.

The photo on their menu helped me choose the toppings I would like to try. Two Chickpeas has some side dishes that you can add for an extra cost. I thought the pita would be nice to go with the hummus toppings, so I ordered extra.

My order was freshly made. I expected that it will take long to serve my food like the way they prepare it at Green Bar. But after less than 10 minutes, my falafel bowl and pita bread was ready.

The Falafel Bowl tasted good. I loved all the toppings. I wished they put more of the hummus and the quinoa. The falafel balls were cooked just right. It was well done on the outside, and soft and flavorful in the inside. The lettuce was fresh, green and crunchy.

For 290 pesos, I find it a bit pricey though. The pita bread was an extra 50 pesos.

Their location is very convenient for me, so I expect to be back here again. I would love to try their Seitan Gyro next time. Now, I have a healthy meal option whenever I am near Greenbelt.

Instagram: twochickpeasph
Facebook: Two Chickpeas

The Unwish List

One of my money saving trick is making an Unwish List. Basically, the Unwish List is the exact opposite of a Wish List. The Unwish List is a list of things I will not buy… yet.

Not spending is the sure way to save. But everywhere you go and look encourages you to spend. I even think that the very idea of having a Wish List is just a marketing ploy to get people to spend their money.

I have kept an Unwish List since 2015. Some of the items listed in 2015 remain in the list until today. I have never bought it yet. It can be attractive like a new gadget or something useful like a home appliance. But past experiences taught me to delay spending and wait for more reasons to finally buy it.

My Unwish List has helped me save money. Just the simple task of listing them down and making an estimate of how much I need to save to buy all of them is enough to discourage me from buying an item on my Unwish List.

For example, at one time I had a GoPro, a drone, a pocket projector, an airfryer, a Bose portable speaker and an upgraded mirrorless camera in my Unwish List. All in all, I could have spent more than 200,000 had I brought them right away.

Years later, I eventually I bought a GoPro Hero 5 and a cheaper portable speaker.

I really would love to own a drone but I still consider it as an added burden when I travel. The pocket projector is still unjustifiable. My 2 year old camera still works just fine so I dont need an upgrade yet. And I am not convinced of the benefits of an airfryer yet.

What I saved from my Unwished List is spent on travel. So I wonder if I am really saving money after all. Hehehe…

Rapha Valley: Negros Best Vegetarian Restaurant and Cafe

Rapha Valley is a hidden organic food and wellness restaurant situated at the Brgy. Kumaliskis, Don Salvador Benedicto.  They serve fresh vegetarian foods with ingredients plucked fresh from Rapha Valley’s own organic farm.  It’s about one and half hour ride from Bacolod City and the trip has been worth it with good and healthy vegetarian food.

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