Yahoo! 360 Beta Invites are flowing...

Thanks to Jeremy Zawodny from Yahoo for sending me a Yahoo! 360 invite. The Beta service started yesterday March 29, and the invites are flowing (it is by invitation only similar to the gmail model). You can view here --> Jeremy Zawodny Yahoo! 360 Page . I'll try to setup my page over the weekend, and I plan to use it for blogging my personal thoughts and anything regarding the consumer goods industry where I work. Send me an email if you want to receive an invite here.

Lovely Easter Lunch @ the Mango Farm

Try it out!

Rache and I decided to invite our parents to have an Easter lunch with us at the Mango Farm. Overall, the experience is very satisfactory but there are a few things they can improve to make it exceptional and unforgettable dining experience.

What I like about the Mango Farm?

1. Excellent Ambiance. Definitely, the open air ambiance of eating a relaxing Sunday lunch is a winner for me. Mapresko! Eating lunch under a Mango Tree in Metro Manila is certainly a novelty that you want to pay more for special occasions. Of course, there are minor problems to this setup which includes falling mangos and dead leaves as an ornament to your meal; and this summer, the sun's ray is so hot that it starting to pierce through your skin. But when the sun is already covered by the clouds and your diligent enough to guard your food against the falling surprises, then this setup should not be a problem.

2. Down-to-earth owner. Mike Santos (the owner) is very accomodating, friendly and a good hosts. From the time that I was talking to him about reservations, he was able to answer my questions and accomodate our needs. He was able to interact with my dad and father-in-law about agriculture and interact with us about photography which is one of his hobbies. Thank you Mike for the warm welcome and accomodation!

3. Very good food! The food is parity versus other makati restaurants in terms of taste, presentation, and quantity of food. We like the seared french-cut chicken breast with pomodoro sauce, sesame herbed chicken cordon bleu, and poached salmon fillet with roasted pumpkin sauce. Admittedly, the beef tenderloin steak is bland and not juicy anymore. Overall, the main course was a pleasant treat. The coffee was really great as remarked by my Dad who is very critical about his coffee.

What the Mango Farm can improved on?

1. The food is nothing special not even a signature mango dish. Apparently, the food is served by Cardamom Catering headed by Alvin Ong, and Mike, the owner of the property seems to be just renting the place to Cardamom to serve their food. The setup is wrong and the concept is not wholistic. What make's Sonya's, Antonio's, Chef Lautico, Tita Monings click is that the food is integral to the whole concept of the experience and the entire ambiance. Let me explain. There is no signature dish, even yet a Mango dish which you would expect in a mango farm. Also, the single serving of the mango drink served in a small glass is not FRESH and made from concentrate! This is not what you would expect from a "Mango Farm". We asked for fresh mangoes for dessert and there's not even one that can be offered because the Mango season is still in April. A signature dish with ingredients coming from the farm would have boosted the entire concept like the rose petals on Sonya's in her salads, the bread pudding of Tita Monings, the steak of Antonio's, or Poie Gras salad of Chef Lautico.

2. Fine dining with no attention to details. I would not classify the experience as fine dining as marketted in the brochures. There are details that was just OFF like: the aluminum chairs and small tables; only one waiter and the service was really bad. There was another family (the Tantoco's) eating when we arrived and they were seated right next to our table --- we need some space. I'm glad that they were already finished when we arrived and they decided to move to another table to have their dessert. The meals are not a complete course --- no soup or salad even! Also, the guest book is lousy --- you can be more creative than just having people sign it. (In tita monings, you get to have your picture taken to be posted in the scrapbook with your comments) Lastly, Mike was in his biker's outfit as you can see from the pictures and I have no problem with it but it does not match the whole concept.

3. Too Expensive -- not worth the price. The 3-course chicken meal (appetizer, main course, dessert) costs P500, while the steak and salmon 3-course meal costs P750. Way too expensive, considering that the entire experience does not match with the other garden restaurants, private dining places. I'm glad that both our parents have a senior citizens card that we got a 20% discount on their meal. So the P750 was discounted to P600 for the steak/salmon meal. It is either the entire concept and experience is improved by adding more food or addressing the first two(2) concerns above. It should have special discounts or packages for special events like Easter, Christmas and other special occasions (i.e. birthdays) to make it worth it.

TIPS when eating @ the mango farm:
1. You can order a variety of main course from all their past menus since November. You just need to inform the chef in advance.
2. You should try to visit the nearby organic farm and buy fresh vegetables.
3. Cash basis only.
4. Bring your camera since the place is photogenic.
5. Alot about 3 hours for the entire dining experience. Enjoy the place.

MORE INFORMATION:
Check out their website for directions, menu, and other info --> http://www.themangofarm.com/
There is a yahoo group for the mango farm --> themangofarm@yahoogroups.com
View complete photos here --> Easter Lunch @ the Mango Farm Photos

Around Laguna Lake in 11 hours! Yahoo!

Finally, together with some of our friends, we were able to complete a day trip to the Laguna area via going around the Laguna Lake! This is the first time I tried it last Black Saturday. We left Manila at around 8.30am, had a stop over @ petron in south super h-way to grab big chill and jamaican patties. Then we proceded to Calauan Laguna for to visit Field of Faith at around 11.30am. After an hour in FOF, we left Calauan at around 12.45pm enroute to Exotik restaurant for lunch @ around 2pm. After 2 and a half hours, we left the restaurant and dropped by the famous Paete Church. Most of the shops are closed because of Black Saturday in Paete but you can still see some wood carving shops in the middle of the town. After praying for 3 wishes, we head back to Manila via Rizal @ around 5pm. We arrived in Ortigas at around 7pm -- woohoo! Still have plenty of time to have dinner @ Metro Walk.

The map above is courtesy of Paete.org.
See the collection of photos from me, Maong, Diwat ---> Pictures of Laguna Lake Caravan

Exotik Restaurant -- worth it if your eating exotic foods

Try it out! Exotik restaurant is located in Longos, Kalayaan Highway in Laguna. It is about 4 hours drive from Manila and you need to pass by Pagsanjan and Caliraya (yes, it is that far). From the field of faith, Exotik is about 1 hour away and some of our friends are hungry already when we left Exotik at around 12.45pm and we arrive about 2pm in Exotik. The food is Filipino and I like their Sinigang, Tuna sisig, grilled Tilapia, grilled squid. The food is great! (specially if you are hungry :) One funny thing though, we did not order any of the exotic food this place is known for. Our billed turned out to be P3,500 for the a group of 9, so we had to pay P400 each --- and I think that is expensive priced for tourists! Even the pasalubong place who sells espasol for P45 which could be bought easily at 3 for 100 with the same quality. The ambiance is really nice, it offers a few of the Laguna lake, and one of the attraction is Samantha (a pet anaconda shown below). Check it out if you happen to be in the Caliraya area. This is definitely a place for tourist to eat exotic food!

Click here for more photos--> Flickr Photos: Exotik Restaurant Longos, Laguna