Sincerity Restaurant Chinatown GONG XI FA CAI!

Last week  on my way home from divisoria, Me and my friend somehow wound up in china town and since it was the Chinese new year's eve I decided to take a look around. First I was at Ongpin where i saw many people walking around and taking part in the festivities. so i walked around more and snapped a couple more pictures along the way

 

After walking quite a bit of distance, We happened to stumble upon a certain mall named Lucky Chinatown where we agreed to have lunch so we walked around until we saw the Sincerity restaurant. I was surprised that they had a branch here because last time I ate was at their old branch in Nueva street. As we sat down, the first thing i noticed was that that the overall ambiance in this branch is much nicer than the old one. 

It's much brighter here and much more appetizing to dine in. Right from the entrance, we can see the large collage of  pictures and testimonials about the restaurant. The dining area is L-shaped, while the rest completing a square is covered by the kitchen. 

With the small space, it still can accomodate about 60 persons. Not very glamorous, but is worthy of entry in the “modern” category, it's vibe here is best suited for casual family dining.

Because it was lunch time and it was the eve of the chinese new year there were many people in queue to eat in the restaurant, so, the waiter first handed us copies of the menu. The menu was nice and consisted of a variety of Chinese food. From dimsum and noodles to fried chicken and beef steaks. The price of the food was also fairly affordable considering it's status as a restaurant.

We decided to order their specialty and best seller, the sincerity's fried chicken because I remember how good it tasted when I ate at their other branch. Then, the waiter took our orders before we were seated. Chairs were provided for the waiting guests. 

Our food came in fast and our water in glasses were quickly refilled when requested. I notice one thing that’s missing though, their smile. I also realized that they were not as affordable as I thought because apparently, the somewhat small servings of the food justified evened out it's price

I don’t know why but I think that my first experience eating the Sincerity's fried chicken was better than this more recent one. The difference has probably something to do with their cook. While I had a good taste of its chicken in their other branch, this one disappointed me. While It had a flavorful, crispy and crunchy-coated skin and tender meat, it tastes like it lacked something undetermined but essential.

While my dining experience here was somewhat favorable, I can think of a few more steps they could take to improve their service and relationship to their customers. The main thing to focus on here is that their food should be consistent on the taste with their other branches especially their original branch. In order to do this they should train their cooks more to maintain the authenticity of the taste of their food so it remains consistent on any branch. Also, their waiting staff should establish eye contact more, smile and maybe offer a friendly greeting to customers entering and leaving to provide a much more pleasant dining experience.

LTE Mobile Surfing with Globe

I was kind of fed up with my problem with my Touch Mobile SIM card's load eating problem and their customer service hotline did not make it any better either so I decided to switch back to globe except this time i would try their post paid services and since I had a little money saved up from my part time job as a barangay kagawad, I decided to include to avail their Iphone 5S data plan that costs 1,800 pesos every month that includes unlimited LTE internet surfing and 100 texts to all networks every month in a 2 year contract. 

So, i went down to the nearest Globe Center which is located in SM City North EDSA with my friend to avail their Iphone 5s plan with LTE surfing. THe long term evolution technology commonly abbreviated as LTE is the newest technology mobile internet services that teleommunications companies like globe and smart has to offer. It boasts high speed mobile internet browsing up to 7.2 mbps which is good for people like mo who likes to watch videos and browse pictures in facebook and instagram. So when I got there, the staff politely asked me what they can help me with and i told them that i was going to avail the iphone 5s plan so tehy gave me a queuing number to wait for my turn for the customer service, since it was a saturday, many people also had business to do on the customer service line so i had to wait a while. 

When my turn finally came, I talked the customer service representative and he politely assisted me towards the steps to avail the phone. I then game my details and the requirements for my plan application and after waiting for a few minutes they gave me the Iphone 5S included in the plan. It would however, still take 3 working days for me to use the services of globe like calling and texting and even the LTE net surfing because they still had to register it on their database. Still, I was so excited because this is my first time to own such a high end smartphone and tinkered with it right away. Then, after completing the application process, my friend who had been using the same cellphone number for nearly 10 years asked to get his sim card upgraded to a micro sim. It was really cool because they asked him for the sim card number, went inside a room and after a few minutes handed him a new micro sim card and explained that because of the upgrade, he will get to enjoy the most recent services of globe like electronic banking and G Cash without having to change his old cellphone number of 10 years how very convenient for him :) 

Not to mention my upgrading he can now use his micro sim card on newer phone models that only accept micro sim cards, plus, the best part is that the sim card upgrade is FREE :) Thankfully, after 3 days the sim card was activated and I was able to use the LTE internet surfing already. As far as I have observed, their mobile internet service is satisfying. The connection is fast and consistent and the network coverage is not bad either. I get LTE speeds everytime. Somewhat in this recent globe experience of mine has been satisfying but still, Globe should strive more to improve their customer service centers by training their employees better so that they would be able to handle things better and faster so that long lines and long waits can be avoided as much as possible.

Java Chip at Starbucks

Starbucks is the most popular coffee shop not only in the Philippines, but the whole world today. The Seattle based international coffeehouse company has since taken over the global market spanning  20,891 stores worldwide.

They offer a wide variety of coffee and frappuccinos with different unique flavors that's sure to satisfy their customers' cravings. But starbucks is patronized not only for it's delicious refreshments and coffee but mostly for it's ambiance as a coffee shop. They provide customers with a stylish modern and comfortable place to relax upon. People come there to meet and hang out, talk, socialize and more. Some people even come there to study or write plays and scripts. So you can see that the success of starbucks not only comes from the products they sell but also from this certain intangible service they provide their customers. 

Recently, then there's this particularly persistent craving that's been taking over me for the past few days. This craving of mine has been for Starbucks' Java Chip Frappuccino. So when the craving struck again I had no choice but to give in to it so I went to the nearest Starbucks branch which is located in Sm San Lazaro.

It took me about 20 minutes to get there and when I arrived, the place was full of people and there were no more  seats available.. So I decided to fall in line to order my Venti java chip frap which costs 180 pesos first then wait for someone to leave so i cold have their seat.

As I waited, I browsed through the snacks that they have on display. Because Starbucks caters mostly to the upper middle class and upper class section of society, their  price range is steeper.

Starbucks also sell different kinds of food and merchandise. They offer sandwiches, cakes bread and other types of pastries that are a bit pricey. They also sell, coffee mugs, glasses and other starbucks merchandise.

Although part of the mall, starbucks has different operating hours.

Some branches are open for service 24/7 but this particular branch is open only from 9:00 am to 12:00 am. 

This is the kitchen where they prepare the drinks. It's nice, clean and exposed so that you can watch how your ordered beverage is prepared by the staff. i also noticed that most of their equipment for preparing the beverages are modern and high tech. 

I was still far at the back of the line and many of the other customers in front of me took a long time because they were still browsing through the menu and are undecided on their order. This adds up to my frustration because if it weren't for them the whole process could have gone faster. This whole ordeal took me another 20 minutes and you can see the staff wasn't exactly hurrying up with their orders.

When my turn to order arrived, I already knew what i wanted so I was completed ordering in no time. The cashier politely took my name and order, gave my change and receipt asked me to wait on the other side of the counter for my name to be called. 

Finally,my order arrived and I was so happy that my cravings will be fulfilled again. The whipped cream on top tastes so sweet and good and the frappe is cold and tasty.

After finishing my drink, I went home. Thankfully, even though there are a lot of people ordering and the staff looks panicked, my frappuccino seemed like it was still thoroughly prepared and somehow it still tasted good. I was satisfied with my order, but with the ambient service that they provided mo during this transaction, not so much. No customer should have to wait for 20 minutes just to order a single frappuccino.  Good thing the frappe still tasted good to makeup for that somewhat sloppy service by the staff. Still, they should do something about those long lines and long waits we customers have to endure just to get our drink. They should improve their customer satisfaction by the training on their staff to maximize their efficiency in taking orders and serving drinks in order to somewhat control the chaos that peak customer hours bring.

Chilling at Serendipitea

I was visiting my friend again in parañaque and suddenly I was hit with a craving for Milktea. Fortunately, my friend knows a nearby place where we could chill, hang out and drink milk tea and that place's name is Serendipitea. Serendipitea is an example of the chains of  milktea shops that you can hang around in like Serenitea, ChaTime, Gong Cha and many more. 

The place is a bit tiny, but it's clean and cool, perfect for just having a quiet talk and hanging out. The staff greeted us with a smile on their faces. There's also a couch to lounge on if you don't fee like sitting on their chairs and tables. and what's good about this shop is that they offer free wi-fi connection for your mobile devices. Their wi-fi is password protected but you can easily ask any of the staff for the password which they will then give to you on a piece of paper. I don't know how this place does when there are a lot of customers, but I can say they will attract more customers by expanding their shop and making it bigger. They should also put more couches inside so that more customers can enjoy a relaxing place to sit in while drinking tea. This should improve their customer service and satisfaction even more.

Their menu consists of many flavors of Milkteas and Frappuccinos and they also offer snacks for merienda such as sandwiches and pasta. The milkteas cost about 90 pesos while the frappuccinos cost above 100 pesos depending on the flavor. The snacks on the other hand costs only 50 pesos per serving which is very cheap but satisfying.

We spent all day on the serendipitea shop and i can say that i was very satisfied with their services. The tea and food tasted good, the ambiance of the place was nice, it was cold inside and we really enjoyed just surfing the net through their free wi-fi. This could just be our favorite hang out place when i come to visit my friend again. 

The Original Pares

Pares has always been one of my favorite Filipino foods. But, there's only one Pares Mami House that I frequently visit which is the one located at Retiro, La Loma. Open for 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

This Pares Mami House is constantly open for business. It's a good thing so that at any time their customers are struck with a craving for their delicious beef pares, they are always open to serve them.

The price range of this eatery is very affordable from 100-150 pesos you'll surely be satisfied and full. Their famous pares combo only goes for 75 pesos with extra rice costing at 18 pesos and soft drinks at 15 pesos. 

Because their so popular, the place is always jam-packed with loyal customers, and there is no really organized queuing of waiting customers so  you have to pick and choose which customer is done eating and replace their seats when they get up to leave. This could be a nightmare during peak hours of business like lunch time and dinner time. 

Their staff is generally friendly and polite but sometimes because of the frenzy of people coming in to eat, they could sometimes end up ignoring you and are hard to call for assistance.

Although named pares, it is only a nickname for the combination of the dish. The Viand is actually beef asado, teamed up with garlic fried rice and soup to form the pares combination.

This meal is really one of my most favorite of all time and every time i see the red and white paint of the eatery from afar, my stomach gets excited because it knows it's going to be filled with delicious pares soon. :)) 

While they do provide affordable and delicious food, they could sure use some improvement on their customer service. To do this, they should reevaluate the daily food consumption of customers so that no time is wasted on cooking and they can serve ordered foods right away. They should also train their staff more intensively so that they can cater to each and every one of their customers additional needs while dining instead of just serving the newcomers first. Service to everyone would be their primary focus

So there you have it, one of my favorite places to dine. Over the years because of their success they have sprouted several branches along manila but there's something unique about the original branch because for me, they produce the best pares you couldn't quite find anywhere else. 

Good Times at Star City

Amusement parks are a popular destination to visit come the holiday season. So we chose to go to one of the most popular amusement park located in Metro Manila, Star City. Originally an out door only amusement park, they since have improved and moved the other rides indoors complete with air conditioning.

We arrived there early to make sure we have enough time to have fun on most of the rides. The park opens at 4:00 pm onwards and we got there a little after 6:00 pm

We got to the ticket booth and saw that the rates haven't changed much. Admission fee to enter costs 65 pesos and the ride all you can ticket costs 420 pesos. 

There are also other side attractions that costs extra but we didn't avail them because maximizing the fun from the rides alone takes a long time and we felt that we can already have a great time on the rides without spending too much. Although they have other promos for ride all you can with other special packages.

The Park is huge, specially the indoor parts because it has 2 floors. We weren't sure if we'd have enough time to try all not only the rides but also the many food stalls and boutiques set up throughout the amusement park. Indeed, not only does star City offer us the amusement park experience but it can also be a fun place to shop and eat with the whole family.

We had a lot of fun trying out the different rides available, like this Viking ride which is very exciting to ride on. Because of the peak season, there's quite a bit of line. I was hoping we wouldn't have to wait for too long...

Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, it was our turn to ride.

The ride was really exciting and stimulating. I wasn't scared because i always loved riding scary park rides ever since i was a kid. As I observed, most of the rides like this one are safe to use and are well maintained even though some of them are old already, they still seem to function properly. I rode on other scary rides after this as well like the surf dance and star frisbee but the line on the star flyer, star city's main attraction was too long and we felt like we would have to wait for over an hour just to get a 3 minute ride so we decided to just skip it for now..maybe next visit :(

There's also a gaming area in the park where you would play games to win different kinds of prizes like on fairs and carnivals like this one where you would toss balls in the basket and you could win a large stuffed bunny.

We also tried this Pirate Adventure where you would ride on a boat and watch a lights and sounds show with animatronic pirates that tell a tale as you pass by each life size diorama throughout the ride.

After a few hours flying by of exploring, playing riding, eating and having fun, we didn't realize that it was already late so we went home. It was too bad that we didn't get to try some of the rides because of the long lines. Nevertheless, I still had a great time with my family. 

Compared to other amusement parks Star City may not be the best one, but they should continue to improve the service they provide to their customers so that they will be a favorite among them. To do this, they should strive more to evaluate and improve the quality of the attractions they offer, acquire more modern rides and attractions so that customers would have a larger variety of entertainment sources to choose from to counter balance the effects of the peak customer hours on some of the more popular rides.  

My Tony & Jackey Experience

Me and my family were strolling through Sm North Annex Last weekend and my parents decided to treat me to Tony & Jackey to get my Perm Touched up. I was so happy and excited because I was looking forward to how my hair would look like after the treatment. :)  

Tony & Jackey is famous for being one of those pricier hair salons in metro manila, they have branches all over the metro and is famous for their Korean city style hair treatments. They have a website which features and explains about the hair services they offer as well as their rates of charge on those services, it also tells where their different branches and also contains the profiles of all their stylists nationwide. They also have this convenient feature that allows you to make a reservation on a Tony and Jackey branch to schedule your treatment and ensure that no time is wasted from waiting on your part.

The Salon looks really nice, the lighting inside is bright, it is very spacious and clean with lots of chairs to accommodate many customers and you can see all of their equipment is very modern and up to date. The receptionist at the front desk was very polite and informative on what treatment would be most appropriate for me, she even examined my hair thoroughly and consulted with their different stylists to make sure I was getting the best treatment. :) 

In the end, we decided to get the L'Oreal Digital Perm which takes about 4 hours to complete and costs 10,000 pesos. Thankfully, we got there early around 2:00 pm so we thought that by the time we finished, it would be about 6:00 pm and we would still make an early dinner. :)

At first I thought I'd be bored of the treatment, but then I discovered that the salon has a high-tech innovation they have; The smart mirror that is a mirror but also doubles as a computer monitor where you could watch a movie while being treated or even surf the net and browse through Facebook :) Then, I thought, 4 hours wouldn't seem so bad if that's the case. They even offer you hot beverages such as tea and coffee.

The staff and stylists were very friendly and accommodating. They always check up on you throughout the treatment asking politely if you are comfortable or how you are doing. I really enjoyed the treatment and felt good the entire time and the 4 hours of treatment flew by.. I wish i could say the same for my parents waiting for me in the salon's lounge. :) Finally, After 4 hours of tedious and redundant washing and cutting and shampooing and curling, my treatment was finally done! :) I loved how my hair turned out

Me with my Stylist and us three with my mom :)

In the end, i was really satisfied with my Tony & Jackey experience. Sure, it was a little expensive compared to other salons but I felt like I really got my money's worth. I didn't get bored even if the treatment was 4 hours long thanks to their innovation of the smart mirror and as you can see they did a good job treating my hair.