Anne Wndr Eats: Westwood

With all the stress from career and personal life that envelops the 20 year-old me, I really treasure the small time I get in unwinding because believe me, Adulting (yes, that's a term now), is really difficult. So, it is safe to say that like you guys, I, too, look forward everytime I go out with my bestfriend because that means another food adventure around the Metro.

So, where did we go this time?

Our wandering feet had led us to Maginhawa. I know most of you guys in the Philippines have heard it one way or another and this place, and the other streets around it, is my favourite place to hunt for new restaurants to tease my palette and of course to dig holes in my pocket.

One place I came across to when I was doing restaurant search is Westwood.

Westwood sits in a corner of a building in Maginhawa. For an outsider's perspective, it looks  nothing special, probably just like the other restaaurants that could be found around the area but what lured me to visit it? The menu. But what's in the menu? Sushitos or sushirritos.

Sushito or sushirrito is what you're thinking right now. I know that your creative minds have worked it all out. And yes, it is the combination of sushi and burrito.

Awesome right?

It has been the talk of the town these days and the curious cat in me said, why not? I mean, it already sounds delicious to my ears so it would most probably taste the same too.

But apart from what's in the menu, the interior drew me even more (like I wasn't sold with the sushito already). The moment I took my first steps, I knew right away that this place would feel like my own safe haven.  The place has a rusty, basement feeling. It's all wood, metal tube lights, bricks and art. Things that looks good together. I don't know why but it looks like a restaurant I could find in the big apple but hey, that's just me.

I don't know why but I find it funny finding it inside the toilet.

Gorgeous wall art

You can't see it but all the benches have pillows.  I stayed away from them and chose to sit on a chair because I knew I would just lay down and sleep. And I just love wood, you know. The tables are wood and I just really appreciated it, and the little plastic plant on the middle? Adorable.

One thing I also admire about this place is their crew. My bestfriend and I went a little too early (excited much) but the crew was so friendly. She was all smiles and invited us to go inside instead of waiting outside. She helped us with all our queries and we felt like she was so genuine in helping us. Kudos to her.

Now, down to the food!

I extremely like their menu book. It's so colourful and so put together. It looks as if the people who created it really took their time thinking of the design and layout. It's not grand but it's really nice. Plus, unlike other menus, it's not tattered. Still pristine.

We didn't order much because the main goal here is to taste the sushitos. But we really enjoyed the Westwood Garden Salad. It is perfect for two or maybe three people. The chicken on top was ammmazing. It was really delicious and they were generous about it. It made me guilty that I was too full to order chicken poppers. It has it's own distinct taste and the crunch on it. Yum.

We ordered three drinks, Virgin Pinacolada, Melonade and Sex on the Beach. They all tasted so good. The Melonade is the house special and it's my current favourite. They are placed in Flasks which is so cute. You can add P99 on the Garden Salad and your Melonade will be unlimited. But I opted for the 12oz so I just added P40 . The Sex on the Beach is one of their bestsellers under Alcohol and it is only P180 below. The Colada is only P115 and my bestfriend swore it is worth the try.

I actually ate it with my eyes closed and made little hmm sounds

And for the star of the show, sushito or sushirrito. It tasted divine, for my bestfriend and I. It is packed with all the goodness. We ordered the Seoul Beef Bulgogi because the crew said it's the bestseller and now, I know why. From the top down to the last bite, I could still taste the beef. You could squirt some wasabi or mayo on it. I put two of 'em and I was in heaven. It is just so addicting and it is only P249 and you guys can share it with someone.. They also sell the solo which is just the other half for a lower price. I forgot how much but if I were you. I would get the whole because it is worth every penny.

We weren't able to get a taste of their famous desserts especially their ice creams with their specialty cones. The cones have sprinkles or rice crispies and stuff all over the rim and topped with ice creams. The specialty cones cost depending on how many scoops you want. They can go for 3  scoops for only P145.

I will definitely visit this place again and for you guys who are just looking for a me-time or an instagram-worthy restaurant, this is a safe bet. Affordable, good food and nice people.

The place opens at 3PM til 12 midnight.

Westwood

80 Maginhawa Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City

ANNE WNDR EATS: LEANN'S TEA HOUSE

"Food tastes better when you eat with your friends."

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that craves for Korean food every now and then. But the thing is, going Korean doesn't always scream "cheap". That's why it was a great relief to finally find affordable restaurants around the Metro that doesn't dig holes in our pockets.

It was actually the first time I've seen my best friend again after we graduated from college and that was like, months ago. We're not like the other Bffs that splurge too much on food or travel. We rarely go out to eat and shop and whenever we do, we really make sure that we spend our money wisely. So, yes, you can call us buzzkills or "kuripot" but that's just us and besides, we spent our first salary here. Well, not all of it, of course.

Leann's Tea House is not your mainstream Korean restaurant. When I first saw it on a food website, I thought it was a typical Chinese tea house. It doesn't really sound Korean to me and it didn't entice me on the first glance either. We were actually considering a place where we can just hangout and chitchat, and she was really persistent to find a place where there's milkshake.  I had quite a few restaurants that I was considering apart from it but what made me wanna push the idea of dining here was the good reviews. It's not just about looking for an artsy or instagram-worthy or a popular kind of a restaurant, I'm pretty focused on the taste of the food, the services and if the prices are reasonable. Compared to the other restaurants that it was in competition with, it really captured a lot of customers because as far as I can remember, I didn't read any bad reviews about it.

We had a little hard time searching for it in the city because it's not a restaurant that stands out too much. It's actually like a hidden treasure that you really have to look closely in order to find it. It was kind of a turnoff for me when we reached it because there is not much parking space available even though they said that they have a private parking. I know that I only got to park my car that time because we went there before lunch time. And there was only one space available. 

The facade is too small that's why I believe they have small parking space. Going inside, it's a small space too, there's a group table in the corner, almost too close to the stairs which is not good and there wasn't any staff that welcomed us. We actually thought we weren't in the right place because we didn't see much tables and we actually had to call out to someone to help us out. Apparently, there's a much bigger room upstairs which houses more tables. The stairs is too steep for me. 

When we came upstairs, there was like few people, actually just a small group. So, we were able to choose a good spot. We actually didn't expect it to be almost empty because I saw on the website that we have to make a reservation because it's always packed. It wasn't a bad thing actually. We preferred it more to be almost empty. 

The place is nice. It's cozy and it feels like home. I can't explain why but it sure does. The waiter was accommodating and nice. My best friend and I were quite loud during that time, we were laughing like crazy, you know,  typical best friends catching up and not once did he make us stop or showed a sign of annoyance. Plus, after the group ate, we were alone. So, yay!

There's not much food to choose from but that's alright because it made it easy for us to pick. If there were many choices, we would probably take too long deciding.

We ordered the foods that are recommended by the people that dined there before. They had a few appetizers. There was a small serving of mashed potato, kimchi, chili covered lettuces and Toge(Bean Sprout).

Tonkatsu Kimbap - P250.00

This is my favourite. Its the Tonkatsu Kimbap. I read that it was amazing that was why we ordered it and I am really obsessed with Tonkatsu. It tasted good although I really wanted to taste more Katsu. This only cost P250 and it's more than enough for two people. It could probably be good for three people or depending on how much you guys eat.

Bulgogi Kimbap - P170.00

This one tastes so good. Another favourite. It's the Bulgogi Kimbap and it only cost P170 and again, it's more than enough for two people but with us, we need more. I could eat this all day. I was just disappointed that only two rolls had the fruit. Sad but still yummy.

We also had the Spicy Chicken which cost P210. Not really worth ordering, It tasted so ordinary. I'm sure it tasted like tocino with sesame seeds. For drinks, I had Acapulco Breeze which cost P140 and Catalina Sunrise for her which cost P110. The Acapulco tasted so much like a banana shake. It's actually a combination of mango, banana and vanilla. I vaguely tasted the mango. My best friend definitely got obsessed with Catalina, it's a combination of strawberry, banana and mango. She said it tasted more like strawberry shake which in my opinion, is better.

Would I recommend this place? Yes, I would. In terms of price, it's perfect. We only spent like P800 all in all which I believe is a great deal already. The food may not be too perfect but it's worth the price and I definitely enjoyed it. The place is great for those who just wanna chill and talk but make sure to arrive at lunch time coz at around 5:30ish, it gets busy. I'll most probably go back here with my family next time.

Address:

105-R Mother Ignacia Corner Sct. Madrinan Street, 

South Triangle, Tomas Morato, 

Quezon City 1100