To most hungry people, it's all about quantity when it comes to looking for a good food place. Most of the time, it all boils down to which food place can offer the most amount of servings at the lowest possible price. This is the reason why food places which serve the eat-all-you-can promo, or what we commonly know as buffet, continues to flourish in the Metro. Basically, a buffet is like a bottomless iced tea, for a fixed price you can eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, until you get full. There are, of course, downfalls to buffet. Firstly, they don't come really cheap. The cheapest lunch or dinner buffet in the Metro could actually cost 400++. There's a ++ because some restaurants don't include the service charge or the drinks in the buffet price. So, a complete buffet could actually cost as much as 600 pesos. Secondly, there's the value for money issue. Basically, what we're saying is just simple logic. If you're not that hungry, you won't even plan on eating at a buffet. This is because spending 400 or 500 pesos on a meal would not be worth it. The goal in a buffet is to have at least 2 to 3 full plates of food. That's when you say that you have wisely spent your money on a buffet. But of course, it all depends on the price. There's a buffet place that we tried which might not be that cheap, but really has a lot of delicious food to offer.
Yakimix is one of the fast-growing buffet places in the Metro. We actually would not be surprised if it's even more popular than Saisaki or Cabalen. What makes Yakimix different from other buffet places is variety. Yakimix offers Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes for customers to choose from. You'll be amazed when you enter the restaurant. There's a long line of raw foods that you can cook on your table on the smokeless grill. There are usual yet delicious dishes that will surely satisfy your cravings and your appetite such as tempura, fried pork lechon, and different types of rice. There's a sushi section where you can find the popular California Maki and Sashimi and the other never heard yet delicious sushis like the Hawaiian Maki and the Tuna Dynamite Maki. There's also a desserts section where it's practically a wonderland of sweets. They have fruits, cakes, flans, ice cream, anything that a person with a sweet tooth would crave for. So, you say it might be quite expensive, but looking on the brighter side, it's practically all you wished for in a buffet! What more could you actually ask for?
Chinese food is a very common cuisine in the Metro. If you haven't tried a bite at the yummy and flavorful Chinese dimsum, a plate of the delectable Yang Chow fried rice, or even a bowl of the delicious and hot congee, then believe us, you're missing a lot in life. The Pinoy culture has actually embraced the presence of Chinese cuisine. What's great about it is that every dish is always packed with flavors. Chinese people really know how to maximize the use of every ingredient, and they mix these ingredients with excellent cooking techniques. Nowadays, Chinese food can be bought almost anywhere. You can always find a Chinese food chain or a Chinese food cart or stall near your location. The only problem with these stalls and carts is that they're not authentic Chinese food. They might be the same siomai or chicken noodles, but they're not exactly the same as the Chinese would prepare them. If you decide to go to an authentic Chinese restaurant, you'll probably be charged by the hundreds. This dilemma gave us the urge to find a unique Chinese food place that offers dishes that are close to the authentic Chinese food and are affordable at the same time.
Of course, when you talk of Chinese food, or anything Chinese for that matter, Binondo would instantly pop-up in your mind. Chinatown is without a doubt THE place for authentic Chinese products. The food place we found, however, was not at Binondo, but near it. It's just actually within the UST area. The name of the food place is Jus & Jerry's Gourmet Chinese Food. It's named after the owners, Jus and Jerry (It's pronunced Jus, as in Justin...at least that's what we realized hahaha At first we thought it was Jus, as in juice hahaha How should we know, right? hahaha). They've been serving delicious food to hungry customers within the UST area for quite some time now. The place is just small, and from afar it doesn't resemble a Chinese food place. But, the food they have is pretty much the one you should keep coming back for. It may not be the authentic Chinese food, but it's close enough. Jus & Jerry's also offers variety, serving not just Chinese food but other dishes as well, such as all-time Filipino favorites and sandwiches.
When we speak of diners, we would usually think of American meals like pancakes, burgers, sausages, and chicken wings. Diners here in the Metro would usually offer average-priced meals. They're not that cheap, but they offer dishes with American servings. When we say American servings, we mean big plates with lots of food. So, you could say that the meals at diners are affordable. But, there is one thing that differentiates the original American diner from the diners here in the Philippines - Pinoy meals. Yes, diners here offer variety. They serve not only delicious American dishes, they also offer dishes that are Filipino-inspired such as beef tapa, daing na bangus, and tocino - mostly Filipino breakfasts. One such food place is Mile-Hi Diner.
Mile-Hi Diner is located at Eastwood at Libis. This food place is not limited to Quezon City. It also has branches in Baguio, Tagaytay, and Taguig. They offer a wide assortment of dishes, from classic American diner meals, to Filipino breakfasts, to Mexican wrapped food. The dishes here are big in servings, just like the food you see at an average American diner (we actually mentioned this earlier hahahaha). It's may not be that cheap, but it really is very delicious. The good thing about the food is that it's available all day. Breakfast meals are available even during dinner time. You can even choose to have delicious and fluffy pancakes in the middle of the afternoon. To tell you honestly, nothing in the menu is not worth trying. So, it might not be a surprise if you're having a hard time in choosing what to eat.
The place, in our opinion, is not that diner-ish. For us, it's bit different from the typical diner. But, they do have some usual diner designs such as the black and white colored wall and leather seats. They also have nice lamps for every table which they didn't open yet since it was lunch time. The service was also really good. The waitress who served us during the duration of our visit was really accommodating. She made sure that we had a good time at Mile-Hi. Overall, the place really gave that comfortable and nice feel.
Here's what we both got:
Iced Tea, 35 php (Glass); 70 php (Bottomless)
Glutton Guy and Glutton Girl: To those who read our blog, it's not that surprising that we ordered iced tea for our beverage. It's always better for us to drink iced tea or juice rather than a glass of soda. It's just like the normal iced tea, however. Nothing great to expect about the drink. It was the typical and normal iced tea. They do have beers, though, for those who want to have some good time with friends. They also have milkshakes for those who want to have that really good diner experience. : )
Onion Rings, 130 php
Glutton Guy: When I ordered their onion rings, I didn't know that they would serve a big plate full of it. I think they sliced 2 big onions just to give us our order. What's good about this dish is that the rings are made from real onions. There are some onion rings that are made from artificial flavorings and flour, thus giving it a mushy texture. The batter of the onion rings was really delicious. It was spiced well and had that crunch when you eat it. The dip that came with the rings gave that kick which was very delicious. It really hyped the flavors of the onion rings. It was a really good starter for a diner meal. : )
Glutton Girl: I liked the onion rings of Mile-Hi. The onion rings were very crispy and very flavorful. They were perfectly cooked and chewy. The onions had that nice texture and they really had that crunch which I really liked. When the dish was served to us, it was a like a small mountain of onion rings on a plate. We didn't realize that it would be that much when Glutton Guy ordered it. Nevertheless, we had the appetite to finish it all up. The dip was also very delicious. I liked how it complemented the flavor of the onion rings.
Beef Tapa Filipino Breakfast, 155 php
Glutton Guy: It actually is not my thing to order a Filipino breakfast at a diner. I would usually order American food, since it is a diner. But, when we were at Mile-Hi, I was persuaded to buy the beef tapa dish. The waitress said it was their best-seller among the Filipino breakfast meals. So, I decided to try it out. The servings was not that much, but it was served in a big plate so it would seem that it was a lot. The beef was tender and easy to eat. The flavor was really good. The fried rice was also very delicious. The tomatoes were fresh and very delicious as well. The egg was perfectly cooked. I liked it because the yolk was intact and the edge of the egg was a bit burned. Overall, everything on the plate really worked. I didn't regret ordering this dish. It really worked for me. : )
Glutton Girl: I also got the beef tapa dish. I really loved the dish. The beef had that really delicious flavor. There was that mixture of sweetness and saltiness that I really liked. It was cooked perfectly and it wasn't fatty at all. Adding some of the vinegar really made the beef more flavorful. The tomatoes really went well with the beef. I had doubts on eating the tomatoes because of the green color. But, it was really good. The egg on my dish was also very delicious. The rice for me wasn't that much, but it was like the punctuation mark in the sentence. There were crunchy bits of garlic that really gave the rice more flavor. It was a very satisfying meal for me.
Most people go to diners for the big servings of American diner food. But, it wouldn't hurt to try something that's uniquely ours. Having Filipino breakfasts at a place like Mile-Hi Diner can always be a satisfying experience. Not only do you get delicious meals that are really worth trying, you also get a heaping amount of it. If that's not enough to satisfy your stomach, we don't know what would. Try Mile-Hi's food and have a rockin' good diner experience!
Here's how we rated Mile-Hi Diner:
Food:
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(Mile-Hi Diner has 5 branches: 1. Citywalk, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City - near Teriyaki Boy; 2. Camp John Hay, Baguio City; 3. Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City; 4. Mezza Residences, Araneta Avenue, Quezon City; and 5. Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.)
