RAZON'S @ KCC MALL OF GENSAN

Work has started to pile up and so as the stress along with it.  Yes, we were hungry but we were avoiding rice so as not to over-eat and blame stress later.  We started our search then.  It’s already a bit late for lunch and we didn’t wanna walk further for food.  Luckily, as we stepped down (via the escalator), we were greeted by Razon’s. 

Welcome to Razon's!

Inside Razon's

It’s not a fancy place, but looking at their menu, it offers a few typical comfort food.  It’s already been two years since I ate at their branch is Sun City and maybe it is worth another try.

At the counter, we were determined to skip the rice meals.  Instead, we ordered Halo-halo (Php65), Dinuguan (Php79), Puto (Php10/each)and Palabok (Php65).

When we entered the place, there were only two other groups of customers by that time.  However, it doesn’t take long for the others to flock in.  Our food were served after a while and we were excited to eat them (and take pictures before eating them).

The Dinuguan is derived the from the root word “dugo” which means blood.  This was surprisingly good.  It’s definitely not bland and is uniquely sweet.  To be honest, this brought me back to my high school years, it’s the same dinuguan served in our canteen which I frequently bought since it only costs Php5.00.  Ideally, it is best paired with puto.  However, their version of puto did not quite match well with the dinuguan.  They were too sweet that it can survive without the Dinuguan or vice versa.  I was expecting to get the white ones but these were served to us.  Maybe it’s not available on that day, who knows?

Puto and Dinuguan

The Palabok was too much.  And I meant it in a good way.  One serving could fill two tummies already.  It has thick noodle strands and a generous palabok sauce.  Maybe some more eggs and I could have rate this higher.

Pancit Palabok

Pancit Palabok. Spot the Difference!

To finish our meal, we present to you their best-seller.  Their halo-halo is perfect!  It has perfectly crushed ice, to make it a hassle-free experience, and a right mix of ingredients, from the milk, sugar to the i-don’t-know-what-are-they.  Typical halo-halos are colorful but theirs were not due to the limited ingredients in it.  This allows our taste buds to enjoy and figure out the taste, unlike the others that would overwhelm your senses (vision, taste).  And let’s not forget the leche flan on top it.  I actually ate it last and exclude it from the halo-halo.

Halo-halo!

Overall, we were satisfied.  Unfortunately, skipping rice did not prevent us from over-eating. Razon’s is located at 2^nd floor KCC Mall of Gensan.  And maybe you may try their intriguing Fresh Lumpia, it was huge.

Let's eat!

Shout out to my pretty colleague for the Instagram-worthy pics.

CHATIME @ VERANZA

The order-taker.

It's 12:11 p.m, we wondered where to eat.  We wandered somewhere, crossed the bridge, into a newer place, into a place we've never been before.  It was a place of the unknown, for us to discover and re-discover, for us to explore and eventually for us to love and adore.

One of the newest place in the city, Chatime recently opened  in Gensan last month.  Though a lot could be found in Makati and in Davao, I never really have tried it.

The place is cozy and the combination of purple, black and white gives it a vibrant-feel.  The place is really new and clean.

They have a wall there that gives some interesting trivia. To name a few:

1.) It takes 3-5 years for a tea bush to grow before it's harvested.

2.) Chatime has its own tea farm in Taiwan.

We did some photo-shoot too, if you may call it that way.  Frankly, the place is quite small and might be too cramped if a lot of people will come in.

For starters, we asked for their best-sellers and the courteous crew recommended the Pearl Milk Tea (Php95 Large).  We also ordered the Chatime Burger (Php99) to complete our lunch.

Pearl Milk Tea

Chatime Burger

Perfect Combo? Yes!

The milk tea was served first so as we can have it before the ice melts.  Aside from the ice, it has a lot of pearls.  Haha!  I can't really describe the taste or its difference from the limited milk teas that I tried before but I enjoyed every sip.  It is categorized as Specials (Php95 Large/Php85 Regular).  You may also try their Classic (Php90/Php80) and Premium (Php105/Php95) offerings.

A pretty colleague told us to try their burger.  She warned us that it may be small (as compared to others) but it was tasty and delicious.  Well, it's one of those rare burgers where the patty is actually bigger than the buns. It looks premium-type with the cheese, lettuce and other ingredients generously combined together.  The taste? Just as my pretty colleague have said.  It also seems healthy and guilt-free (am I right?).

Overall, we had a great lunch.  We got sleepy though (milk tea effect?) at 2:00pm.  Haha! 

Hungry no more, Sleepy later!

 And since it's so nice, we went there TWICE.  With our ultimate counselor, we call this the counselor, counselor-counselee, counselees lunch session.  

This time we ordered Taro Milk Tea (Php105 Large) with Pudding (Add-on Php15), Chicken Chops Sandwich (Php95) and French fries (Php65).

Taro Milk Tea at the back :)

Close-up: French Fries

I like the Pearl Milk Tea more, but I'm not saying it's bad.  In fact, I consumed the taro faster.  The combination of the taro and the pudding kept my taste buds interested that I keep on sipping it frequently.  I tried to figure out the taste but I unfortunately ran out of milk tea.  

The fries were thick and flavorful.  It could be shared by two to three (maybe?) persons.  And by the way, it's BAKED.

I got surprised with the sandwich though.  It is huge compared to the burger and the picture in its leaflet/menu.  It got a huge chicken meat with onions and cucumbers sliced thinly and horizontally.  I preferred the burger in terms of taste but you can't complain with the size and at a lower price.

Chicken Chops Sandwich. Surprisingly Huge!

Another great lunch and thanks to our ultimate counselor for the treat.

Chatime also offers fruit juices, smoothies, latte and other drinks.  It is located at 2nd floor, Veranza Mall.

This is the first issue of my Hab-hab Series.  It will talk and discuss all about food including some raw reviews.  It starts as #001 'cause I'm hoping it may reach above 99.  For the information of our non-Bisaya readers, "Hab-Hab" is a bisaya term for eating A LOT.

Thank you!

Inside Chatime.

Trivia, trivia, trivia.

True!