dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Note: Luxe has relocated to Level 3 East Lane, Robinsons Galleria


I've been a loyal customer of this nail spa for almost a year. I have been to more popular nail spas but this is the best I've ever tried.
I try to visit at least twice a month, depending on my need to destress and pamper myself. 
For this visit, I had Basic Manicure (Php 180) and Basic Pedicure (Php 220). Both manicure and pedicure include soaking, shaping, massaging, and painting.
What I love about Luxe:


the seats

- The privacy of the place. What I don't like about other nail spas is that they don't provide privacy for their customers. - The couches. Luxe doesn't have uniformly-designed seats like other nail spas.  - The staff, I have yet to meet a nail technician that I don't like. Everyone looks neat in their black uniform, and are friendly enough to recommend a polish color that you'd like and how you'd like your nails done (cut cuticles? square-cut or round?) - The magazines. Luxe gi…

Note: This restaurant is already closed.


Finally! The sun did shine after a few days of terrible rain. And I was able to go out for lunch at Manang's Chicken.
I did not know that it was popular because it was a regular stall in Mercato until I read about it in Our Awesome Planet. Also, a fellow PEx food club member suggested that I should try it.
I have to be nice with Manang's because they are just starting with a place of their own, and it's a lot different from having a stall.
I ordered 2 pcs Manang's Chicken (Php 124) and regular Iced Tea (Php 30). I was supposed to order Sarsi but they ran out of drinks in a can.
Two pieces Manang's Chicken with Rice
You can have your chicken in original, mildly spicy, and spicy sauce. I had mine in the original sauce. They still use styro containers for dine-in. I guess they still have to improve on that and use plates instead.
My friend and I sat near the kitchen, and they were still having problems with which orders should c…

Note: This restaurant is already closed. 



The PEx Gluttony Society was planning for a "Persian Persuasion" for quite a while since most of us were craving for kebabs, we decided to put that in our food trip calendar. A food trip for another place was postponed so I guess this was good luck for the kebab crazies (including myself). And the Persian Persuasion Part 1 happened at Persian Square.
There was a typhoon, and I was having doubts that the dinner will push through. Gladly, it did.

Persian Square is located at the Ortigas Business District. The area is a usual hangout for office workers in Ortigas, different restos and bars are also located in the area.

The restaurant was like a little Persia brought in the middle of the city.

the door in the resto
fountain at the middle of the resto on the wall
As some of us were taking pictures around the resto, Reva, the Iranian owner of the restaurant, asked us to post the pictures on their FB page. (I will post later, Reva!)

Since we w…

Note: This establishment is already closed.


Gamja Gamja Jaja size

I hate passing by this mall's basement because I never fail in buying these yummy garlic potatoes.
Gamja means "potato" in Korean.

Gamja Gamja Garlic Potatoes are deep-fried diced potatoes then glazed with secret ingredients and sesame seeds on top. What I love about Gamja Gamja (aside from the potatoes) is the packaging. The cup (as shown above) has a lid with a hole big enough for you to get one piece at a time (they are not using toothpicks but a two-prong stick).

This is what Gamja Gamja Garlic Potato looks like:


Photo from aeriskitchen.com
You can buy Gamja Gamja in three sizes: Potpot size (Php 39), Jaja size (Php 49), and Garlee size (Php 59). Gamja garlic potato is a bit sweet and a little salty. You would also notice that there are grated carrots in the glaze mixture.

Overall, Gamja garlic potato is a good alternative especially if you're having a craving for potatoes but don't want to get m…

Photo from beyondhollywood.com
It finally ended.
The orphan boy with extraordinary bravery has finally defeated the evil wizard.

I got to watch the final Potter movie last Saturday. (As I was writing this, I found out that last Saturday was Daniel Radclifffe's birthday.)

Since it was a weekend, the theaters were almost full, so we had to watch in 3D so that we wouldn't have to wait for a long time.

The whole movie was amazing! It was gloom and doom I expected. However, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) stole the scene. Of course, there are scenes I expected to be there but weren't there. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is the best! He's the best villain of all time, in my opinion.

The best scene for me is when Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) casted a spell to protect Hogwarts from the evil forces. Then went giddy and said "I've always wanted to use that spell!"

Let me clarify that I'm not a Harry Potter uber-fan. I actually missed 2 movies, however, I read a…

Note: This restaurant is already closed. 




The PEx Gluttony Society had another food trip, and we went Indian this time at Legend of India, Makati. Chris got discount vouchers for us last month for an eat-all-you-can buffet.

I was really hesitant about trying Indian food because Indians are known to use curry and other spices. Still having this Aamir Khan fantasy, I took the challenge anyway.

The restaurant looks small from the outside, but it wasn't. The restaurant's ambiance is cozy, with only a few tables occupied. There is a flat-screen TV playing Bollywood filmi (that's what you call the song-and-dance routine) non-stop.

Legend of India dining area
I arrived late, as in super late, so I wasn't able to take so many photos. I took one picture of the buffet area:

the buffet area
I could remember getting chicken tandoori, mushrooms with red sauce (I forgot the name) and some Basmati rice. I skipped lamb and the paneer. The food tastes fine, some dishes are sweet and spic…

Note: This location is already closed. 

I met up with the Northies for dinner at a Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante. I have heard of Aveneto from a friend, but I haven't really tried since I could always find an Italian resto everywhere. The last Italian resto I have been to is Buon Giorno, which I think is the best I've tried.
a Veneto means "in Venetian" in Italian.

As we are waiting for other people, we ordered a Veneto Family Platter (Php 300).
a Veneto Family Platter

The a Veneto Family Platter contains cheddar munchers, fries, chicken wings, and crabsticks.
We also ordered Baked Ziti with Chicken (Php 315) and Seafood Pasta Parmigiana (Php 275)
Baked Ziti with Chicken Seafood Pasta Parmigiana
The plates of pasta were served piping hot. They have generous servings, and they are very generous with the mozzarella cheese too!
When our group's almost complete, we ordered 16" New York Style Pizza (Php 580).

New York Style Pizza
The pizza had lots of green bell …

Note: This location is already closed. 

It's been a while since I ate kebab, which I love dearly. Good thing a dinner treat for Persian food was offered by an old friend and I'm not stupid to decline the offer.

I have never tried Persia Grill before, but I frequent Cafe Mediterranean (my favorite), Uncle Moe's, and Kebabers (a food stall) for my kebab cravings. We had dinner at Persia Grill SM Megamall, which is located on the Julia Vargas side. The entrance is outside the mall.

Persia Grill dining area
I like the design and ambiance of the place, and the cushioned seats.

My friend insisted on ordering a salad (though I was keen on not ordering a salad, because I know how heavy to the tummy eating a kebab is), and so we ordered Shirazi (Php 180, to share)


Shirazi
Shirazi is a mix of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, carrots, lemon, and olive oil. Sliced grapes are mixed in, which made the salad a bit sweet. The 'to share' salad was overwhelming, I think 3-5 people ca…

I had lunch with a friend at Army Navy Burger + Burrito since I was craving for something heavy. I've been to Army Navy several times for their soft tacos and burger. I also tried Steak Burrito the first time I went there, but it was too heavy that I wasn't able to finish my burrito! 
I'm not sure if the Army Navy serves authentic Mexican tacos, burritos, or quesadillas. But it is much better than Taco Bell and Mexicali.

What I also love about Army Navy is the theme. I love the bunker-designed store, the military-style plates, but my favorite is the stamp when the order's complete: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Army Navy counter
For lunch, I ordered Chicken Soft Tacos (Php 135),Freedom Fries (Php 65), and a Large Libertea (Php 65).

my lunch
Soft Tacos and Burritos have cilantro, I always request for no cilantro for my order. Freedom Fries are like a thin version of KFC fries. Libertea is brewed iced tea, and you can taste the difference with the powdered iced tea.

My friend ord…

Work is getting too stressful lately, I'm having an LQ with my new love, autocadd. (I was supposed to do layouts for the new projects, so I have to re-learn autocadd.)

I have a one-month ban on eating french fries and I'm also trying not to consume milkshake daily. But this time, I have to give in to these cravings.

(Let us define milkshake first: milkshake is basically blended ice cream and milk. There are some shops claiming to sell milkshakes but the milkshakes they offer are blended ice, not the authentic one. So please be careful of that.)

My first stop: Dairy Queen for the Double Cocoa Fudge Milkshake (Php 59, 12oz).

my favorite milkshake
Dairy Queen offers one of the inexpensive but yummy milkshakes in the metro. It's convenient for me since 2 branches (SM Megamall and Robinson's Galleria) are within reach.

I always expect a long queue whenever I go to DQ, I'm not the only dessert freak, you know.

What I love about DQ is the way the staff greets the custome…

Note: This location is already closed. 



I was having a migraine yesterday and was looking for a caffeine and sugar fix. I went to my usual coffee shop (Starbucks) but realized I wasn't in the mood for whipped cream with waffles. So I went to Ms. Polly's, which I've been seeing for at least a year but never had a chance to try.

Ms. Polly's Specialty Cakes and Desserts is located in the middle of the mall with some tables and chairs. One has to be patient with the noise in the area because it's near Timezone and Tom's World.

I ordered a regular latte (Php 85) and a slice of chocolate cake (Php 85), which the barista told me is their specialty.

My caffeine and sugar fix
I wasn't expecting so much for the latte but I was expecting that the chocolate cake must be good.

Oh my latte
THE chocolate cake
The verdict: I'm a convert! The chocolate cake is a must-try! The cake was so moist and filling. I was feeling full while eating half of the cake. (Mind you, I don'…