So I find myself in the northern parts of Metro Manila, hungry, and craving for anything with the color green, anything devoid of or has less preservatives than the usual processed food, and I though my search was in vain but I found it! A perfect little place at SM North EDSA The Block called Impressca, impressed me… ^_^ Honestly, it’s hard to find a restaurant that mainlines salads and sandwiches. All other restaurants list them under appetizer and do half-@$$ jobs making one, or giving awesome choices and prime ingredients for prime price too (or charging too much that would make gasoline price hike blush). Impressca is a perfect in between… Good simple choices, basics covered, and fairly priced.
About the Restaurant
It’s located at the 4th Floor of SM North EDSA The Block. You’ll see it immediately when you get off the escalator. It’s a big size kiosk and the seats are out in the open. It looks so inviting with the comfy couches, seats, nice clean floors, clean kiosk, everything neatly tucked away except for the display of greens and fruits. Every nook has a purpose, and even part of the kiosk is a counter with high stools where people can also eat when the soft couches and seats at the side and back of the kiosk is taken.
How can you not want to eat there! Remember, I love my space when dining so open space is really all the space you can ask for! The seats are comfy with the cushions and all. One feedback is that some tables (coffee tables) are too low for me... That's part of the reason why I opted to seat at the back with the higher table. I don't like bending to reach for my food too often.Table still too low for me, but I do love the seats! I took this photo while seated at a much higher seat, not cushioned but still comfortable, and with a higher table. Good to have choices of where you want to sit. I would have also liked to eat at the counter with the high stools (you can see that in the other photos).
About Their Menu
Sandwiches, salads, pasta, fruit juices, smoothies, shakes, tea – in all the healthy colors of green, red, yellow, white, and orange. If you want something with chicken, they have it (Chicken Salad), something with ham, they have it (Ham and Cheese), something with fish, they have it, (Tuna Pimiento). Check out the great ensemble yourself!
Prices are healthy for your pocket too! ^_^ So that's a plus to me. Click the photo to get a bigger image.Remember the Wedy's salad bar? Well, now it's Impressca's Load all you Can for P99! I want to try that next time with Mario... ^_^ And you can see the high chairs/stools in the background.
What I Ordered
I was originally craving for a healthy sandwich so I was looking for the sandwich kiosk I passed by in the same area earlier that day, but for the life of me I couldn’t find it anymore. That’s when I found Impressca and saw that they offered sandwiches too (from afar, you’d think it’s all salads). So I ordered Tuna Pimiento which came with a choice between iced tea or coffee (I chose iced tea), and I also ordered their Cheesy Fruit Salad.
Here's the salad and the iced tea. I was waiting for the sandwich to be served.
Tuna Pimiento with iced tea or coffee (Regular P80 / Double Deli P100)
Usual tuna sandwich using wheat bread (which fills you up really fast and keeps you feeling full for a good number of hours), cucumber, fresh greens, tomato, mayo, and onions (I think I tasted onions). Nothing special about it really, but somehow I felt so satisfied and full even though I came there like I haven’t eaten since morning (this is lunch time), and yes, I wasn’t able to eat breakfast that day.
A good pair of healthy wings! Just what I needed to recharge a much needed energy for the rest of the day.
Here's the red iced tea that came with it. Cute little cup that looks more like an ice cream cup than a drinking cup. Something about the color of the tea and the green logo makes you think of Christmas... ^_^;
Cheesy Fruit Salad (P59)
Serving size for this one is small. I didn’t really taste the cheese in the salad too much, but what I love is the many slices of apple! It was like every fork full had 2 slices of apple. I think I made a pretty good combination of orders that day because this finished the meal perfectly. Sweet in a fruity kind of way (not sweet like sugar, but natural tasting sweetness), and light cream.
If the serving's too small for you, you can try the "LOAD ALL YOU CAN for P99" promo that they have.
Overall
I wish there are more kiosks like this, serving healthier options and specializing on salads and sandwiches. I enjoyed my meal and although it looked like it wouldn’t really drive my hunger away, surprisingly it did! I walked away feeling full, healthy, and satisfied. Actually, I walked away wishing they had a branch at MOA! I’ll be trying their “LOAD ALL YOU CAN” option for the salad but I’ll make sure to bring Mario along with me when I decide to do that. ^_^
If you’re from Quezon City, and you enjoy bacon and eggs type of breakfast, want all the pancakes you can eat, and all the orange juice you can gulp up, then say hello to your wonderful mornings! Ristorante Bigoli @ Eastwood City Walk has just launched their Happy Mornings breakfast promo where for P200 you can get unlimited pancakes and orange juice, plus 1 serving of scrambled egg and choice of bacon or sausage! And if you love coffee over juice for breakfast, add P65 for unlimited coffee!
Mario and I, together with other food bloggers, have been invited to have dinner at Tribu Express (Commonwealth branch). The restaurant is located conveniently near the supermarket inside Ever Gotesco. Incase you haven’t been to Ever Gotesco, it’s the structure/mall that looks like a castle from outside. ^_^ Yes, just like Chocolate Lover in Cubao. Mario and I don’t always take the trail north of Metro Manila so we don’t always discover new foodie finds that I know I’m missing that’s why when we were invited to this dinner, we both made an effort to attend.
SIDE STORY:“My rush hour Friday MRT experience (the gruesome and detailed account of that sorry Friday)”
Introduction: We live in Paranaque, and because of a shortcut we know to Makati, I planned to meet Mario there (after his errand) 3 hours before the event thinking that was enough time to make it to Commonwealth, QC at 7PM (so that means we were at Makati around 4PM). After a quick errand in Makati, we got stuck in traffic. Because we value time and appointments, we decided to ditch the car (park it at Park Square 1) and take the MRT to Q. Ave. Smart, right? Well, I don’t know…
At AYALA MRT Station: We arrived at AYALA MRT station (via the connecting “bridge” or hallway from SM Makati) and we positioned ourselves, along with 20 or so men, at one of the expected places where one of MRT’s door should be when it stops at the station. The idea was to push the people in front so that they would get inside the train, and that would have at least gotten some people off the cluster and then we, the people at the back, could have gotten nearer the door for the next train. But every one of the 4-5 trains that stopped at our station was jam packed! I can’t go to the women’s cart because I didn’t want to leave Mario behind. And, even in the women’s cart, ladies were pushing and shoving each other just to get in, but there’s always several more who are left behind because the train just couldn’t take even 1 more passenger. After 30 minutes of that, we decided to go to the opposite side and head to the last station south (Taft Station) and we’ll just hitch a ride to North from there (thinking there are fewer people there being the very first station before a train leaves for the north route.
At TAFT MRT Station: We were very wrong in thinking we have finally escaped the sardine can situation of Ayala Station. Apparently, 3/4 of the passengers going to Taft were also just hitching a ride so that they’d be sure to get a seat or at least be in the train when it leaves to take the route to north. And as luck would have it, we had to transfer trains twice because one of the trains’ doors couldn’t close anymore (tech issue) and on the other train, we were at the women’s cart – I was with Mario (we didn’t know because there weren’t any signs). The moment we got out of the women’s cart, the rest of the other carts are full. To make this very long story short, we were an hour and 5 or 10 minutes late for our appointment. But the owner, Steffi, PerCX’s Bless, and the other bloggers, were sooo kind to wait for us for a quick chat before the mall closed.
About the Restaurant
While our dinner was at Ever Gotesco, Commonwealth, QC, the first branch of Tribu Express (Tribu Grill) is actually in California, USA and it was a hit there that they decided to put up branches here in the Philippines. The concept is community or family dining that’s why the very name of the restaurant is a play on the term “Tribo” (tribe) which is a group of people, or also same as a clan. The term “tribo” is usually used to define ethnic communities that’s probably why their logo is like a hut where most of the Philippine ethnic groups live. I actually think it’s a very good name for a restaurant especially if we consider that tribes have very strong family/community bonds and Tribu Express would like to focus on being a type of restaurant where families, friends, and groups can bond over good food. The place didn’t feel “finish” to me but it was clean and, for some reason, made me felt like I was eating at home, perhaps because it had a very casual vibe to it.
The restaurant entrance (which is really near the mall's supermarket), is very open and inviting. The bright orange sign stands out among the other restaurants in the area.I really love restaurants with lots of space where you don't have to hear what the other patrons are talking about in the other table, or if Mario's long legs aren't cramped up in the small space under the table. In Tribu Express, we didn't have any problem with that. The tables were properly spaced apart, there's more than enough space for people to move around and get water or condiments from the dedicated condiment table.They also had a separate room at the back of the restaurant that you can reserve for a group or family lunch/dinner. I'm not sure if that closes completely for a more private room feel, or if that door at the center stays open.
The Menu
Mario, being an iced-tea person, the first thing he noticed was how affordable their bottomless iced tea was! At P35, it’s a steal! And yes, if the drinks are affordable, then expect that everything else on the menu is priced good enough so that not one, not two, but a whole “tribu” can enjoy. (Cheesy moment! I’ve probably watched way too much Home Shopping Network shows.)
The star of the show, their fried chicken with 10 dips to choose from!Community size is good for 3 - 4 people. In my world, that means good enough for Me and/or Mario. ^_^
I actually like this ad... ^_^
What We Were Served
We were served 2pcs TFC (Tribu Fried Chicken) and UNLI Rice for P99, Bagoong Rice for P135, and something that didn’t look like anything on the menu, but was probably the XL Liempo BBQ/Orig with UNLI Rice for P99. We were also served a couple of glasses of iced tea which Mario really liked.
2pcs TFC and UNLI Rice (P99)
The chicken skin was unbelievably crunchy! It reminded Mario of chicharon. The meat was not as salty as the Mini-Stop chicken I love (because I really like salty food), but I guess for other folks, it was flavorful enough. It was a pleasure sampling this dish.
Huge chicken parts with unlimited rice! Imagine that! We were served 3pcs probably because we were guests. But even with only 2, for 99PHP it would be super worth every peso together with the unlimited rice.
Bagoong Rice (P135)
I’ve never had bagoong rice served with pork, mangoes and tomatoes (ensalada style but the bagoong is mixed in with the rice), and scrambled egg. Although anything with preceded or followed by the word “bagoong” to me is delicious, this was exceptional. It’s like a full meal on its own! You could just order this and you’re done with your lunch or dinner! It’s definitely meant to share between 2 or 3 people (depending on how hungry you are). In my best day, I can probably take on the whole thing, and a TFC on the side. ^_^
Sorry dear readers... If you notice, the lower left part is out of shape... Well, I actually almost helped myself to this dish, then I remember to take a picture! It was a perfect square with toppings of mango, tomato, pork, and scrambled egg. You know how I love salty stuff so this was like a magnet to me!
XL Liempo BBQ/Orig with UNLI Rice (P99)
That’s what it tasted exactly, a BBQ Liempo. The sweet marinate caramelized in the burnt edges are my favorite but really, I couldn’t play favorites in any of its parts because the whole thing tasted great! The diet deity must be carefully guarding me from these temptation (unli rice with delicious barbecued pork in sweet marinate) because if Tribu Express had a branch near Paranaque, my hopes of losing a few lbs would be done for!
Bottomless Iced Tea (P35)
I needed to include this in the review just because Mario kept talking about how good it tasted and how affordable it was compared to other similar restaurants. I don’t have a picture though, but I’m sure you know how iced tea looks like. ^_^; But between Mario’s fave iced tea from Wendy’s and Tribu Express’, he still likes Wendy’s more. Still, for affordability, this earns a high score in his card.
Overall
The effort (going through all that MRT drama) was well worth it. If I lived in QC and happen to be doing my weekly grocery at Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, I would definitely eat at Tribu Express. But if you’re the person who only eats half orders of rice in all meal times, then you may not be able to get the most of your peso here or you can order from their FISH & CHIX menu which has solo priced orders. Next time, I would probably try their inasal as it’s one of the restaurant’s specialties aside from the Tribu Fried Chicken, and the vanilla sundae cone for P10 because I’m a sucker for vanilla ice cream.
The Wandering Boots 