Prancing Around Blue Bay Walk and The Mall Of Asia

SM Mall Of Aisa

I could barely remember when I went to SM Mall Of Asia when I was a kid with some members of my family decades ago when MOA was still newly built. I could only remember how taxing it was traveling there and how disappointed I felt that the people I was with craved to eat fast food fare and when I suggested that we eat at Sbarro, they hesitantly agreed. When they told me that the food we ordered was horrible, it soured my mood exponentially. But it's true that the food we had that day was not not really good which I could only blame for wrong choice of orders. That's one of the setbacks that made me afraid of trying out new restaurants aside from the usual that I'm comfortable with back in the days. So when I went back here in the MOA/Pasay area, I'm bent to erase that displeasing experience from my memory.


Hot Starr

interior

BBQ Wings 

Before Hot Star Large Chicken has been relegated to fast food chain status, it was the "it" restaurant to visit at the Blue Bay Walk area where this Taiwanese franchise very first branch is located. You might think it's so antithesis when instead of getting my fix of their large breaded chicken chop, I ordered their BBQ Wings instead. With a flurry of heat, it's a joy to nibble them BBQ Wings. Nice to pair up with their refreshing Blue Lemonade and a dessert drink called Ice Crush which I had the almond flavor.

The Ostrich Farm

interior

Sloppy Joe

The lure of The Ostrich Farm for me is of course to try their burger patty made from ostrich meat. I did try the Sloppy Joe but somehow I wasn't that impress. The patty crumbles quite easily and it wasn't texturally pleasing to the palate. An off day, maybe. But it was really quite of a let down.

UCC Clockwork

impressive interior of UCC Clockwork

Danish pastry and Judy On The Rocks

Sans Rival and Bulletproof

UCC Clockwork in Pasay is one of the largest third wave coffee shops I've been to (the other would be Coffee Empire in West Avenue). They have a second branch in Estancia Mall but I find it too cramped to have an enjoyable cup of coffee. I would have like to try some of the food offered on their extensive menu but I was already too full by the time I came here so I only allow myself to indulge on some of their specialty milky joe concoctions and some sweets. 

I first had the specialty coffee concoction called Judy On The Rocks. The fleeting seduction of salted honey, the boldness of charcoal roasted coffee and capped with a delectable cream. Perfect to pair it up with a flaky Danish pastry. As if that wasn't enough, I ordered another cup of milky coffee called the Bulletproof. Deemed as a power drink with a milky, frothy texture. It felt more like a flat white if you ask me. I pair it with a slice of their chewy version of Sans Rival and I'm all good.

Burger Lab

Finding the Burger Lab can be tricky especially if you're not that keen of the Mall Of Asia Complex. I ended up roaming the entire mall complex twice and asking two security guards, a receptionist and a cleaning man before I learned where I could find Two E-Comm Building. 

Schweppes and strawberry milkshake

wispy smoke of Gun Smoked Burger

bbq goodness of Gun Smoked Burger

burger salad

There's a lot of things to keep your eyes busy while waiting for your food to arrive. One of which is a wall which showcases various flasks and other lab paraphernalia. But the real draw why I went to Burger Lab is to try the Smoked Gun Burger. Presented with such aplomb, I gingerly removed the transparent lid to capture the wispy smoke that quickly diminished from thin air. But this burger isn't just all show, I was quite satisfied of it's deep beefiness and the smoky flavor that rings through with each bite.

As if the Smoked Gun Burger is not enough, I also ordered another burger dish in a form of a salad. I appreciate that they made an effort to make the Burger Salad very much appealing to the eyes with cherry tomatoes strewn all over the place.

wicked oreos

I always end my meal with a sweet note and the Wicked Oreos are just wickedly fun to eat.

Pie Face

counter display

interior

savory and sweet pies

How cool is it to visit a cafe that specializes in pies. At Pie Face, you'll determine the type of savory pie you're getting based on the face drawn on the pie. I first enjoyed the savory and sweet pies at Pie Face on their flagship store in SM Mall Of Asia but glad that I could get to enjoy their pies closer to home (they now have a branch in Eastwood and Megamall) but still this first visit on their MOA branch is unforgettable.