ArmyNavy Burger + Burrito

We proceeded to Harbour Square after going to World Trade Center for the Manila International Autoshow. There were a lot of dining choices but they were the usual fares so we opted for the ArmyNavy restaurant. Been seeing this restaurant but haven't tried yet.

The interior is very simple, no frills - tables and chairs with no back rest like how we see them in the movies in military training cafeterias. It's meant for fast food of course. It's still comfortable if you ask me.

The menu in their sintra board is very easy to understand. It doesn't look cluttered. It's the same way with their website - ArmyNavy Burger + Burrito. Navigation is user friendly.

My husband loves TexMex cuisine so definitely he ordered for Steak Burrito. He said it's good and really filling.


Steak Burrito, P175, Libertea, P75
My daughter, as always, looked for her comfort zone (plus the fact that she was starving, it was not time to experiment on other food on a restaurant she visited for the first time) - fried chicken and rice. ArmyNavy calls it Fearless Fried Chicken. It tasted fine, nothing grand. It's crispy yes, but it's like your fried chicken at home. It's not oily though.

I was not able to take a picture of the drinks but my daughter ordered for Vanilla Milkshake which she said tastes good. My husband ordered for iced tea. He liked it because it was not the usual powdered tea which fast food prepares. The restaurant calls it Libertea.


Fearless Fried Chicken, P165, Vanilla Milkshate, P99
I had my Cheese Quesadilla. I love it! It goes well with the salsa. It's not like other salsa which are quite sour it overpowers the taste of the quesadilla/taco/tortillas. This one blends so well with the soft taco. Next time I will order the Steak Quesadilla.


Cheese Quesadilla, P105
So the ambiance is fine, the food is good, the speed of service is alright. Maybe we waited for about 10 minutes. There was one table ahead of us I think.

How about the customer relations? Oh, this is were ArmyNavy should improve. It's self-service alright and there isn't much customer interaction except when you order. I was at the counter waiting for the cashier, which was nowhere in sight, to take my order. The pantry crew just looked at me and continued to do their task. There was not even a slight acknowledgment of a customer's presence waiting for her order to be taken.

Then the cashier (I also think he is the manager) finally appeared in the counter area to take my order. There was no greeting, no smile. I just had to relay my order and he punched it away. I asked if there is wifi. He said yes. I had to ask for the password. Without saying anything he wrote down the password in my receipt. There was no suggestive selling as you would experience in other restaurants.

The wifi is fast, plus points for ArmyNavy. We were able to connect right away. The wifi name though is not ArmyNavy. We just guessed from among the wifis available and the password worked.

Connected!
But they could really polish some customer relations. I don't mean to be treated like a royalty. A sincere smile, a simple greeting will do a lot for paying customers. Or are they living up to the image of how it's supposed to be in an army camp? Pure business. I say my order, I pay, you give me my food. Done. Haha. Every business requires customer relations. It won't hurt, try it.

Oh yes now I remember as I post this, I saw one of the staff talking to two customers who seem to be jolly and he was really entertaining the guests. Therefore I conclude, the counter person and the pantry crew might just be having a bad night. :)

Going Around Manila International Autoshow 2012

We trooped to the World Trade Center last Sunday to watch the exhibit of cars, the Manila International Autoshow. If you ask me, I was more interested in our family bonding time more than the cars I was going to see. :)

Anyway, this is the second year that we attended the car show. I remember back in college my boyfriend, now my husband, go to Transhow, another transport show, every year. He introduced me to this kind of event. Obviously he loves cars. :)

Disclaimer: I don't know much about cars but I do appreciate their beauty. This is one of the first cars that I saw and love. It's cute with its color green, stripes and all - a minicooper.


My dream car is a sleek Mercedez Benz. It's elegant, spells success but does not give an air of stiffness. Let me visualize: I'm going to have you, dear Mercedez Benz, sooner than later. Haha.


My daughter and I love vintage cars too especially their colors. The Beetle is such a classic and it's yellow color suits it so much. My husband took different photos of cars and their sound system and their machines. He also took the opportunity to have our picture taken with Rusell Swift. I undrestand he is a precision driver. My husband showed me a YouTube video of this guy driving his way...I mean parking his way in between two cars with very little space to move around.



We looked for a place to eat and found ourselves at Army Navy Burger in Harbor Square. That was our first time in the said restaurant. My feedback on the said dining place on a separate blog post.


It's been crazy busy for all of us especially with husband's schedule so I grab every opportunity I can grab so the three os us can go out together as a family. We spent around two hours there. It was exhausting but like my daughter said it was all fun. :)

Monthly Highlight: March 2012

I enjoyed watching these:
Movies:
- This Means War
- Mirror, Mirror
- The Hunger Games
- Crazy, Stupid Love

Television Shows:
- American Idol because I want to watch Colton Dixon and Jessica Sanchez. But really, it's Colton Dixon. :)
- The Walking Dead
- Clips of the impeachment trial which sadly will resume on May yet.
- Walang Hanggan
- Dahil sa Pag-ibig

I read:
- Yummy, Everyday Pasta
- Life as One Direction, Dare to Dream (This is actually my daughter's favorite band and I had an inkling to just read it. It's fun reading about these kids and how they reached success.)

I listened to this music a lot:
- Whoa! It's like I never listened to music these days because all I hear when I am in our house is the  music of One Direction or Lana del Ray's the title of which escaped me. And when I am somewhere else I don't stick my earphones to my ears. What happened in March? No music for me?

I received/I gave:
- Cakes!
- Book for my daughter - The Popularity Papers
- The new iPad

I bought:
- Book for my daughter - The Popularity Papers
- Earrings
- Shorts for my daughter and myself
- Top for me
- Yummy, Everyday Pasta

I savor these memorable days of the month:
- Church Santa Cena
- I really had a lot of bonding moments with my daughter this month. We had a lot of eating out and over those lunches and dinners, we were able to share so much.
- Watching movies with my daughter and with her friends.

Restaurants I visited (with family and friends)/Food I love:
- Red Ribbon's Mocha Choco Crumble cake
- McDonald's spaghetti
- KFC's Cheesy Bacon
- The Cake Box's Red Velvet Cupcake
- Four Fingers' Soy Garlic Chicken
- Napoli's Mozzarella Bars
- Tokyo Cafe's Tuna Sandwich
- TGIFriday's Cajun Shrimp & Chicken Pasta, Tortilla Crusted Fish and Oreo Madness
- Moonleaf's Chocolate Milk Tea (for my daughter)

Accomplishments:
- I have to say I cleaned the oven by myself! It looked spanking new after.
- I was able to focus on tasks important to my career. These tasks could spell the difference in what I am aiming for. I have been praying about the big breakthrough.
- Facing head-on what I needed so I can move forward to my career.

New/routine workout I enjoyed doing:
- Core exercises which do not need any equipment which I can do at home.

For the first time:
- I prepared the following:
* Korean-style fried chicken
* Cream dory in wrapped in pechay leaves dipped in coconut milk
* Sweet-style spaghetti (the first pasta I prepared using Yummy, Everyday Pasta as my reference)
* Pancake with nutella
* New mix for lumpiang shanghai I found on the net.

- First time to "adopt" another child for four days. My daughter's best friend stayed with us.

- I went to the cinema and watched a movie alone.

- Feeling confident that I am blessed and my family too, during our Santa Cena.

My feel good moments:
- For the first time I felt blessed during our church's Santa Cena. I need a single post entry for this but in a nutshell it's the first time that I took it to heart, what it means to me and what it could bring me.
- Daughter having fun with her friend who stayed with us for four days.
- Daughter's bonding moment with two of her best friends watching The Hunger Games and having their lunch all by themselves. I went to the gym while they were having lunch.
- Having able to focus on my work-related tasks before doing anything. Delaying gratification.
- Being focused with what I should do first before I do something important too but not urgent. Again, delaying gratification.
- Bonding with my daughter over our lunch eat-outs
- My daughter was not stressed out for the first time in reviewing for her finals.
- I love hearing my niece's voice.
- The foot massage the pedicurist gave me in one of my nail polish sessions.
- Summer rain.

March passed by like a wind. There were a lot of things to do and to accomplish it ended just like that. It moved so fast.  March was a month of realizations for me to stay calm, cool, collected no matter what the situation may be. It was also a month that I realized I was given some situations to help me strengthen my character and uphold my values. It was a month of dealing with a few matters head-on, be thankful and move forward to take on what is for the best.

It was this month when I realized how good God is to me and to my family. I have long been faithful but I have to admit sometimes stress takes a toll on me. But March made me realize God has always saved me and continuously help me achieve my goals, professionally and personally. Always. I need not fret nor worry. This is the month where I felt I was free from all things I need not worry about. I just have to keep the faith. Surrender and be more appreciative of God's blessings. Like what I have said in my monthly highlight, this is the first time I have proclaimed,  and be confident about it, that God has blessed me and my family after our church's Santa Cena. And my shortcomings forgiven.  This is the first time that I had a conscious effort to acknowledge what our Santa Cena really means and how I feel about it.

I could say March is more on strengthening my faith, my character, of spiritual awakening. It's liberating! In all areas of my life, I am now more confident, more focused and a lot faithful.

Resolution for March:
Diligence and discipline.

Have I been faithful in that resolution? 30%. I realized that I have been diligent and disciplined towards the end of the month. I was really disciplined in focusing on my tasks before I call it a day. I was confident enough to tackle a responsibility I have long postponed and accept the result, move on and take on what is best for me. Now, had I only did all these from the very start of the month.

Note:  My resolutions don't just start or end on a specific date. I do them continuously as part of my Be the Best Person I Can Be Project. :)  I just highlight each monthly for focus.

Resolution for April:  
Carpe Diem! Just do it!