The group buying phenomenon has truly taken the world by storm. Whether it is a bane or boon to businesses is debatable. One thing is clear though, the consumer is the winner. (so long as one doesn't suffer from impulse buying. Then it's just the group buying site that wins.)
As with any purchase, online or not, there's a saying that goes caveat emptor. Buyer beware. The same applies to group deals. The consumer must practice caution when buying these online deals.
Although details and descriptions of the deals may take up an entire page, that doesn't make them complete or clear. I've come across angry comments accusing certain group buying sites and/or merchants of deliberately using misleading titles and ambiguous details. To give them the benefit of the doubt, there probably is no bad intent, just negligence in details. But when numerous questions arise and still no effort is made by either the site or the merchant to clarify, it becomes really frustrating and annoying.
I blogged about a recent dining experience at Secret Recipe using vouchers bought from Ensogo without going into the details of the deal so as not to digress from the topic. I was terribly disappointed at how Ensogo handled questions. I don't know if it happens on a regular basis due to the number of simultaneous active deals it has but that's still not an excuse.
How exactly did Ensogo answer questions? Here is the discussions page of the Secret Recipe deal. The question of the number of vouchers that may be shared was asked several times, owing to the fact that the deal only indicated that "Unlimited voucher purchase per person" is allowed and that "vouchers may be combined for group use". As the questions multiplied, answers from Ensogo got more confusing.
To highlight some questions from potential buyers and responses from Ensogo Team: (Q - Question, E - Answer from Ensogo Team, S - Answer from Secret Recipe)
Q: hi. i would like to ask. if i buy 4 vouchers, that means 2400php worth of food at secret recipe?
E: Hi Catherine :) You may use the voucher to any dish from Secret Recipe’s Western and Asian selections that is worth P600 which you can only pay as low as P280 by presenting the voucher. ! voucher is for 1 dish.
Q: if 1 voucher is only for 1 dish, and I ordered a dish worth 280 only, how will my voucher use the excess amount? say 600 is voucher minus 280 worth of dish, then where can i use the 320 worth excess in voucher?
E: Hi Julie Ann :) The dish in Secret Recipe that is worth P600 you will only get as low as P280
At this point, Secret Recipe made some clarifications:
S: Hi Joana, it does not limit to 1 Asian and 1 Western only but until you reach P600 or less. Thank you and see you in the outlets! To see our complete menu, http://www.secretrecipe.com.ph/manila.html
S: Hi Catherine, that is correct! Your 4 vouchers will give you P2400 worth of food! Please don't forget to call ahead and confirm your visit dates. Thank you and see you in the outlets!
Q: hello, to clarify PHP600 is consummable right (I can order a meal, a drink, a dessert, etc. as long as it will total to PHP600)? Can more than 1 person use 1 voucher (as long as the orders are equivalent to PHP600)? Can I use unlimited number of vouchers per visit at Secret Recipe? thanks!
E: Hi Denise :) Yes there is no number of voucher that can be used per visit. Just contact Secret Recipe for reservation and advise them on how many are you. 1 voucher is for 1 person only you can order meal, drinks or dessert as long as you consume the P600.
I have highlighted the questionable reply from Ensogo above, which raised even more questions and inquiries about refund. It is interesting to note that the Ensogo Team gave conflicting answers, and obviously incorrect ones despite a clarification already made by Secret Recipe. I've included the timeline available from the discussions page to illustrate my point.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Secret Recipe for a Disappointing Dining Experience
I only have a vague memory of Secret Recipe when I dined at the newly opened Fort Bonifacio branch with friends several years back. The food was unremarkable, disappointing in fact, given the hype of its entry in the Philippine market.
Fast forward to present time. Ensogo, one of the leading group buying sites in the country, had a deal featuring Secret Recipe - Only P280 for Western and Asian Cuisine at Secret Recipe, Metro Manila Branches (valued at P600). See the closed deal here.
I had not given Secret Recipe another thought over the years, even when branches opened at malls I frequent. But discounts have a way of making one take a second look, especially when it's at the 50% range. After looking at Secret Recipe's menu, I decided to give it another try.
Checking out the deal's discussions page, I saw some confusing and contradicting responses to posted inquiries. One recurring question was the number of vouchers that can be shared by a group. The issue of ambiguous details in online deals deserves a separate post, which I blogged about here. To be on the safe side, I purchased 3 vouchers since there would be 3 of us dining.
My sisters were pretty excited about the Secret Recipe dinner. We should know better than to trust photos but they looked really enticing. We had above average expectations despite my past experience.
Having watched a movie first, it was already 9pm when we arrived at Secret Recipe Megamall branch. We ordered soups first while deciding on the main dish to order. The waiter requested for our vouchers, which we found odd since we had not finished ordering yet. We explained this to him but also informed him that we would be using at least 2 vouchers. Although he did not offer any explanation, I guess it was for the free mocktail.
Shortly after, we ordered Penang Fried Kuey Teow to be shared, Pan-grilled Dory in Lobster Sauce for me, Grilled Black Pepper Chicken for my sister S, and Irish Lamb Shank for my sister J. It was a toss-up between the kuey teow or pad thai, but we went with the former as it came highly recommended by the waiter. Sister J's first option was NZ Stewed Lamb but it was unavailable so she chose the waiter's recommendation of Irish Lamb Shank.
Our food total amounted to P1,355 by this time. We told the waiter we would be using only 2 vouchers and pay the excess P155 in cash. But apparently that wasn't how it worked. According to him, only P100 in excess of the voucher value was allowed. If the excess was more than 100, we need to pay the whole amount of the least-priced item in the bill. Hearing this did not surprise me because I remembered reading someone report a similar situation in Ensogo's discussions page. It was really absurd. I recalled another reply from the Ensogo Team clarifying this and I quote, "If ever you exceed the P600 that will be the time that you will pay an additonal." The waiter insisted that it was the head office's directive. We argued that what he's claiming isn't consistent with what Ensogo said. He finally relented and said they would allow it and just note that the customer insisted. It was just the beginning of our annoyances.
Our food arrived, the kuey teow first, followed by the other dishes soon after. Our soups were absent. And to think that we ordered the soups first. We did not realize when we were shown the running total that they were not included. Here was the exchange between the waiter and us.
Us: Hindi ba sabi pa namin unahin nalang order-in yung soup?
Waiter: Hindi po pala na-punch.
No apology was given. And when we said never mind the soup, he even seemed relieved. When this sort of thing happens at a place like Secret Recipe, one would think that the proper response would be to apologize first, ask the customers if they still want to push through with the order and maybe say that it would be served asap, unless of course, it was impossible, which should not have been the case since soups don't normally take too long.
The kuey teow, to the waiter's credit (because he recommended it), was actually good - flavorful and not oily. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for my pan-grilled dory, nor can sister J about her lamb. The lobster sauce was bland and doesn't seem to add anything to the dory, except make it nakakaumay. Sister J regretted ordering the lamb shank and did not even finish it. To quote her words, "Nabusog sa walang katuturan." Sister S, on the other hand, seemed satisfied with her order. I had a taste of the chicken, it was just okay in my opinion.
As we were finishing our food, I declared that I didn't want to come back to use my last voucher so we might as well use up the remaining P445 ( 3 vouchers worth P1,800 less our running bill P1,355). We settled on cakes for dessert.
Sister J had the carrot slice, sister S had the caramel cream cheese, I chose chocolate fudge and cappuccino cheese. We requested that the slices be put in takeout containers, in case we couldn't finish everything. True enough, only sister S polished off her cake. The chocolate fudge was a bit dry, but it seemed less so the following day, after taking it out of the fridge and letting it sit. The cappuccino cheese was the best of the 4. Then again, I never did like carrot cake. Not a fan of caramel either. My preference for plain chocolate, no nuts, no frills, translates to the kind of cakes I like.
Upon paying the P50 excess in our bill, we waited for the receipt to be returned. Minutes went by, none came. We followed it up with a waitress. She returned to get the signature of the voucher owner, with the receipt stapled to the vouchers. But we still didn't get a copy. Some more time passed, we repeated our request for the receipt. The same waitress who just asked for the signature turned to the waitress manning the cash register to check if we had settled our bill, which we already did. I told her we were just waiting for our receipt. The answer we got was just incredulous. We were told that we wouldn't be given a receipt because it has to be turned over to the head office, that if we wanted a copy, we would have to request directly from Ensogo. It was clear that arguing would get us nowhere. No manager was in sight from the moment we entered the restaurant. We left the restaurant in utter disbelief of what we just experienced at Secret Recipe, wishing we had eaten somewhere else.
Shortly after, we ordered Penang Fried Kuey Teow to be shared, Pan-grilled Dory in Lobster Sauce for me, Grilled Black Pepper Chicken for my sister S, and Irish Lamb Shank for my sister J. It was a toss-up between the kuey teow or pad thai, but we went with the former as it came highly recommended by the waiter. Sister J's first option was NZ Stewed Lamb but it was unavailable so she chose the waiter's recommendation of Irish Lamb Shank.
Our food total amounted to P1,355 by this time. We told the waiter we would be using only 2 vouchers and pay the excess P155 in cash. But apparently that wasn't how it worked. According to him, only P100 in excess of the voucher value was allowed. If the excess was more than 100, we need to pay the whole amount of the least-priced item in the bill. Hearing this did not surprise me because I remembered reading someone report a similar situation in Ensogo's discussions page. It was really absurd. I recalled another reply from the Ensogo Team clarifying this and I quote, "If ever you exceed the P600 that will be the time that you will pay an additonal." The waiter insisted that it was the head office's directive. We argued that what he's claiming isn't consistent with what Ensogo said. He finally relented and said they would allow it and just note that the customer insisted. It was just the beginning of our annoyances.
Our food arrived, the kuey teow first, followed by the other dishes soon after. Our soups were absent. And to think that we ordered the soups first. We did not realize when we were shown the running total that they were not included. Here was the exchange between the waiter and us.
Us: Hindi ba sabi pa namin unahin nalang order-in yung soup?
Waiter: Hindi po pala na-punch.
No apology was given. And when we said never mind the soup, he even seemed relieved. When this sort of thing happens at a place like Secret Recipe, one would think that the proper response would be to apologize first, ask the customers if they still want to push through with the order and maybe say that it would be served asap, unless of course, it was impossible, which should not have been the case since soups don't normally take too long.
The kuey teow, to the waiter's credit (because he recommended it), was actually good - flavorful and not oily. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for my pan-grilled dory, nor can sister J about her lamb. The lobster sauce was bland and doesn't seem to add anything to the dory, except make it nakakaumay. Sister J regretted ordering the lamb shank and did not even finish it. To quote her words, "Nabusog sa walang katuturan." Sister S, on the other hand, seemed satisfied with her order. I had a taste of the chicken, it was just okay in my opinion.
As we were finishing our food, I declared that I didn't want to come back to use my last voucher so we might as well use up the remaining P445 ( 3 vouchers worth P1,800 less our running bill P1,355). We settled on cakes for dessert.
Sister J had the carrot slice, sister S had the caramel cream cheese, I chose chocolate fudge and cappuccino cheese. We requested that the slices be put in takeout containers, in case we couldn't finish everything. True enough, only sister S polished off her cake. The chocolate fudge was a bit dry, but it seemed less so the following day, after taking it out of the fridge and letting it sit. The cappuccino cheese was the best of the 4. Then again, I never did like carrot cake. Not a fan of caramel either. My preference for plain chocolate, no nuts, no frills, translates to the kind of cakes I like.
Upon paying the P50 excess in our bill, we waited for the receipt to be returned. Minutes went by, none came. We followed it up with a waitress. She returned to get the signature of the voucher owner, with the receipt stapled to the vouchers. But we still didn't get a copy. Some more time passed, we repeated our request for the receipt. The same waitress who just asked for the signature turned to the waitress manning the cash register to check if we had settled our bill, which we already did. I told her we were just waiting for our receipt. The answer we got was just incredulous. We were told that we wouldn't be given a receipt because it has to be turned over to the head office, that if we wanted a copy, we would have to request directly from Ensogo. It was clear that arguing would get us nowhere. No manager was in sight from the moment we entered the restaurant. We left the restaurant in utter disbelief of what we just experienced at Secret Recipe, wishing we had eaten somewhere else.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Shi Lin Podium
A restaurant named Shi Lin serving Fried Chicken Chop would definitely land on my restaurants-to-try list. I blogged about my chicken chop quest after having tasted the fried chicken chop being sold at Taiwan's Shilin or night market. I've tried different chicken chops from Ersao, Savory, Serenitea, Big Daddy, but none came close to what I had in Taiwan.
My sister was handed a flyer last month as she was on her way to Borough at Podium. She spotted fried chicken chop in the pricelist. Having been as gaga as I was over the chicken chop at Taiwan, she immediately told me about the place. We just had to try it naturally.
We arrived at Shi Lin before 8pm. The place wasn't full but several tables inside were already reserved. So we settled for one outside. We were both famished, having had nothing save for Happy Lemon milk tea 3 hours ago. We ordered conservatively despite our hunger. From the uncomplicated menu we chose Xiao Long Bao (P128), Fried Pork Chop with egg and rice (P185), and Fried Chicken Chop (P168). My sister resumed her picture-taking of the open kitchen. Before she even finished, the pork chop rice already arrived. Our xiao long pao soon followed, then the chicken chop not long after. We were pleasantly surprised with the speedy service.
The pork chop, we were a bit disappointed to find, was a bit bland. The crust was tasty though. The rice was good. Actually, I'd have to say that the rice was better than the pork chop.
The xiao long bao were nestled on top of a cloth. I'm used to seeing them placed on top of thin slices of carrots. I lift a piece up with my chopsticks and see the broth weighing the bottom. I put a drop or two of black vinegar. It is only with xiao long bao that I use the stuff, the smell and taste are otherwise abhorrent to me. I pop the xiao long bao into my mouth. The wrapper was thicker than I preferred, the meat a tad chewy (my sister felt it was slightly overcooked), but the broth was full of flavor. Hands down, my favorite would be Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao but one has to travel all the way to Hong Kong for that. Locally, Suzhou, Crystal Jade, and HK Choi are pretty even. For me at least.
On to the fried chicken chop, the reason why we were even there. The golden brown crust was sprinkled with slightly reddish powder, but it's not chili powder, as one would initially think. Unlike the pork chop, the chicken chop was not the least bit bland. It was quite good, in fact, the best among those I've tasted locally, but also the most expensive. However, while it is the best, it's just the best so far. It's still not as good as the original.
Halfway through our meal, we decided we had room for one more dimsum. So we ordered Shrimp and Pork Shaomai (P145). By this time, there were more people in the restaurant. And our additional order took a while to arrive, and a bit of following up too. This one, like the xiao long bao, had a broth, which seemed odd for siomai. It's as if we ordered xiao long bao again, but with shrimp on top and a more artistic appearance.
We were curious about the noodles as well but we were already full. We'll save it for our next visit. While Shi Lin did not quite meet our expectations, we would probably be back, if we get a hankering for chicken chop.
We were curious about the noodles as well but we were already full. We'll save it for our next visit. While Shi Lin did not quite meet our expectations, we would probably be back, if we get a hankering for chicken chop.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Happy Lemon – my new happy place
I’m an addict. A pearl milk tea addict, that is. It started way back in the late 90s, when Easy Way first arrived on our shores from Taiwan. I had all Easy Way branches memorized and my favorite was the one along Granada, San Juan. But much like the Zagu clones, Easy Way branches closed one by one until none was left. I desperately searched for a replacement. Quickly wasn’t an option. I never did like their milk tea. Didn't like the Taro Taro either that was, and still is, so popular.
Ersao was the other option. The first time I tasted their milk tea, I found it an unsuitable replacement. But years later, probably from not being able to taste Easy Way for so long, I started to like it. I would have it two times a week, sometimes even three. It served as my pick-me-up drink. The fact that it was so near was an advantage, or was it a disadvantage? I suddenly grew tired of it and found it too “milky” for my taste. In hindsight, their milk tea seemed diluted compared to others. I couldn't have enough of it for several years and then just like that, I didn't want it anymore.
Then Happy Lemon opened. My sister heard of Happy Lemon through friends who were patrons when they were in Shanghai. I remember how we used to drop by the Promenade last October to check if the place had opened. When it finally did, we wasted no time going there.
I can still recall that day. My sister went ahead while I bought some stuff from Unimart. She immediately sent me a text message, saying something like “this is it! parang Easy Way”. I hastened there. I saw the lighted sign of Happy Lemon, literally a lemon drawn with a face, and I felt myself smiling already. I looked at the numerous drinks on the menu while waiting for my turn but I already knew what I wanted. I placed my order – a large Milk Tea with Black Pearl Sago (P85). I was handed a lemon-shaped acrylic piece, with Happy Lemon’s face on one side, a number on the other. (During succeeding visits, I noticed that they no longer hand out numbers. Perhaps some customers just "forgot" to surrender them.) After what seemed like ages, but actually just a short wait, I exchanged the number for my drink. I took one sip. I almost let out an audible “Aaahhh…” The search is over.
I thought of doing a roundup of the milk teas I've tried locally. The places offering milk tea are sprouting like mushrooms all over the metro. In the Banawe area alone, there's Ersao, Serenitea, Tea Cup and Fun Tea. I've already mentioned Quickly, which is probably the oldest. One place also worth mentioning is Bubble Tea, which is different from Bubble Tea Boy inside the Promenade food court, being sold by Coco Asian Bistro. I think Bubble Tea has quite a following. I used to like this as well, though not as much as Ersao. However, I was turned off by the outrageous price increase last year, when their large Royal Milk Tea went from P85 to P125! For milk tea, P125 seems a bit much.
For all these places, consistency is oftentimes an issue, esp. with the sago or pearl and sweetness of the milk tea. I've had quite a number of experiences with getting undercooked sago in the past. At Happy Lemon, I haven't had undercooked sago so far, but there were instances when the sago had an aftertaste. And two occasions when they seemed to have forgotten the sugar, despite the 100% sugar instruction. But since it's still on soft opening, maybe consistency will improve.
I will happily monitor consistency, by performing regular taste tests, provided the sun is still out. My sister and I observed that drinking Happy Lemon's milk tea during late hours led to trouble sleeping at night. The tea seemed to be pretty strong stuff or was it just a coincidence? But it happened without fail over several more tries. Definitely not a coincidence. We warned friends who were first-timers at Happy Lemon after we had dinner recently. They went ahead and had milk tea, while I chose Lemon Yakult, a refreshing drink that reminded me of lemon slush, but with a hint of Yakult. Two out of the four milk tea drinkers (my sister included) had a sleepless night. As for the other two, the first never had trouble sleeping even when she drinks coffee. The other was so exhausted that day she couldn't stay up even if she tried.
I therefore conclude that I should limit my milk tea consumption to daytime. Haha. Perhaps Happy Lemon can come up with a decaf version. Then it can be my happy place even at night.
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