auggie eats: Boss' Birthday Dinner at CHOOBI CHOOBI in Outlets Lipa

Yesterday was the birthday of my former Chinese boss. He invited us for dinner at the Outlets in Lipa, Batangas located inside LIMA Industrial Park. He asked us what we want to eat and we asked him if it is okay to eat Filipino food. We are torn between Gilligan's and CHOOBI CHOOBI. We chose the latter since Gilligan's was full that time.

Ordering up! For me, it's kinda pricey. I checked the other tables (chusera!) and their serving size is small. I was in charge of ordering and I ordered two of each dish, I also chose the unli rice which is Php 48.00 per person. We are a group of 10.

Here are my orders:

For soup, we ordered Really Beefy which I thought is like Bulalo. the price is Php 255.00. The broth is flavorful. It has two chunks of meat and bones: one is the size of my fist and the other one looks like a rib. My former colleague asked for a refill of soup but unfortunately, refill of soup is not allowed. (sad emoji)

Next is Lola Pepang's fried manok. This is Php 385.00. The chicken was very small and thin. For its price you could already buy in Max's one whole fried chicken. I'm thinking that maybe they used free-range chicken? But that's just me, I'm trying to justify for  the price, hah! This comes with a brown sauce. We ordered two of this. The tastes is okay. I love that the chicken skin was crunchy. It was fried just right.

We also ordered Crispy Pata Fiesta Size which is Php 630.00. Do not be deceived by the picture, the pata was small. It comes with atchara on the side and I am wondering why there is no dipping sauce? The usual toyo-suka-sibuyas combination that comes with crispy pata? I did not asked the waiter about it. Again, like the chicken, I love its crunchiness, I just felt that it was not "sulit" for its price. But that's just me. We only ordered one of this.

Another soup that I ordered was the Mixed seafood that costs Php 255.00. I have no picture of this. This is like the egg drop soup that you will find in Chinese restaurants except that it has mussels and slices of squid. It was salty for me but the others enjoyed. This is perfect for the rainy weather we are experiencing now. Serving size is 2-3 person like the Really Beefy but we managed to split it to our group.

We also ordered the Chilean Mussels in Tao Si Sauce for Php 355.00. They have other sauces to choose from like spicy gata, steamed garlic and Whole Choobang. Now I am wondering why I did not choose the Choobang, the name makes me curious?? As for Tao Si Sauce, it's a sweet soy sauce with black beans. This is a hit and we really loved it. We ordered one of this.

Of course we ordered sisig!! Now, of all my orders, this is what I liked the most! I ordered two of this and this is really good. Meaty good and not fatty good! The smell alone will make you hungry. This costs Php 205.00 and you just need to add php 15.00 if you chose to add egg on the sisig.

Lastly, you can never have birthday without pansit for long life! We ordered two servings of pancit canton that costs Php 185.00 each. The serving size was small. Only one can finish this. Too bad I forgot to take a picture because I was busy eating, hah! But we still managed to split this among us. Although serving size is small, the canton was flavorful. It will leave you wanting for more.

So, here is my verdict:

Food. The food was not a standout. There were a lot of seafood dishes that you can choose from. Maybe we should try that next time (if there will be). 

Ambiance. Their branch at Outlets Lipa is huge enough as compared to other restaurants on that area. It also has their own comfort room. Other restaurants in Outlets like in Hap Chan, do not have comfort room inside. 

Service.  There were many customers in CHOOBI CHOOBI-Outlets Lipa but it was not full. Maybe two or three big groups and the waiters were not attentive. We had to call them several times for us to order. They were not around when you need them. Maybe they were just pressured?

Price. For me it's not sulit for the price. But for their seafood, I think the price is reasonable.

Overall, we enjoyed our dinner and devoured all the food in an instant! We were really hungry as it was 7 PM already. Also, it is who you eat with that matter, we enjoyed teasing each other and celebrating the birthday of the boss, it was his treat after all. Will I be coming back to CHOOBI CHOOBI? Yes, I want to try their shrimp in a bag and other seafood dishes. I also want to give CHOOBI a chance.

Have you tried dining in CHOOBI CHOOBI at the Outlets in Lipa or other branches? Please comment below.

So there.