I’m not really trying to be a food blogger, but whenever I do find restaurants that I think are worth my money, I would probably write about them here so that at least my friends (and you followers) will get to try it.

Today, I had late lunch with my brother at Century City Mall. For those of you who are familiar, there aren’t really any “cheap” restaurants here. However, we found one that has a good deal on Mondays.

Their ramen is at around 350 pesos, so with this deal, you can technically get it for 175, as long as there’s two of you (I had my brother with me). Come at the right time and you can also enjoy their happy hour – almost 50% off on cocktails, and 120 for 2 on local beers!

It’s already summer in the Philippines, so despite the heat, we felt like we would enjoy eating al fresco this time. There weren’t that many people in the afternoon (we were there at around 4:30 PM), so the vibe was relaxing, as if we were on the beach.

We ordered buy one-take one of the Buta Miso Ramen, which was comparable with other ramen in the 300-price range. Serving was generous, and for the taste, I’d probably give it a 7 out of a 10 (because I hate shiitake mushroom and I could smell it). Since I got it at 50% off (175 pesos) – this was truly worth it! Note that you can only order the same flavor for the buy one-take one promo.

We also ordered a Smoked Salmon Roll, which was packed with umami once you bite into it. It was a little bit spicy, but it doesn’t burn your tongue or anything, just enough to give it a kick! These are nicely placed in a spoon each, which is convenient, but I felt was a bit over the top. Since this restaurant could fall under the “fancy” category, they had to do something extra. My memory is so bad, but this was at around 280-290.

I don’t know if it pairs well, but my brother ordered two glasses of sangria – and at 85 pesos each, that’s a steal right there. Fits the vibe of al fresco dining perfectly, too!

In case you are curious, here’s the rest of their cocktails for happy hour – from 2 to 8pm! Looks like someone will be frequenting this place soon.

Now, why al fresco? Because, for me (and mostly for my brother), the vibe is important. You can compare it to fashion over comfort – the experience of dining is not just in the food, but also in the ambiance – the way the hot air from the fan blows in your face at 4 in the afternoon, seeing the sun slowly set upon the metro – these things you don’t really pay for, but you take into consideration when looking for a good dining experience!

If words are not enough to convince you that dining inside is boring – well, just look at this view.

You had to walk to the ledge to see the skyline though, but that’s easier to do when you’re eating outside! A caveat – since al fresco dining is becoming an equivalent of “smoking area”, consider the possibility that there might be smokers in the other table that can ruin your experience. We were the only guests at this hour so that was not a problem.

So there you go! If you’re really skimping out, you can just skip the sangria and the salmon roll, and just have ramen for 175 pesos, excluding 10% service charge. That’s worth it! Visit Yumi at the top floor of Century City Mall, right across Hole in the Wall! Maybe I’ll see you there during happy hour!