Food Trip
Submitted by: Danae Madel Orig
Last March 9, 2012 our class finally pushed through with the planned Food trip. It was one of the requirements for the Entrepreneurship course. Due to heavy traffic and hot weather, the class decided to conduct the food trip at the Power plant Mall in Rockwell. We visited three restaurants, our lunch was held at Banana Leaf Restaurant, then we had dessert at Sugar house and lastly coffee and beer at Draft.
Banana Leaf
Banana Leaf is a multi-awarded international restaurant that introduced Filipino diners to the delights of modern Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine. This restaurant as also awarded as one of 2012's Best Philippine Restaurants.
Most of the customers in Banana Leaf are the residents from surrounding condominiums and mall goers. We saw families, expats and couples having their Lunch. The place was spacious and can accommodate big groups. They have extensive choices of good quality South East Asian cuisine which tasted very authentic. Although we didn't have reservation and we didn't pre-order, I was surprised that the food was served really fast and we didn't have to wait long for them. The servers were also dressed in a traditional Malaysian outfit which really adds up to the South East Asian experience.
One of the good innovations that I've noticed is how they made use of banana leaves as plates which sets them apart from all the other restaurants in the mall. By doing this, I assumed that they only needed minimal man power for dishwashing. This also gives them opportunity to provide additional livelihood to banana growers.
Sugar House
Sugar house is a pastry shop that is located in same floor as banana leaf. They serve cakes, sandwiches, light meals and other types of pastries. It's a small space with several tables and compared to Banana Leaf their space felt a little cramped. Here we had our dessert of banana pie and chocolate truffle cake. Since they are in within the same are, they served the same market.
What I liked about them was that again, they were able to accommodate our big group even without reservation and when I asked if they can divide the cake to 10 or 12 slices (more than their usual serving) they willingly obliged.
What's different thing about them is that they have cake choices which are normally not available on other pastry shops. Examples are their Almond Sansrival, Chocolate truffle and French Apple Pie topped with whipped cream.
Again, the service was fast and efficient, the pricing reasonable and the food quality is good. They also serve freshly brewed coffee at a much affordable price compared to other restaurants in the vicinity.
Draft Gastro Pub
This European gastro pub is one of the new restaurants in Power plant Mall. They serve some of the best international beers on tap. They also have a food menu that has has some of the European pub staples such as fish and chips, german sausages, mussel pots and schnitzel.
Its high ceiling and wall glass panels give this restaurant an airy, open ambiance. Same as the other 2 restaurants, they serve the A and B market and because of their huge space which can accommodate serve big groups easily. There is also flat screen TVs that continuously shows the TV ads of the beers. Doing this makes their customers more curious to try their different beer offerings.
What sets them apart is their product offering which are the imported beers that can be served on tap (draft) or bottle. This allows then to reach their target markets which are the A and B class and the expats. <exercise on business concept, differentiation, business model -->prep for bp making
