Isdaan

Isdaan Restaurant

Type of Establishment: Food Services

Address: Bae, Laguna Philippines

Date of Visit: May 2014

Accommodation:

Ratings: -2

·         Please note that you have to call in for reservations for you not to wait in the scorching heat most especially during summer and by waiting I mean you can already finish 4 levels in candy crush and harvested your crops in Hay Day.

·         We are traveling with a PWD and this I have to warn you – THIS IS NOT A PWD FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENT.  They do not have ramps or a special place for person with PWD. They have a place that doesn’t need a ramp for wheelchairs but then the spot is already taken so we either have to wait or look for some place to eat or lift the wheelchair on to the stairs.

·         Left with no choice and lapse of judgment due to the scorching heat of the sun – we then decided to stick with the place and maybe things will get better with the food and services of the staff (much to my dismay which will then be discussed in the succeeding topics). Unfortunately for us, wheelchairs cannot be pushed onto the bamboo bridges and pathway (there was a sign that toys with wheels are not allowed and this includes wheelchairs) Now I am starting to think what the hell they are thinking. 

·         At a first glance one would thought that the restaurant theme is “pinoy” but then you would see a Buddha with a body of a mermaid, then statues of different Disney cartoons and whole lot more that made me wonder if they are throwing all themes in one place.

t    The Pond itself is a growing dismay - I'm not a vet but I don't think that too much green in the pond is healthy for the fishes - correct me if I'm wrong.

·         There are performers in costumes and plain clothes which would go table to table (or cottage to cottage) that will perform for those who are dining in. PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT YOU CAN SAY NO TO them otherwise they will start performing and you are semi-required to hand in a PhP20 as a tip. Note that this amount is actually printed on their table that’s why I mentioned it is semi-required. 

·         The only good thing that happened during our visit is that they give away free balloons and loot bags for kids

·         THE PLACE DOES NOT TAKE CREDIT CARDS (see picture as a reference- zoom in on the menu) luckily for us we have enough cash to pay for the lunch of 14 heads. 

STAFF:

Ratings: -2

·         Sadly enough that the place is not PWD friendly and they don’t have ramps, the least the staff could do is to help us carry the wheelchair since it is not allowed to be pushed on to the bamboo path. Needless to say – the staff just looked at us and did nothing. \

·         What made things worse is that one of the receptionist suggested they have a spot with just a few plight of stairs – I did asked how many and she sheepishly said 7 steps. It made me wonder what the definition of few for her is.

·         It took us a long time to find our table and a few more minutes before our order was taken – ok I would understand if it’s rush hour or they have tons of guest but we came in past lunch time and doesn’t have much of a guest that time. 

·         None of the staff even bothered to neither check on us for the food nor if we are all set for the orders, not even check on us from time to time if we needed something. Lucky for us we sat near the reception area and we always call their attention once we need something. 

·         There was a signage that says once the bill arrives; a calculator and a copy of the bill will be provided to ensure correct billing (see picture for reference), NONE OF THIS HAPPENED. We were not even able to see the exact bill for the waitress was just reading off what we ordered. 

·         From the time we arrived up until we left the place – none of the employees helped us with our Grandma who’s in a wheelchair.

FOOD:

Ratings: 1

·         There is nothing usual about the food that was served. Due to financial constraints (since they don’t accept credit card we have to ensure that what we order is just enough for the money we have on hand) 

·         We ordered the usual Filipino food and there was no impact or “wow” factor into it. If asked to compare with home cooking – I would still get excited over my mom’s pork ribs.  I can’t find the taste that will make me go back and that will make me recommend the place to my friends or any balikbayan for that matter

VALUE FOR MONEY

Ratings: 1

·         Having said those – I don’t think we got the value we paid for. For 14 heads, we ordered sinigang na hipon, sinigang na baboy, two rice, two whole roasted chicken, buko juice, melon juice and iced tea – it all summed up to more than PHP4,000 (roughly more than $100) and this my friend is totally not worth it. I felt that I paid for the place itself more than the service and the food itself

·         There was a Mickey Mouse mascot that came over to our table, my three year old nephew is with us and of course our nephew took fancy of him, four pictures taken with him then we handed off his tip. His character looks like Mickey Mouse went around the world in two days and currently having a jetlag – see pictures for reference.

·         I have included a picture of the menu as well as the food prices for you to judge if you will get any value for your money

OVERALL RATING:  1