Gel Jose

Got my beef at 8 Cuts Burger Blends, Greenhills Promenade

8 Cuts Burger Blends is characterized by 8 cuts of beef “freshly ground, custom-blended and seared to order.” There are 2 types of blended beef patties to choose from: the House (Mean & Meaty – which consists of short rib, rib eye and brisket) and the Grass Fed (Lean & Clean – which consists of sirloin, round tip, flank, short plate and chuck). The resto also boasts of having “no extenders, no fillings,” just all beefy goodness.

During one of our shopping trips in Greenhills, Hubby and I took advantage of a Daily Steal offer which consist of a quarter-pounder cheeseburger, choice of skinny fries or onion rings and iced tea for only Php299. Daily Steals are meal combos usually available during weekdays from 11am to 5pm, but we were able to avail of the offer even though we visited the restaurant on a Saturday. I got one with the skinny fries while Hubby got the one with onion rings.

The burgers (House blend patties in sesame seed buns, with tomato, onions, lettuce, 8 Cuts’ made-with-love Sauce No. 3 and its house cheddar) were juicy, flavorful and filling. Together with the fries, onion rings and iced tea, a quick and delicious meal to fuel our shopping trip.

This 8 Cuts Burger Blends branch is located at the Ground Floor, Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan.

All-time Pinoy Favorites at Cabalen, Ayala Malls Feliz

What is the appeal of Filipino restaurants? We normally get to taste their offerings via our own lutong-bahay or during fiestas, anyway.

This is a thought I recently pondered as Hubby and I decided to venture out to the newly-finished Ayala Malls Feliz in Marikina for a pre-New Year wandering and we chanced upon a now-open branch of Cabalen. The resto’s regular buffet of classic Filipino dishes is quite a good deal at only Php298 (service charge not included).

Among the flavors we sampled are:

Prichon Wraps. Lechon bits wrapped with carrot, cucumber and green onion strips in tortilla with 3 choices of sauce (hoisin, garlic and lechon sauce).
Crispy Kangkong
Fresh Lumpia (vegetable rolls with a peanut and garlic sauce)
Pancit Puti. White noodles sauteed with meat and veggies and simmered in flavorful chicken stock.
Kare Kare. A stew made of oxtail, beef offal or tripe with a thick sabory peanut sauce.
Bico (sweet rice cake or kakanin with coconut milk) and Ginataang Mais (corn kernels in glutinous rice with coconut milk) for dessert.

We were able to get our fill of these dishes except for the Kare Kare which ran out of meat and was not refilled in time.

Now back to the question on the appeal of eating Filipino dishes when dining out: for me, it brings back childhood memories of what my mom used to make (particularly ginataang mais for merienda in the afternoon) or a way to enjoy childhood favorites without the hassle (the making of some Filipino delicacies are a bit labor-intensive).

Cabalen, in particular, has the added appeal of being a buffet restaurant. If you want to treat your balikbayan relatives to the flavors they have been missing, dining at Cabalen will allow them to load up on great flavors and great family memories.

This Cabalen branch is located at Level 2, Ayala Malls Feliz, Amang Rodriguez cor. J.P. Rizal, Brgy. Dela Paz, Pasig City.

Unlimited Korean BBQ at Samgyeopmasarap, Greenhills

During our Christmas Day foray into Greenhills (because we knew the holiday crush of people would be gone by then and also because we didn’t want to eat Noche Buena leftovers for lunch), the family discovered the newly opened Samgyeopmasarap. It offers unlimited Korean barbecue pork (Php399/pax) and beef (Php499/pax), both with marinated and unmarinated variants.

Being Korean food lovers, we welcomed the opportunity to dine here.

The place is clean and quite big with the signature table-top Korean grills with exhaust tubes leading to the ceiling. Oddly enough, it is furnished with Tiffany chairs which are at odds with the Korean aesthetic (but what do we care! Unlimited Korean barbecue!!!).

Our group of four ordered 2 sets of unlimited beef BBQ (bacon slice and beef ribs) and 2 sets of unlimited pork (bacon slice and pork belly). These come with unlimited side dishes as well.

My daughter and I also split an order of Bibimbap (Php250) which, sadly, though served in a clay pot, was not dolsot style since the clay pot was not heated. We would have loved the resulting toasted rice in a dolsot bibimbap.

The resto is still on soft opening so there are a few kinks that the staff would have to solve at some point such as being prompt with orders for refills or requests for utensils.

Other than that, I’m pretty satisfied with our experience here (although Hubby isn’t).

This Samgyeopmasarap branch is located at the Connecticut Carpark Arcade in Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan.

Ramen birthday treat at Ramen Nagi, SM North

A fried of mine posted a link to this Spot.ph article on Ramen Nagi’s birthday promo. Once during your birth month within this year, you can get a free bowl of Ramen Nagi’s signature Butao King Ramen as long as you’re with someone who will pay full price for his or her own bowl of Butao King Ramen, basically a buy-one-get-one deal.

Being a supportive friend (ehem! ehem!) and a newbie ramen aficionado, I agreed to pay full price for my bowl (at Php390++) so he can get his for free as it is his birthday month (he took care of the transpo to and from SM North for our ramen adventure). It will be my birthday treat for him.

I didn’t mind the relatively pricier ramen compared to offerings of other ramen places I’ve visited as the combination of flavors and textures made the expense worth it.

Butao King is characterized by Ramen Nagi’s luxurious milky tonkotsu pork-broth. A few slurps of the soup was enough to convince me I was getting my money’s worth. Unlike my previous experience at Ramen Nagi wherein I customized my ramen, I went a long with the Chef’s recommendation with few tweaks like opting for a rich broth and level 1 spiciness which is tolerable for us but still has a bite. The pork slices were not as melt-in-your-mouth tender as I would like it but still quite good.

I wouldn’t mind going back here during my birth month for my own free bowl of Butao King, hehehe!

This Ramen Nagi branch is located at the Ground Floor SM North EDSA’s Main Building in Quezon City.

If you want to avail of the birthday promo, be sure to bring a valid and original government-issued ID with your photo and birthdate.

Barkada Meet Up at Pancake House, Ayala Malls the 30th

I had another holiday lunch meet-up with close friends that I haven’t seen for so long at Pancake House. We agreed on this branch at Ayala Malls the 30th as one of my friends like practically all of Pancake House’s offerings while I, on the other hand, have yet to fully explore the dining options within the mall.

We ordered our hearty meals:

Pork Tocino (Php219). Served with garlic rice, fried egg and mango salsa.

Hot Roast Beef (Php310). Roast beef slices smothered in Pancake House’s buttery gravy, served on a thick slice of bread accompanied by mashed potatoes and corn and carrots.

Special Salisbury Steak (Php265). A thick patty of Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and bacon bits, served with rice and vegetables.

Since our bill has reached beyond Php800, we were able to get 3 FREE mini pancakes upon presentation of my BDO Rewards Card.

I ordered a Belgian Hot Chocolate (Php130) to enjoy with my pancake.

The restaurant is quite spacious and can seat a large number of people. The wait staff are also helpful and accommodating: aside from facilitating our orders, the staff gamely took our pictures.

This Pancake House branch is located at Lower Ground Level, Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig.

Katsu adventure in Yabu, Ayala Vertis North

Our boss treated the team to a pre-Christmas dinner at Yabu House of Katsu located in the newly opened Ayala Vertis North Mall.

Katsu sets are another of my favorite cuisines, and Yabu is among the few resto chains that offer quality katsus, so I welcomed the opportunity to dine in a new branch.

The place was packed when our group arrived so we had to wait for 5 minutes or so (no biggie!). The table was a bit of a tight squeeze for our group of 6 but we didn’t mind so much.

The staff were polite and helpful, though a bit overwhelmed with the volume of people that we had trouble calling some of them to request for refills.

Still, we thoroughly enjoyed our orders, which included:

Mozarella Katsu Sticks (Php270) as our appetizer

4 orders of Rosu Pork Loin Sets (Php440/180g; Php385/120g; Php350/80g). These consist of thick cuts of juicy pork loin cutlets with some fat trimmings.

Menchi Katsu Set (Php385). This consist of spiced minced beef and pork stuffed with cheese.

Rosu and Prawn Set (Php530). This consists of pork loin katsu with black tiger prawns also coated in panko.

Our orders included unlimited soup, rice and fruits.

Consistent with my experience in other Yabu branches, the pork katsus were well seasoned and juicy, justifying several requests for rice refills.

This Yabu branch is located at 2nd Level, Bldg. 4, Ayala Malls Vertis North, North Avenue, Brgy. Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City

Recipe: Carrot Cupcakes

Carrot cupcakes are the miniature version of carrot cakes. The World Carrot Museum posits that carrot cakes originated from carrot puddings enjoyed by Europeans during medieval times, which then arose due to the innate sweetness of the vegetable, making it surprisingly an appropriate ingredient for desserts.

I prefer baking cupcakes over full-sized cakes as there is less chance of baking fails. This is a tweaked version of a recipe I found on Pinterest, adjusted based on availability of ingredients.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups carrots, grated
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten

Frosting:

1 225g bars cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cold all purpose cream

Procedure:

To make the cupcakes:

Pre-heat oven to 175-deg C.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Combine grated carrots and oil in a separate bowl. Slowly add flour mixture, while stirring until just mixed. Add beaten egg and stir for a few more times.
Line muffin pans with paper cups. Fill each cup 2/3 of the way, then bake for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it in one of the cakes.
Set aside and let cool.

To make the frosting:

Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Sift powdered sugar into the bowl. Mix then add vanilla.
Beat in the cream at medium-high speed.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with your desired tip, then pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Top with carrot-shaped candy for a fun and festive look.

Yields 12 moist and yummy cupcakes.

Unlimited Korean BBQ at All4U, Century Mall

My problem with unlimited Korean BBQ restaurants is that you expend so much time and attention to cooking your food that you don’t get to enjoy and savor it as you should.

In All4U, a Korean restaurant located in Century City Mall in Makati City, you can get unlimited beef, shrimp, Korean-cut pork and rice all for Php699/head (reduced to Php599 thanks to an ongoing promo) as well as several refills of side dishes. You also get a some ramyun which you cook shabu-shabu style, as well a Melona ice cream to cap your meal.

My family, together with my in-laws, went here on Christmas Day so the place was packed and we had to wait for around 20 minutes for our table. The staff was also a bit overwhelmed and was not able to immediately address a lot of our requests for refills.

I would suggest taking turns with someone from your group when cooking so that everyone will get a chance to enjoy the food. Also, be sure to bring a hearty appetite to maximize all the inclusions in the buffet package.

All4U is located at the 4F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati.

Holiday Get-together with Friends at Denny’s BGC

The holiday season affords friends separated by distance or circumstance with a valid reason to get together and catch up. That is what I recently did with a group of friends composed of current and former coworkers.

Earlier this year, I had my birthday treat at Denny’s Trinoma. For our yearly get-together, we opted for a Denny’s in BGC, our middle ground when you consider that one of us lives near Fairview, Quezon City while another lives in Binan, Laguna.

The restaurant is well-located at Uptown Parade, easily accessible from the carpark. It does not accept reservations during weekends but, when I called the day before, the hostess agreed to put our group in the priority list.

We timed our get-together on the Saturday morning before Christmas Eve, to avoid the traffic from the holiday rush and to enjoy the hearty and filling breakfast fare that Denny’s is known for, such as:

Ham and Cheese Omelette (Php395), fluffy, 3-egg omelette with diced ham and melted cheese. I opted for waffles to accompany this dish to have a nice combination of savory and sweet flavors.

I also ordered a Hot Chocolate (Php120) to go with my meal.

Fit Slam (Php375), scrambled egg whites with fresh spinach and grape tomatoes, served with chicken breast and apple cubes. This was ordered by one of my fitness-conscious companions.

All American Slam (Php395), scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, bacon strips, sausages and hash browns, served with toast.

Tenderloin Bistek Tagalog (Php345), tenderloin beef slices marinated and sauteed Bistek Tagalog style (a Pinoy favorite), topped with onion slices and served with 2 eggs sunny side up and a cup of garlic rice. This was ordered by my boss who simply had to have her “kanin” and “malasadong itlog.

Loaded Veggie Omelette (Php355), melted cheese omelette with fresh spinach, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, sauteed zucchini and squash, served with toast and hash browns.

Sausage and Pepper Skillet (Php395), cheddar cheese, sausage and Schublig mixed with fire-roasted bell peppers and gravy.

We also ordered a Caramel Apple Crisp (Php295), served with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar, as our dessert.

We spent over 3 hours chatting and bantering, a great time spent among close and trusted friends.

This Denny’s branch is located at Uptown Parade, 36th Street Cor 9th Street Uptown Bonifacio The Fort, Taguig City.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a great side dish, particularly to grilled meats such as Steaks, Roast Pork and Lamp Chops.

However, its preparation can require a lot of time and energy which we working moms don’t have quite a lot of, do we?

I came across a recipe for crock pot mashed potatoes on Pinterest and I decided to try it out.

I’m happy to discover that the slow cooker does take out the tedious part of making mashed potatoes: boiling the spuds in water and waiting for them to get soft enough to mash. With the slow cooker, you just dump the potatoes along with some broth and butter, then leave them for a few hours.

After adding cream and mik, you get smooth and creamy mashed potatoes.

This recipe is slightly tweaked from the recipe I found on Pinterest due to availability of ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 k potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 in pcs
1 cup chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c butter, diced
Pinch of salt
1/2 c milk
1/3 c all purpose cream
Pepper to taste

Procedure:

Place potatoes, garlic, broth and butter into the slow cooker. Season with salt, mix together and cover with lid. Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours or low setting for 8 hours until potatoes are soft.
Mash the potatoes and stir in milk and cream until well combined and creamy. Season with pepper.
Keep in the slow cooker on WARM until ready to serve.