Eat – Page 135 – Jellybeans in the City

Lunch Stopover at Pancake House, SLEX

Driving home from our getaway at La Luz Beach Resort over the All Saints Day break, we stopped by at the Total Gas Station for lunch. We decided on Pancake House because its offerings are safe bets, especially when your picky eater son with you.

The resto features Pancake House’s signature orange-themed furniture and decor, with cute Halloween accents adding a more fun and festive air to the place.

The wait staff were quick to assist us with our dripping umbrella (it was raining pretty hard when we arrived) and usher us to a table.

We took advantage of an SM Advantage promo that entitles us to FREE two-piece Classic Pancakes (Php146) when our bill reaches Php700.

To reach this amount, we ordered:

Almondigas Soup (Php112). Many Pinoys grew up with this soup of steaming flavorful broth with miswa (rice noodles) and pork meatballs. Perfect for a rainy day!
Best Taco in Town (Php120). And it probably is! A crispy taco shell houses ground beef, lettuce, onions, tomato and cheese until they all find their way to your mouth.
Classic Pan Chicken (Php255 for 3 pieces) that Hubby split with little boy. My baby especially likes the buttery gravy that comes with the chicken and douses his rice with it.
Pan-Grilled Pork Belly (Php260). A thick piece of Cajun spice-marinated pork belly served with mashed potatoes and corn and carrots.

Together with the free pancakes, we had a filling meal that fueled us for the journey home.

This branch of Pancake House is located at the Total SLT, South Luzon Expressway, Malitlit, Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Continental cuisine lunch at Eighteen Bistro

Along Scout Rallos in the Tomas Morato area in Quezon City is a small restaurant called Eighteen Bistro. “Hole-in-the-wall” restaurants may characterized by cramped spaces and dinginess but this joint is anything but.

Eighteen Bistro is known as an after-office hangout (with Php18 cocktails!) but I went there with friends for lunch. Its elegant modern interiors and food offerings are seemingly inspired by continental European haunts and cuisines.

The Portobello Mushroom Dip (Php285) served with thin slices of toasted French bread, and the Pumpkin and Walnut Ravioli (Php260) for example, are decadent appetizers that the group wasted no time in wolfing down.

Our lunch consisted of Chicken Parmigiana (Php340), juicy pieces of baked chicken fillets with zesty sauce of stewed tomatoes and mozzarella, served over mushroom rice pilaf; Roasted Pork Belly (Php365), a 3-hour slow-roasted pork served over potato terrine; and Mushroom Risotto (Php380), arborio rice topped with caramelized mushrooms and walnuts, all contributing to an upscale and satisfying lunch experience.

Eighteen Bistro is located at 51-B Scout Rallos Street, Laging Handa, Quezon City. Zomato users can book their tables online using the app.

Mad for Steak at Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Easts, BGC

Mad Mark’s may be the go-to sandwich and ice cream place for some, but for me, it will always be a steak place. I do bless the day I discovered its Signature Steaks.

Oh, those slabs of tender, juicy and flavorful grilled beef! (served medium-well by my request, of course!) When partnered with Garden Grains (fried rice with bits of veggies thrown in), some corn and carrots and some dollops of homemade cream sauce, I already have a meal that I can (and do) look back on fondly.

I enjoyed this excellent repast at Mad Mark’s Creamery & Good Eats in Bonifacio Global City when hubby and I took our son to nearby Kidzania. Both hubby and myself ordered Signature Steaks (Php265 each; 150g USDA flat iron steak served with side dishes and your choice of sauce; he prefers his with plain rice while I like mine with Garden Grains) while the little boy preferred the Fried Yard Bird (Php170; fried chicken served with garden grains).

This Mad Mark’s branch is located at the 3rd Floor, Central Square, 5th Avenue corner 30th Street, Global City.

Check out my reviews of Mad Mark’s Glorietta and Mad Mark’s UP Town Center.

Seafood Haven at Crab ‘n Crew

The folks invited us to try out this seafood resto in Project 6. It is located in a small building along Visayas Avenue. There is ample parking space but given the seemingly universal appeal of its #CrabAllYouCan for only Php699 offer, be ready to wait for your table like we did.

The resto’s interiors have an industrial feel to it with multiple hanging lights and black and white photos providing accents to the decor.

Our group ordered a Mussel Bag (Php420/100grams) and a Butter Bag (Php999, consists of seafood and corn on the cob bits), which we ate with our hands (making use of the bibs and gloves provided.)

I like how the mix of textures from the crabs, prawns, mussels and oysters and their respective sauces made for hearty meal.

The wait staff are also friendly and attentive.

Crab ‘n Crew is located at 77 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

Get-together at Homey Cafe Mary Grace

Cafe Mary Grace is best known for its baked goods, particularly the Ensaymada and Cheese Rolls. Stemming from its owner (guess the name!) Mary Grace’s passion for baking, Cafe Mary Grace aims to provide the homey delights of fun Sunday family lunches to its diners.

When a friend came home from Singapore, we decided on a whim to meet up at Cafe Mary Grace in Greenbelt, Makati for dinner.

True its homey roots, the place has a warm and inviting atmosphere, with trinkets and framed sayings and food shots dotting the walls. There were lots of diners there who -similar to us – are friends getting together to catch up or families out for a good meal.

We ordered a Smoked Salmon and Cream Pasta (Php330), a Pasta Amatriciana with Italian Meatballs (Php320) and capped our meal with cups of rich Mary Grace’s Hot Chocolate (Php157) and decadent slices of Chocolate Cake (Php120) and Mango Bene (Php198).

It was an enjoyable meal among friends enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of home.

This branch of Cafe Mary Grace is located at Ground Floor, Greenbelt 2, Esperanza, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Affordable Kebab Meal at Mazza Shawarma

What do you do if your family is hankering for a meal of kebab and rice but you’re on a budget? Drop by Mazza Shawarma, of course!

Beef kebabs are a particular favorite for my family. We love the tender and smoky-flavored of the marinated and grilled ground beef, complemented by buttered rice, and garlic and chili sauces.

Our meal consisted of:

Four orders of beef kebab meals (Php130 each) which come with two kebab sticks, buttered, cucumber, tomatoes and onions
Grilled tomatoes and onion (Php20 each)
One order of ox brain (Php90), we consider this our indulgence
Red iced tea (Php30 each)

All in all, it was an enjoyable meal, made even more fun by the fact that we spent just a little under Php1000!

This Mazza Shawarma branch is located at the Eastwood City Walk 2, Libis, Quezon City.

Ramen break at Rai Rai Ken

While out on an errand with my daughter in SM City Taytay, we came across this branch of Rai Rai Ken. We don’t normally come across Rai Rai Ken branches in our usual haunts and since I’m going through my ramen phase and my daughter is a tempura aficionado, we decided to have our dinner here.

Rai Rai Ken started out as a humble eatery located along Bautista Street, Makati City in the early ’90s, which later started offering authentic Japanese ramen to its clientele. Now, it has 30+ branches nationwide, all serving old-fashioned steamy, heartwarming bowls of ramen. Its expanded menu now includes sashimi, sushi, teriyakis and teppans.

The branch in SM Taytay is clean with Japanese-inspired decor that includes a cherry blossom painting and paper lanterns that add character to the space.

I chose Tonkutsu Ramen (Php375) for myself; it consists of a rich pork tonkutsu broth, Japanese noodles, slices of marinated and slow-roasted pork belly, topped with mushrooms, aji tamago (marinated soft-boiled egg), menma (bamboo shoots) and nori (edible seaweed). The steamy dish does warm the heart with its full-flavored broth and the contrasts in texture of noodles combined with its toppings.

I also ordered Ebi Tempura (Php355 for 5 pieces), Salmon Sashimi (Php350) and Kani Salad (Php179) as requested by my daughter.

This branch is located at the Upper Ground Floor, Building B, SM City Taytay, along Taytay Diversion Road, Bgy Dolores, Taytay Rizal.

More info available at the Rai Rain Ken website.

Steak-time at Artsy Cafe, Maginhawa

It’s been some time since I last visited the famous Maginhawa Street. I like variety in cuisines and dining options available in this strip.

For my Saturdate lunch with my teenage daughter, I took her to Artsy Cafe in Maginhawa. While I’ve never dined there before, I’m familiar with the menu since I’ve eaten at the Artsy Cafe along Panay Avenue which is nearer to my office.

We arrived at 11am as the place was just opening. I’m happy to find that the place is already clean and ready to accommodate early patrons. The place has both indoor and outdoor dining areas and airy interiors. Its decor has a whimsical quality: you can see this from the colorful lamps hanging from the ceiling, the playful chalk writings on its walls and boards, to its multi-hued chairs.

The staff were friendly and quick to take and served our orders.

I treated myself to a succulent T-bone Steak (Php290), served with rice, sautéed vegetables and a rich buttery gravy. My daughter, on the other hand, ordered a Salisbury Steak (Php225), juicy browned ground beef patties, also served with rice veggies and gravy. As evidenced by our lunch preferences, my daughter and I are both carnivores. We found our food well-seasoned and flavorful.

We’re both looking forward to coming back and then, we will end our meal by trying some of the desserts that Artsy Cafe offers.

This branch is located at 36 Maginhawa Street, UP Village, Diliman, QC.

The appeal of Bacolod Chicken Parilla

It is rare for a group of ten coworkers to instantly agree on where to have lunch but mention Bacolod Chicken Parilla and you will find us simultaneously leaving our desks to go to what seems to be our favorite chicken inasal place.

The chicken inasal, a Bacolod specialty dish, is a type of roasted chicken which is marinated in lime juice, pepper, annato (called achuete in the Philippines) and vinegar, grilled over hot coals while being further basted with the marinade. It is often served with garlic fried rice and a dipping sauce called sinamak (which is made of palm vinegar infused with garlic, chili peppers and ginger. The most common serving variations of inasal are the paa (leg and thigh), pecho (breast and wing) and pakpak (three pieces of wings).

My personal preference when it comes to chicken inasal is the paa because, while the pecho is usually meatier, the paa is more flavorful and juicier. I also want lots of chicken oil (usually made from rendered chicken fat infused with garlic and annato seeds) to drizzle over my chicken and garlic rice, making my meal so much more sinful but tastier as well.

The offerings here are also quite affordable, contributing to the almost universal appeal among my officemates. Menu prices for the items we usually order are:

Pecho at Php90
Paa at Php90
Pakpak at Php85
Garlic Rice at Php25

This branch of Bacolod Chicken Parilla is located at the corner of Scout Gandia and Scout Reyes Streets, Bgy. Paligsahan, Quezon City.

Fresh, huge and great burgers at Zark’s

There are days when you just want to forget about greens and calorie counting (which to me is everyday) and sink your teeth into some sinful, hearty and greasy burgers. These are times when a visit to this burger joint comes in.

Zark’s Burgers was named after its owner, Zark Espina Varona, a burger fan himself who put up his first store near De La Salle University along Taft Avenue in 2009 (all the better to cater to those hungry students, I guess), with the mission of offering burgers that are “FRESH. HUGE. GREAT.” The chain has since grown to 29 stores with branches in Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod.

When my hubby and I craved for sinful burgers, we visited the branch in SM East Ortigas and treated ourselves to:

Chicken Fingers and Fries (Php159) for sharing
The Zark’s Classic Cheeseburger (Php109 + Php40 for fries and drink) for me.
The Zark’s Ultimate Burger (Php149 + Php40 for fried and drink) for hubby. It’s composed of a quarter-pounder burger with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, cheese sauce and, of course, bacon
Snickers Ala Mode (Php149) for sharing. It’s a Snickers bar dipped in batter, deep-fried and served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup

In a later visit, I even tried out the heart-healthy (not! But YOLO – Uh-oh!) Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Burger (Php279), a burger completely wrapped in bacon strips, then deep-fried, giving it a crispy crust that gives way to a juicy burger as you bite into it. I didn’t even need the Mamba sauce that came with it.

This Zark’s Burgers branch is located at 2nd Floor, SM City East Ortigas, along Ortigas Avenue Extension in Pasig City.