barbecue – Jellybeans in the City

A festive feast of Kenny Rogers Roasters Smokehouse BBQ Roast & Ribs

The holidays are already upon us, and within this festive season, get-togethers among families and friends are sure to be popping up all over your calendar.

If you’re stymied over what to serve during your gatherings, why not wow your guests with a show-stopping spread that’s filled with both new and familiar flavors?

Fortunately, Kenny Rogers Roasters is serving up fresh additions to its fresh and healthy menu: Smokehouse BBQ Roast & Ribs!

Did you know that smoking meat has likely been a practice since the Paleolithic era? It looks like our forebears discovered that food stored and preserved in their smoky dwellings (due to the absence of chimneys) acquired a distinct flavor.

Over the centuries, the practice of smoking meat evolved from its original intent of preserving food for storage or transport, to enhancing its flavor.

Smokehouse barbecues arose from this tradition. The southeastern region of the US became known as the barbecue region, where cooks adopted the practice of slow-roasting cuts of meat over fire pits to make them tender. This culinary tradition grew alongside the practice of families and communities coming together to share a meal of deliciously smoked meat along with popular side dishes.

Kenny Rogers Roasters makes that delicious tradition even more accessible to Filipinos with its newest limited edition menu items.

Let’s start this flavorsome food journey with its Smokehouse BBQ Roast, Kenny Rogers Roasters signature roasted chicken marinated in a special blend of barbecue flavors and spices and served with skin slightly crispy and charred.

Make this a centerpiece of your feast by ordering a whole chicken ala carte (Php825)…

… or make it a filling solo meal (Php310 Solo A | Php335 Solo B), complete with rice, sides and a corn muffin.

Then you can immerse yourself in the barbecue tradition with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Smokehouse BBQ Ribs. This dish consists of tender and juicy fall-off-the-bone pork ribs infused with a spicy savory rub that gives it that extra kick.

Order a whole slab ala carte (Php920) to feed the whole fam…

… or enjoy it solo with rice, sides and a corn muffin (Php495).

This tasty food trip is made even more delicious with three new sauces that add new dimensions of flavor to the Smokehouse BBQ Roast & Ribs:

Applewood. Fruity and smoky with a slightly sour bite.
Alabama. Tangy sauce made with mayonnaise spiced with pepper and special spices.
Roasted Garlic. Sweet and nutty blend infused with garlic.

A Kenny Rogers Roasters meal wouldn’t be complete without those yummy corn muffins (Php105/box of 6), wouldn’t you agree?

Round up your festive feast with some delectable sides (Php55 regular | Php83 large) such as Corn & Carrots, Mac ‘n Cheese and Fresh Fruit Salad.

Make your get-togethers extra special this holiday season with these deliciously smokey dishes by meeting up with your fam and friends at your nearest Kenny Rogers Roasters branch.

You may also order your Smokehouse BBQ Pork & Ribs for delivery right to your doorstep at kennyrogersdelivery.com.ph or through Kenny Rogers Roasters’ delivery hotline +63 2 85559000, as well as via GrabFood, FoodPanda and Pick*A*Roo.

For more details about its offers and promos, follow Kenny Rogers Roasters on Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter

Check out my previous posts about Kenny Rogers Roasters:

Eggs-perience eggs-tasy with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ new Salted Egg Chicken line

Chimichurri makes a comeback at Kenny Rogers Roasters!

Deliciously healthy meal at home with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Roasted Chicken Group Meal

Chicken lovers unite for Chicken United

The Pinoy’s love for fried chicken is well-known.

This love has extended to fried chicken various forms as well. From the stripped down and unbreaded variety, to the more elaborate glazed and sauced up versions, we have embraced practically all of the taste and texture possibilities that fried chicken has to offer.

Well, chicken lovers have a new outlet for their obsession: Chicken United!

This online fried chicken shop unites both well-loved fried chicken varieties and exciting new flavors, plus sides, dips and appetizers.

Check them out:

Dynamite with Cheese (Php129). The well-loved pulutan made with cheese-stuffed peppers encased in lumpia wrapper.

Crispy Fried Chicken.

Chicken United’s signature fried chicken wings or fillets, served with the store’s specially curated sauces on the side.

Drunk BBQ (Php219/6pcs | Php419/12pcs). The store’s take on smoked BBQ with a splash of brandy.

Pineapple Spice (Php219/6pcs | Php419/12pcs). Pineapple on pizza may be debatable but you’ll love it on your fried chicken!

Korean Gochujang (Php239/6pcs | Php439/12pcs). Fried chicken the way your K-pop idols would have it!

Dinakdakan (Php229/6pcs | Php429/12pcs). The creamy and flavorful Pinoy dish dinakdakan is given a new form in this appetizing new variant.

Sauced Up Fried Chicken.

Chicken United’s signature fried chicken wings or fillets, coated with the store’s specially curated sauces.

Osaka Takoyaki (Php219/6pcs | Php419/12pcs). Inspired by Japan’s takoyaki capital, this fried chicken is flavored with Japanese mayo and bonito flakes.

So whether you and your pals go for this kind of fried chicken or that, you know that your preferences unite at Chicken United!

To order, visit burpcentral.com or message +63 919 0779670. Chicken United currently delivers within Metro Manila from its cloud kitchens in Mandaluyong and Quezon City but will soon establish its presence east of Manila to serve chicken lovers in Marikina, Cainta and selected areas in San Mateo, Taytay and Antipolo.

To stay updated on its products and offers, follow Chicken United on Facebook and Instagram.

The Jelly List: Tasty food options available for delivery

While many of our old dining haunts have (thankfully!) re-opened for business, they are doing so at just thirty percent capacity for outdoor dining and ten percent capacity for indoor dining, catering only to customers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That leaves many of us members of the dining public still with little recourse for our foodie adventures but to have them at home.

Fortunately, great food is only a few phone taps away with these food shops!

SaladStop!

Veggies are front and center at Salad Stop!, a salad-centric shop that espouses “Eating Wide Awake.” Its salad creations are not only fresh, nutritious and flavorful, their ingredients are also sustainably sourced.

Hubby likes to add some greens to our meals by ordering his favorite salad trays which consist of up to six servings of fresh salad variants.

Hail Caesar Salad Tray. A variation of the classic Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, shaved parmesan, sliced cage-free eggs, croutons and bacon bits tossed in Caesar Salad dressing.

Man-Go Wild! Salad Tray. A salad that makes vibrant use of the tangy green mango, with crabsticks, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, white turnip, yellow raisins and fried garlic tossed Mango Vinaigrette.

Salad Stop delivers via GrabFood.

Juliano’s

While its menu are mostly made up of ready-to-eat meals, this Antipolo-based enterprise also curates its own grazing spreads such as this Sampler, which consist of two kinds of cold cuts, two kinds of cheese, nuts and chocolates prettily and conveniently arranged in a 3×2 can.

While this sampler gifted by my brother-in-law is perfect for solo nibbling while watching TV or for sharing with a special someone over a glass of wine, Juliano’s also has bigger grazing spread variants for family dinners or parties.

Juliano’s accepts orders and bookings via Facebook.

Slow Burn MNL

Chef Chryso Morales crafts platters and food trays that highlight the enhanced flavors of food grilled to burned perfection through the business set up with his brother Dale: Slow Burn MNL.

Mother-in-law has the delicious habit of marking special occasions by sending us a tray of Slow Burn MNL’s Surf and Turf Tray (without shrimps) which features fall-off-the-bone tender Smoked Ribs over Umami Rice served with cherry tomatoes and French beans.

To order, call +63 956 0270730 or send a message via Facebook or Instagram.

Naked Bones

Barbecue is really close to our hearts, and appealing to our tastebuds because those barbecued ribs are always a hit with the fam.

Naked Bones’ Feast, for example, is portioned just right with a full slab of barbecued ribs, four cups of rice and four side dishes, all in one box, ready to serve!

Naked Bones accepts orders via Facebook and Instagram.

Let’s Get Litson

The roast beef has expanded its horizons beyond hotel buffets and is now in-demand as a food delivery item, particularly in its Pinoy iteration: the litson baka.

Cloud kitchen Kraver’s Canteen houses Let’s Get Litson which offers litson baka that’s been marinated for twenty-four hours, smoked and slow-cooked for six hours to tender and flavorful perfection.

It comes in an All-Meat Tray (all-meat, no rice), which contains roast beef slices good for up to four people accompanied by its own dipping sauce.

It’s perfect with rice and leftovers (if there are any!) can be added to salads. Yum!

Let’s Get Litson accepts orders through the Kraver’s website or via GrabFood.

Baked Sushi Manila

One of the top quarantine food trends – the Sushi Bake – has evolved into many delicious varieties such as the ones offered by Baked Sushi Manila.

Salmon Kani Avocado Bomb. Loaded with fresh toppings and premium Japanese spices, it’s a healthy and savory spin on the dish.

Cheesy Beef Gyudon. Thinly sliced beef cooked in a sweet and savory mixture of mirin and soy sauce and torched to smokey perfection.

Baked Sushi Manila accepts orders via Facebook.

These online food shops make it easy for us epicures to sate our cravings and discover new favorites.

Foodies, as you can see, you don’t need to venture out of home to enjoy great food. Just keep your phone handy and get to tapping for those orders!

Header photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Chef Edmond Dannug brings back-to-basics comfort food via Heavenly Spiced

You would think that after honing his craft through stints at upscale hotel restaurant Amber in Hong Kong and as head chef of Enderun Events in Davao, Chef Edmond Dannug will bring his considerable skills to bear in whipping up complex French dishes when he decided to go into business.

But no.

Instead, he opted to offer comfort food – his personal favorites, actually – through the online store that he co-manages with his fiancee Jasmine Guillarte. They named it Heavenly Spiced.

“My cooking mentors always taught me that the best food are the simplest,” he shares.

Still, the dishes on offer at Heavenly Spiced are no run-of-the-mill viands. Their flavors have been enhanced through careful preparation and cooking techniques ingrained into culinary professionals, such as Chef Edmond. They come in large party trays that can serve six to eight people and are perfect for small gatherings or for a special family meal that you don’t want to slave over in the kitchen.

He started out with the Hainanese Chicken and Rice (Php850), widely considered as one of Singapore’s national dishes. Based on the Wenchang Chicken, a well-known dish in South China dating back to Qin Dynasty, this dish is painstakingly made by poaching a whole chicken in sub-boiling temperature, with some of the resulting stock combined with ginger, garlic and other flavorings to cook the flavorful rice that will accompany the dish. Chef Edmond completes this platter with bright green bokchoy and the three traditional dipping sauces for Hainanese Chicken: a red chili sauce, a thick and dark soy sauce, and a paste of freshly ground ginger.

Another of the chef’s comfort food faves is the Bourbon Glazed Barbecue Pork Ribs (Php1,400). Meat lovers would love to get a hold of this dish! Slow-smoked, falling-off-the-bone meat flavored with a sweet-savory bourbon glaze and partnered with umami corn cobs made for a finger-licking dish! It’s messy eating but there’s really no better way to enjoy it.

Chef Edmond recently expanded his menu to include Chicken Wings (Php900). Inspired by his favorite chicken chicken place Frankie’s, this dish is made with large pieces of chicken wings which are deep-fried then coated with a vinegar-based cayenne pepper glaze. They are then served with bleu cheese dipping sauce which made for a well-balanced combination of sweet, spicy and tangy flavors.

The chef’s newest creation which also joins Heavenly Spiced offerings is the Angus Burger (Php1500). Six hefty quarter-pound patties made with ground Angus beef are lightly seasoned and then grilled to medium doneness to bring out their beefy goodness. These are then placed in grilled brioche buns along with lettuce, tomato, battered onion rings and cheddar cheese then coated with the chef’s Bourbon Barbecue Glaze and served with a side of umami fries.

Aside from these party trays, Heavenly Spiced can also cater your Zoom parties via its gift boxes made with solo servings of especially curated dishes from Filipino, Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines. Prices range from Php450 to Php600 per box.

Now we know where we can get tasty and wholesome comfort food that’s been meticulously prepared by a professional chef!

To order, text or call +63 939 2373383 or Viber +63 929 4514998. To know more about Heavenly Spiced’s latest offerings, follow it on Facebook or Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting of Heavenly Spiced dishes together with fellow foodies. Items mentioned here were served to let us sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

#TheBistroGroup Trinoma Food Crawl: TGI Friday’s

Don’t you sometimes have those days when you’ve got a monster-sized appetite and only big slabs of meat or platters of pasta will do?

On such days, you should head straight to TGI Friday’s!

TGI Friday’s started as a bar at the corner of 63rd and First in New York City in the 1960s where everyday felt like Friday. Today, it still serves up delicious American dishes right off the grill and beer fresh from the tap for groups of friends to enjoy in 931 restaurants in over sixty countries.

In the Philippines, it is managed by The Bistro Group, a collection of imported and home-grown hospitality brands.

In response to the need of the times, The Bistro Group has instituted safety protocols for safe dining-in at its restaurants. These include: regular health checks for all its personnel, compliance of all outdoor and indoor seating to physical distancing guidelines, hand sanitizers available at the entrance and on every table, as well as contactless menu ordering and payment.

These protocols require diners to submit to temperature checks, provide contact tracing details and using the hand sanitizers and sanitation mats prior to entering the restaurant premises, as well as wearing their personal protective equipment (PPEs) while inside. Would-be diners who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to people who do, have underlying health conditions or have concerns about contracting the disease when dining out are advised to stay home and avail of the restaurant’s contactless delivery options.

While observing these safety measures during our epic #TrinomaFoodCrawl, my foodie friends and I were able to enjoy an hearty all-American feast which consisted of:

Southern Platter (Php2,195). A filling combination of Baby Back Ribs, Cajun Chicken, Grilled Andouille and Grilled Baguette with sides of Coleslaw, Mac & Cheese and rice.

Truffle Bacon & Mushroom (Php495). Pasta tossed with shiitake mushrooms, mozarella, smoked gouda, bacon bits and truffle aoili.

Guess who left the table full and happy: me, that’s who!

Get your fill of TGI Friday’s hearty dishes with its exciting offers:

BFF Bundle: Fish & Chips + Tomato Arugula Pasta + 2 pcs Pacific Grilled Porkchop (Php1,295).
Buy One Get One Everyday: 2 pcs Signature JD Porkchop + Truffle Bacon & Mushroom Pizza (Php950), Three-Meat Platter + Scallops and Scampi (Php1,895), Signature JD Salmon + Tomato Arugula Pasta

You can also get great savings with the BFF Card, The Bistro Group’s loyalty program that gives members exclusive perks across 15 restaurant brands such as:

30% off on Mondays
20% off on Tuesdays
Complimentary coffee or hot tea single-serve with entree purchase
Online seats reservation
Six Php250 e-vouchers with minimum purchase of Php1,000 per voucher

This TGI Friday’s branch is located at Fourth Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 8pm.

Other branches are located at:

Eastwood Citywalk 1, Libis, Quezon City
Level 2, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City
B4, Bonifacio High Street, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Hotel Rembrandt, Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Bayoran Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
Second Floor, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
Level 3, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City
Ground Floor, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Ground Floor, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Central Garden, Ayala Fairview Terraces, Maligaya Road Corner Quirino Highway, Novaliches, Quezon City
Second Floor, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari Road, Almanza, Las Piñas City
Upper Ground Floor, Main Mall, Ayala Malls Circuit, Carmona, Makati City

TGI Friday’s delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Check out my posts about other restos of The Bistro Group:

#QuarantitaTreats: Winner wings from Clingy Wingy

Hello, quarantitas!

I know that all the inconveniences and restrictions brought about by the still ongoing quarantine can’t defeat your indomitable spirit.

Your search for tasty treats that sate your appetite and excite your taste buds continues.

And if you happen to chance upon one that from enterprising young ‘uns, then all then all the better, right?

Take Clingy Wingy, for example.

A partnership between twenty-two-year-old Gabrielle Carreon and nineteen-year-old Dana Amores, Cainta-based Clingy Wingy is one of the newest (and most welcome) entrants into the online food selling business.

Best friends Gabrielle and Dana decided to extend the reach of their family’s kitchens and offer their well-loved flavored chicken wings to stuck-at-home foodies at affordable prices. These include:

Classic Buffalo. Crispy chicken wings coated in a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce for an unbeatable mix of tangy and spicy.

Spiced Honey Garlic. A sweet-savory sauce made with a combination of honey and garlic flavors the chicken pieces.

Garlic Parmesan. Garlic butter sauce topped with parmesan cheese add flavor to chicken wings that kids love.

Hickory Barbecue. Smokey barbecue-flavored wings reminiscent of Southern-style barbecues.

You can munch on these pieces while camped out in front of the TV, while having an e-numan session with your buddies or you can serve them with lots of rice to the fam for dinner.

These chicken wings are available in boxes of four pieces (Php119), eight pieces (Php229) and twelve pieces (Php339).

To order, message Clingy Wingy on Facebook or Instagram. Payments via BDO and GCash are accepted, as well as cash on delivery. These wings can be delivered for free within three kilometers of Midtown Village, Cainta, Rizal, and to anywhere in Metro Manila and Rizal with a delivery fee.

So quarantitas, show some love to these budding entrepreneurs and get yourself of box of Clingy Wingy wings!

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Union of cuisines at Four in Love BBQ Hotpot Buffet, SM Manila

Good food and good company come together in this newly opened restaurant at SM City Manila called Four in Love.

A joint venture of four restaurateurs formerly based in Singapore and Thailand, this new dining venue seeks to introduce new and exciting food concepts to the Pinoy foodie while still offering familiar items.

Here, diners can give in to their cravings for four Asian cuisines, all at the same place and at the same time:

Korean samgyeopsal and Japanese yakiniku share the space on the table’s built-in grill.

Japanese shabu-shabu and Chinese hotpot have pride of place in the hotpot area

Thai mookata combines the grilling and hotpot in one crafty cooking method.

Together with my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH, I joined in on the resto’s opening day celebrations. There, we found some old favorites and new appealing tastes as we explored all that Four in Love has to offer.

Four in Love is designed for groups with tables that can seat as few as two people to as many as ten, interacting and eating together, with all the action centered on the meats, seafood and vegetables being cooked right on the table. The place is frenetic with activity, with servers hurrying to and fro to deliver refill requests.

Diners can choose from three tasty and filling meal sets for their beyond unli-meat-ed food adventure:

Harmony Set (Php399/person). Plain, sweet and spicy pork slices.

Wealth Set (Php599/person). Plain, sweet and spicy pork slices; plain, sweet and spicy beef chuck: plain, sweet and spicy chicken thighs: pork belly, beef rib eye, squid, mussels, salmon belly, shrimps and Korean spicy noodles.

Abundance Set (Php799/person). Plain, sweet and spicy pork slices; plain, sweet and spicy beef chuck: plain, sweet and spicy chicken thighs: pork belly, beef short plate, short ribs and rib eye; squid, mussels, salmon belly, tuna belly, shrimps, scallops and Korean spicy noodles.

(By the way, those Korean noodles sure are spicy!)

All sets come with unlimited refills of six hot dishes, cold dishes, fresh fruits and dessert. The Wealth and Abundance Sets also come with creamy mozzarella to be melted on the grill for dipping of the grilled meats.

Do try Four In Love’s dipping sauces (from Thai peanut sauce to Japanese shabu sauce and more), mixed and matched with herbs, chilis, aromatics and other condiments which will add new dimensions to your food. Not sure how to make your own sauce? Easy-piece-y! Just follow the guide provided at the sauce station.

If your group wants to taste some exotic soups through the hotpot steamboat, just add Php99 for one soup or Php159 for two soups for hotpot per table. To experience a mukata and shabu-shabu combo, just add Php99 per table. The mala soup, for instance, with its distinctly Sichuan flavor, is definitely a must-try!

Oh, and be sure to coat that mookata grill with some fat before grilling your meats so they won’t stick! Also, the juices from the grill will fall from the mookata straight into the boiling soup which will add more flavor to the broth.

All those bold and spicy flavors are sure to work up a thirst. Fortunately, you can just add Php39/person for free-flowing softdrinks!

You and your group can enjoy all these for two hours, more than enough time to eat your fill of your favorites. Be sure to finish off all your meats, though; leftovers will be charged Php300 per 100 grams.

So if ever you and the gang are in the mood for a four-in-one foodie adventure, just hie off to SM City Manila and have your meal at Four in Love! Take advantage of its Grand Opening promo and enjoy 20% discount on your food bill until October 7!

Many thanks to the management and crew of Four in Love for the warm welcome and the delicious and filling meal!

Four in Love is located at Unit 30, Lower Ground Floor, SM City Manila, Ermita, Manila, open daily from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 2923095.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Classic Negrense cuisine at JT’s Manukan Grille, Tomas Morato

One particularly rainy day, a coworker was craving for barbecue for lunch. Well, for me, barbecue as the main highlight of the lunch meal would be too basic (Yes, sometimes, I’m a diva like that!)

After much debate, our group decided to have lunch at the nearby JT’s Manukan Grille to get the best of both worlds. She can have the pork barbecue she has been craving for while I get to experience authentic Bacolod chicken inasal.

The restaurant was started by award-winning character actor Joel Torre (hence the name “JT”) and his wife, Cristy. From its humble beginnings as a takeout counter, the brand has grown to eighteen outlets all over the metro.

The restaurant operates on four principles: masarap (delicious), mura (affordable), malinis (clean) and masaya (happy). All of these principles came into play during our meal.

Located at the corner of Sgt. Esguerra Avenue and Scout Borromeo Street, the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating areas. It is marked by decor that denote its Negrense origins such as the Masskara masks painted on the walls and its association with the actor such as movie posters and that fun wall mural that offers a fresh take on The Last Supper that adorn many Filipino dining rooms.

Chicken inasal is made of chicken pieces marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annatto then grilled over hot coals while being basted with the marinade.

Our orders included Paa (chicken leg and thigh – Php120), Pecho (chicken breast and wing – Php135) and Pork Barbecue (Php35 per stick), which we enjoyed together with lots of chicken oil, the soy sauce with calamansi and chili pepper dipping sauce, flavorful garlic rice and bowl of hot broth.

I also got myself an Allmytea Iced Tea (Php50 for single serve | Php70 bottomless) which is a good partner for the inasal.

See? Sometimes, we can have the best of both worlds!

This JT’s Manukan Grille branch is located at Scout Borromeo corner Scout Ybardolosa Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 9288085.

Other branches in Metro Manila are located in:

Quezon City: Valencia, Banawe, Libis, Eton Centris, Novaliches, Project 8, Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, Blue Ridge
Makati City: Bel Air, Makati Central Square
BGC: Justice Drive, Sapphire Residence Tower
Pasig: Ortigas Home Depot
Manila: Ermita
Paranaque: Victory Food Market

Three reasons to get your K-bbq fill at Woorijib, Tomas Morato

Korean barbecue joints have been popping up all over the metro, most offering unli meats as part of their come-on to diners.

Personally, I get excited everytime a new one opens simply because it’s another place where I can satisfy my craving for freshly grilled premium meats.

Well, the newly opened K-bbq resto in the Tomas Morato area has a lot more going for it. Check out these three reasons why you will opt to go Woorijib Home of Korean Buffet to satisfy your Korean barbecue craving.

One: Its sprawling premises won’t make you feel fenced in.

Being located in a newly constructed building in Scout Borromeo sure is working for Woorijib. “Woorijib” means “home” in Korean and the place makes you feel the comforts of home as soon as you enter.

Its dining area can comfortably seat up to a hundred diners and there’s space left for photo opps (with Korean costumes, to boot) against a colorful background and a spot for musical entertainment.

Two: Its selection of unli meats will satisfy the carnivore in you.

Make sure to bring your appetite with you when you visit Woorijib because its meat combos are sure to leave you well satisfied. Consider:

3 Meat Combo (Php299/person). Consists of plain, spicy, sweet and kal (fattier pieces)pork samgyeopsal, along with 7 unli side dishes, rice and soup.

6 Meat Combo (Php399/person). Consists of plain, spicy and sweet pork samgyeopsal, mokshimsal, along with rice, soup, iced tea, unli side dishes from the buffet and dessert.

12 Meat Combo (Php599/person). Consists of plain, spicy and sweet pork samgyeopsal, mokshimsal, apdari sal, deungshimsal, plain and spicy beef belly, beef bulgogi, spicy chicken and chicken bulgogi, along with rice, soup, iced tea, cheese, unli side dishes from the buffet and dessert. Plus, 1 serving of chamsekal samgyeopsal and a round of your choice of cocktails or mocktails.

All Beef Combo (Php699/ person). Consists of galbisal, plain and spicy beef belly, beef kal samgyeopsal, and bulgogi, along with rice, soup, iced tea, cheese, unli side dishes from the buffet and dessert. Plus, 1 serving of chamsekal samgyeopsal and a round of your choice of cocktails or mocktails.

The meat cuts are quite premium and are immediately refilled by the attentive wait staff. The resto’s smokeless grills also ensure that you and your companions won’t leave the place smelling like you’ve been roasted, too, hahaha!

Note that these combos have a 2-hour limit, with no take outs. Leftovers will be charged Php499/person.

Three: Use my code and get 10% off your food bill.

For all combos (except 3-meat at Php299) as well as other food orders from the ala carte menu or even an event/party or catering package, enjoy a 10% discount on your food bill when you use my code: WOOGEL108.

You can have a very happy birthday here when you bring 3 full paying adults and order any of the unli meat combos: you get your biffet meal for free. Just present a valid ID to the staff.

Dining with a large group? No problem! For every group of 10 guests, 1 gets a free meal.

So the next time you, your friends and your family have a hankering for Korean barbecue, give in to your craving, head on to Woorijib and feel right at home.

Thanks to my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH for joining me on this foodie adventure and the wonderful folks of Woorijib for having us!

Photo Credit: BJ of @eatingpinoy for the dessert pics. All other images are mine.

Woorijib Home of Korean Buffet is located at Ground Floor, Victoria de Morato, Scout Borromeo Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 1am. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 915 8931148 or +63 998 2681367.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Happy fam brunch at Over Easy, Marikina

When we think of brunch, we think of ladies leisurely eating a meal while exchanging gossip.

However, one Tuesday, while my mom was out doing errands, my daughter #ExhibitA and I decided to take my groovy dad out for brunch at Over Easy.

So, after a short trip from our house in Pasig to this trending resto in Marikina, soundtracked with classic rock ‘n roll from my daughter’s Spotify, we found ourselves at Over Easy’s sprawling premises.

And my dad lost no time taking a pose! (So now we know where I got it from! 🤪)

Actually, the resto’s premises is quite conducive to photo opps (“IG-worthy” is how kids today would call it).

From the colorful wall murals to the artfully displayed tchotchkes, Over Easy exudes an atmosphere of warmth, comfort and welcome while still retaining that “cool” factor. Badly put: you might get dragged here by your tita, but, deep inside, you wouldn’t mind.

Yep, you wouldn’t mind hanging out here one bit especially once you’ve tasted what Over Easy has to offer such as what we enjoyed during our brunch with Daddy-o:

Macaroni and Cheese (Php220). This is actually #ExhibitA’s go-to dish. Over Easy’s version features creamy and hot melted cheese mixed in with macaroni and topped with bacon bits.

Fish and Chips (Php295). Fish fillets coated with beer batter, deep-fried until golden brown and served with parmesan dusted potato chips and tartar sauce.

BBQ Ribs (Php510 for half-rack with 2 side dishes). Fall-off-the-bone tender braised ribs, then grilled to get that rich smokey flavor, then served with Over Easy”s signature barbecue sauce. All I can say about this dish is that the bones were picked clean by the time we’re done.

While my dad sipped on his Coke Zero (Php55), #ExhibitA and I treated ourselves to a European Strawberry Cooler (Php140), a refreshing fizzy drink flavored with sweet strawberries (yeah, it’s a tita drink, hahaha!)

Lava Cake (Php195). Our foodie adventure here wouldn’t be complete without dessert. We got ourselves a molten chocolate cake topped with classic vanilla ice cream and doused with chocolate syrup. What a perfect way to cap our meal!

This brunch may not have been an all-out gossip over drinks sesh among ladies but it allowed my daughter and me to spend some precious time with my dear daddy.

Over Easy is located at G&W Terraza, Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, San Roque, Marikina City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 7am to 11pm and Fridays to Sundays from 7am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 2554686.

Disclosure: Part of our meal was sponsored by Over Easy through gift certificates shared by Harvard of Always Hungry PH.