cheese sticks – Jellybeans in the City

Meat these blends at 8 Cuts Burger Blends, Mega Fashion Hall

Are you certified carnivores like me and my family?

We just can’t seem to resist the sight, sound, feel and flavor of juicy, freshly grilled meat, especially if it comes in the form of hefty burgers.

There’s little wonder then that 8 Cuts Burger Blends remains as one of our go-to burger places.

The store got its name from the eight types of beef cuts which are blended to produce varied but perfectly flavorful and juicy burger patties that make up the different burger options that the store carries.

Each beef burger patty is at least a quarter pound, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions, then drizzled with the corresponding sauces and sandwiched between fluffy buns.

Aside from burgers, the restaurant also offers appetizers, sides, desserts and drinks to complete a burger meal.

Before a family movie date as SM Cinema, the fam stopped over for dinner at 8 Cuts Burger Blends in Mega Fashion Hall where we enjoyed:

Golden Cheddar Mozza Nuggets (Php220 solo | Php395 sharing). Large pieces of gooey mozzarella and cheddar encased in crunchy breading. Really, how could anyone go wrong with this much cheese?

Bucket of Onion Rings (Php235). Onion rings battered, deep-fried and seasoned until crispy and flavorful. Being such big fans of onion rings, we consider this bucket quite a steal!

Cheeseburger (Php250 for 1/4lb | Php320 for 1/3lb). Grilled quarter-pounder beef patty on lettuce, tomato and onions and topped with house cheddar and Sauce No. 3. This upgrade to the regular fastfood cheeseburger is a sure hit with my son..

Bleu 2.0 (Php325 for 1/4lb | Php390 for 1/3lb). House-blend patty drizzled with Bleu Cheese Sauce and topped with Bleu Cheese crumble, caramelized onions, peppered onion tanglers and crisp green lettuce. This continental twist to the burger is the one that appealed to my daughter.

Four Cheese 2.0 (Php325 for 1/4lb | Php390 for 1/3lb). Burger patty topped with parmesan-crusted mozzarella, sharp yellow cheddar, Monterey Jack, Garlic Aioli, Fried Basil, and Sauce No. 3. Again, I say: how could anyone go wrong with this much cheese?

Q-Daddy (Php345 for 1/4lb | Php415 for 1/3lb). Grilled quarter-pounder patty on lettuce, tomato and onions, topped with peppered onion tanglers, sharp yellow cheddar, smoked bacon, jalapeno ranch, sweet BBQ sauce and Sauce No. 3. This dad-sized burger really suits my Hubby.

With these hearty burgers and sides, the fam is sure that a filling and flavorful meal always awaits us at 8 Cuts Burger Blends.

This 8 Cuts Burger Blends branch is located at Third Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 10am to 8pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 919 0785223 or +63 919 0785224.

Other branches are located at:

Corte de Las Palmas Extension, Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City
Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Level 1, Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City
Concourse Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City

Check out my previous posts about 8 Cuts Burger Blends:

Got my beef at 8 Cuts Burger Blends, Greenhills Promenade

Tasty burgers for lunch at 8cuts Burger Blends, Salcedo Village

Katsu family lunch at Yabu, Robinsons Galleria

Weekend lunches used to be the time when the fam can go out malling and spend time together, after a whole week of going our own way.

While strolling around and running errands in Robinsons Galleria one Saturday, the fam decided to have lunch at Yabu: House of Katsu. While waiting for our meal, we munched on some tasty appetizers.

Mozzarella Katsu Sticks (Php285). Large sticks of crunchy, deep-fried panko-coated mozzarella cheese tossed in Yabu’s special blend of Furikake and served with a spicy aioli dip.

Furikake Fries (Php215). Steak fries tossed in Furikake herbs.

What we actually came here for are Yabu’s Katsu Sets. Yabu’s katsus are made with generous cuts (nothing less than 0.75in) of premium pork sourced from local farmers and delivered straight to Yabu’s kitchens. Each cut is freshly made upon order, coated with fresh panko and cooked at precisely 165 deg C to achieve a bright and golden appearance and a tender and juicy texture.

Rosu (Php390 for 120g | Php445 for 180g). Thick and juicy pork cutlet with a trimming of fat.

Hire (Php405 for 120g | Php485 for 180g). Thick and juicy cutlet with no fat.

Each katsu set is served with refillable Yabu staples which include white rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and fruits.

Prior to our meal, we took part in the Yabu ritual of preparing our katsu dips. This consists of grinding toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl, pouring the salty-sweet and slightly tart katsu sauce into the bowl, and mixing both until we get our desired consistency. For me, the katsu dip is as essential to the katsu experience as the pork cutlets themselves. It goes so well with the katsus and adds another dimension of flavor to the dish.

Another part of the Yabu experience is the warm and friendly service from the wait staff, who were quick to accommodate our requests and anticipate our refill orders.

Ever since the community quarantine was implemented, I’ve been missing having that katsu experience. Imagine my delight when I discovered that it recently opened some of its branches for curbside or courier pickups, making it possible to have Yabu at Home. Here’s how:

Send a message to a Yabu branch nearest you via Viber (+63 929 7426357 for Ayala Malls the 30th, SM Megamall, SM Aura and Powerplant Mall | +63 999 8871401 for Glorietta 2, Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center and Robinsons Place Manila | +63 919 0744572 for UP Town Center, SM North EDSA and Robinsons Magnolia)
Include the following details in your message: name, email address, birthday, date, time and store for pickup, orders and desired quantity
After receiving billing confirmation, make your payments via GCash, BPI or BDO
Send proof of payment via Viber
Arrange for pickup

If you’ve been longing to have that Yabu experience, this is your best bet for the meantime.

This Yabu branch is located at Level 2, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, Quezon City.

Other branches are located at:

Pasig: Ayala Malls the 30th, Ayala Malls Feliz
Quezon City: UP Town Center, Robinsons Magnolia, Ayala Vertis North, SM North EDSA The Block
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Taguig: SM Aura Premier
Makati: Powerplant Mall, Glorietta 2
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center
Las Pinas: SM Southmall
Pasay: MOA Main Mall

Drinks, bar chows and songs at 121 Restaurant, BGC Stopover

Celebrations are best done with good food and fun drinks amidst friends and family.

And you know what else marks good Pinoy-style celebrations?

Music!

Any true-blue Juan or Juana can gather up the courage to break into song (in tune or not!) for the sake of a good time.

And with 121 Restaurant’s Canta Rooms, you can enjoy just that!

Canta Rooms are the restaurant chain’s videoke rooms that can cater to groups of up to twenty people. In these rooms, you and your friends can sing and party your hearts out!

Don’t forget to fuel yourselves up for a night of singing and laughter with 121 Restaurant’s tasty bar chow, such as:

Nachos (Php419). Crispy nachos doused in cheese sauce, grated cheese, onions, peppers and ground beef.

French Fries (Php139 solo | Php499 barkada). A mountain of crispy thin fries for mindless munching.

Cheese Sticks (Php199 solo | Php759 barkada). Sticks of cheese in lumpia wrapper.

121 Tofu Sisig (Php179 solo | Php699 barkada). A healthier version of the Pinoy’s favorite appetizer.

Calamares (Php219 solo | Php839 barkada). Succulent and chewy squid rings covered in batter and deep-fried for that satisfying crisp.

Pork Siomai (Php179 solo | Php699). Sate your hunger with these Chinese-style pork dumplings.

4th of July (Php599). A bundle good for four people consisting of Spicy Buffalo Wings, Chili Fries and Beer Battered Onion Rings.

To get the good times rollin’, be sure to check out the restaurant’s drinks, such as 121’s Pink Panty (P199 glass | Php999 scorpion bowl), a top secret concoction!

So the next time you’re in the mood to party and dine with your pals, head straight to 121 Restaurant’s Canta Rooms.

Many thanks to Daryl of 121 Restaurant for having us!

By the way, with Zomato Gold, you get a dish free when you dine at 121 Restaurant with a friend. Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food or 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use the code JELLYB to get 45% off the membership fee.

This 121 Restaurant branch is located at Third Floor, BGC Stopover Pavilion, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, open 24/7. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 79467429.

Other branches are located at:

121 L. P. Adamson building, Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Ground Floor, Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig
Second Floor, Allegro Center, Pasong Tamo Extension, Magallanes, Makati City
Eastwood Citywalk 1, Libis, Quezon City

Stuck at home during the ECQ? No need to leave the safety and comfort of your abode to enjoy 121 Restaurant’s famous bar chow. You can simply have your meal delivered through GrabFood, LalaFood or FoodPanda.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a food tasting held in 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.