fries – The Jellybeans Edit

Holiday Epic Feast for the fam at Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar, Eastwood Mall

Hooray for the holidays!

We’re now at the final stretch of the year and it’s time to slow down and spend time with the people we love.

If we’ve been too busy hustlin’ and bustlin’ over the course of this year to catch up with our folks over a good meal, this period gives us the perfect opportunity to do so.

That’s exactly what I did with my extended fam at the Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar branch at Eastwood Mall in Libis, Quezon City.

Here, my folks and I enjoyed a laid-back and comfy setting in which we can let loose and go on a fabulous flavor adventure together.

And with its Holiday Epic Feast Chicken & Riblet Grupo, a delicious curation of the restaurant’s best-selling specialties, there’s something for every family member to discover and love.

Of course, the star of this feast is the restaurant’s very own speciality: the Peri-Peri Chicken. This dish originates all the way from Africa, where peri-peri, the pepper which lends the dish its name is cultivated. Together with other spices and herbs, this pepper flavors the special mixture where a whole chicken is marinated overnight, then charcoal-grilled to a gloriously golden hue prior to serving, accompanied slices of lime.

The restaurant is also known as a sauce bar, and rightly so, given that it carries eight signature sauces, all made with natural ingredients, to add new dimensions of flavor to its signature chicken dish. Representing various international flavor profiles, the sauces range from mildly sweet, to medium spiciness and hot. Diners can choose any of these sauces (or mix and match them!) to tailor-fit their meal to their palate.

Well, the flavor adventure doesn’t stop there. The feast also features hefty hunks of BBQ Bourbon Riblets, tender and meaty barbecued ribs glazed in smokey bourbon infused sauce.

Being a lightly-spiced rice dish, Java Rice is the perfect companion to grilled and barbecued dishes. This feast brings eight cups of them, guaranteeing a filling meal for the whole fam!

Here’s a confession: half the pleasure of eating grilled meat is wolfing it down between bites of one’s favorite side dish. For the eight regular side dishes included in the Holiday Epic Feast, I opted to include the fam’s all-time go-to side dishes: Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese, Coleslaw, Fries and Mashed Potatoes.

Completing the meal are a liter each of the restaurant’s refreshing house-blend drinks: Iced Tea and Lemonade.

Would you believe that you too could treat the fam to such a deliciously filling Holiday Epic Feast for just Php1,999, saving you Php620? This meal is good for eight to ten persons, giving you the perfect opportunity to gather your nears-and-dears and enjoy a lovely meal.

Planning a more intimate get-together with the barkada? You can opt for the Holiday Epic Feast Chicken & Pasta Grupo, good for four to five persons for Php1,399 (which saves you Php255). This meal includes one whole chicken, one pasta to share, four cups of Java Rice, four regular side dishes and one liter of houseblend drink.

This Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar is located at the Second Floor, Eastwood Mall, 116 Eastwood Avenue, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 11pm, Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 12am and Sundays from 10am to 11pm.

Other Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar outlets are located at:

Las Pinas: Evia Lifestyle Center
Makati: Ayala North Exchange, Greenbelt 3
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila
Marikina: SM City Marikina, Gil Fernando Avenue
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center
Paranaque: Ayala Malls Manila Bay
Pasay: Resorts World Manila
Pasig: SM City East Ortigas, Ayala Malls Feliz, Capitol Commons, Robinsons Galleria
Quezon City: Gateway Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Trinoma Mall, Banawe, Brittany Square
San Juan: Promenade Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Parade BGC, Market! Market BGC, Venice Grand Mall

To enjoy this feast at home, order from Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken’s delivery website or call +63 2 73747374 for Metro Manila orders and +63 917 7747374 for provincial orders.

To know more about Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, browse through its website , or follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out my previous posts on Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken:

Peri Peri Chicken, SM East — Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, SM City East Ortigas

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Tomas Morato

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Capitol Commons

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar, Gil Fernando Marikina

Delish family dine-in with Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken’s Hearty Flavor Feast

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:

Chickks The Party Chicken, SM Megamall

Are you in the mood to paaaaar-teyyyy!?!

(Somebody say, “Oh yeah!”)

With community quarantine restrictions still in effect, we may not be able to get on up, get down and get jiggy with it, but we can certainly have a rollickin’ good time with the fun flavors of Chickks The Party Chicken.

This new chicken joint at SM Megamall’s Eatogether Food Hall brings to fried chicken lovers new ways to enjoy their favorite dish with succulent and juicy fried chicken in amazing flavors.

These include:

Korean-Spicy. Sweet and spiced with gochujang, perfect with beer for that chimaek experience.

Honey Soy Garlic. My personal fave ‘coz I like ’em sweet and garlicky.

Spicy Mango. A taste of the tropics right at your fingertips.

Garlic Parmesan. Another fave because of that salty parmesan highlighting the garlic flavor.

Other flavors that I haven’t been able to sample include Teriyaki, Lemon, Truffle Cheese and Bleu Cheese. Well, these are what return visits are for, right?

Enjoy your Chickks as flavored wings (prices start ar Php208 for half dozen | Php408 for 1 dozen), solo meals (prices start Php100 for 1 pc | Php288 for 3 pcs), poppers (prices start at Php268 for 250g | Php428 for 500g) or nuggets (prices start at Php188 for half dozen | Php358 for 1 dozen).

And you know what? Chickks gives you even more reasons to go for your favorite chicken. Check these out:

Unli Wings Wednesday. Feast on unlimited wings available in all flavors along with unli rice when you drop by the resto at Eatogether Food Hall on Wednesdays for just Php358!

Ready to Cook Packs. Enjoy your flavored chicken wings (Php180 for half dozen | Php350 for 2 dozen) or poppers Php200 for 250g | Php380 for 500g) at home any time you like.

With such delicious flavors, any reason is a good reason to party, right?

Chickks The Party Chicken is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

For delivery orders, send a message via +63 917 7991261 or +63 2 72115956. You may also order thru FB Messenger. Payments via GCash, BPI or BDO are accepted.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting here together with fellow foodies. Food items mentioned here were served to let us sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.

#TheBistroGroup Trinoma Food Crawl: Denny’s

Renowned writer Robert A. Heinlein once said “One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast.”

I can definitely agree: breakfast fuels you at the start of the day, readying you for all the challenges you will face from then on.

And where do we go to get a tasty and nourishing breakfast, in the morning or any time of the day?

Denny’s, of course!

The first stop of an epic food crawl that my foodie friends and I undertook at the Trinoma Mall, Denny’s whetted our appetites for a satisfying day of eating.

Denny’s is known as America’s diner. It started in the 1950s as a donut stand called Danny’s Donuts. Since then, it has evolved into a global restaurant chain with 1700 locations, as well as adopted a slightly changed name.

In the Philippines, it is one of the restaurants managed by The Bistro Group, a collection of international and local 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.

With these measures in place, diners can just focus their attention to the hearty and flavorful dishes that Denny’s offers, such as:

Denny’s Share for All (Php695). A filling collection of appetizers such as pancake puppies, quesadilla, chicken fingers and fries served with ranch dressing, honey mustard and caramel sauce.

Lumberjack Slam (Php675). Two buttermilk pancakes, a slice of grilled ham, two bacon strips and two sausages. Thanks to Denny’s BOGO (Buy One Get One) Everyday deal, you get a free Garlic Smoked Bangus with your order of the Lumberjack Slam.

Filipino Breakfast Platter (Php1,395). Good for sharing by up to three persons, this is a smorgasboard of home-grown flavors which include bangus belly, crispy pork, sausage, eggplant, saba and side veggies accompanied by three pieces of pancakes.

Fill up on your brekkie faves and enjoy great savings with these great offers:

Buy One Get One Everyday: 15pc Wing Basket + All-Time Breakfast (Php395), Lumberjack Slam + Garlic Smoked Bangus (Php675), Any Ribs Dish + Fried Chicken & Waffle (Php395)
Bundles: 4 pcs pancakes + 4 pcs waffles + 6 pcs wings (Php795), 2 pcs pork belly + 2 pcs Denny’s Fried Chicken + Rice (Php795)

If you’ve got a monster-sized appetite or a major craving for breakfast food, head on to Denny’s!

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 Tueadays
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 Denny’s branch is located at Fourth Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 8pm and Fridays to Sundays from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 77723371 or +63 905 3713998.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Venice Grand Canal, McKinley Hill, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Uptown Parade, 9th Avenue Corner 38th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Second Floor, Ayala North Exchange, Ayala Avenue Corner Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Ground Floor, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Ground Floor, AllHome, C-5 Road Extension, Manuyo, Las Piñas City

Denny’s delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

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

Burger + Burrito Group Meal delivery from Army Navy

Hubby’s go-to delivery resto to get his bite of burrito is Army Navy.

It is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in freshly made and premium burgers and burritos. What makes it stand out is its military theme, which probably also explains the store’s appeal to Hubby.

While browsing through his Grab app, looking for something to snack on in between Slack meetings, he happened upon Army Navy’s Burger + Burrito Holiday Group Meal. He immediately placed an order to share the snack bundle with the fam. This group meal consists of:

Two Classic Burgers. Quarter-pound beef patties served with lettuce, onion and tomato in sesame seed buns. Quite filling for a snack.

Two Burritos. Hubby opted for steak burritos which consist of beef pieces, Spanish rice, frijoles, lettuce and cilantro wrapped in flour tortilla. I wish this had more meat in it. Other burrito variants available are chicken, pork carnitas and vegetable.

Two Orders of Freedom Fries. Thin-cut and seasoned fries with a zesty and crispy exterior.

Four Jars of Libertea Iced Tea. Army Navy’s house-brewed iced tea. These are not much on sweetness and they have an aftertaste that doesn’t appeal to me. I love the reusable jars these are served in, though.

My preferences aside, Hubby continues to be a loyal Army Navy customer. And as long as he shares his snacks to the fam, I won’t be complaining.

This Army Navy branch is located at Hampton Arcade, C. Raymundo Avenue, Maybunga, Pasig City, open daily 24/7 for pickup and delivery. Just call +63 2 83333131 or course your order via GrabFood.

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

Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Tomas Morato

If you’re eating lunch with a big group and you all want to stay together in one place, what do you do?

Head straight to Buffalo Wings N’ Things, of course! Here, everyone in the fam and barkada will find something to like.

Deep-frying chicken wings is rooted in Southern cooking but cooking them in peppery sauces started in Buffalo, New York in 1964. A bar owner in the area decided to cook leftover wings in hot sauce as a snack for her son and his friends. Served with celery slices and bleu cheese, it was a hit among the guys and the rest, as they say, is history.

Buffalo Wings N’ Things enriches its buffalo wings by having eleven savory flavors and seven spicy ones for its customers to choose from, along with tasty add-ons that chicken lovers can enjoy along with their Buffalo Wings.

While out on my lunch break with my office buddies (ten people in total!), we decided to maximize our budgets while sating our hunger by getting Grand Slam bundles of Buffalo Wings, and, well, things:

Grand Slam 6 (Php688 Good for 4). 8 pcs Champion Buffalo Wings, 8 pcs Signature Chicken Tenders,Bacon & Cheese Fries, steamed rice (we added Php98 for iced tea.

Grand Slam 4 (Php988 Good for 6). 12 pcs Champion Buffalo Wings, 12 pcs Signature Chicken Tenders, Chili n’ Cheese Nachos, steamed rice (we added Php138 for iced tea.

With these bundles, we were able to enjoy these Buffalo Wings flavors:

Honey BBQ. Southern BBQ flavor blended with sweet honey.

Creamy Salted Egg. Rich and creamy version of the regional favorite.

Chipotle Lime. Creamy smoked Chipotle sauce enhanced with the tanginess of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Garlic Parmesan. A blend of garlic butter sauce and real Parmesan cheese.

New York’s Finest. Medium heat Buffalo Wing sauce.

Thanks to the bundles, our meal amounted to just a little Php200 per person!

How’s that for value for money?

The good news for chicken lovers out there is that you can enjoy these with your family at home during the quarantine by ordering from these Buffalo Wings N’ Things branches now open for takeout or delivery via GrabFood, FoodPanda or LalaFood:

Brixton Kapitolyo, Pasig
Banawe, QC
Calle Bistro , Ever Gotesco Commonwealth
BGC Stopover
SM Manila
Grace Mall, Taguig
SM North EDSA
SMDC Jazz Mall
Southwoods Mall
SM Valenzuela

This Buffalo Wings N’ Things branch is located at M Place, Panay Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City.

For the kids at heart – Scout’s Honor, Ayala Malls Vertis North

Every once in a while, even responsible and serious adults need to let loose their inner child.

Well, guess what: you can do exactly that the camp-themed Scout’s Honor branch in Ayala Malls Vertis North.

Designed to be a place where kids can hang out and enjoy their favorite food, it can also be a place for adults to give in to their playful side.

Together with my officemates, I set out to allow my inner child free rein over lunch at Scout’s Honor.

There, we munched on kid- and kid-at-heart-friendly fare which included:

Crackers, while waiting for our order.

Campfire Potatoes (Ph135). Handcut fries deep-fried to a crisp golden-brown topped with bacon bits and doused with cheese sauce.

Crispy Calamari and Chips (Php165). Crispy battered squid rings flavored with oregano and fennel and served with freshly crisped potato chips.

Scout’s Honor Cheeseburger (Php160 + Php75 for drink and fries). Scout’s Signature beef patty topped with melted cheese sauce between buttery toasted buns.

Tapsilog (Php245). Sukiyaki-cut USDA Beef tapa served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

Burger Silog (Php235). An all-beef burger steak in savory gravy served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

1 Bite 2 Bite (Php80/10 pieces). Mini-bite size milk chocolate chip cookies that we divided among ourselves.

I love how Scout’s Honor totally gets a kid’s predilection for melted cheese sauce, and of course, cookies!

And since two of us unlocked our Zomato Gold provileges here, we got two of these dishes for free!

Want to have some of that kiddie joy right at home?

During the enhanced community quarantine, two of Scout’s Honor’s branches are open from 11am to 7pm Tuesdays to Sundays with a special menu for takeout, delivery via GrabFood and FoodPanda or pickup via Grab Assistant or Lalamove Purchase Service:

Uptown Bonifacio: To order, call +63 917 631 0765 or +63 2 79467374
Santolan Town Plaza: To order, call +63 917 7061607 or +63 2 77288902

This Scout’s Honor branch is located at Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City with store hours from 8am to 10pm daily. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 79406480 or +63 917 7021404.

Other branches are located at:

Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig
Uptown Place Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Santolan Town Plaza, Little Baguio, San Juan
SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
Century City Mall, Poblacion, Makati
Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

San Juan’s newest food and nightlife destination – Varra Restobar

The workday is through and you’ve earned yourself a little bit of a respite, wouldn’t you say?

If you’re looking for a place to meet with friends, enjoy good food and perhaps have a drink or two, then this newly opened and somewhat hidden restobar in San Juan would be just the thing.

A namesake of P. Guevarra Street where it is situated, Varra Restobar offers food lovers new reasons to make Little Baguio in San Juan their next foodie destination.

Together with my foodie friends, I ventured to Little Baguio in San Juan to check this resto out.

Getting to the resto is quite easy (it’s already on Waze, peeps!), but finding the entrance may be a challenge. Here’s a tip: go straight to the back of the building (where the car wash is) and climb up the stairs straight to the third floor. And then, you’re there!

Here’s what you can look forward to:

One: A chill place to hang out

The place has a relaxed vibe that is conducive for friendly get-togethers or chillin’ out with your favorite drink and bar chow.

It has a sprawling dining area with an abundance of power outlets. If ever your gadgets are low on battery, you can easily juice up again without having to leave your table.

Want to party in style? Reserve the stately Lounge and hold your celebrations for up to 40 pax for Php35,000 (fully consumable).

Or you can let loose with the gang in privacy and comfort in the VIP Room for just Php20,000 (fully consumable). Aside from the well-appointed interiors, you and your friends can enjoy your own private comfort room and a buzzer to summon the service team for your requests and orders.

Two: Mouthwatering comfort food

Whether you’re after a feast or a snack, Varra offers you a well-curated array of sure-win familiar dishes or fresh twists on the classics.

These include:

Crispy Shrooms (Php130). Deep-fried and crispy oyster and enoki mushrooms that you will want to pop into your mouth again and again.

Spam Chips (Php210). Thin slices of spam deep-fried to crisps accompanied by garlic aioli.

Messy Fries (Php150). Fries served with beef, lots of cheese and garlic aioli. It’s the kind of mess I certainly wouldn’t mind!

Varra’s Nacho Overload (Php350). Crunchy nacho chips doused in cheese sauce and overloaded with beef, tomatoes, onions, peppers and olives. Perfect for munching while chatting with friends.

Soy Garlic Chicken Poppers (Php240). Fried chicken balls served with coleslaw, rice and fried egg.

Beef Tapa (Php240). A classic breakfast staple, this consist of garlicky marinated beef served with salted egg, salsa, rice and fried egg.

Chicken Pesto Marinara (Php380). A tomato-based pasta topped with grilled chicken flavored with pesto sauce.

Classic Carbonara (Php290). A creamy iteration of the carbonara loaded with ham pieces and served with poached egg.

Wings Basket (Php230). Six pieces of juicy and flavorful fried chicken wings flavored with your choice of sauce – Buffalo, Sou Garlic, Garlic Parmesan, Hickory BBQ, Chili Cheese and Honey Sriracha – that go so well with rice. We got two baskets each of Soy Garlic and Garlic Parmesan.

Varra’s Steak Salpicao (Php380). Ooh, this is definitely the star of the show! Tender and flavorful slices of steak sauteed in garlic and oil and served on a sizzling plate.

Three: Refreshing drinks

As you enjoy the tasty viands and bar chow, quench your thirst with Varra’s Signature Cocktails (Php200 each) which include: Blue Cruise (white rum, lemon and triple sec), Rosee el Varra (tequila, sour mix and Hoegaarden Rosee), Varra Mountain (gin, gin de cacao, sour mix and triple sec) and Basil Slush (blended basil leaves, rum, lemonade and sugar).

If you don’t feel like imbibing alcohol ot if you’re the group’s designated driver, you can also opt for non-alcholic drinks such as Varra Iced Tea (Php80), Frozen Peach Iced Tea (Php100) and the cranberry and citrus-y Sunset Spritzer (Php130).

Well, it sure looks like San Juan just got itself a new go-to place for munchies, drinks and chillin’ out!

Many thanks to Ms. Lovely Tan and the crew of Varra Restobar for the invitation!

If you and your gang can’t get enough of wings, take advantage of Varra’s Unli Wings & Rice Promo for only Php359 per person, available from Sundays to Thursdays.

Varra Restobar is located at 333 P. Guevarra Street, Little Baguio, San Juan, open from Sundays to Thursdays from 6pm to 2am, and Fridays to Saturdays from 6pm to 3am. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 916 5870345.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, 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 to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Scientifically delish eats at Bubba Lab, Graceland Plaza

Labmates, are you ready for a bout of experimentation and discovery?

Well, check out the foodie adventure that my fellow foodies and I embarked on at Bubba Lab Graceland Plaza in our pursuit of food knowledge and verifiably delicious eats.

(And, in keeping with Bubba Lab’s theme, and just for kicks, this blog post will be formatted in line with the scientific method.)

Statement of the Question:

Where in Marikina do we go for imaginatively concocted drinks and tasty snacks?

Being a resident of the East, I usually gravitate towards Marikina for foodie adventures since this city is packed with great foodie finds: fresh concepts, creative food executions and enterprising owners.

Hypothesis:

Hmm, the Bubba Lab branch at Graceland Plaza sure seems worth checking out. I already sampled some of its drinks at its Lamp Quarters branch and those were pretty interesting.

Bubba Lab is a homegrown chemistry-themed cafe which set its roots in the foodie haven Marikina. This branch is the second of the brand’s three existing outlets and has recently undergone some renovation to include some botanicals into the space. The change made the cafe even more inviting and Instagrammable, a perfect place for yuppies and young ‘uns to relax and grab a bite while working/studying (there’s free WiFi) or hanging out with friends.

Data Gathering:

Yeah, but what about the food?

Well, let’s see… During its recent Bloggers Event, Bubba Lab treated us to some of its menu items which included:

Labcuterie (Php270). Bubba Lab’s version of a charcuterie, it is comprised of slices of bratwurst. kielbasa and Hungarian sausages served with honey mustard dip and coleslaw.

Supernova (Php260). Named after the stellar explosion, this collection of finger-foods – battered fish, squid fritters, jojos (crispy battered potato wedges) and nachos – served in individual containers in a stand for easy access and served with spice-infused vinegar and three dips of one’s choice are sure to lead to explosions of flavor.

Chicken Slaw Croissant (Php160). Truth be told: the chicken salad croissant is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. When one of the fast-food chains eliminated it from its menu, I was near-heartbroken. I’m so glad that this sandwich has made its home at Bubba Lab, and is just a short drive away.

Crinkly Fries (Php75). Crisp and freshly made fries in your choice of flavor: sour cream, BBQ or cheese.

Tater Tots (Php80). Crisp deep-fried balls made from grated potatoes.

Lab Treats. Seasonal creations baked fresh daily which include muffins (Php75 each) – Cheese Overload, Red Velvet, Choco Chip and Chocolate Moist – and huge cookies (Php35/pc) – Oatmeal and Choco Chip.

Bubba Lab takes particular pride in its beverage offerings, and, in keeping with its chemistry theme, the store’s drink menu takes after the table of elements, with each refreshing drink assigned its own symbol.

Stp – Strawberries and Cream Candy Frappe (Php140 medium | Php150 large). Sweet and fruity, a dessert-drink for those with a sweet tooth.

Scp – Salted Caramel Frappe (Php140 medium | Php150 large). A creamy concoction with that sweet-salty flavor.

Mx – Mango Tea Frost (Php105 medium | Php115 large). Another fruity drink, with the sweetness of the mango-flavored tea complemented by the nata de coco.

Cu – Cucumber Cooler (Php105). A zesty refreshing drink perfect for hot summer days.

Bu – Bubba Lab Milktea (Php100 medium | Php110 large). The store’s best-selling drink made from freshly brewed tea leaves accented with chewy tapioca pearls.

Analysis:

Bubba Lab’s finger-food and sandwiches are well-suited as snacks or light meals, and go well with the store’s beverage offerings.

The drinks, on the other hand, are creatively concocted and affordably priced.

The store’s newly renovated premises also provide an attractive and comfortable backdrop for solitary work or lively meetups with friends.

Conclusion:

I therefore conclude that Bubba Lab Graceland Plaza is the place to be for milk tea lovers, where they can also enjoy yummy snacks as they work or hang out with friends.

Many thanks to the management and staff of Bubba Lab for the warm welcome and tasty treats, and to Aileen of Aileen Loves To Eat for extending the invitation!

This Bubba Lab branch is located at Graceland Plaza, JP Rizal Avenue, Marikina City, open daily from 10am to 10pm.

Other branches are located at:

Extension B, C&B Circle Mall, Liwasang Kalayaan Avenue, Marikina Heights, Marikina City
Lamp Quarters, Gil Fernando Avenue, Bgy. Santo Nino, Marikina City

Disclosure: Together with fellow food bloggers, I attended a foodie meetup held in this restaurant. Food and drink items mentioned here were served to enable us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other milk tea joints: