noodles – Jellybeans in the City

Deliciously affordable food adventure at StrEATs in ibis Styles Manila Araneta City

Looking for a food adventure that’s deliciously varied yet affordable? Then ibis Styles Manila Araneta’s all-day dining restuarant, StrEATs, should be right up your alley.

ibis Styles Manila Araneta City is the first ibis brand of the Accor Hotels Group in the country. The economy hotel chain characterized by creativity and playfulness pays tribute to the vibrancy and energy of its location through callbacks to cultural milestones.

For instance, the newly opened hotel’s interior is peppered with photo spots that harken back to the Thrilla in Manila, the legendary fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier held at the Araneta Colisuem. Hotel guests and visitors can then take their photos for ‘gram in these themed spots.

StrEATs leads the way to awesome food adventures

StrEATs serves as a pathway towards various international culinary journeys, with a rotating menu carefully curated by Executive Chef Massimiliano Pauletto. While enjoying StrEATs’ well-appointed setting and frenetic energy, foodies can look forward to flavorful discoveries with appetizing stations that include:

Plus, you can always request for freshly made Baked Oysters and creamy gelato from Novotel’s Indulge at their respective stations.

Make the most out of your StrEATs experience!

Whether you find the prospect of an all-you-can-eat buffet daunting or you’re a seasoned buffet diner, here are a few tips to make sure that you maximize your time there:

Start small. Sample small portions of a variety of dishes. This allows you to taste everything without getting full too quickly.
Prioritize. If you’re a carnivore like me, go for the higher-cost items (like seafood, meats, and specialty dishes) if you want to get the best value.
Mix It Up. Alternate between different types of food (proteins, vegetables, carbs) to keep your palate interested and avoid flavor fatigue.
Pace Yourself. Eat slowly and take breaks. This helps with digestion and allows you to enjoy the meal longer without feeling uncomfortably full.
Post-Meal Activity. If possible, take a walk after your meal. It aids digestion and can help you feel less bloated. Fortunately, Gateway Mall is just a few steps away!

StrEATs daily serves breakfast from 6am to 10am at Php999/person, lunch from 12pm to 2pm at Php1,299/person and dinner from 6pm to 9pm at Php1,499/person.

StrEATs is located at Fifth Floor, ibis Styles Manila Araneta, General Roxas Avenue, Araneta City, Quezon City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8248 8444 or email IbisStyles.ManilaAranetaCity.Restaurants@accor.com.

Know more about ibis Styles Manila Araneta by visiting its website, or by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out my posts about Accor Hotels and Restaurants:

Novotel’s Prana Indian Cuisine hosts Taj Uncorked: An Indian Champagne Dinner

Four reasons to gather and celebrate at Food Exchange Manila, Novotel Manila Araneta

Ice cream indulgence at Indulge, Novotel Manila Araneta

5 reasons why Novotel is your family’s staycation destination

Enjoy delish Filipino hotplate your way at Butter Grill, The Landmark

Who would have thought that dining at a mall food court would give you such a superb dining experience?

Sure, food courts have their own appeal due to a variety of reasons: the variety of cuisines offered at affordable prices, easy accessibility, fast service and liveliness and bustle of the crowd.

However, the entrance of a brand new concept stall at The Landmark’s Supermart Foodcenter presents an exciting possibility for diners: personalization!

Buttergrill, The Landmark Supermart Foodcenter

Butter Grill offers sizzling plates classic Filipino dishes and foodcourt faves but with a fresh twist: the diner can mix and match various items on the menu to craft a hotplate according to their specifications.

Here’s how:

First, choose your meat among Butter Sliced Pork (Php159), Butter Sliced Beef (Php249), Mixed Seafood (Php285), Peppered Bangus (Php298), Angus Burger Steak (Php315) and Beef Tendon (Php345).

Second, choose a free sauce to complement your meat: Pares Sauce, Bicol Express Gravy, Kare-Kare Gravy, Honey Binagoongan Gravy, Steakhouse Gravy, Sinigang Gravy, Kaldereta Gravy and Salted Egg Gravy.

Lastly, choose a free side to complete your meal: Butter Rice, Pancit and Sourdough Pan de Sal.

Combining items from this menu produces tasty hotplates such as:

Butter Sliced Beef in Kare-Kare Sauce with Buttered Rice

Angus Burger Steak in Steak House Gravy with Buttered Rice: my absolute fave!

Sliced Pork in Kaldereta Sauce and Pancit

Beef Tendon in Honey Binagoongan Gravy and Buttered Rice

Beef Tendon in Sinigang Gravy and Buttered Rice

Buttergrill, The Landmark Supermart Foodcourt

With the Lenten Season coming in, you’d be happy to know that Buttergrill’s got your back for Meatless Fridays with a Buy 1 Get 1 Offer on its seafood hotplates for just Php298. Promo is available every Friday from February 24 to April 7, 2023.

Peppered Bangus in Salted Egg Sauce with Buttered Rice

Mixed Seafood in Pares Sauce with Pancit

Mix things up a bit and try some of the dishes with Butter Grill’s Sourdough Pan De Sal!

Cap your meal with something sweet and refreshing: Buttergrill’s Clear Gulaman available in Bulilit (Php49) and Giant (Php99) sizes!

Here are some tips to further enhance your Buttergrill experience:

Unsure of which combination to try? Ask the servers for their recommendations!
Mix the hotplate contents well to distribute the flavors from the sauces evenly.
Allow some of the rice and gravy to caramelize (forming a flavorful tutong I’m you’ll love!)

So if you fancy a fresh take on your favorite Pinoy dishes and more, be sure to drop by Butter Grill!

Butter Grill is located at the Supermart Foodcenter of The Landmark, Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Stay updated on its promos and offers by following Butter Grill on Facebook and Instagram.

Raintree’s #ValentineFoodCrawl: Chicken in Love Set at Pak! Pak! Chicken, BGC

Love is in the air, and it’s even more prevalent in Bonifacio High Street where Raintree restaurants have unveiled their Valentine’s Day promo and deals.

Raintree Hospitality Group brings fresh and exciting hospitality concepts, including hotels, food courts and restaurants. The newest among the innovative restaurant concepts it developed is Pak! Pak! Chicken.

At Pak! Pak! Chicken, you can expect crispy fried chicken pieces in strong delicious tastes, you’d feel like you’re being slapped with flavor… Pak! Pak!

Check out some of its fried chicken variants:

Crispy Original + Gravy (Php260/6pcs | Php450/12pcs),

Sweet Soy Garlic (Php260/6pcs | Php450/12pcs),

Garlic Herb Parmesan (Php295/6pcs | Php540/12pcs),

Old Skool Buffalo (Php335/6pcs | Php595/12pcs).

Other variants include: Takoyaki, Smokey Hickory BBQ, Singaporean Style Black Pepper, Po’s Orange Chicken and Korean Fire Pepper.

You can also enjoy these flavors in chicken wings.

Want to make a complete meal? Pair your Pak! Pak! Chicken with sides:

Japanese Chahan Fried Rice (Php140 solo | Php350 family).

Garlic Herb Yakisoba (Php135 solo | Php275 family).

Creamy Kimchi Coleslaw (Php175).

Pak! Pak! Chicken also has a special treat for its customers this month of hearts: it’s Chicken in Love Set! A special set of your choice of two chicken flavors plus Kimchi Coleslaw, Garlic Noodles or Chahan Fried Rice for just Php775, it’s great for sharing for two people.

So go ahead and plan your Valentine date at Pak! Pak! Chicken! This offer is available within February only.

Pak! Pak! Chicken is located inside Motto Motto, Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, open for takeout on weekdays and for dine-in on weekends. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 8440219 or send a message via Facebook or Instagram. Payments via cash, GCash, credit and debit cards are accepted.

Pak! Pak! Chicken also delivers via FoodPanda.

A Marugame Udon Power Lunch, thanks to GrabFood

Just to be clear: I’m a firm believer of the #HappyLunch, the practice of taking your precious lunch break by going out to eat at one of your favorite restaurants or trying out a new place together with your officemates. This is a great way to decompress and bond with your workmates after a busy morning at work.

Lately, though, this can’t always be possible, especially as we’re all encouraged to practice social distancing and avoid crowded areas.

So how can we office-based foodies enjoy the food we love when we can’t go out of the safety of the workplace?

Thankfully, the largest udon noodles restaurant chain in the world, Marugame Udon, delivers via GrabFood!

Marugame Udon is dedicated to provide Japanese authentic made-to-order Udon noodles which are freshly kneaded, boiled and cooked every day. These noodles are made according to the practices in Sanuki, a region in the Kagawa prefecture known for the quality of its udon. The noodles’ flavors and textures are further enhanced by the broths made by the restaurant in small batches to maintain quality.

My officemates and I all placed our orders for two of Marugame’s popular udon dishes thirty minutes before lunchtime (that’s how long the delivery will take).

They arrived hot and steaming, totally appetizing!

Beef Ontama Bukkake Udon (Php210 regular | Php260 large). Made with marinated gyudon beef strips, Japanese poached egg, and mildly sweet bukkake soup.

Chicken Paitan Udon (Php200 regular | Php250 large). Made with sauteed chicken, a soft boiled egg, and creamy chicken soup that calls to mind your favorite chicken sopas.

With their plentiful broth and thick and chewy noodles, these udon bowls are very filling and helped fuel our work for the remains of the workday. I certainly didn’t mind my desk lunch too much!

This meal was ordered from the Marugame Udon branch located at the Lower Ground Floor, Fisher Mall, Quezon Avenue, Del Monte, Quezon City via GrabFood. Download the Grab App on the App Store or Google Play. Get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.

Other branches in the metro are located at:

Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Phase 2, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
Ground Floor, SM City Marikina, Marcos ighway, Calumpang, Marikina City
Third Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Second Floor, The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Ground Floor, Main Mall, Ayala Malls Circuit, Carmona, Makati City
Third Floor, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
Ground Floor, Uptown Place Mall, 36th Street corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
B7, Bonifacio High Street, Lane P, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Winner winner, chicken dinner at Bad Bird, SM Megamall

Just when you thought fried chicken is already “gasgas” (tired) as a food concept, here comes Bad Bird with its own bold statement: the umami fried chicken.

While many restos would tout the absence of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in their dishes, Bad Bird goes all out with it, using this ingredient in its natural and processed forms: dashi, mushroom powder, furikake, miso, and more!

Through trial and error, it has developed its proprietary fried chicken seasoning, the one that produces that umami taste, the inherent savoriness of fried chicken brought about to tickle and delight our taste buds.

On our way to another food adventure, fellow foodies Jen of SandUnderMyFeet, Nix of IEatAndIWander and I decided to sate our hunger at Bad Bird by pooling our GCs (the currency of the blogger microeconomy, hehehe). Our winning repast included:

Torched Corn & Cheese Chicken Plate (Php375). A huge piece of Bad Bird’s badass umami fried chicken – all crispy and juicy ready for our tummies – with our new favorite side dish, the torched corn kernels in cream cheese.

We added Bad Bird’s refreshing citrusy Homebrew Iced Tea to this meal set for just Php69 and upgraded the set’s original steamed rice to Dirty Rice (fried rice with bits of bacon, kimchi, liver and tamago) for just Php89.

Mango Rice Milk (Php170). A sweet and slightly tart shake made with fresh mango and Korean rice milk.

Garlic and Butter Crispy 2-Fry Wings (Php275). Six pieces of chicken wings tossed in the fragrant and flavorful garlic and butter sauce.

Rich Pork Noodles (Php265). One of Bad Bird’s filling noodle dishes where every noodle is bursting with umami.

By introducing new flavors to the classic fried chicken, Bad Bird has certainly revived the dish and remade it into something new to enjoy.

Did you know that if you and a friend ordered two drinks at Bad Bird, you can get the same two drinks free when you unlock your Zomato Gold privilege?

This Bad Bird branch is located at Third Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 77539729.

Other branches may be found at:

Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Hole in the Wall, Fourth Floor, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City
Ground Floor, Pedro Gil Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila