pork binagoongan – The Jellybeans Edit

Whenever I feel stressed or harassed, I always get a strong craving for comfort food. These are dishes that I usually associate with delicious home cooking, the kind that my mom would serve me whenever I was sick or sad.

For over thirty years, Goodah has been the has been the go-to place for people seeking fuss-free comfort food that appeals to down-home Pinoy palate. These include the traditional hot and quickly-served Filipino snacks like goto and lugaw, as well as the hugely popular silogs. Being so popular among all sorts of people, it soon adopted the monicker “ang pagkaing for every all!”

During the height of the lockdown due to the pandemic, I was able to enjoy Goodah’s comforting dishes with my fam while stuck at home through its Salo-Salo Set Meals (thanks to Rowena of TravelEatPinas for thoughtfully sending me this meal set!)

However, as the lockdowns gradually eased (but my work and life stresses did not) I wanted to experience Goodah’s down-home Pinoy dishes in a dine-in setting.

So off I went with my fellow unnies to the Goodah branch along Timog Avenue.

Here, we were able to sit down and take a break from our daily grind as we gossiped about our Hollywood idols and K-pop stans while we feast on Pinoy comfort food.

These include:

Batangas Lomi with Tokwa’t Baboy (Php134). A noodle dish made with thick yellow noodles in a thick and starchy soup topped with bits of pork meat, pork offal, pork rind and kikiam. It’s best enjoyed with a side dish made with tofu and pork bits in vinegar sauce.

Arroz Caldo Special (Php179). A porridge made with glutinous rice and accompanied by chicken pieces, hard-boiled egg and topped with crunchy fried garlic and chopped scallions.

Pork Bingoongan (Php319). A classic Pinoy dish wherein pork belly is stewed in shrimp paste (bagoong).

Kare Kare (Php345). A Filipino stew wherein ox and pork meat and offal are served in a thick and rich peanut sauce along with vegetables.

Supermeal A (Php150). A budget-friendly rice meal that includes tocino, lumpiang shanghai, pancit canton, kropek (prawn cracker) and leche flan.

Supermeal B (Php160). Another rice meal that’s light on the budget which includes tapa flakes, lumpiang shanghai, pancit canton, kropek (prawn cracker) and leche flan.

Ribsilog (Php195). Crispy fried pork ribs served with garlic fried rice, fried egg and atchara.

Leche Flan (Php39). The Pinoy version of creme caramel which is made of egg-and-milk custard with a soft caramel layer on top.

With such comforting dishes to be enjoyed, should there still be room in my psyche for stress and negativity? I guess not!

Dispel your own blues with Pinoy comfort food by dropping by a Goodah branch near you today!

This Goodah outlet is located at 57 Timog Avenue, Bgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily for dine-in and takeout from 8am to 8pm, and for delivery from 7am to 9pm via Pick*A*Roo, and 25-hours via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Other Gooodah outlets are located in Alabang, Valenzuela, Pasig, Granada and Fairview in Quezon City, as well as in Sucat and Bicutan in Paranaque.

Know more about this much-loved Filipino food brand through its website. Stay updated on Goodah’s latest offers and promos by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

After hours is that precious time when the day’s work is done and we can finally sit back to relax and spend time with friends.

After Hours is also the name of a newly opened bar in foodie haven Tomas Morato. This is where my foodie friends and I, shortly before the Covid-19 and the ECQ came down upon all of us, were able to enjoy a few hours chillin’ in each other’s company while discovering all the fun to be had after hours.

1) The buzzy welcoming vibe

You would think that Tomas Morato would already have its fill of concept bars but there’s definitely room for more, especially this one.

With its ample parking space, trendy decor, comfy furnishings, a playlist made up of 80s and 90s hits (which my friends and I sang along with!), excellent chows and a well-stocked bar, After Hours is a haven for those looking for some well-deserved R ‘n R.

2) Chill drinks

According to co-owner Rey Trillana, the focus of After Hours are on cocktails, whiskey and a bit of wine, drinks to chill with after work. Each cocktail is handcrafted (no pre-mixes). For whiskey connoisseurs, the bar also boasts of a well-curated whisky collection. Guests even have the option of getting the bartender to craft something Out of the Blue, based on their favorite liquor and taste profile.

During our visit, my foodie friends and I were able to sample:

Jack Estate’s Pink Moscato. A fresh and fruity wine from Australia.

Perfect Pear. A fruity non-alcoholic mocktail for lightweights like me.

Smoked Old Fashioned. The classic mix of bourbon, simple syrup and Angostura bitters, served with a bit of smoke and flair.

Red Sangria Spritzer. Handcrafted sangria made with wine, brandy, mixed berries, chamomile honey, calamansi and soda.

After Six. Gin mixed with elderflower liquor, lavender syrup, egg white and lemon juice.

Punch Drunk Love. After Hours’ signature cocktail made with spiced rum, chai pandan syrup, lemon and pineapple juice, Angostura bitters and clarified milk, served with a dehydrated pineapple.

3) Tasty bar chows

Of course, we needed some chows to go with those drinks, and After Hours has a very good kitchen going managed by Chef Miggy. He and his crew whipped up some tasty bar chows to complement our drinks, such as:

Beef Salpicao. Tender USDA beef tenderloin sauteed in a garlic butter sauce, definitely a favorite among tipplers and foodies.

Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers. Spicy, salty and slightly sweet bite-sized chicken breasts.

BBQ Beef Pockets. Crispy wonton pockets stuffed with ground beef doused with bourbon BBQ sauce and cheese.

Four Cheese Pizza. Mozzarella, feta, parmigiano reggiano and gorgonzala, all the good stuff on a thin-crust pizza.

All-Meat Pizzadilla. Gooey mozzarella sandwiched in two flour tortillas and topped with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, BBQ sauce and even more cheese.

Pork Binagoongan Pasta. Spaghetti with crispy-fried pork cubes tossed in shrimp paste.

Bacon Mushroom Truffle Pasta. Creamy truffle spaghetti topped with crunchy bacon.

Oh, such a happy time! There were good food, good drinks and good company.

But then, the community quarantine came and, sadly, After Hours had to close its doors for a while.

It seemed like the entire bar industry had been severely affected by the community quarantine.

However, a few weeks ago, I had the pleasant surprise of finding out that it had resumed operations to enable its loyal customers to get that After Hours experience even while at home through Buy One Take One offers on its wines, its signature cocktails by the bottle, as well as a selection of its bar chows, all available for delivery or pickup!

Thanks to Rey Trillana and the rest of the management and staff of After Hours Bar for having us and congratulations for succeasfully pivoting your business to operate in The New Normal.

So until the next time I can visit After Hours again, I can enjoy my after hours at home.

After Hours is located at 125 Don A. Roces Avenue, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City. To order its bar chows, wines and cocktails for pick up or delivery, fill up this form, send a message over Instagram or call +63 917 1767383.

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.

Tag: pork binagoongan

Pinoy comfort food at Goodah, Timog Avenue

Bar chows and chill drinks at After Hours, Tomas Morato