quick bites – Jellybeans in the City

Comfort-snackin’ with 616 Burger

If the past few months of quarantine has taught me anything, it is that we need every bit of comfort we can get.

These are not normal times and we are not operating at our usual capacity. Therefore, we need to treasure what sources of joy or contentment we have.

Personally, I take comfort in good food. When I feel overwhelmed during a busy workday or in the midst of mounting house chores, a bite into something delicious will soon set me – and the world – to rights.

To you, my dear foodies, I’m happy to share my discovery of a new source of comfort: 616 Burger.

This passion project of twenty-two-year-old recent UST grad Alyanna Manuel started off as her quarantine pastime and side hustle. Building on her family’s experiences in running food businesses, and her own love for cooking, she started whipping up her favorite comfort food and offering them online at affordable prices. Her menu items consist of familiar snack items that are leveled up by way of ingredients and preparation to satisfy the palate of discriminating foodies.

The Crunchy Bacon Burger (Php160), for instance, is made with pure beef burger patty flavored by six spices and well complemented by the smokey bacon, slices of fresh veggies and its garlic mayo sauce inside a freshly baked bun. Crunchy bits of Piknik add some interesting texture to every bite of this juicy burger.

The burger’s trusty sidekick, the Cheesy Overload Fries (Php85), on the other hand, has a crispier texture than other fries due to its light breading. The sauteed ground beef and cheese sauce added some heartiness to this side dish.

If you still can’t get enough of cheese, then grab a Cheese Quesadilla (Php110), buttery toasted soft tortillas encasing high quality cheese.

Snacking on these gave me and the kiddos a happy respite in an otherwise crazy day.

To get your hands on these comforting snack items, message 616 Burger on Facebook or Instagram or fill out the online order form. Cashless payments via GCash, Paymaya and BPI are accepted. 616 Burger’s snack items can be delivered from Don Enrique Heights in Quezon City to anywhere in Metro Manila.

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:

Budget ramen at KYUKYU Ramen 99, Tomas Morato

The rainy season might be over but I’m still not over my ramen phase.

There’s just something about tonkotsu ramen that is so irresistible to me…

Is it the steaming hot and creamy broth flavored with pork bone boiled for hours? Is it the way the firm freshly made pulled noodles feel against my lips as I slurp them from the bowl? Is it way the pork chashu slice seems to melt in my mouth as soon as I bite into it?

Whatever it is, my #RamenPhase is here to stay. Thankfully, there’s a place near my office where I can satisfy my cravings that’s also easy on the budget.

At the Kyukyu Ramen 99 branch in the Shopwise Crossings Supermarket along Quezon Avenue, I can get a bowl of tonkotsu ramen for only Php159. It is a nondescript stall that gives a taste of authentic ramen at affordable prices.

So rain or shine, I can find some comfort in my favorite ramen a short ride away from my office.

Kyukyu Ramen 99 is located at Ground Floor, Shopwise Crossings Supermarket, Quezon Avenue, Bgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 9am to 9pm.

Other branches are located at:

Quezon City: Farmer’s Plaza, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf Balintawak,
Manila: UST Campus
Mandaluyong: Starmall EDSA-Shaw Boulevard
Marikina: Ayala Malls Marikina

Check out my reviews of other Japanese restaurants:

Food trippin’ nearby at Buffalo Swing, Caniogan

Though a proud Pasiguena, I admit that the incessant traffic jams in and around my city do sometimes get to me. These nuisances get in the way of so much: errands, appointments and, of course, foodie adventures. So whenever possible, to lessen the travel time and the frustration that comes with navigating the metro’s streets, I do try to find nearby places to indulge my food cravings.

Fortunately, Pasig City already has a lot to offer in terms of foodie destinations.

One such place is Buffalo Swing Cafe, a small eatery along Sixto Antonio Avenue that specializes in American comfort food: flavored chicken wings, pizzas and pastas. Owned and operated by Ingrid Mediarito, it is co-located with her baking supplies store named Ingrid’s.

Ingrid has long recognized the need to address the Pasiguenos’ need for affordable and easily accessible dining choices which led to her making her cafe’s food available to locals via delivery. A while back, in fact, when I was so busy running errands one Saturday that I didn’t have time to prepare food for my family’s dinner, I just ordered some wings and pizza from Buffalo Swing Cafe via Honestbee.

Honestbee has since stopped its operations in the country (oh, Honestbee, you are sorely missed!) but another delivery option is now available: via Zomato.

However, for this blog post, let me tell you more about my actual experience visiting Buffalo Swing Cafe together with fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH where we enjoyed its freshly made comfort food:

Pizzas

All Cheese (Php300). Made with four kinds of cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and cream cheese and flavored with garlic. Wonderfully cheesy!

Meat Overload (Php320). A carnivore’s dream on a pizza crust: pepperoni, Hungarian sausages, breakfast sausage and beef toppings and topped with caramelized onions.

Pastas

Aligue Cream (Php180). A decadent cream-based pasta flavored with aligue (crab fat).

Bacon Tomato (Php160). Flavored with tomatoes and savory bacon, this pasta has the slightly sweet taste that kids love.

Spanish Sardines and Olives (Php160). Slightly spicy pasta dish made with Spanish-style sardines.

Wings

These flavorful chicken wings, cooked to crunchy and juicy goodness, are priced at:

Php155 (5 pieces, one flavor)
Php300 (10 pieces, one flavor)
Php585 (20 pieces, two flavors)
Php1150 (40 pieces, two flavors)

These wings go so well with the resto’s pizzas and pastas, but they’re also great on their own. I’d love to have some delivered the next time there’s a big movie on TV so I can have something yummy to munch on while I’m indulging my inner couch potato.

Buttered Parmesan.

Spicy Salted Egg.

Salt and Pepper.

Sweet and Spicy.

Flamin’ Lemon.

Honey Soy Sesame.

American BBQ.

For dessert, we had Luleepops (Php20), a real treat for me since this is the first time I’ve tasted an avocado-flavored iced candy.

And we chased away the heat from some of the spicy chicken pieces with refreshing Lemonades (Php40 each) and a sweetly decadent Rootbeer Float (Php100) made with A&W Rootbeer.

So whether you’re a local or a dayo (visitor) from another city, check out Buffalo Swing Cafe for tasty, tummy-filling comfort food.

Many thanks to Ingrid and the staff of Buffalo Swing Cafe for the warm welcome and the yummy eats!

Buffalo Swing Cafe is located at 363 Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue, Caniogan, Pasig City, open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 9pm and Sundays from 5pm to 9pm. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 922 8864381.

No time to drop by Buffalo Swing Cafe? Order your food via Zomato! Just click on the link below.

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 and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other chicken joints in the metro:

Snackin’ with friends on the cheap at Snack Attack, SM North EDSA

If you and your gang ever experienced hunger pangs while hanging out at the mall, you know you all want to sate your hunger asap, no frills or fuss about.

Fortunately, if you happen to be strolling along SM North EDSA’s Sky Garden, relief for your hungry tummy is but a few heartbeats away.

Why? Because Snack Attack is there.

Snack Attack is a chain of stores offering quick bites – food that are fast to prepare and easy to consume. These include the classic snack faves such as nachos, fries, hotdogs and chicken nuggets, combined in all sorts of fun ways.

Thanks to Carlo of EatsCMT.food.blog who generously shared his GCs which allowed me to sample Snack Attack’s Bubble Tea Cheese Foam series (Php95 for medio | Php105 for grande), I was able to treat two of my friends to a fun snacking time at Snack Attack’s branch in SM North EDSA.

The first instance was when a friend and I enjoyed our Wintermelon and Hokkaido Bubble Teas as we munched on our Bacon, Mushroom and Cheese Snack-A-Bun (Php65) and chatted about our work concerns.

What made this snacking trip more notable was the fact that we designed a snack we can share. First, we chose our fries – Nacho Chips (Php59 for solo | Php99 for sharing), followed by our choice of dip – Cheese Sauce (Php15 for solo | Php25 for sharing), then capped by our choice of topping – Bacon Bits (Php20 for solo | Php30 for sharing). This way, we were able to design what we want to eat while we enjoyed our free cheesefoam bubble teas.

The next instance was when I took another friend there to get Classic and Taro Bubble Teas as part of our mini food crawl across SM North EDSA. (Note: the next stops were Hawker Chan and BLK 513.)

What I love about Snack Attack’s cheesefoam bubble teas is the interplay of the slightly salty and decadently rich cheesefoam with the sweet teas. The pearls were also of the right taste and consistency: not too sweet and just slightly chewy. While I found the Hokkaido and Wintermelon to sweet for my taste, the Taro Bubble Tea was just right for me.

Snack Attack is a quick and affordable option for snacking that I wouldn’t mind returning to. For me, its snack treats are best enjoyed while hanging out with friends.

How about you?

This Snack Attack branch is located at Second Floor, Sky Garden, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City.

Other branches are located at:

Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue Corner Pag-asa Street, Caniogan, Pasig City
Circuit Lane, Ayala Malls Circuit, Olympia, Makati City
Food Court, Mall B, SM City Bicutan, Don Bosco, Parañaque City
SM City Sucat, San Dionisio, Parañaque City
Second Floor, Robinsons Place Las Pinas, Talon Uno, Talon, Las Piñas City

Check out my reviews of other places to go to for quick cheap eats:

Tempura Bowls at Hiro, SM East Ortigas

Hankering for some Japanese food but on a tight budget?

There’s a newly opened resto at SM East Ortigas serving various types of tempura bowls and more for as low as Php99.

Tempura is characterized by seafood or sliced vegetables coated with batter and deep-fried. Surprisingly, this dish apparently originated in Portugal (when the Portuguese introduced batter frying to Japan.

This cozy resto has a light and fun atmosphere with yellow decor, pine furniture and anime characters holding the tempura bowls depicted on the walls. Some of the food offerings are whimsically named as well. Among those my family and I have sampled include:

HiRO Tempura Bowl (Php99) – 1 prawn, 1 kani and vegetable tempura
Empress Bowl (Php129) – 1 prawn, 1 squid, 1 kani abd vegetable tempura
Sansa Seafood and Vegetable Bowl (Php179) – 2 prawns, 1 squid, 1 kani and vegetable tempura
Chicken Teriyaki Don (Php149)

Each tempura bowl comes with rice and a cup of miso soup. I also opted to Go Ninja, which gives me cabbage salad and a HiRo blend iced tea for an additional Php50.I found their prawn tempura a bit small (I’m tempted to call it shrimp tempura instead because of its size) but flavor is close to the offerings of pricier restos. (Note: Hubby disagrees with me, saying he can cook a better tempura). The kani seems a bit gummy, though, while the tempura sauce is thicker and less ginger-y than what I’m used to but still ok. The chicken teriyaki is tender and flavorful; my son wolfed it down as soon as it was served.HiRo Tempura Rice Bowls is still in its soft opening stage so there were some misses that can improve given time:

The first time I ate here, I wasn’t given an order number so the wait staff didn’t know where to serve my order.
They don’t have an automated POS yet so expect some lag as the cashier manually writes down your order and receipt (but you should always ask for a receipt, ok?)

Personally, I appreciate how this resto makes tempura and other Japanese dishes more affordable and accessible to more customers. It’s also a good way to introduce kids to Japanese cuisine without breaking the bank.I will return, especially when I want a quick and affordable tempura meal.