restaurant review – Page 38 – Jellybeans in the City

Sushi bake delivery from Meatsumo Premium, Panay

I admit: I’ve grown quite worried about how restaurants will fare in The New Normal.

Particularly vulnerable are the samgyupsal places wherein unlimited meats and other food items are served for table-top grilling by the diners. These places require groups of people to gather around the table as they grill their food.

One such place was Meatsumo Premium located in Panay Avenue in Quezon City. Located a few minutes’ ride away from my office, it was the perfect place to indulge my craving for all things samgyup. No wonder then, that I found myself dragging my fellow samgyup lovers at work to this resto a few weeks after it opened.

What made Meatsumo Premium stand out from similar restos is Japanese dishes it also offers alongside its Korean fare. For just Php549 per person, we were able to enjoy eleven kinds of meat (including plain pork, pork galbi, regular and spicy pork yakiniku, pork gochujiang, plain beef, peppered beef, beef bulgogi, regular and spicy beef yakiniku and beef gochujiang) as well as twenty different side dishes (including my favorites such as cheese, kani salad, kimbap, California Maki and California Temaki).

Oh, such happy times…

But then, the enhanced community quarantine happened. I knew then that I had to bid adieu to Meatsumo.

That is, until it re-opened a few weeks ago, offering a “Create Your Own” Samgyupsal Set as well as its Japanese-Korean fusion dishes ala carte.

However, what drew my attention was its newest menu item: the Sushi Bake (Php480).

This trendy dish akin to a sushi casserole. The usual Japanese maki elements such as sushi rice, kani (crabstick), mango, zucchini, Japanese mayo and tobiko (fish roe) are there. With all these, you’ve got one scrumptious dish!

To eat, just scoop out a portion (mine tend to be overly large but I don’t care), place it in the nori strip provided, add a bit of finely chopped spring onions and tempura flakes for one tasty bite!

I ordered this for the fam’s lunch, along with Tempura (Php150) and Karaage (Php120), and all proved to be certified hits with kiddos!

Well, I’m glad to see that Meatsumo Premium was able to deftly pivot its business and innovate on its offerings. It sure looks poised to meet the challenges of The New Normal head on.

Meatsumo Premium is located 23 Panay Avenue, Barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City, open for delivery from 9am to 3pm.

To order, fill out this form, send a Facebook message, or Viber +63 933 1346534.

The Smokeyard, Poblacion delivers!

Hey, carnivores! Looking for ways to sate your craving for good, old fashioned, American-style BBQ?

Well, here’s some good news: The Smokeyard in Poblacion is open to serve up its barbecued meats, slow-smoked for optimum flavor and tenderness to satisfy your meat craving, such as:

Pulled Pork (Php190/100g)
Beef Brisket (Php290/100g)
US Beef Ribs (Php180/100g)

And more!

So just get your salads and mashed potatoes ready ’cause with just a few taps on your phone, your fam’s BBQ party will be on its way!

The Smokeyard is located at Ground Floor, 5666 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City. For delivery or store pick-ups, call +63 02 87711288 or course your order through FoodPanda.

Samgyup Time at Leann’s Teahouse, Tomas Morato

For quite some time, Leann’s Teahouse has been one of the go-to places for Korean BBQ for me and my officemates.

Located a short distance from my workplace, it’s where we can get our K-BBQ cravings satisfied.

For only Php499 per person, we can enjoy all the samgyupsal and woosamgyup out hearts desire, as well as the side dishes we so love.

Once, my friends and I applied a Booky discount and we ended up just paying Php375 each! Quite a good deal, yes?

Plus, this resto’s Bibimbap (Php210) and Spicy Pork (Php220) are not to be missed.

When the community quarantine is lifted and I’m back to reporting to my office, a silver lining would be the chance to eat here with my samgyup co-conspirators again.

How are you K-BBQ fans on quarantine? Missing your favorite freshly grilled samgyeopsal and woosamgyup yet?

The good news for you K-BBQ lovers in Quezon City is that you can enjoy these at home as Leann’s Tea House has made available frozen meats by the kilo, marinades, dips, appetizers, noodles, rice and kimbaps for pickup and delivery.

Leann’s Tea House is located at 105-R Mother Ignacia Corner Sct. Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City. For inquiries and to place your orders, send a message via Facebook, Viber +63 917 3240959 or call +63 2 7916356.

Cool down with Paper Moon Cafe’s Milk Tea

Oh, temperatures are definitely rising!

And with the rising temperatures sometimes come heated tempers.

Personally, a bit of a cool drink goes a long way towards cooling down my temper. Make it sweet and milky, and soon I’ll be on my way towards a good mood.

Have you tried Paper Moon Cafe’s Milk Tea series?

Paper Moon Cafe is the pastry shop that brought us the Mille Crepe (Php225) – the delicate dessert made of layers of paper-thin handmade crepes in between light pastry cream and topped with a caramelized crust.

Now, it has an offering for the hordes of milk tea lovers in the metro!

Its Classic Milk Tea (Php120) is made with a premium blend of fresh tea leaves and tapioca pearls, a sure hit for milk tea connoisseurs.

Want to enjoy Paper Moon Cafe’s sweets and drinks at home during the enhanced community quarantine? These branches are open for delivery via GrabFood, LalaFood and FoodPanda.

Araneta City: +63 917 1303303

Ayala Malls Trinoma : +63 917 6228653

Ayala Malls Glorietta : +63 917 6202630

Molito Alabang: +63 917 1006555

Robinsons Place Manila: +63 917 6288676

Scout Madrinan : +63 945 8628755

Tektite Ortigas: +63 917 8059385

UP Town Center: +63 917 5972956

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.

Use this link to download the FoodPanda app and get Php100 off your first order.

Download the LalaFood App and get a free delivery coupon when you use my code: BEINGJMR53.

This Paper Moon Cafe branch is located at Level 2, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City.

Check out my reviews of other milk tea joints:

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.

Baked Donuts from Bake My Day, Libis

After a bout of food shopping at the nearest All Home Supermarket (the one in Libis), I espied upon its pastry shop near its exit.

I immediately thought of my kiddos keeping themselves quarantined at home. I know them to be great donut fanatics so I decided to treat them to a box of half-dozen donuts from Bake My Day, which costs only Php300.

Bake My Day is one of the newer retail brands under the Villar Group of Companies, which serves pastries freshly baked everyday. Its presence in the All Home premises proved to be quite convenient for me as I didn’t have to drive off to a separate pastry shop for some pasalubongs for my kids.

Upon biting into my donut (of course I get to have a piece!), I noticed some differences versus the usual donut. My almond on white chocolate glazed donut does not have the slightly crispy exterior nor the chewy interior I was expecting. It has a fluffy mouthfeel, sort of like biting into a muffin.

I had a facepalm moment when my daughter #ExhibitA blurted out the reason for the differences in texture: “Ma! Kasi Bake My Day nga!“

So apparently, the differences in texture I’ve been noting result from the donuts being baked as opposed to fried.

Well, everyday I learn something new!

That said, the almond donut I had was suitably sweet, perfect as a dessert after dinner with the kids.

And since they wiped out the remaining five donuts before the day is through, I’d say they liked them too.

This Bake My Day branch is located at All Home Supermarket, Libis, Quezon City. For orders and inquiries, call +63 999 8611174.

Other branches are located at:

Vista Mall Taguig
Vista Mall Global South
Starmall Alabang
Evia Lifestyle Center

A chicken-y twist to sisig from Manokoloco

Find yourself in a bind as what to have for the gang’s lunch while in quarantine?

Don’t stress yourself out! Go for something tasty that you won’t have to tire yourself out cooking.

How about that Pinoy staple ulam called sisig? That’s sure to have the vote of everyone in the gang!

Try it with a twist by ordering some Chicken Sisig from Manokoloco!

Instead of the usual pork cheeks, get crunchy bits of roasted chicken and chicken liver all mixed up with chilis and a bit of mayo. It’s lighter on the tummy and (hopefully, just a wee bit) healthier, too!

Get enough for the whole gang by ordering the Nalocosisig (Php250), quite plenty for a barkada of three to four. Just make sure to have lots and lots of kanin ready!

Eating all by your lonesome? Here is where it gets interesting.

You can reheat it for dinner, make a pasta sauce out of it or add it as a topping to the tortilla chips you munch on while binge-watching your fave Netflix series.

The possibilities are endless!

Thanks to Harvard of AlwaysHungry.PH for sharing from his ulam stash!

Manokoloko is located at 19 11th Jamboree Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City. For inquiries or to order for curbside pickup or delivery, call +63 916 5563487.

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

Ramen fave at Ramen Nagi, Trinoma

Whenever my officemates and I get that craving for ramen, we head straight for the Ramen Nagi branch nearest to our workplace: the one at Trinoma Mall.

We even agree on which ramen to sate our craving on: the Butao King (Php395). It’s Ramen Nagi’s award-winning tonkotsu pork broth, painstakingly prepared in the traditional method, with fresh hand-crafted noodles and classic Nagi pork chashu.

It’s a magical bowl of flavor that can fill you up, warm your tummy, lift your spirits and power you on for the rest of the day.

Last year, Ramen Nagi offered a free bowl of Butao King to birthday celebrants so long as they’re accompanied by someone paying for bowl of Butao King. So every time someone’s birthday month would come along, there would be a clamoring to go to Ramen Nagi to take advantage of the offer, thereby cementing the Butao King as everyone’s favorite ramen bowl from Ramen Nagi.

This Ramen Nagi branch is located at Garden Wing Area, Upper Ground Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City.

Craving for ramen during the enhanced community quarantine? Worry not! Ramen Nagi recently launched its first-ever takeout box – the Ramen-to-Go (Php790/box). It’s a kit with two servings of Ramen Nagi broth (available flavors include Butao, Red, Black and Green King), noodles, pork chashu, vegetables, minced garlic, green onions, and the other ramen toppings, thereby allowing you to be a Ramen Chef at Home. To get your own box, place your order at the Ramen Nagi website at least two days in advance.

Selected Ramen Nagi branches are also open during the ECQ for takeout and delivery serving these areas:

Trinoma: Quezon City, San Juan, Pasig and Caloocan
Alabang Town Center: Alabang, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Paranaque
Signa: Makati, Taguig, Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay

Fresh flavors of Japanese food at Soru Izakaya, Maginhawa

My fam and I have a very strong affinity towards Japanese food. As it is one of our favorite cuisines, more often than not, we end up choosing Japanese restos when dining out.

Such was the case when we decided to eat out in the Maginhawa, QC area the weekend right before the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was announced.

At Soru Izakaya’s Maginhawa branch, we were able to get a table relatively quickly despite the bustling dinner crowd.

There, we we were able to enjoy our favorite Japanese dishes, which included:

Lava Maki (Php430). Salmon skin, crabsticks and tamago topped with salmon and tuna cubes in spicy mayo. This dish, which served as our appetizer, also featured the whimsical mayo design that Soru Izakaya became known for.

Tantanmen (Php330). Hubby likes his ramen spicy and this one fits the bill. It is made with firm ramen noodles in spicy miso and peanut broth with chasyu pork and mixed vegetables served with slices of seasoned egg. Of course, he had to share some of it with me!

Katsudon (Php295). My princess’ near-constant craving which is made with deep-fried and breaded pork loin served with egg cooked in sweet and savory sauce over steamed rice, topped with melted cheese and onion leeks.

Tomahawk Katsu (Php355). My little boy’s go-to order which consisted of deep-fried breaded pork tomahawk cutlet served with sweet and savory katsu sauce and shredded cabbage doused in roaster sesame dressing. We ordered a cup of rice to go with this dish which the little boy demolished in record time.

Chirashidon (Php360). My new favorite Japanese dish made with torched tuna, salmon sashimi cubes, kani, tamago and endamame over sushi rice. I just love the variations in flavor and texture in every bite.

Looking back, I’m glad that we were able to spend some time together out of the house, enjoying one of our favorite cuisines, before we had to sequester ourselves at home due to the quarantine. (I’m also thankful we managed to stay and healthy thus far.)

We’re all looking forward to the time when we can venture out and go back to our favorite places to dine and enjoy.

How about you? Which of your favorite restos were you able to visit before the quarantine started?

Want a taste of Soru Izakaya’s dishes but stuck at home because of the quarantine? Here’s some good news: During the ECQ, this branch is open from 10am to 5pm daily with a limited menu available for takeout or delivery via Grab Express or Lalamove. To order, text your name, address, contact number and orders to +63 917 7040515, +63 917 6363526 or +63 935 7830298.

This Soru Izakaya branch is located at Ground Floor, 140 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City.

Other branches are located at:

Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Scout Torillo corner Scout Fernandez Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City