restaurant review – Page 66 – Jellybeans in the City

Christmas Lunch with the Family at Fireside by Kettle, Rockwell

As the fam was spending Christmas Day with the in-laws, we decided to hie ourselves off to the Rockwell Powerplant Mall for lunch and a bit of holiday window-shopping.

Most of us are confirmed carnivores so it’s not really surprising that we gravitated towards the hearty grilled meats and All-American dishes offered by the Fireside by Kettle branch located at the outer premises of the mall.

The restaurant has a warm and casual vibe with smartly dressed wait staff and modern/industrial-style interiors accented by holiday decor. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of natural light, giving the space a bright and airy feel. There was also ample space for our group of six, as well as the other diners.

For our Christmas Day Lunch, we ordered:

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Fingers (Php549). Slivers of chicken breasts brined for 24 hours, covered with Cajun Ritz cracker breading then deep-fried, then served together with Cajun honey and cornbread doughnuts. The chicken pieces were crispy to the bite but with tender and juicy meat, well complemented by the gravy provided. The cornbread doughnuts doused with honey provided a sweet break from the chicken’s savory flavor.

50/50 Meatloaf (Php409). Half of this is made of ground bacon while the other half is made of ground Angus beef and served with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. I’m not a big fan of meat loaf per se but I found this iteration more flavorful and juicier than most versions I have tasted.

Double-cut Pork Chop (Php539). Two thick slices of tender pork chops brined in honey cider and served with peppercorn-mustard cream sauce with grilled apples and grilled vegetables. We availed of two orders of this dish, given the number of carnivores in our group.

We ordered Garlic Rice (Php79), Steamed Rice (Php59) and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Php119) to accompany our hearty main dishes.

The dishes were promptly served by the wait staff and with their large servings, our group was well satisfied.

This Fireside by Kettle branch is located at Ground Floor, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 12midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8018457.

Another branch can be found at Ground Floor, Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 12midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8243043.

Yummy Lunch Break at Blue Rocket Cafe, Paligsahan

On one of our last lunch breaks prior to the holiday break (and still high from our country’s Ms. Universe win – yey!), my officemates and I decided to venture a bit farther our than our usual haunts.

We settled on Blue Rocket Cafe + Kitchen, a cozy yet cheery cafe along Scout Reyes a few blocks away from Mother Ignacia Avenue.

The place boasts of homey and rustic interiors accented with brick-lined walls, eclectic wall art and green decor. If you’re hankering for a photo opp during your mealtime, this resto is the perfect backdrop. The chill vibe and the colorful surroundings also make it a great venue for #TitaConferences (I seem to be gravitating towards this kind of place lately, hehehe!). The resto is even cheerier now with all the holiday decor and tchotchkes.

For our group’s happy lunch, we ordered:

Wagyu Beef Sticks with Peanut Sauce (Php325). Juicy cubes of marinated wagyu beef served on sticks with peanut sauce.

Sirloin Stroganoff Pasta (Php315). A rich cream-based pasta generously topped with bits of grilled beef sirloin.

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Chicken (Php255). Spaghetti noodles doused in a rich tomato and cream sauce and served with grilled chicken.

Honey Garlic Wings (Php195). Six pieces of flavorful, crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside chicken wings covered in honey garlic sauce.

The dishes were promptly served, piping hot and in servings large enough to satisfy our group.

And since two of us who are Zomato Gold members unlocked our privilege in this resto, we were able to enjoy Sirloin Stroganoff Pasta and the Honey Garlic Wings for free!

What a lovely way to enjoy one of last opportunities for a happy lunch for the year!

Blue Rocket Cafe is located at 79 Scout Reyes corner Scout Lozano, Paligsahan, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Sundays from 11am to 11pm. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 2 9317769 or +63 932 7346705.

No time to visit the resto? You’ll be happy to know that Blue Rocket delivers via Honestbee. Simply place your orders here.

Want to score a similar discount? Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 deals on food or 2+2 deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here as soon as slots open. (They tend to get snatched up pretty quickly so be sure to sign up as soon as slots become available.) Use my code JELLYB to get 20% off the membership fee.

Holiday brunch get-together at Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen, Greenbelt

There are some friendships that endure despite great distances and changes in circumstances. Such is my friendship with Fetina, formerly an officemate who has since spread her wings working in Singapore. She usually comes home to the Philippines to visit family two to three times a year, and when she does, we make it a point to meet up at a restaurant in either Greenbelt or Glorietta.

In our latest meetup after Christmas, we opted for Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen located in Greenbelt. An offshoot of Equatorial Coffee in Katipunan, QC, Bluesmith combines homey yet Instagrammable interiors with comfort food and its sound foundation in coffee, making it an great venue for weekend brunches, friendly get-togethers and, dare I say it, #TitaConferences. (Hahaha!)

Our get-together repast consisted of:

Flat White (Php150). This coffee beverage is characterized by the thin layer of microfoam (hence the term “flat” in “flat white) as opposed to the thicker foam layer in traditional cappuccino. I sipped on this while waiting for Fetina to arrive.

Fresh Lemonade Soda (Php150). Freshly squeezed lemon juice made into a sweet fizzy drink.

Tenderloin Beef Salpicao (Php420). One of Bluesmith’s bestsellers, this dish consists of cubes of beef tenderloin, cooked to medium doneness, and marbled potatoes sauteed in Worcestershire oil and toasted garlic and served mixed vegetables and rice. I found the beef tender and flavorful but the sauce a bit too sweet for my taste.

Creamy Pasta Tartufo (Php360). Another of the resto’s bestselling dishes, this pasta dish is characterized by the earthy aroma of black truffle, mixed with a creamy mushroom sauce and served with baguette chips.

The servings were quite large such that we had trouble finishing the two dishes.

And since I unlocked my Zomato Gold privilege, we got the Creamy Pasta Tartufo for free!

Some friendships are nurtured by constant presence and attention but some, like Fetina’s and mine, are maintained by occasional meetups over good food and long conversations.

Our thanks to Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen for being our venue for this memorable get-together.

This Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen branch is located at Level 3, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 11pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 12midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 917 7053526 or +63 2 7524183.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Corte Area, Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City (open Sundays to Thursdays from 9am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 9am to 11pm; Tel. No: +63 917 7099814 or +63 2 7553092)
Ground Floor, MJ Corporate Plaza, 2310 Pasong Tamo Extension, Magallanes, Makati City (open weekdays from 7am to 8pm and weekends from 7am to 5pm; Tel. No: +63 917 7101605 or +63 2 7290284)

New Japanese Food Haunt: Dohtonbori, SM Megamall

After a bout of running errands in SM Megamall, Hubby and I decided to have lunch at the Dohtonbori located in foodie haven Mega Fashion Hall. I found it funny that despite the restaurant being around for the past three years, I’ve only just gotten around to it recently.

Named after one of Osaka, Japan’s principal tourist destinations known for its rich and varied gastronomic options as well as its vibrant nightlife, Dohtonbori is driven by its philosophy of “Teppan Communication.” This philosophy strives to make the environment surrounding the teppan – the iron plate on which the restaurant’s signature dishes are cooked – enjoyable and fun, where diners can experience a sense of being connected with each other as they share a meal.

The restaurant’s premises is reminiscent of the streets of Osaka, with light-colored pine wood walls, brightly-colored streamers and even a vintage bike on display!

For our midday repast, we opted not to avail ourselves of Dohtonbori’s claim to fame: the okonomiyaki. These are savory pancakes popular in Japan but unfortunately unfamiliar to Hubby and myself. (Well, we’ll probably try them on our next visit.)

Instead, we decided on ordering dishes that are more familiar to us, which include:

Endamame (Php90). Served freshly steamed and lightly salted, this is Hubby’s go-to appetizer whenever we’re at a Japanese resto.

Ajitama Ramen (Php350). Firm ramen noodles in a steaming soup base (I opted for the rich Tonkotsu broth), served with a melt-in-your-mouth piece of chashu pork, aonori seaweed and the tasty soft-boiled egg tamago.

Tempura Zaru Soba (Php350). Cold Japanese soba noodles served with dipping tsuyu sauce, wasabi, spring onion, shredded nori, and sesame seeds.

USDA Angus Striploin Yakiniku (Php750). A 200-gram well-marbled piece of striploin expertly cooked by a wait staff on the teppan right on our table.

Our lunchtime foray into this piece of Osaka gave us a tasty and filling meal that fueled us up for the rest of our mall errands.

Did you know that Dohtonbori works with the Autism Society of the Philippines on its Autism at Work Program? This means that staff are trained and well-equipped to assist persons with autism who visit the restaurant. Furthermore, persons on the autism spectrum are trained, employed and accepted as part of the restaurant’s staff and the whole Dohtobori family. Being a mom of a child on the autism spectrum, I’m happy to support establishments like this that help to get differently abled people such as my son be more integrated into the mainstream and more productive members of society.

This Dohtonbori branch is located at Third Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City (open daily from 11am to 10pm). For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 4772066.

Other branches are located at:

Cullinan Prime Building, 8 Missouri Street, Greenhills, San Juan City
Second Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Second Floor, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Upper Ground Floor, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City

Latin-style Roast Chicken at Senor Pollo, Tomas Morato

One fine day, my coworkers and I developed a hankering for a hearty lunch. We settled on the Senor Pollo branch in the nearby foodie-friendly Tomas Morato area.

Entering this resto is like stepping into a vibrant and lively Latin-inspired world. From its subdued lighting that highlights colorful artworks that adorn the brick walls to the flavorful dishes it serves.

Its Latin-style roast chicken offers a break from the usual Pinoy-style roasted chicken that we usually go for. It’s juicy and tender meat encased in flavorful herb-seasoned skin, accompanied by a piquant chimichurri sauce and paired with tasty side dishes, ignites an explosion of tastes in my mouth with every forkful.

Our party of three split among ourselves two orders of Half Roast Chicken with 2 side dishes each (Php499). Our side dishes consist of two cups of Cilantro Garlic Rice, a cup of Herbed Brown Rice and Senor Pollo’s famous Cole Slaw.

This Latin-style happy lunch turned out to be a tasty break from our usual haunts.

And since we unlocked a Zomato Gold Privilege in this resto, we ended up paying for just one order.

This Senor Pollo outlet is located at F7 Building, Scout Rallos Street corner Tomas Morato Avenue, Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11.30am to 1am and Fridays to Saturdays from 11.30am to 2am. For reservations and inquiries, cal +63 2 3517235.

Other branches are located at

5767 Ebro Street, Poblacion, Makati City (open daily from 11.30am to 2am; Tel. No: +63 2 8316945)
27 Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig (open daily from 11am to 12midnight; Tel. No: +63 2 5322266)
Eastwood Citywalk 1, Libis, Quezon City (open Saturdays to Tuesdays from 11am to 2am and Wednesdays to Fridays for 24 hours; Tel. No: +63 966 7014022)
Second Floor, Crossroads Building, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (open daily from 11am to 1am; Tel. No: +63 2 8214933 or +63 921 8066027)
Ground Floor, ATC Corporate Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City (open daily from 11am to 11pm)

Holiday Froyo at Llaollao, Glorietta Mall

Frozen yoghurt lovers will have something to cheer about this Christmas: Llaollao’s Holiday Sanum Collection!

Recently, I was able to try one of the sanums in this collection: the Mango Brava (Php199). Cubes of succulent mango fruit and mango sauce interspersed with layers of black chocolate sauce, muesli lotus crunch and graham crunch balls, and Llaollao’s frozen yoghurt.

It was a decadent and delectable dessert snack that got me energized for the journey home from Makati amidst the holiday rush.

Other variants in the holiday sanum collection that I’m looking forward to trying are:

Toffeenut (Php199). Frozen yoghurt with muesli lascasitos, almond crunch, biscoff crunch, milk candy sauce and nocilla sauce.
Banoffee Pie (Php199). Frozen yoghurt with crushed oreo almond brittle, slices of banana, black chocolate sauce, milk candy and lotus biscuits.

Pronounced “yao yao,” Llaollao is a Spanish yoghurt brand recently introduced in the Philippines by Foodee Global Concepts. Dedicated to serving all-natural and healthy frozen yoghurt to froyo-hungry Pinoys, it offers several dessert and beverage options that incorporate this delectably creamy and tangy ingredient:

Petitllao (Php49). A cup of frozen yoghurt
Granillao (Php89 for small | Php109 for medium). Frozen yoghurt with orange, lemon or watermelon
Sensations (Php189). Frozen yoghurt with sauce and fresh fruit
Sanum (Php199). A combo of frozen yoghurt, three fresh fruit, two crunches and one sauce
Smoothies (Php179) and Smoothies with Frozen Yoghurt (Php199).

This Llaollao branch is located at the Ground Floor, Glorietta 2, Glorietta Complex, Makati City, open daily from 10am to 9pm. Other branches can be found at:

Ground Floor, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City, open daily from 10am to 10pm
Upper Ground Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 10am to 10pm
Second Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 11pm
Food Court, Second Floor, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, open daily from 11am to 10pm
Level 2, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 9pm

Check out my reviews of other frozen dessert shops:

Flavorful and familiar dishes at Banapple, Tomas Morato

Eating out with coworkers who are not among your usual lunch companions presents quite a quandary: trying to find a restaurant that will appeal to the varied tastes and preferences of such a diverse group.

We solved this dilemma by going to the nearby branch of Banapple and took advantage of its various home-cooked style comfort food such as:

Soup of the Day (Php105). A freshly made, hearty and creamy mushroom soup to fill the tummy and warm the soul.

Sirloin Garlic Beef Tapa (Php280). Tender beef slices marinated in a sweet yet garlicky marinade and served with seasoned garlic rice and creamed parsley eggs.

Breaded Fillet of Cream Dory with Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce (Php255). Crispy herb-crusted fresh fish fillets drizzled with warm honey thyme mustard sauce and served with butter carrots and served with seasoned garlic rice.

Bacon Fried Chicken Steaks with Milk’Shroom Gravy (Php275). Creamy milk and mushroom gravy smother crispy chicken fillets and topped with bacon bits and served with corn relish and seasons garlic rice.

Pan-fried Pork Loin with Herb Mushroom Gravy (Php265). Tender pork slices and are seasoned with herbs, pan-fried, smothered with a thick herb and mushroom gravy and served with glazed butter carrots and seasoned garlic rice.

At over Php250 per order, these rice meals are not cheap. While quite flavorful and familiar, the dishes have a tendency to provoke a feeling of “umay,” there being so much of a particular taste that you just grow tired of it.

Still, these are not too shabby for a resto that started as a small operation, baking pies and cakes for family, friends and referred food establishments.

Also, as I’ve mentioned several times before, Banapple’s claim to fame, for me, would always be its desserts. The Banoffee Pie (Php135 per slice, Php965 for whole), in particular, is a delightful confection. I brought a whole cake home recently for my dad’s birthday. The graham cracker crust is well-formed and compact. The caramel filling is rich and decadent while the bananas inside are sweet but still has a firm texture. The cream topping is whipped stiff and in shape, allowing it to hold thick dark chocolate shavings.

This Banapple branch is located at the Second Floor, Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Corner Scout Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 9am to 11.30pm. Other branches can be found at:

SM City North EDSA, Quezon City
Gateway Mall, Cubao, Quezon City
Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Balintawak, Quezon City
Blue Ridge, Quezon City
Robinsons Galleria, Quezon City
Ayala Malls Feliz, Dela Paz, Pasig City
Tutuban Center Malls, Tondo, Manila
Ayala Malls Marikina, Marikina Heights, Marikina City
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Salcedo Village, Makati
Market! Market! Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Ayala Fairview Terraces, Novaliches, Quezon City
Tuscany, McKinley Hill, Taguig
President’s Grove, BF Homes, Paranaque
Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa

Plus, you’ll be happy to know that when you dine in at Banapple with a friend, you can get a free dish via Zomato Gold. Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 deals on food or 2+2 deals on drinks for dine-in guests. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here as soon as slots open. (They tend to get snatched up pretty quickly so be sure to sign up as soon as slots become available.) Use my code JELLYB to get 20% off the membership fee.

Modern Filipino Cuisine at Ombu Kusina, Tomas Morato

Lately, restaurants touting “modern Filipino cuisine” have sprouted up all over the metro.

But what is modern Filipino cuisine?

Simply put: it is the flavors you grew up with but broken free of traditions surrounding them, even incorporating foreign influences. It is composed of tastes and textures familiar to you but applied and presented in exciting and novel ways. In short, this is not your grandma’s cooking.

Unless your dear Lola is part of the visionary team behind Ombu Kusina, of course.

Ombu is a modern Filipino restaurant located along Mother Ignacia Street in Quezon City. Having recently revamped its interiors, it also recently launched its special holiday dishes. And your friendly neighborhood Jellybeans is among the lucky foodies who were able to attend its exclusive food tasting event.

Ombu’s newly renovated premises are simply impressive. White subway tiles serve as an elegant backdrop for light-colored plush seats, darkwood tables and the feast laid out for us.

And said feast consisted of Ombu’s signature dishes such as:

Dilis Rice (Php80 per cup: Php170 for sharing). Your favorite sinangag (garlic fried rice), lightly flavored and topped with salty crispy fried dilis (anchovies).

Salted Egg Spaghettini (Php260). Al dente spaghettini noodles tossed in a sauce of salted egg yolks, sprinkled with tomatoes, diced cucumber and salted egg whites. The salted egg sauce was evenly spread throughout the noodles and the cucumber provided a fresh contrast to the sauce with every bite.

Sisig Pizza (Php520). The classic pork sisig and egg tops a thin-crust pizza drizzled with garlic sauce.

Binagoongang Talong (Php300). Fresh eggplant and lechon kawali served with a thick bagoong (shrimp paste) sauce. While I found the sauce a little too thick for my taste but the crispy fried pork belly is just yummy and went well with the Dilis Rice.

Seafood Mix Laing (Php290). Taro leaves wrapped around a mix of shrimp, crab meat, onion and lemon grass, slowly cooked in light coconut milk.

Also part of the feast are Ombu’s seasonal dishes such as:

Adobochon (Php440). Flavorful roasted pig with tender meat and crispy skin served with adobo sauce on the side.

Flaming Chicken (Php340). Tender and juicy chicken flambed right before our eyes.

For dessert, we had Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (Php180). Delightful layers of frozen soft meringue alternating custard filling, ice cream and graham cracker crust.

The dishes were expertly prepared and given a fresh twist by Ombu Kusina’s chefs.

So for a great taste of modern Filipino cuisine, check out Ombu Kusina.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a foodie meetup held at 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.

Ombu Kusina is located at Ground Floor, Sequioa Hotel, Mother Ignacia Street, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 6.30am to 10pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 4411789 or +63 922 8149086, or email omburestaurant@yahoo.com.

Thanks to SandUnderMyFeet.com for extending the invite

Premium Korean BBQ at Fantastic Baka, Tomas Morato

Craving for your fix of Korean-style grilled meats?

Look no further than Fantastic Baka, one of the newest Korean BBQ restaurants to open in the vicinity of the foodie-friendly Tomas Morato area.

Located at the Grandia Place right across ABS-CBN, it offers a premium selection of meats and dishes expertly prepared by three-Michelin star awarded Chef Jang Jungyun, considered one of Korea’s A-list chefs.

At the invitation of Fantastic Baka’s mother company, Tong Keun So, my officemates and I made our way to this restaurant for our pre-holiday lunch.

The resto has a sizeable dining area with grills built in to the tables and exhaust tubes extended down from the ceilings. The combination of dark wood and pine, as well as the black-and-white color theme in furnishings and decor give the place a sleek and modern feel.

Our group of four were served items from the Unlimited Php799 package which includes eight kinds of beef and seven kinds of pork such as plain and seasoned plate, plain and spicy bulgogi, brisket point, plain and seasoned prime chuck eyeroll, hanging tender, regular and thinly sliced pork belly and more.

We requested for several refills of thinly sliced beef plate and the more premium beef variants. We had to grill the meats ourselves but fortunately, our waiter gamely gave us some grilling tips and we managed (thankfully!) to get ouselves fed.

My preference towards Korean-style grilled meats leans towards the unseasoned variants. I just dipped the cooked pieces in salted sesame oil and the savory ssamjang prior to wrapping them in the crisp lettuce leaves provided.

Banchan (side dishes) were generously served, with our group showing marked preference for Jap-chae, steamed egg, stir-fried fish cakes and cole slaw. We also got a taste of Fantastic Baka’s famous cheese sauce in which we dipped some of the cooked meats.

While the regular meat variants are yummy enough by themselves, the premium beef cuts are absolutely superb: they have a tender, juicy and buttery feel as you bite into them.

At Php799 per person for unlimited servings of 15 beef and pork variations, or Php599 per person for unlimited servings of 11 variations, Fantastic Baka might seem a bit pricey but the premium beef cuts are worth it.

With this treat from Fantastic Baka, my coworkers and I were able to embark in another epic happy lunch adventure. We went back to the office smelling like barbecue but you won’t hear us complaining. 🙂

Want to dine at Fantastic Baka but on a budget? Dine from 11am to 4pm on weekdays and get Php100 off on the Unlimited Php599 menu. Kids below 3 feet dine for free and kids between 3 feet to 4.2 feet will be given a 50% discount on the Unlimited sets.

Fantastic Baka also has a Php200 penalty for leftovers so do finish off all the meat refills you requested for.

If Korean Barbecue is not your thing, you might want to check out Fantastic Baka’s Bento Meals. At only Php280, you can enjoy Sweet and Sour Chickeb, Pork Bulgogi or Spicy Pork Bulgogi served with soup, Japchae, stir-fried fishcake, fresh salad, kimchi, iced tea and unlimited rice.

Fantastic Baka is located at 143 Grandia Building, Mother Ignacia Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, open daily from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 915 8455899.

Disclosure: Our lunch was hosted by Fantastic Baka. The food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and were not paid for by our group.

Hideaway Haven at INT.Bar, Cubao

What can you find behind the red velvet curtain? A whole new world, apparently. A place where you can escape the city’s hustle and bustle and hide away for a while.

INT.Bar, similar to all speakeasies, is not easy to find. In fact, I almost walked past it had I not stopped and asked for directions from a person standing right in front of it!

If you’re wondering why a bar would go to such great lengths to be so unobtrusive, it’s because of the speakeasy’s history with the Prohibition era in the US. With the ban on the sale and consumption of liquor, enterprising business owners began operating illicit clubs where they can sell bootlegged liquor. Such clubs are usually fronted by a more wholesome establishment such as a grocery store to deflect attention from the authorities and prevent the police from barging in. The term speakeasy was believed to have originated from 1880s saloon owner Kate Hester who would often tell her rowdy patrons to “speak easy” to escape the attention of the police.

Today, speakeasies still operate, but as retro-style bars that also retain the covertness of their predecessors. INT.Bar, for example, harkens to a steampunk aesthetic, with low-lighting that frames the industrial decor and vintage furnishings, accessible once you get behind the mundane-looking photo booth.

Together with friends and fellow foodies, I attended a meetup here. That night, fueled by great food and great drinks, the mood was light and naughty jokes and irreverent banter abound from our group.

When you get around to ordering your cocktails, you will find that the menu gives you hints on what to expect from your drinks in terms of sweetness, bitterness, acidity, strength, aroma, smokiness and savoriness. This is quite helpful to those who are new to drinking (like me!), have very set preferences or are in for an adventure.

The Negroni (Php300) is an iconic Italian cocktail made of Tanqueray gin, martini rosso vermouth and Campari garnished with an orange peel. It’s named after Count Camilo Negroni who was believed to have invented the drink when he asked his bartender to strengthen his Americano cocktail by adding gin instead of soda water.

Paradise Lost (Php450) is sweet yet packs a punch, being made of Marker’s Mark Bourbon, fine Pere Preaux Calvados, Golden Falernum and cinnamon syrups, lemon and meringue.

The Sazerac (Php450) is the New Orleans version of the whiskey cocktail that also packs a punch being made with absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters, Carlos I Solera brandy, Rittenhouse Rye whiskey and dark rum.

Eternal Sunshine (Php300) has a slightly sweeter taste being made with a cacao nib tequila infusion, Aperol spritz, chocolate bitters, pineapple, agave nectar and lime.

There Will Be Blood (Php600). Don’t be expecting violence, just a lot of buzz from this drink made with Laphroaig 10 year old Scotch whiskey, yellow chartreuse, Aperol spritz and lemon.

Sipping on Cigarettes After Sex (Php350) does call to mind dark deeds in dark places, with its smoky aroma and decadent feel. Served with great fanfare, the drink unveiled amidst smoke once the dome cover is taken off, it’s made with Lapsang Souchong infusion, Laphroaig 10 year old Scotch whiskey, honey, egg whites and rosemary smoke.

The bar chow served proved to be quite tasty as well; most had a mild spiciness that would spur you to drink more.

Hummus (Php200). Try dipping some dehydrated tortillas into this thick paste of roasted sesame seeds and garlic confit, and see if you can stop yourself from going for more.

The Trio Tacos (Php300) gives you three different takes on soft tacos: pulled pork, chicken and mushrooms. Pico de Gallo, roasted bell peppers, sriracha and lime-cilantro crema give this dish a wild Latin feel.

Spiced Cheese Penne (Php250) gives you a sauce of sausage and bacon mixed with Pico de Gallo and micro basil coating firm penne pasta noodles.

Get yourself some Potato Halves (Php150) baked and served with mozzarella and Mornay sauce.

Cured Salmon (Php320) served over mango caviar and cucumber mixed in lemon-terrago mayo spread over some crunchy toast. Yum!

Good food, great drinks, awesome company in a secret hideaway. All the makings of an epic good time among friends at INT.Bar.

INT.Bar is located at Cubao Expo, General Romulo Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City, open Tuesdays to Sundays from 5pm to 1am. For table reservations, call +63 917 8069991.

And here’s some more good news: Did you know you can buy 2 drinks and get the same 2 drinks for free at INT.Bar through Zomato Gold? Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 deals on food or 2+2 deals on drinks.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a Blogger Event held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.