rib eye – Jellybeans in the City

Steakin’ it easy at Meat Depot

Truth be told: I came from a family of true-blue steak-lovin’ carnivores and so did my Hubby. Apparently, through the interplay of “nature” and “nurture”, our kiddoes turned out to be just like us.

Little wonder, then, that the thought of indulging our inner carnivores by having a steak lunch at Meat Depot after a bout of shopping in Greenhills was enough to have us practically salivating with excitement for the upcoming meal.

Meat Depot has the unique quality of being both a butcher shop and a kitchen at the same time. First established in 2014, it aimed to provide consumers with quality meats for home or institutional consumption, and to bring excellently cooked meats to hungry diners.

At any of its branches, diners can browse through and select their choice from a wide selection of premium cuts which they can bring home, or turn over to Meat Depot’s master grillers for cooking those meats to bring out all of its possibilities in flavor, tenderness and juiciness.

So that’s how we ended up gorging ourselves with our tender and juicy medium-cooked AB Rib-Eye Steaks (Php2,410/kg with Php125 cooking charge per piece which already includes mushroom gravy and choice of rice or mashed potato).

Well, what can I say? We really are a family of steak lovers!

This Meat Depot branch is located at Second Floor. O Square Building 2, Greenhills Shopping Center, Greenhills, San Juan.

Steak lovers in the metro will be happy to know that although this branch is closed for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine, selected Meat Depot branches are still open for pick-up and take-out.

Available products in these branches include:

Pork: lean ground (Php268/kg), menudo cut (Php304/kg), pork cubes (Php288/kg), pork chop (Php278/kg), country style (Php380/kg) and baby back ribs (Php330/kg)
Beef: ground (Php275/kg), shank (Php400)
Angus Beef; T-bone (Php2,070/kg), Striploin (Php2,130/kg), Rib-Eye (Php2,410/kg), Tomahawk (Php2,535/kg) and Tenderloin (Php3,920/kg)
Wagyu: Japanese Wagyu Striploin (Php10,070/kg) and Japanese Rib-Eye A4 (Php11,130/kg)

Just call or message the branch closest to you, indicate your name, order and time of pick up, make your payment via BDO and pick up your order or have it delivered to you through Grab Express or Lalamove.

Banawe, Quezon City: +63 966 7444366
Paseo de Magallanes, Makati: +63 926 0755187
BF Homes, Paranaque: +63 926 6474778

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

Unli Steaks at Prime Steakhouse, SM North EDSA

What is it about steak that I almost couldn’t get enough of it?

That sizeable hunk of beef, grilled to medium wellness, juicy and buttery to the bite… yes, I could sing its praises all day.

Steak doesn’t come cheap, though. Getting good cuts of meat that will produce the right flavor and texture in the cooked steak are not easy to come by.

However, as Hubby and I recently discovered, there is a way to eat your fill of good quality steaks.

We let loose our ravenous inner carnivores and took advantage of the Unli Steaks offer available at Prime Steakhouse in SM City North EDSA. For just Php699 per person, we get to eat as many steaks as we want (or could!). We selected our preferred steak from among Rib-eye, New York Strip, Flat Iron, Hickory Pork Ribs, Salisbury Steak and Beef Salpicao. This unli steak set also includes unli refills of house-made gravy, rice and side dishes which include coleslaw, buttered corn and carrots and mashed potatoes.

For our meal, we selected:

Rib-Eye. Considered both flavorful and tender as it came from the lightly worked upper rib cage area, with a good marbling of fat makes it very good for fast and hot cooking.

New York Strip. Taken from the part of the beef short loin that remains after the tenderloin is removed. Though not the most tender steak, it is known for having intense flavor from its rich marbling.

Our steaks were grilled to medium doneness, tender and juicy with nice grill marks, just the way we like it.

Hubby and I shared our respective steak cuts with each other, and with 3 refills of those sizeable servings, we got pretty good tastes of those steaks as well as really full tummies.

Prime Steakhouse is located at Ground Floor, The Block, SM City North EDSA, Barangay Bago Bantay, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 967 297 1916.

Check out my posts of other places in the metro where you can get some steaks:

Fine dining at Bistro Manuel, Poblacion

I’ve never had the pleasure of dining at Lolo Dad’s Cafe in Malate which closed its doors a few years back.

From what I hear from veteran (ehrrm!) foodies and what I’ve gathered online, Lolo Dad’s is known for its fine dining, culinary masterpieces and the awards they merited.

Too bad I didn’t get to experience Lolo Dad’s but there is a silver lining to this predicament: in 2016, Chefs Ariel and Mia Manuel of Lolo Dad’s opened a new restaurant in Poblacion called Bistro Manuel.

It is a quiet establishment, almost hidden being situated away from Poblacion’s more casual (and noisier) bars and restaurants. The place is well-suited for workday lunchouts, intimate dinners for two or elegant family celebrations.

Diners are even given a sneak peek into the kitchen to see Chef Ariel Manuel and his team in action.

Together with my fellow foodies, I recently visited Bistro Manuel where we were welcomed by Chef Ariel himself. We also sampled the resto’s signature dishes which feature many of the old favorites from Lolo Dad’s as well as new creations that showcase the chefs’ mastery of their craft.

Starters. Tasty dishes to kickstart the meal.

Amuse bouche and freshly baked bread and butter (compliments of the chef).

Double Espresso Soup (Php295). Tomato and mushroom cream-based soups served in separate espresso shot glasses. Definitely a new way to enjoy soup!

Romaine Ceasar Salad (Php380). Crispy pancetta and six-minute boiled egg tossed in romaine lettuce with anchovies, lemon and parmesan cheese dressing.

Spinach and Warm Mushroom Salad (Php380). Mushrooms sauteed in smoked bacon on top of spinach leaves and doused with roasted garlic vinaigrette.

Lolo Dad’s Cafe Baked Oysters (Php230 per piece). A real treat to the taste buds, each oyster is accompanied by angel hair pasta under a layer of melted cheese, and accompanied with a cube of foie gras.

Sorbet (compliments of the chef). A citrus sherbet to cleanse the palate.

Mains. Hearty and flavorful viands showcase Chef Ariel’s mastery of European cooking techniques.

Mild Spice Arabbiata (Php550). Penne tossed in tomato base sauce seasoned with basil, garlic and chili flakes. A light dish that portended of great things to come!

Lamb Shawarma Grilled Pizza (Php700). In this pizza with a Mediterranean feel, lamb belly, tomato and onions are placed on a charcoal-grilled thin crust and served with yoghurt and chili dip.

“Only for the Rich” Pizza (Php1,290). One of the resto’s more playful dishes, this dish features many luxurious ingredients that led to its name. Lobster, duck liver, scallops, prosciutto and smoked salmon with carabao’s milk cheese and truffled tomato sauce on top of charcoal-grilled thin crust garnished with edible flowers.

Pan-fried Fillet of Salmon (Php695). A hefty piece of well-seasoned salmon, seared and served caramelized onion, potatoes and bacon butter sauce.

Roasted Duck Breast (Php860). Breast of moulard duck on compressed potatoes.

Seared Scallops and Scampi (Php990). Bechamel-stuffed rigatoni pasta accompany seared scallops and plump shrimp.

Lamb & Lamb with Lamb (Php860). Three ways to enjoy various parts of lamb: roast lamb rump, stewed lamb breast and fried lamb sweetbread with sieved potatoes.

US Rib-Eye Prime Steak (Php2,200). 300 grams of premium steak grilled to medium doneness and served in rendered fat with truffled mashed potatoes and chilled Hollandaise. A carnivore’s dream come true!

Desserts. A delectable selection of decadent confections whipped up by pastry chef Mia Manuel that capped a wonderful meal:

Freshly Baked Apple Tart with Rock Salt and Olive Oil Ice Cream (Php295)

Lemon Meringue Pie with Chocolate Ice Cream (Php295)

Baked Cheesecake with Orange in Spiced Syrup (Php275)

White Chocolate Creme Brulee with Berry Tartlet (Php240)

Tiramisu Souffle with Vanilla Sauce (Php350)

Declension of Mango and Mascarpone Cheese with Vanilla Frozen Cream and Dulce de Leche Sauce (Php285)

Every dish was exquisitely crafted and a feast for the senses. Bistro Manuel is definitely a welcome addition to my list of favorite restos in Poblacion.

Many thanks to Chef Ariel and the staff of Bistro Manuel for the warm welcome and fabulous food and the Jen of Sand Under My Feet for extending the invitation!

Bistro Manuel is located at Second Floor, Six Axis Center, 4347 B. Valdez Street, Poblacion, Makati City, open daily from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 88718566, +63 926 7341067 or +63 998 3423566.

Disclosure: Together with fellow foodies, I attended a good tasting held in this establishment wherein the items mentioned above were served to enable us to sample the fare to facilitate an honest review and were not paid for by the participants including myself.

Check out my posts on other fine dining establishments:

Sizzle’s here at Sizzlin’ Steak, SM East Ortigas

Similar to its sister store, my first visit at this Sizzlin’ Steak branch was less than spectacular. The place was newly opened and the service team was still ironing out a lot kinks in the system as well as dealing with the deluge of diners eager to try out its offerings. (Yeah, yeah. I should have been more understanding). Anyway, that experience was documented here.

I was surprised that as a response to my comments, I was invited back to this branch (actually, to its sister store Teriyaki Boy) for a free meal. I took it up on its offer, of course, and took my family there for lunch that weekend. 🙂

As I’ve said in my post about the much-improved experience in Teriyaki Boy, the team went all out to show my family a good time. Our requests were quickly addressed and even anticipated: glasses of water were promptly refilled and our orders were quickly served.

Hubby and I ordered the same steaks we did during our first visit: Australian Marbled Steak (Php675). This cut of beef is characterized by its marbling, the intermingling of fat with the lean muscle. The greater the marbling, the juicier and tastier the meat.

The steaks were cooked to medium doneness: when you cut through the beef, you will see a pale pink center. The manager on duty, Acee, advised us to turn the steak over on the hot plate after a while so that the other side will also have some caramelization which adds to the flavor. She also advised to use the garlic butter provided and to sprinkle a bit of lemon juice to further bring out the taste of the steak.

View this post on Instagram

Now have a better appreciation for @sizzlinsteak’s Australian Marbled #Steak. It should be turned over on the #sizzlingplate after a while so that the other side will acquire that caramelized finish. Sprinkling a bit of lemon juice and spreading that garlic butter over the meat will help bring out its flavor. Plus, got my #justdesserts with a #TurtleCheesecake! #Yummy! Review coming soon at wordpress.beingjellybeans.com! #everythingatsteak #steakthroughmyheart #steakshavebeenraised #meatmyexpectations #sizzlinsteak #foodie #foodphotography #foodstagram

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on May 26, 2018 at 8:36pm PDT

I also had a Turtle Cheesecake (Php196) for dessert. It’s a rich cheesecake confection topped with sliced almonds and caramel sauce.

View this post on Instagram

Aaaaand here’s the #turtlecheesecake from @sizzlinsteak. Sometimes, you need to get your #justdesserts. #alwaysroomfordessert #sweetstothesweet

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on Jun 5, 2018 at 3:55pm PDT

The week following this visit, Hubby and I returned and ordered a US Rib Eye Steak (Php575). This steak cut is also known of its luscious marbling.

View this post on Instagram

Went back to @sizzlinsteak for a taste of their #RibEyeSteak… because #deservenadeservekoto #steak #sizzlinsteak #carnevore #gotmybeef #foodie #foodiegram #foodstagram

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on Jun 2, 2018 at 4:31am PDT

So… I guess we have a new go-to place when we want to satisfy our steak cravings.

By the way, with the Max’s Group’s All You Can Wednesdays Promo, you can eat all the Beef Belly Strips you want at Sizzlin’ Steak from 2pm to closing time for only Php349, available all the Wednesdays in June. More details are available in this blog post.