a bite of brownie

I had an early start on this day to complete my errands and I’m so glad it panned out great. It felt like everything fell into place and it was just begging for a little celebration and a happy dance. And so it was decided that I’ll try yet another restaurant here in Podium, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse.

When I entered the restaurant I was greeted and ushered into my seat by their receptionist. This is a very posh restaurant, luxurious seats, and the vibe was very intimate. Good date place I guess if you’re splurging a little bit. Looking around, I saw the wine cellar was behind me and the bar to my left. I was going for a light meal but unfortunately, they didn’t offer the bar menu at lunch time or at this branch. So anyway, I ordered the Wolfgang’s Steak Sandwich, and well.. don’t you roll your eyes on me!

..because it’s me who has to do all the eye rolling with what they served. Well, it wasn’t that appetizing to look at to begin with. Plate came with French fries and onion rings. Fries were ok and onion rings’ batter were a tad on the heavy side. The garnishes included raw onion rings, tomato slice, lettuce, and pickles were stacked neatly on the side, begging for me to put them on the sandwich and eat it like they were meant to be eaten. But I held off on that after trying the bread that was a little tough for me. I had a hard time slicing it with my utensils and didn’t bother to bite off of it. The steak were aptly sliced, had a good sear, very tender, and still pink in the middle. But when I looked under it, the pinkness of the underside had gone, and was replaced with brown, almost well done color. My guess was they placed the steak right on top of a very hot caramelized onions. Sadness.

Verdict: 1.5/5
It just didn’t do it for me, missing the wow factor considering they’re a steakhouse. And I was actually a little excited when I knew that they had their very own meat curing room in the restaurant! Maybe next time I’ll try their actual steak for real. Haha!

Ever heard of that fancy restaurant that serves premium steak cuts for as much as a whopping 6500Php per dinner plate? That high end steak house in Makati, Elbert’s Steak Room? Yeah, that one! This is NOT a review for that, mind you, but for its spin off, Elbert’s Sandwiches. Formerly located in Powerplant Mall, it has graced the south (raise the roof!) at Commerce Center, Alabang. Moving away from its mother restaurant, Elbert’s Sandwiches serves traditional American cuisine specializing in cheesesteaks and, seriously, need I say more?!

When I entered the joint, I was greeted by the staff hiding behind the counter. Almost jumped at being greeted because the place was virtually empty. I knew what I wanted, their Classic American Cheesesteak!!!! And I added provolone for good measure. And it certainly did not disappoint. It was served warm and wrapped in a clean, white paper. All it’s 8inches bun trying to hold all those steak goodness, topped with melted cheese (more like oozing), and caramelized onions. Ugh. Typing all that and looking at the picture makes my mouth all watery again! I think I took several photos with it, yes, even selfies, like it was some sort of a celebrity, check my IG haha! I mean, just look at it!

And not trying so hard on its own, I also ordered their superb Onion Rings. It didn’t take away anything from the cheesesteak experience, just accentuated it. It came with mayo and ketchup, so yeah, whichever rocks your boat. I tried them both, and they’re good either way.

Verdict: 4.5/5
I mean WOW! I Can I give them a 5?! Seriously I would, but I just tried their 2 dishes so far haha! And I wish I had a larger stomach to eat the entirety of it, but no. I had half of it to go haha! This is definitely, DEFINITELY worth another visit. If this humble joint serves food on this quality, I’m really intrigued with their mother restaurant. Someday soon I hope!

Continuing our quest to take down all restos in SM Megamall (we’re running almost half a year now!), here’s another 1 we’ve slain: Mighty Quinn’s. Born and raised in NYC, it found its way here in Manila, doing what they do best, slow cookin’ on fire and wood. Oh yeah, even painted it all over their wall to brag about it!

I ordered the Beef Brisket with Dirty Rice and sat closest to the entrance, unfortunately, cell reception is so bad inside their resto. I came in early as usual to avoid the crowd. Maybe too early as I saw some people (I think they’re the owners of the franchise) measuring something on the floor and walls, maybe they plan on doing some redecorations? But the whole place seem quite new to me. When my plate came, it was what I expected it to be. No fuss, just plain good old (3 maybe 4 slices of) beef drizzled with just the right amount of their fantastic bbq sauce (I recommend not to add any more), a cup of dirty rice (basically fried rice with a little sauce and bits and pieces of beef), and a variety of pickles (cucumber, onion, and cabbage, yes, cabbage!). The brisket was of course the star of the dish, I can’t take away my eyes from them! Very nice rub that charred from the cooking nicely. Meat was tender and oh so delectable. And I’m just all new to this beef-lovin’ thing! The pickles did its job of balancing the flavor out, help you slow down on the flavorful meat when you need it the most. The rice, you could do without, but hey, this is Manila!

Verdict: 4/5
This resto deserves another trip just to make sure it isn’t a 1-hit wonder haha! I’d love to see them offer this plate with other side dishes, maybe potato mash? Or more veggies? Or yeah pickles haha! The crew were very friendly, too. Definitely going back here.

When I first saw this in Podium, I remembered that character from New Girl sitcom. I like his character because he’s funny and relatable even if he had really quirky pet peeves. So yes, I think I’m already biased with this one. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to try this but I guess I never had the chance to, until now.

Schmidt’s Gourmet Hotdogs is located on the 5th floor of Podium Mall (yes, you will see a lot of reviews coming from here and SM Megamall, because both are in close proximity of my office, so suck it up). I wouldn’t qualify it as a restaurant, it’s more like a glorified stand, really. Their kitchen is quite small and it’s just beside the counter, and their chairs and tables for dine-in customers are on the hallway. But the other restaurants beside it (there are at least 5 more), had the same set up, so I guess they were trying to go for an al fresco dining style, although they are inside the mall. Kudos to the glass ceiling, I’ll give them that.


When I asked for their best seller, they recommended the Coney Island Chillidog. I was torn between The Juilus (which had bacon) and this one, but since they recommended it, I went with that. The Coney Island Chillidog had a hotdog on a regular bun, with flavourful ground beef, sour cream, cheese sauce, and sliced jalapeños as toppings. I paired it with their house blend iced tea which is really refreshing! I couldn’t make out the fruity after taste it had. It went well with the hotdog, too.


Verdict: 3/5

Wasn’t a fan of the bun especially after hearing other reviews, I was a bit disappointed about it. I was expecting it to be crisp outside and soft in the inside. I think it was pedestrian or am I being too harsh, because it’s just a bun, hello. I liked the hotdog, maybe they could start offering hotdogs minus the bun! Could go back and try that other ‘dog, The Julius because bacon! And will order XL iced tea and another to go!

This restaurant is located just beside one of our favorite weekly specials joint in The Gallery and has been there since i could remember. Our unannounced arrival right before opening time was attended properly, and were promptly handed individual menus for our inspection.

There were several items that were not available in the menu at the time of our arrival, a few of which were the ribs and their homemade potato chips. Contrary to this at the back of their menu, was a long list of alcoholic beverages that dwarfs the list of food items sold in the diner.

My mom ordered pork steak for herself, my sister, their 30 angus steak, and belly crunch for myself. For appetizers, we had a 6 piece Wing Thing immersed in what they call asian sauce (which is gochujang, i believe) and a serve of Angus tenderloin tips.

The ambiance of the place didn't look appealing with all the cracks on the walls and were bare. On the plus side, the food was cheap. I'm guessing their target market is people looking to hang out on the weekends.



30 Kitchen+Bar
The Gallery, Mabolo


Verdict:
A: 2.75/5
The mashed potato tasted great, but most of their food are hit and miss. The tenderloin tips tasted much of canned mushroom and Worcestershire. The pork steak was bland and the angus steak was way overcooked. Their belly crunch is true to their taste though, but i wish they wouldn't recycle the sauce they used for one dish.

Maple is a fairly new restaurant that opened late 2014, just a few steps away from Laguna Garden Cafe at the Ayala Center Terraces. Hailing from the Pancake house group, this restaurant specializes mostly in all day breakfast meals in addition to their entrees and main course meals.
For the main course, my companion had a huge plate of prime rib tapa while i had a chocolate cookie skillet. The prime rib tapa was HUGE. It looked like it took three quarters of the round plate that they gave us. The chocolate cookie skillet tasted like it was a brownie cup ala mode with a generous amount of dark chocolate below the refreshing vanilla ice cream.

You don't see any American outdoors-inspired restaurant in this city yet, and the best thing you'd find for a good grill is AA's Grill, which is a far cry from this restaurant's . That said, something about Tex Rex makes it different from your regular run-of-the-mill grill houses. It's not about the sauce (well, part of it is, but I'll get back to that later) but the way it is grilled.

Instead of the usual way grilled meat tastes, Tex Rex's meat are infused with this a deep, smoky flavor that emboldens each bite. They have a wide plethora of dishes that you can choose from that keeps you  coming back for more.

We came here upon browsing new eats on the internet and found this neat gem in one of the expat forums we lurk around in. The family has just finished their obligations for the day and we decided to hunt for this place in Mandaue to sate our piqued interest for this "new" restaurant.

The place was moderately sized, with several sets of wooden surfaces laden with condiments in the middle of each table. The ambiance of the place feels a bit western, with horse saddles and animal hides hanging on the wall. There is a huge mirror on the far east of the place, just before the divider that leads to the maintenance closet and the washroom, with a huge imprint of TEX REX in bold white. It is a decent, not counting the on-going construction on the street.

They serve a number of dishes here at Tex Rex. The entrees they serve include ribs, roast chicken, pork shoulder, beef brisket all cooked with their secret process until tender. If you're not feeling hungry enough a large serving of their food, they have set meals with enough amounts for one person. Or, if you're really looking to just having a small meal instead, they have burgers and sandwiches for all.

Tex Rex
888 A.S. Fortuna St., Bercede Cmpd., Banilad, Mandaue City


Verdict:
A: 4.5/5

This is probably one of the best places to go to if you're tired of the local grilled flavor of fresh food. We had pulled pork, grilled chicken, pork shoulder and beef brisket to go with mashed potato and veggies.

Their beef brisket is definitely the way to go and is the best of the food they serve. Quite full in flavor and soft, you'd definitely want to eat some more. I think the reason why people dislike the food here is that they ate it too long and had it to cool down before digging in? Or maybe they just got a bad batch? It would be better to switch a few of their sauces around or completely separate the sauces for their customer's discretion, as the food tastes good on its own.

With several banners advertising its opening to the public, the gang and I decided to give this place a visit because we've been hoping to try it since its conceptualization stage. There weren't a lot of customers so we were happily seated on a couch for comfort.

the long line outside this restaurant has always made me curious to try this place. it has great reviews too so me and my friend ventured out to have a very early breakfast at this cafe. its menu has a wide selection of american breakfast items. i chose the fresh lox and bagel which came with eggs and pancake for additional cost. it also came with some veggies, not so salty capers and cream cheese. i enjoyed the lox and bagel but was only able to finish half of the bagel since i had the pancake for dessert. my friend ordered bill's steak and eggs. the steak wasn't that remarkable to me but it was tender and juicy.

Bill's Cafe
1115 Willow St, San Jose CA

Verdict: 4/5 (-1 for the steak)

Apparently, McDonald's released a new type of burger in their arsenal of food as a response to the newly opened burger house at IT Park, Lahug. They aptly named it the "Big and Meaty Burger", which is composed of a big burger patty topped with a generous amount of sauce, a big slice of melted cheese, slivers of sweet pickles and finally chilled fresh lettuce. The burger meal comes with the typical regular fries and soda that can be upsized to your liking.

Definitely, this burger can compare to the big league of specialized burger stations like "Flame It!" and "Burger King", to name a few. The patty is tasty enough without the that nasty preservative and extender taste you can clearly tell in that one local fast food shop here in the Philippines. Not only that, but the sauce in it complements the meal as a whole. The only drawback of this burger is that I'm pretty certain that it has extra salt sprinkled on top of it, which may affect the taste and quality of the meat. Maybe they should ask the customer if they wanted that on their burger?

McDonald's
IT Park Lahug



Verdict: 3.5/5
The fries were soggy and pathetic, otherwise, the burger tastes great. A good meal for anyone on a budget and doesn't feel like eating chicken. Still a long way to go from being the best burger in town though.

Army Navy

Rumors do spread like wildfire indeed, as word on the streets reached our ears that a new branch of Army Navy has arrived here in Cebu. After buying my (newish) second hand Experia active, my sister and I were eager to try and compare the newly built Army Navy with the branch back in Glorietta.

The place still smelled of wet cement and paint, but had the same old feel and ambiance of Army Navy. The same old menu we loved back then was still there, something that felt new and refreshing in contrast to the normal fast food joint. I mean, where can you find a burger joint that sells three-patty burgers, some really good milkshakes, and awesome burritos?

Anyway, I mentioned that three-patty burger right? We had that (it's called Bully Boy burger) and a Starving Sailor sandwich, which had thin slices of Rib Eye steak in it. The Bully Boy burger had three delicious juicy beef patties and vegetables in two lightly toasted burger buns in contrast to the Starving Sailor sandwich that had moist medium well strips of meat and veggies. We had these sandwiches paired with a serve of onion rings, fries, Libertea (their special brewed iced tea) and a can of soda.


Army Navy
Eblock2, IT Park, Cebu City


Verdict: 4/5
The food is scrumptiously delicious! The drawback to this is that they have very expensive meals (had to pay around 700+ for two sandwiches.) Not for the faint of wallets!

i filled my first plate with salmon, tuna, white fish sashimi, mix of maki rolls, ebi sushi, and seaweeds wrapped in tamago wrap. my first plate started well.

Kona Grill is one of our favorite Friday lunchout place. It tops in the number of times we eat here because of their lunch specials or what Kona calls as perfect pairings where one could pick two dishes from a list of delicious choices. Perfect pairings are only available from 11am to 2pm. I chose the mini club (a mini version of Kona's clubhouse sandwich ) and crab crunch (a roll of maki with crab and tempura crunch). I've also tried their sushi combo (contains a piece of salmon, tuna and white fish), lunch roll combo (or california roll) and mini cheeseburger. My friends have tried Kona's tomato basil bisque and clam chowder. Kona's calamari is also among the best. Kona also gives freebies to birthday celebrants who joins their club. Every now and then, they also offer discounts.