a bite of brownie

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.

 Just like Pino, Bigby's is in its third revival in Ayala Center Cebu. The first one was located in Ayala's active zone, the second being near Persian Palate, and finally in its current location below Dakasi.


I am quite pleased with this new and improved version of Bigby's. Their menu is expanded to include several new items such as a whole rack of ribs, steak, fried chicken served in threes, sandwiches, and a plethora of interesting desserts.


I ordered for myself their platter called "Belly Buster" that's comprised of onion rings, two slabs of pork chops with gravy, and a quarter serve of ribs. The pork chops were absolutely tender and the ribs were cooked just right. The onion rings were delicious and crispy, which I think are the best rings in town. The gravy that came with the chops were delicious, light and slightly buttery which makes it even more addicting. The sauce for the ribs tasted like steak and Worcestershire sauce that compliments it very much. The ample serving of rice under the stack of deliciously cooked meat tasted good as well, truth be told.

I'm looking forward to my next visit here so I could sample the rest of their dishes.


Bigby's
Ayala Center Cebu


Verdict:
A: 4/5
Delicious, cheap, affordable. Can't wait to see what else they offer.

i gave this place a chance since it's very close to my workplace. i didn't even check the reviews before going. my officemate and i ordered the combo bbq platter. we picked pork spare ribs and new york steak. it came with corn and beans and two side dishes. we chose vegetable and meat soup and cream and cauliflower soup. all the items we got were so bad! the vegetable and meat soup was average while the cream and cauliflower soup was so salty and diluted! both steak and ribs were very dry and lacked seasoning and their bbq sauce couldn't even save the ribs. this is definitely not the place to go for bbq ribs and steak!

Verdict: 0/5 (this place will close down if people order their ribs and steak.)

Hick'ry Pit
980 E Campbell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008

After a grueling sale day at Mandaue Foam with my mom, her friend, and my sister, we were invited to eat at this far flung restaurant in Mandaue City.

In a sense, it was a simplified version of Larsian.

There were several tables, with only one where you could get their BBQ. The ambiance was just as you'd expect from an outdoorsy restaurant, Noisy, blaring with music and teeming with people.

Their reputation is well deserved, I guess, because they know how to grill their meat. It was well seasoned and was still juicy inside.

The only negative points for this restaurant might actually be the location itself. It is situated in a busy highway that it is almost hard to pass through the traffic on the main road. The parking lot is very narrow, and because of their popularity, they are always full.

It is advisable to come here early, at around 530-6pm to get your group the perfect spot that you wish to sit comfortably, preferably not near the parking lot where several tables are directly joined to it.

In short, our visit to this place is very eventful. I enjoyed the food they served and the company I shared it with.

I'd definitely invite people to eat here again.




Matthias BBQ
Gov. M. Cuenco Ave.
Mandaue City



Verdict:

A: 3.75/5

Aside from the points I raised, the place isn't actually bad. You just have to come here early. We were told that the place is so popular that they run out of food to sell by the time the clock reaches 8pm. Cleanliness might be an issue for some.

they say that if you ever visit los angeles, you shouldn't miss stopping by at any korean bbq all you can eat resto. not only is it cheap but the quality and variety of meat is impressive. the resto we picked didn't have a very decent sign from outside. a very loud music was also booming from outside that will make anyone deaf. i guess it's the restaurant's way to advertise itself through loud and distracting music. we waited around fifteen minutes before we got a table considering it was lunch time on a work day. we chose set c which had 16 options of meat, the most options of meat they had for $15.99. the bad thing i didn't like about this place is customers are limited to 4 meats per order. we probably ordered almost all in their menu except for three items. 

1. Beef Brisket
2. Sliced Pork
3. Chicken with marinate
4. Pork Chop with marinate
5. Sliced Beef with marinate
6. Squid with marinate
7. Beef Intestine
8. Sliced Beef
9. Pork Steak
10. Spicy Sliced Pork
11. Beef Tongue
12. Skewer Fresh Steak
13. Boneless Ribs
14. LA Short Ribs
15. Shrimp with marinate
16. Boneless Ribs with marinate

the beef brisket was like bacon. i like it the most maybe because it was so easy to eat. i enjoyed the squid and shrimp too. the sliced pork, boneless ribs and steak were good too. after our last order, i felt i had too much already that it was difficult for me to finish the food even though i barely touched my rice.

Castle II Korean BBQ
3600 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Verdict: 4/5 (-1 for limiting customers to order 4 meats per batch) 

in search for a bbq and ribs place, we found this place. it has a decent amount of parking space but it was full when we came. the good thing is it has more parking space in the adjoining lot. as appetizers, we tried their "wolf turds - this jalapeno is stuffed with cheese and smoked sausage, wrapped in bacon and smoked for two hours". i enjoyed this appetizer! we paired this with their three sauces: hot, sweet, and the one with mustard. be careful with their hot sauce, it will burn your tongue. i like the mustard and sweet sauces. for our entrees, we ordered their one meat meal half rack ribs, which came with 6 big pieces of ribs, and another one meat meal of one pound of fat beef brisket. the half rack was too much for us. we were only able to taste one rib each. it wasn't that easy to take out the meat from the bone. maybe their ribs are meant to be eaten by hands. the taste was just alright. we both love the beef brisket. it was so tender and the taste was awesome. i could even eat it without dipping it in their sauces. all meals include one side dish and cornbread. my friend chose coleslaw while i wanted baked potato instead of mashed potato. the baked potato they have was called potato grenade which unusually had mac & cheese inside and the potato was wrapped with bacon. we didn't enjoy the potato grenade. the mac & cheese didn't impress my asian taste buds. the bacon wasn't able to save the baked potato too. i prefer a plain baked potato with cheese or butter over this.

bbq and meat-lovers must try this place especially their beef brisket.

Smoking Pig BBQ Company
1144 N 4th St
San Jose, CA 95112

Verdict: 4/5 (-1 for their ribs and potato grenade)