a bite of brownie

During my Cebu visit for lola’s 103rd (or is 104th?!), we went to this not so new mall, Robinsons Galleria Cebu. Not so new because it has been there for a while but in the inside, there’s still a lot of empty spaces waiting to be rented by local or foreign shops. I even remember teasing ReiMart how they have so many malls in Cebu for such a small area. And like the SM SeaSide, we decided to go around the mall and visit every floor to see what’s out there. So yeah, just a lot of empty spaces, but hey! They have this huge guitar on display on the ground floor!

 After walking around, thanks to poeticnook’s fast screening of all the restaurants there, we end up with 3 stores to check in total. Sans Rival for sylvanas, Bohol’s Bee Farm for ice cream, and Byron’s Back Ribs for dinner. Whenever I think of ribs, I remember Casa Verde, which is a local Cebuano restaurant too! And Byron's Back Ribs hail from Bacolod, so let’s see how it fares.

We ordered the Half Slab of Ribs because yes, ReiMart and I can finish anything by this time! The ribs came on a simple wooden board with 2 dipping sauces of sweet and spicy flavor. It was quite a treat because of the serving size and it’s really tasty! The meat was tender and packed with flavors but all the while I found myself wishing they had served it on the bone. It kinda takes away the ribs feel from the dish, as they served it in small bites. Maybe to make our dining experience easier? I’m not sure.

And for the side dish (not that we needed any LOL), we ordered their Pork Sisig. This is an interesting dish because they gave it a twist by adding cheese toppings! At first we were staring at the dish and asked “Is that cheese?” Trying desperately to mix it in our minds, because sisig and cheese, if you think about it, just don’t go together, right?! But when I tasted it, I flipped. The cheese won me over. Now I want cheese on my sisig every time!

Verdict: 3/5
I can’t think of anything bad to say about their serving size, taste, and price. Maybe just a little something on their presentation of the ribs. I would have wanted it served on the bone and I would have wanted to have a little battle with it taking all the meat out. I like that they didn’t drown the meat in sauce and just placed it on the sides if ever we wanted more. Definitely worth another visit.

 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

 While waiting for mom to finish with her Church meeting, we decided to cruise around the Escario area for a place to chill and pass by time. It was until later that my sister remembered several restaurants were located near the Capitol, just neighbors with Zubuchon.



Portos is situated in a a cozy corner beside a small bakeshop with a scenic view of an empty but spacious parking lot with several trees planted on the side.



What's interesting about this restaurant are the items in their menu. Uniquely named dishes like "Big Mama" and "Bangers and Mash" are certain to grab your attention. If that wasn't enough, their wide array of main course is sure to bring in the crowd with so much food to choose from.



The ambiance of the place feels like you've been thrown back into the 90s, with several of the popular songs from way back playing in the background. The backdrop is minimalistic in design and is without a doubt simplistic and functional. There is little space in this restaurant, however, that only a few tables could fit inside (give or take 6-7 tables, excluding the ones outside).



For refreshments, we had a whole pitcher of Citrus Cooler to stave off our thirst. Our appetizer was a plate of Fire Wings, which had more spice than usual, as requested.



It was good.



And really spicy.



 Within minutes, our individual orders arrived; O'Neil's Baby Back Ribs for brother, one plate of Big Mama for my sister, and a Southern Style Grilled Pork Chop.



 I was really impressed with the food here. Each individual dish had their unique flavor that lingers on your mouth. The meat is tender and cooked just right. The ribs were cooked tender that it could easily be torn into pieces with your spoon and fork. The beef cut for the Big Mama was tender enough too, with a hint of spice that leaves you hanging for more. It even comes with its own gravy on a shot glass as it lies on top of a moderate pile of fries. My Pork Chop was done fine too, with a serve of buttery gravy to go with it and a morsels of fresh vegetables on top.


It's a great place to hang out and chill while listening to the vibes on the in-house speakers. The food is good and affordable too.





 Portos Diner and Grille
Escario




Verdict:
A: Definitely a 4/5.
Nice view and decent food are what makes a good restaurant. Not a place to check your emails because there's no wi-fi. Also bring cash. Credit card is not available for this establishment. 

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)

One of the best places to relax on a sunny afternoon is at Casa Verde's where you can enjoy their mouth watering rib racks and their sumptuous feasts-on-a-plate. For starters, we had karlamari, shrimp pesto cream and watermelon salad.

The appetizers were followed closely by Surf and Turf, David Dean's Tenderloin and the famous Brian's ribs for the main course. The watermelon salad had a weird butter marmalade that comes with it that's satisfying all the same. The pesto noodles were a bit soggy but it makes up for the abundance of basil leaves included in the dish. Our main course dishes were spectacular, however. The meat was just right and the juices were still intact. Nothing deserves more praise than a steak well cooked just to your preference!

we celebrated valentine's day by feasting at "joy yee's noodles." it's a pan-asian cuisine. it serves korean, thai and chinese food. we did not order noodles there though. we ordered the soft-shell crab, korean barbeque spareribs and shrimp with walnuts. the soft-shell crab is very good and the korean spareribs is consistenly good everytime we order it. Their shrimp with walnuts is comparably the same with the other restos in chinatown but still good. joy yee is also known for its wide range of unforgettable fruit shakes and tapiocas.

Verdict: 5/5

Joy Yee's Noodles
521 Davis Street
Evanston, Illinois

i had an interesting experience of dining in a castle while watching knights jousting. no knives and forks were served with the food. we had to eat with our bare hands.

the dinner started with tomato soup and a piece of garlic bread as starter. the soup was literally tomato sauce with a lot of water. it's a shame they include it in the menu. i wanted another serving of garlic bread but it's limited to one per person only.





after the starter, the maids served one whole leg of roasted barbeque chicken, grilled barbeque ribs and two slices of baked potatoes. i was only able to eat a little of the chicken and potatoes because i was so engrossed watching the joust. the chicken and potatoes tasted good enough to satisfy me. our (red) knight won! before entering the stadium, everyone is given a colored(red, yellow, green, etc) crown to cheer for the knight with the same color.





the dessert was pastry with pineapple filling. it was just fine.





Verdict: 3.5/5 [-1 for the tomato soup and -0.5 for the limited rounds of drinks]

Medieval Times
2001 North Roselle Road
Schaumburg, IL 60195

as a disclaimer, i think my review for this restaurant would not be very reliable because i was very hungry when i ate dinner here with my friends. nevertheless, i'm still sharing the experience i had at "famous dave's".

we ordered right away "not’cho ordinary nachos (grande) " for appetizer and "dave's famous feast" for entree when the waiter got our orders for drinks. that's how hungry we were!

the nachos consist of "Tri-colored tortilla chips topped with Wilbur Beans, Famous Chili, shredded lettuce, tomato, jalapeño, Cheddar, seasoned sour cream, Rich & Sassy® and your choice of barbequed meat: Texas beef brisket, Georgia chopped pork, or pulled BBQ chicken."

the appetizer delicious! we almost finished it all up.

the "dave's famous feast" consists of "A full slab of St. Louis-style spareribs, a whole chicken, 1/2 lb. of either Texas beef brisket or Georgia chopped pork, coleslaw, Famous Fries, Wilbur Beans, four corn-on-the-cob, and four corn bread muffins." we chose the beef brisket. i like spareribs, roasted chicken and corn bread muffins the most in this feast. i can do without the beef brisket. i would recommend this feast for a hungry group of 5 or 6 craving for ribs and roasted chicken. aside from the savory spareribs and chicken, "famous dave's" is also known for its tasty sauces: "Texas Pit" and 'Devil's Spit" to name a few of them.

Verdict: 5/5

Famous Dave's Barbeque
99 Town Line Rd
Vernon Hills, IL 60061