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!

Mati’s Meat and Bread is one of the first few restaurants that rose on the River Side, part of Festival Mall’s more scenic view overlooking a small river with live fish and turtles and an amphitheater. It’s a delight to come to this part of the mall because I always find it less crowded.

When I came in, they have this chalkboard menu from floor to ceiling. It’s a nice addition to their homey, family-style restaurant décor. The walls were red and accentuated with green paintings. Brick stone pillars littered the corners giving way to floor to ceiling glass walls that helps a lot with the lighting. There’s a second floor but I wasn’t able to check that out because I immediately sat on a table by the window for the best view.

Today was steak day so I ordered the Classic Ribeye Steak, medium temperature. It was supposed to be served with mashed potatoes (which I asked to be held off) and peas and carrots, with gravy on the side. It was a little underwhelming to look at because the cut of the meat was terrible, it was almost paper thin. But when I cut through the meat, it was tender and tasted nice. There weren’t tough parts, just soft and tender all the way through. But still.. I wouldn’t call that a steak.

Verdict: 1.5/5
The restaurant is nice, if you’d like some peace and quiet come here early for brunch, just order something else from the menu.

I’m going to come clean and say this out in the open: I’ve recently just started appreciating steak! Yes, I’m one of those people who orders well done steak and have the phrase “Order the chicken you steak hating bastard!” shouted at me. Probably because it’s not an everyday staple at home. Or beef’s just not my preferred meat. And to get really good steak served to you, you have to pay quite a price for it. I know, excuses. But it’s true! 4000Php for a meal?! Sheesh. Anyway, my credit card company had this promo of 50% off for House of Wagyu Stone Grill and after some egging by poeticnook, I decided to try it out.

I ordered the Wagyu Rib Eye Grade 8 Set Meal from the promo menu, because hey, if I’m going to splurge, then go for the best one, right? (Not my words haha) So the set includes soup of the day, Caesar salad, 220g Premium Rib Eye Wagyu Grade 8 on stone grill (yeah, I have to type all of that again haha) with vegetables, Creme Brûlée for dessert, and hot tea (to aid with digestion of this meal for two).

Soup of the Day. This lovely pumpkin soup was sweet and just right to greet my taste buds. It’s light and delicate and had herbed olive oil, croutons, and freshly cracked pepper (available upon request). I remember saying “hi there you pretty thing:” before i started taking it in haha.

Caesar salad. The salad was something you’d find served in any restaurants. Pretty basic with lettuce tossed in Caesar dressing, a little bit too much to my liking as it turned out to be on the soggy end, croutons, freshly grated Parmesan, and bacon bits.

Premium Rib Eye Wagyu Grade 8 on stone grill. Yes I did it again, it had to be done. The servers had this drill of explaining how to cook the steak in the stone grill. It was fascinating to watch them flip the meat after searing one side. I was entranced with the sizzling sound that I even had to record it while it was searing (Ack! What’s happening to me?!) The server did the initial searing and I was left alone to enjoy my steak. So this is how it looked like before i butchered it to pieces, did a few more searing, and devoured all that 220g of beef goodness. The steak itself was superb, I don’t know if you should take my word for it, but for a non-steak lover, I was able to finish all of it. *pats back* It had salt and pepper rub but I like to have food a bit on salty side, so they gave me extra salt. The vegetables that accompanied the steak were nice. I loved the mashed potatoes, found little chunks of potatoes which added texture to it. The rest were just blanched just right so they were still on the crispy side. I specifically loved the cherry tomato, eating it whole and bursting it in my mouth was a nice treat. Too childish, I know.

Creme Brûlée. And now we come to dessert! The ultimate test to this dish is to smack a spoon right in the center and hear that crack of the hard caramel. This Creme Brûlée passed that test, please check my Instagram post for the video. The custard base was delicate and held its shape and it’s just a delight to eat (under 5minutes? LOL)

Verdict: 4/5

All in all, it was a great dining experience. You just have to ignore the servers who are constantly eyeing your table like a vulture to take away any unused things in your table or offer you anything they have in the kitchen. I guess we can’t really blame them, they’re just doing their job. Value for money, I still wouldn’t go to it on a normal day, haha, but if the promo is still on, you could just convince me to go again. The restaurant had a very intimate feel to it, suitable for dates. Soft music is playing in the background and there were several paintings hanging on the wall, too! They display their “steak collection” in their refrigerator which lined the left side of the wall right at the entrance of the restaurant, similar to those steak houses in Vancouver. House of Wagyu Stone Grill is located at the 5th floor of Podium Mall in ADB Avenue, Ortigas, Pasig City, PH.

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.

Located within a few steps away from BPI Escario, this restaurant is a fairly new contender in the food business. It sits between several offices and offers a small number of dishes to their patrons. Their selling point is their food's affordability and their colorful sweet bubble teas.

We came to Carnivore after our curiosity got the better of us one windy afternoon. The setup reminded me vaguely of a somewhat similarly arranged vietnamese restaurant located at crossroads, where we shared and enjoyed meals together with friends and family alike. Anyhow, the place was amply lit, and the cool air from the air-conditioning unit is one to be thankful for on one of the hotter afternoons in the city.

What drew my attention is that they have a constantly changing menu that varies every week, aside from the chef special that they offer to their customers. My sister decided to sample that (lamb shank) while i got for myself a slab of beef from bukidnon. We had the option to choose which of the three sides (rice, fries, salad) we'd like for our dishes.

The waitress and chefs were courteous enough to answer our queries when it came to their food. For appetizers, we had a platter of "maskara" poutine, fries topped with chunks/melted mozarella cheese and bits of seasoned pork mask. Our main course arrived soon after we finished our poutine, with our chosen salad and rice sides on the respective plates.

What i liked about this restaurant is that there is a set amount of time before their menu is revised completely. I find it arguably so because the variety is what makes it refreshing to their patrons. So if you have a particular dish that you like on the week you visited, it might not be there anymore when you return for the next.



Carnivore



Mabolo


Verdict:
A: 3.75/5
The lamb shank was a better order of the two, because it was in several layers more flavorful than the beef shank. Plus the strong aftertaste of lamb has completely vanished, making it clearly a superior choice compared to the tasteless beef that solely depends on the toppings.

 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.

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.

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

one good way to find the best restaurants in a place is to ask the locals their favorite and recommended places. the hotel receptionist recommended this for good seafood options. this place is located at the center of seaside downtown. the sun has set and lights were coming from the shops and restaurants, it was very nice and quaint picture.

the restaurant was busy when i came but it is big and has lots of tables. i waited for only five minutes.

candle light was on the table with a fresh rose. their menu had a lot of items from pasta, seafood to steaks. i chose surf & turf with lobster and rib-eye steak. it comes with shrimp garden salad, toasted bread and baked potato with sour cream and butter.

it's a fine-dining place which is a good place to celebrate an occasion or to impress someone.


the salad came and it was too big for one person! it's good for two persons. i guess the salad compensates for the wait on the entree.

the lobster was perfectly cooked, it was not gummy nor over-cooked. the lobster meat was conveniently pulled-out already from the shell but was sitting on top of the shell for nice presentation. the steak was a little bland for me though. the baked potato with sour cream and butter was a perfect side. i didn't bother tasting the toasted bread.

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

Dooger's Seafood & Grill
505 Broadway St
Seaside, OR 97138

I have been hearing a lot of good reviews for Olio, and I can honestly say that the deserve every single award that they received over the past 6 years after my visit here one day ago.

 It was in a somewhat secluded area of Crossroads just between Mexican restaurant and that disco bar place near the end of the strip. So far so good, we were the first people to come over and check out the place.

It was well kept and very pleasing, not to mention the ambiance of the place is serene with songs from times gone by playing in the background.

When we got there, we were seated promptly and had the servers on stand by as we browsed through the menu. Everything was fancy and pricey, but thankfully there was an ongoing promo for their US Corn Fed Angus Rib Eye steak. So we had two,  a side of aglio olio, baked potato, and some unsweetened shakes to complement our already delicious food. To finish the meal, we got a chocolate soufflé.



Olio
Crossroads Cebu

Verdict:
A: 5/5

The food was very delicious. The steak was cooked to perfection and the sides were just right. It was an affordable steak, buy one take one free rib eye for 1.5k. It's even cheaper and juicier than David's steakhouse. The baked potato goes well with the meat I had. Pasta was al dente just the ways we liked it. I haven't had a Soufflé in my life, but it was decent enough and it rose from the cup it was in. So I guess it's good enough? There's a lot of alcohol beverages here. Some of the dishes never go down below 450 So better prepare a well fed wallet before bringing your date here.

Oh, did I mention that they have freshly baked bread? Plus fountains inside the restaurant. How cool is that?

i've been to two brazilian steakhouses before espetus: texas de brazil and fogo. you'd get the same ambiance and dining experience from here. i liked texas de brazil and fogo better though because of its wider options of cheese but i guess it's not fair to compare them based on that. it should be based on the variety of meat. among the three, i would say fogo has more and tastier meat options. i still remember its lamb chops. espetus has lamp steak but it doesn't have lamb chops. the three of them serve tasty, fresh and hot cheese bread rolls. i didn't enjoy the polenta but i liked the fried plantains. espetus has a good variety of steaks. it also serves grilled pineapple which i didn't see in texas de brazil and fogo. we ordered pudin (leche flan) for dessert. i liked that they garnished it with slices of strawberry, blueberry and raspberry. espetus is a nice place for fine-dining. the service is excellent.
 
Espetus Churrascaria Brazilian Steak House
710 South B Street
San Mateo, CA 94401

Verdict: 4/5 (fogo is better in terms of sides and steaks selection.)

my friend was craving for some pho and found this place on yelp. the 25% off on weekdays from 3 to 6pm all the more encouraged us to try this place. we had spring rolls as starter. my friends loved the spring rolls. for our entrees, they each got pho of different kind and both of them liked their phos. i ordered the fried soft shell crab and oyster and i really enjoyed it. it's not the best soft shell crab i've tried though. the one in joy yee evanston illinois was tastier. we also ordered an extra steak meal. the steak was just fine but it was tasty and well-cooked. we unanimously had a great dining experience at this restaurant and it comes with free private parking.


Pho Cong Ly
460 E William St
San Jose, CA 95112

Verdict:  4/5 (adding pictures to the menu would be great.)