a bite of brownie

Fairly new in SM City Cebu, Rodeo Grill is located on the second floor just beside the Bingo hall. This restaurant takes its inspiration from the wild west, particularly in areas predominated by cowboys and cattle. Aside from the eye catching display of uniforms worn by the staff, the ambiance of the place is tailored to fit the intended theme.

We were ushered into the spacious dining hall that featured brightly lit tables, where the hanging lights were fixed with metal buckets to give the whole restaurant a country look. I noticed that there were large posters of picture quotes decorate the walls. Meanwhile, their personalised radio station streams tunes in the background. After we pried the menu for our orders, we finally decided to have the following: a large rack of arkansas tender ribs,  a plate of Geronimos sizzling buffalo steak, half a kilo of rodeo grill lechon, a heaping serving of black stallion crispy pata
, a serving of lone ranger talong, a medium plate of delicious crispy hay noodles, a bowl of flavorful cactus kangkong, and a hot serving of their deputy short sizzlers.

The food itself was okay, many of them are comparable to main stayers in the food industry. My sister mentioned that Rodeo Grill is a possible counterpart of TexRex, minus the smoky goodness of the grilled meat there. The ribs were tender and delicious, while their own version of lechon was surely delectable with hints of lemon grass and spring onions. Their crispy pata was also exceptional, having been tasted a great number of crispy patas out there, I could certainly say that this is one of the best.

To end the meal, we ordered 38 caliber brownie almond, which was technically just like La Marea's warm brownie cup, only smaller.



Rodeo Grill
SM City Cebu



Verdict:
A: 3.5/5

While most of the most served here are repeats from other restaurants, i believe that that strongpoint of this place is their price. Where else can you find a 300peso worth lamb chop?

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.