Crustasia (Trinoma)

A few days ago, me and beloved ate at Crustasia Trinoma. I've never eaten here before, nor have I heard any feedback from anyone. However, the big banner at the center of the mall was quite tempting not to try it out. I was actually supposed to write this review earlier. For the reason why I wasn't able to, read on.

We tried out their buffet (395 per head). Even though there were only a few viands awaiting consumption, I saw crab in it. I love crab, even though I'm slightly allergic to it. So we went for it. We also ordered bottomless iced tea (49 each) to push the food down.

Uncle Cheffy (Eastwood)

Today, me and my mother and brother went to Eastwood mall. Having pretty much no choice since all other places had long waiting lists or aren't really appetizing, we chose to go to Uncle Cheffy. It's supposed to be a brick-oven restaurant featuring panizzas and barbecued stuff. I have never heard of this restaurant before, and never heard of any recommendations from other people mentioning this. It's also my first time having panizza, so it's pretty much a blind-tongued experience.

We ordered a couple of items from their menu that features their tagline—Memphis Barbecue US Beef Rib Fingers (595 Php) and Seafood Panizza (425 Php). We also ordered a couple of bottomless Iced Tea (70 Php). The beverages came first, and I must say, it's not your normal instant iced tea—I could actually taste some of the soothing bitter tea in the refreshing beverage.

Tempura Japanese Grill (Trinoma)

The other day, beloved and I ate at Tempura Japanese Grill. The first time I tried this resto out was the one in Tomas Morato. Then, the one on Trinoma during its opening, which is what my review is about.

Obviously, they specialize in Japanese food. What's special is that each table has their own grill so that customers would be able to grill their orders themselves. However, we have never tried the grilling part. While their grill is not part of this review, their tempura is. The first time I ate here, I fell in love with their tempura. Although a bit pricey, at around 45-60 Php each, depending on how many you order, they have certainly filled my tempura cravings. Suits their restaurant's name well, I must say. Ah, but I digress, on with the nomnoms.

We ordered noodle soup for both of us. Mine was Tempura Ramen and beloved's was Tempura Udon, both at 190 Php. For those who don't know, they're basically the same soup, but ramen noodles are thinner and udon is much thicker.

HotRocks (Libis)

Earlier today me and my brother went to HotRocks. I've been here a couple of times and each of those times, I've been sated with their good steaks. Aside from steaks, they also specialize in different grilled food and other Pinoy favorites.

Anyway we ordered their T-Bone steak (large serving) for 230Php, knowing how big this is. I usually order mine medium, but this time, I dared to try medium rare. They come served with rice, but for rice lovers, a cup is probably not enough for their large portions.

Banchetto (Ortigas)

Beloved and I went with a company of friends to Banchetto last night. Banchetto is a once-a-week food fair located at Emerald Road, Ortigas, on Saturday 0:00 hours up to 11:00 am, and yes, that's Friday 12mn. We've wanted to go here for the longest time, but beloved's schedule didn't allow us to do so until today.

Anyway, if you've read the last paragraph, Banchetto is a food fair. There's all kinds of food to be found here. Most are grilled stuff, Filipino favorites, or canteen-style foods, but there are also selections of desserts, pastries, and practically anything you can find in a blue-collar plate. Since there were so many stalls around, I decided to not specify them. It's impossible to scour the entire place in one go for someone with a small stomach like me. The smell alone was enough to fill up your appetites. But I did try out a lot of stuff. Oh, and I apologize if the pictures came out a bit dark, it is a night food fair after all.

Grilled Tomato (Tomas Morato)

Today, our company ate at Grilled Tomato—a somewhat hidden Mediterranean restaurant in the middle of Tomas Morato. Me and beloved have been searching for this store for quite a while, but have never found it even though we practically travel the road all the time. It has a black and white sign, so it doesn't really stand out.

Anyway, Mediterranean means kebab, gyros, and the like. The store specializes in these. I found that Ox Brain was part of the menu, and is probably their specialty. I didn't dare try it, though, since the last time I had brain wasn't a pleasant experience (pig, not ox, though). I decided to get a 2-Piece Kebab Meal with Rice and refillable iced tea (130 Php), so that I can compare with another Mediterranean restaurant I used to frequent. Price-wise, this store is a bit steeper, but if the servings are greater and better tasting, then it might justify the tag. I also ordered a side of Pita Bread (15 Php) and Grilled Tomatoes (20 Php), so that I can turn one of the kebabs into a burrito-gyro.

Beloved ordered a Fried Dory Meal with Rice (130 Php) and Iced Milk Tea (50 Php). The rest of our company practically ordered the entire meal menu, one of us ordering the Ox Brain. We didn't manage to taste or take a picture of that though, but it still piques my curiosity.

Asian Twist (Retiro)

Today, my beloved brought me to Asian Twist, a casual restaurant at the corner of Retiro and Speaker Perez streets. Its dishes comprise of fusions of different Asian cooking styles, from Korean, Japanese, Chinese, to Filipino, hence, their sub-name "Fusion Restaurant".

First and foremost, I must say that I do not fancy Korean food. Korean, for me, basically means one of two things: sweet, sesame-flavored barbecued meat; and hot, spicy, fermented kimchi. I despise the latter specialty.

Now, I was pretty much aware that when Korean is listed in a menu, it usually has something to do with kimchi. However, seeing as the entire menu either had Korean or "hot and spicy" in its description, and since I was craving a bit of fatty pork, I decided to try out their "Bibimbap Bagnet" (175 Php). Beloved ordered her usual in this resto, the "Creamy Seafood Bibimbap" (175 Php), pictured below.

Tender Bob's (SM North EDSA)

After scouring both Trinoma and SM North EDSA for a place to eat, we settled down to Tender Bob's at The Block. I'm quite a steak lover, and likes my steak bloody and not burnt. You can't really have steak in our country the way I like it without worrying for microbes and the quality of meat. I would only dare have my steaks rare in this kind of restaurant, and so we did.

We ordered US Angus beef rib-eye steak, 5oz each... about 1/3 pounds. I had mine medium rare with baked potato wedges, and beloved's medium well with mashed potatoes. It was only a short wait before our orders were served.

The outside was colored golden brown, and not burnt. It was obvious to me that the meat was grilled plain, maybe only salt and pepper applied to it. The next thing I did was checked the inside of my steak. Since it was pretty thin, it was almost cooked through. There was some pinkness left, but still enough to put a smile in my face.

Red Mango (Trinoma)

First and foremost, I apologize for the quality of the pictures on this post. Might as well apologize for the entire site, as we do not really have a high-quality camera and only use our mobile phones to capture images. I hope my wordy reviews make up for it.

Anyway, just this Sunday, we went to Red Mango at Trinoma. There's always a long line to this walkway store and most feedback we get from it is positive. Bearing the long line, we decided to try it out. Beloved ordered a small plain yogurt (80 Php) with blueberry toppings. Even though it's labeled small, the serving is quite generous.

Good Burgers (Maginhawa Street)

The first time I saw Good Burgers was near a pancitan restaurant we frequent along C-5. Their tagline "Hot Chix With Big Buns" always caught my attention, but I never did bought from them. The first time I tasted their burgers was when my mom bought them home one day for lunch. The first time I actually went there was with beloved yesterday on the way home from a party at a friend's house.

Anyway, I digress. On to the important stuff: the munchies. Good Burgers. What makes it good? Well, for one, its burgers are only made of either chicken or veggie meat. But is it really good taste-wise?

I only got to take a glance at the menu because of hunger. I believe the prices range from 60 to 120 Php, depending on the size of the burger and the condiments. Both of us chose the "3 Cheese" burger, with beloved having chicken patties and me taking the veggies. It costs 120 Php for the biggest size.

Curry Curry House (SM Megamall)

Today, my beloved was craving for curry. Since we were on our way to Ortigas, we decided to have lunch at Curry Curry House. We discovered this place at a PPF event during one of the early days of the Atrium. This isn't the first time we've eaten here, but the number can be counted with one hand. Their specialty is Japanese curry: meat in curry sauce served over rice.

Every time we go here, I order the same meal. For 295 Php, you can order the "Super Bento Meal". It consists of a curry rice meal with the meat of your choice (I always order the Crispy US Beef for a reason, I'll expound on this later), miso soup, salad, fried breaded tofu, and a couple of orange slices. As with all of their other meals, the rice is eat-all you-can. However, unlike the rest of the menu, this meal comes with bottomless iced tea—a 70 Php value for this store. Ordering the Crispy US Beef curry alone would cost 220 Php, so with this choice of meat, this meal's a bargain.

Big Better Burgers (SM North EDSA)

While at the Annex of SM North EDSA, we noticed a newly-opened store at the first floor. At the door is a sign saying "soft opening". Since we had nothing better to do, we decided to try it out. The restaurant's name is "Big Better Burgers". You can immediately conclude that this store specializes in burgers.

What immediately surprised me was the price: 98 Php for its 1/3 pound "Big Better Burger". It appears that all their burgers are made of 1/3 pound patties, and their menu is made of this burger in different sauces and toppings. They also serve fish fillet and rice meals, as well as wedges and fries on the side, all at affordable prices within the 150 Php price range.

I ordered the "Double Dare": two 1/3 pound burgers with lettuce, tomatoes, and dill onion mayo. I thought that for 152 Php, 2/3 pounds of meat was a steal. We also ordered the "Mushroom Loco", their burger with button mushrooms in burgundy sauce for 142 Php.