Snack Shack (V. Luna Extension, near Maginhawa Street)

Beloved and I had brunch at Snack Shack. I've been to this place many times before, and have been wanting to visit it with Beloved because she holds the camera. Now, I'll try not to spoil much before we get to the pics, but I'm quite excited writing about this one.

The place is literally a shack. Located at V. Luna Extension, close to Savemore Supermarket, it's a very small place where only a maximum of four people can be accommodated with the bar table. However, the place is really made for take-outs and stand-ins (and perhaps deliveries). As for the "snack" part, there's actually just four (then, when we visited now there's five) items on their menu composed of two categories: burgers and sausages, both in buns. There are two kinds of burgers, their Quarter-Pounder with Cheese (70 Php) and Half-Pounder with Double Cheese (135 Php). Yep, you read that right—that's a quarter pound burger for less than 100 Php; by far the best deal pound-by-pound of all the burger places we've been to. As for their sausages, there's the mildly spiced Bockwurst with Cheese (90 Php) and the curry-spiced Currywurst (90 Php). Now, they have the spicy Hungarian (90 Php).

You can customize your burger with different add-ons for 20 Php each: Jalapeño peppers, Blue cheese, Cream cheese, Garlic ranch, Garlic chips, and Barbecue sauce. You can also add Extra cheese for 15 Php. Beloved had their Half-Pounder with Double Cheese with Blue Cheese add-on (155 Php total) and I had, as I have always had since I first visited, their no-frills attached Half-Pounder with Double Cheese (135 Php). I had their Bockwurst before, so this time, I also ordered their Currywurst (90 Php) just to try it out.

Food Camp (Katipunan Extension)

Me, Beloved, and a friend had dinner at Food Camp. No, this is not a military-style food encampment. However, I find the name appropriate for the place which serves mostly sandwiches and hamburgers—food I would expect scouts would carry around. Our friend has been here a few times, and claims this is among the best burger he had the chance to try. Sold by that statement, and since Vikings was an impossible venture at a weekend without a reservation, we went.

Their menu is pretty unique for a sandwich place, since they focus mostly on burgers. They also appropriately name their burgers using the phonetic alphabet. Their patties are all 1/3 pound ones, and you can stack as much as you want. Beloved noticed a special burger on their menu, and ordered that: their Wagyu Burger (359 Php for two patties). Although that was also enticing, I ordered their Bravo Burger (250 Php for two patties) to be different. Our friend, who was a veteran to the place, ordered their Filicheese Steak Sandwich (115 Php) and their Charlie Burger (175 Php for one patty). For sides and drinks, we ordered their Jalapeño Sticks (79 Php), Mozarella Bomb (109 Php), and a couple of Vanilla Milkshakes (85 Php).

Stackers (Eastwood)

Beloved and I had dinner at Stackers last night. This burger cafe is found at the edge of Eastwood City Walk, right across the newer Eastwood Mall. Coincidentally, this burger cafe is also found right across Johnny Rockets. However, I always find Stackers to be almost always full compared to its competition. Last night, we get to find out why.

As a burger place, it doesn't really diverse much aside from them using Australian beef. The name "Stackers" apparently comes from you being able to stack your patties, up to three. This really isn't something new. The usual fries are also present, and there are also different sides such as chicken and fish, also not really that unusual to find. Still, I've heard nothing but praises from this place. Anyway, I didn't order one of their "Stackers". Instead, I got their Jack Burger (228 Php). Beloved got their Fisher's Burger (148 Php). We also got a couple of orders of their Crispy Chips (45 Php each). And for our drinks, I ordered their Vanilla Milkshake (95 Php) and Beloved got their Auss'm Vanilla (135 Php).

Sango (Tomas Morato)

Beloved and I had dinner last night at Sango. This newly-opened burger joint is located at our midway-from-our-homes turf, Tomas Morato. Specifically, it is found at the same building where Size Matters is. Like that place, this burger joint also has a twist to it, apparently a Japanese one. How that Japanese twist applies to burgers was for us to find out.

When we went inside we were greeted with huge posters of their food, one of which immediately caught my attention. However, I'll talk about their burgers first. Apparently, what makes them Japanese are the toppings and sauces that come with the burger—think Hapadog in burger form. However, they do also have their own Japanese hotdog sandwiches, and they also have, what caught my eye, rice burgers, similar to the defunct one they used to have in McDonald's. So, I got one of their rice burgers: the Yakiniku Rice Burger (295 Php). Beloved got one of their "normal" burgers: the Egg Teriyaki Burger (295 Php). See the numbers on the parenthesis? No, you're not seeing stuff—it's really that expensive. While they do have fries for their normal burgers and a choice of either fries or salad with their rice one, I still had my brows raised upon seeing the tag. We didn't stop our orders there, though. We ordered drinks consisting of Iced Milk Tea (80 Php) for Beloved and Green Tea Shake (90 Php) for me.

Size Matters (Tomas Morato)

A few days ago, Beloved and I had dinner at Size Matters. Since this was basically a newly-opened burger joint at our turf, there was little reason not to try it out. However, we really didn't know what to expect aside from burgers. After climbing a couple of flights of stairs, we find out that they actually specialize in sausages.

The fact that it's a burger joint is still partly true, though. This was indeed a sausage place, and they specialize in sausage burgers. While they also serve classic sausage sandwiches, since we went here for the burgers, we ordered those from their small selection of three specialty ones. I had their 1/2 Pound Breakfast In Bed (B.I.B.) for 245 Php, and Beloved had their 1/4 Pound Italian Burger Job (I.B.J.) for 175 Php. Since they had meal upgrades, I had mine upgraded to have curly fries and drinks for 75 Php, and an additional 15 Php for large drinks. Beloved upgraded hers to have onion rings and drinks for 95 Php, and also paid for the 15 Php large drink upgrade.

The Real Thing Diner (Tomas Morato)

A couple of days ago, Beloved and I had lunch at The Real Thing Diner. This resto is perhaps one of the newer ones in Il Terrazzo, which you've probably read us visit a couple of times for Omakase. Beloved read about this place having mixed reviews, but one thing's clear: they serve some pretty unique stuff, to foreshadow everything. A hint, perhaps, is this resto is inspired by Coca-Cola.

When we arrived, we were the only ones there. Funny, I thought, since the place received quite a lot of press in the newspapers and blogs. Maybe nobody reads them anymore? Anyway, we sat down in the Coca-Cola colored chairs and tables in the Coca-Cola themed room filled with Coca-Cola paraphernalia with a television set playing a seemingly endless Coca-Cola commercials from all around the world. Perhaps the only thing not Coca-Cola in the place was the music.

And the food? Mostly Coca-Cola product infused, of course. Another reason we wanted to try the place out. To play it safe, I had their Coca-Cola BBQ Burger (249 Php), because Coca-Cola sounds safe in a barbecue sauce. This comes with my choice of potato wedges and criss-cut fries. I chose the latter. Beloved had something a bit more daring, Eight O'Clock Apple Green Tea Dory (249 Php). This one comes with a side of veggies and another side of her choice. She had their mashed potatoes. Because we didn't want to waste the opportunity, and because Beloved didn't have dinner the night before and this was our first meal of the day, we also asked for their Coca-Cola Seafood Jambalaya (229 Php). No sides this time. Our drinks probably don't deserve any particular mention, but I do like to share that they serve Coca-Cola products mixed with coffee, milk, or eggnog.

Zark's Burgers (Taft)

Another burger place? Why, yes. A couple of days ago, me and some friends ate at Zark's Burgers. This is a newly-discovered place by my friends who studies at DLS-CSB where the burger joint can be found. I'm not quite sure if it's a new or old place, as I don't have anyone to ask while I'm writing this review early in the morning. Anyway, since this is located at Taft, it's a pretty far journey from home. However, what made me decide to tag along was their insurmountable challenges that the place offers, to foreshadow everything.

My friend who became a regular in just a couple of visits because of their somewhat affordable menu (for middle-to-high class students, at least) at very generous servings invited me to challenge the biggest burger on their menu—the Tombstone. This monstrosity of a burger boasts four 1/2 pound patties with cheese tagged with a price of 500 Php and a warning that whoever consumes this might die on the spot. I accepted.

When we arrived, I looked over the menu. Indeed, they do have a lot of 1/4 pound burgers they put under "Minor League" in the 100Php price range, all named with a sports-related theme, such as Strikeout, Homerun, and Submission, with differences only in the toppings. A step up is their "Major League" menu, consisting of premium toppings with similar sports-themed names, such as Rock Bottom, Three Pointer, and Shaq!, still at affordable prices hovering at the 130Php range. Finally, they have the "Best Pound For Pound" menu, which are half-pound or multiple-patty burgers served with fries and your choice of iced tea or lemonade, priced at least 180Php. Here, you can find two of the joint's challenges. First, the Jawbreaker, which is a triple 1/4 pound burger with spam and bacon priced at 250 Php. Similar to the challenge in Burger Ave., if you are able to finish this in 5 minutes, it's free. And second, which is the one we came here for, the Tombstone.

The challenge was to eat this in 10 minutes to get a shirt and become immortalized in their hall of fame if you are able to finish it. Since there's basically nothing to lose and at least two pounds to gain, I willingly chose the bigger challenge, even though I somewhat wanted to try the Jawbreaker more. Oh, and also, they also serve other sandwiches and rice dishes, but I wasn't really able to remember much about them. Anyway, I asked for the Tombstone, but didn't take the challenge as I was doubting my stomach which just consumed a good few pounds of pork belly the night before.

BRGR: The Burger Project (Maginhawa Street)

First off, Happy New Year to my readers. Thank you very much for visiting, and I appreciate all current and more future visits. I know me and Beloved aren't really professionals or anything, using only our cellphone cameras to take photos and my lengthy or Beloved's chirpy writing, and we just do this for fun (and maybe some loose change). Still, we appreciate it that you find time to read our reviews, and we promise to take time to do more, and then some.

That said, Beloved and I decided our first nomnom adventure for 2011 will be on BRGR: The Burger Project. This somewhat newly-opened burger joint is located on Maginhawa Street, Teacher's Village. It's a pretty accessible place from where I live, and I've been actually wanting to go here since its opening a few months back. I've heard plenty of praise from friends who've tried it, especially with their unique method of ordering, which I'll explain later. What has taken me aback from trying it out sooner was the budget: I was warned that it's not really a very affordable place. Since Beloved got plenty of ang paos last Christmas and New Years, we finally had the chance to do so last night.

It's a pretty cozy and roomy place for a joint in Maginhawa St., where most of the places are pretty crowded. They have tables both inside and out, and their bright sign and interiors make the place even more inviting. They have a step-by-step process painted on their windows explaining how to make your own BRGR. We went to the counter to try it out for ourselves.

We were given the form above and a pen to fill it up. The first step consists of selecting your choice and quantity of meat; which can be Angus Beef (at most 125 Php per patty), 100% Beef (95 Php each), Chicken (95 Php), or Tofu (75 Php); and from one to three patties. While I was pretty curious of their Tofu burger, I was pretty hungry, so I decided to build mine with double Angus Beef. Beloved had two of their 100% beef patties for hers.

Next step was choosing the bun. The choices are Poppyseed (free of charge), Potato (additional 15 Php), or Oatmeal (additional 15 Php). I just ticked the Poppyseed, and Beloved decided to use the Potato bun.

Step three consists of choosing your cheese. Each costs 35 Php, and can be either Bleu, Mozarella, Graveria, or Cheddar. I assume you can tick more than one cheese, but I just had Mozarella on mine. Beloved put Bleu on hers.

The fourth step had customers picking premium toppings, which costs 25 Php each. These toppings are Bacon, Chili Con Carne, Caramelized Onions, Canadian Bacon, Pepperoni, Onion Rings, and Guacamole, the last one was seasonal. I put Bacon on mine, and Beloved passed on this step.

Next was choosing basic toppings, which cost 20 Php each. They are Mango Salsa, Pineapple Slices, Jalapeño Pepper, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Egg, Sliced Onions, and Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms. This time, it was me that passed on this step while Beloved ticked the box for the Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms. They also offer free toppings, consisting of Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Pickles. I ticked all of them and Beloved had the first two.

Finally, for the burger at least, they have you choose your sauce, costing 15 Php each. Because we already had cheese on ours, we both passed on this step. Anyway, for the curious, the choices were Wasabi Mayonnaise, Pesto, BBQ Sauce, Buffalo Wings Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Special BRGR Sauce, Marinara, and Garlic Sauce.

You then have to name your order for a personal touch and you're done! I named mine Ramburger after my name, which, to review, had Double Angus Beef (235 Php), Poppyseed Bun (free), Mozarella Cheese (+35 Php), Bacon (+25 Php), Lettuce (free), Tomatoes (free), and Pickles (free) for a grand total of 295 Php. It was essentially a Double Angus Mozarella Bacon Cheeseburger. As for Beloved, she named hers Blue Tomato, consisting of 100% Beef Patty (95 Php), Potato Bun (+15 Php), Bleu Cheese (+35 Php), Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms (+20 Php), Lettuce (free), and Tomatoes (free) with a total price of 165 Php.

Of course, that's just for the burger. They also have sides, milkshakes, and beverages to go with them. Beloved ordered their Onion Rings (65 Php) and Vanilla Milkshake (145 Php). I asked for their Fries (60 Php).

The Vanilla Milkshake arrived first. To put it simply, it's a tall glass of vanilla ice cream in thick, liquid form topped with whipped cream. Beloved obviously didn't have any complaints.

Our sides arrived next. Their Fries weren't really french fries, but more like potato wedges. The outside was deceivingly tepid. When we bit in, it was piping hot! While it was good, I was pretty disappointed that it wasn't crispy as I expected fries to be.

Their Onion Rings was the better side that night. They were large rings of onions, the largest one can almost fit Beloved's hand. They were crunchy on the outside and the onions themselves were sweetly caramelized.

Army Navy (SM North EDSA)

Yesterday, Beloved and I had lunch at Army Navy. We always pass this by at SM North EDSA's Sky Garden, and I always get teased by the sight of the three-patty three-quarter pound burger they humorously call the "Bully Boy Burger". Sadly, every time we pass by, we're either too full or are just really passing by. I did get mixed reviews here, but they all agree that the B.B.B. is big as advertised. Finally, we got the chance the other day for some reason.

Anyway, Army Navy specializes, aside from the said three-patty three-quarter pound burger, in burritos and sandwiches. Apparently, their portions are able to fill up a military personnel, hence the name. Their menu are also mostly eaten by hand, making it more appropriate. Also, the names of their menu items are mostly patriotically American and are mostly alliterations or puns, making them fun plays on words.

So, we got the said Bully Boy Burger for 235 Php. After deciding between a "starving sailor", which is what they call their sandwiches, or the burrito, we settled for the latter. We got the Steak Breakfast Burrito for 180 Php. In addition to that, we also asked for an order of their Freedom Fries for 60 Php, a large Vanilla Milkshake for 99 Php, and a large Libertea, which is what they call their iced tea, for 55 Php.

Bite Club (Katipunan)

Beloved and I had dinner at Bite Club last night. You know how I always mention how every other burger joint I've reviewed has a variation of the phrase "isn't the biggest burger I've had"? Well, this place offers it. I've been a fleeting customer of this place, more so when I was still living at Project 4. Mom introduced me to this place, and the first time I tried their burgers, I fell in love. Not really because of how they taste, but more on how big they were. I find it a bit sad that it's empty when we got there. The reason probably is they happened to be located at the wrong side of Katipunan Extension with their sign blocked by a tree when you're coming from the University Belt. Being on the way to Libis at a somewhat obscure place doesn't really do justice to the sheer size of their burgers. Ah, but I digress, on to the nomnom.

Their smallest offering are your usual quarter pound sized ones priced reasonably at around 100 Php. The next one is a third pound, almost twice the price, but with melted cheese inside. This second one is my particular favorite. Their third and final size is a huge pounder. I've only ever tried this once while it was still priced at a bit more than 200 Php, which tells how long since I've first tried this. Now, this XXX, which is what they call the said pound burger now (used to be Burger-X), costs at a somewhat pricey 325 Php. Then again, maybe not. This is a pound of meat, four times more than the regular ~100 Php burger. In addition to that, you can top your burger with choice toppings. You get a non-premium one for free, and you can add them for 10 or 25 Php, depending on what kind of topping. We topped ours with caramelized onions for free and added blue cheese for 25 Php. Because I know how big it was, that goes for it for our meal. Oh, we also ordered their House Fries for 65 Php. Also, we had their Strawberry Shake for 60 Php to push it all down.

Johnny Rockets (Tomas Morato)

Earlier tonight, Beloved and I ate at Johnny Rockets. This burger place has been a "want to go but I know for sure this is gonna be an expensive place" kind of resto in my list. Heck, I've never gotten the opportunity to see the menu even though there's a Johnny Rockets at Eastwood and practically all other restaurants provide prices for their food outside to lure you in. Just that is a sign that this is gonna be an expensive place. What made this a "want to go" place was, aside from being a burger joint and me being a burger aficionado, the fact that they serve eat all you can fries—another food item I can practically fill my belly with. Anyway, another branch opened up at Tomas Morato just recently. For some reason, Beloved and I took earlier tonight the opportunity to try it out.

As expected, their menu is filled with burgers. I was also overjoyed with the fact that all their burger items come with said all you can eat fries. They boast that their patties were 1/3 pound ones, and they do have quite a few selections varying in different toppings. The downside is their cheapest burger and fries combo is a little less than 300 Php. That was expected by me, anyway. After a hard time deciding, I just went for their Rocket Single (345 Php), and Beloved had their #12 (335 Php). Our drinks cost a whopping 110 Php each for Lemonade and Iced Tea. They're refillable, though. My father once said to me that this place has the best shakes and malts, but seeing as they're priced almost as expensively as our food, we decided to pass on that.

Burger Ave. (A Venue Mall, Makati)

Last Saturday, me, beloved, and company went to Burger Ave. Three of us had one mission in mind: to beat the "Ridiculous Challenge". One of my friends told me of this resto, and the challenge. The moment he told me about it, I wanted to try it out as soon as possible. Once we were able to decide on a date, we went there in a group. We embarked on the challenge with different strategies in mind—I decided not to eat anything beforehand, another decided to eat meagerly, while another ate at McDonald's fifteen minutes before our journey. We also decided to walk there from Rockwell to further increase our hunger. Did it work? And what the heck is this challenge anyway?

Once we got there, beloved ordered Blue Cheese Burger (140 Php) for herself. It wasn't a value-meal kind of store, so she also ordered a glass of soda (40 Php). I didn't try it out, since I was prepping for the challenge, but I told her to leave a bite for me, if I still had space for it.

Now, the challenge. Three of us took it. When we got there, there was a middle-aged lady who was taking the challenge. I sort of gained hope learning that it's mostly meat and the bun wasn't that thick. It also wasn't the biggest burger I've encountered in my life, maybe just a close second. My companions also thought that the challenge was doable. Perhaps beating the record wasn't possible (1 minutes and 28 seconds for that particular store), but the five minute mark was plausible. What do we get when we finish the Ridiculous Burger (270 Php)—1 pound, 3-patty burger—within the allotted time? We get our money back, and we get to have our pictures posted in their wall/album of fame.

While I don't have pics of the burger itself, we've recorded our battle in video, which you can watch below:

Yes, we failed. My primary enemy was perhaps underestimating the mass of the meat. It was pretty heavy, and hard to swallow because of the heat and meatiness. By the time the clock was at 1:30, I still had about a third of the burger left, so I decided to enjoy my meal instead. It was pretty much a burger done right, except with three patties and gooey cheesy sauce.

Ironically, although it was a massive 3-patty burger, it didn't really fill me up. Perhaps because I haven't consumed anything for the day, I still had space for their French Fries (50 Php) and Onion Rings (50 Php). I was dissatisfied with the quantity of their fries, and it wasn't really crunchy. I liked the fact that they keep the skin on, though. Their onion rings, on the other hand, was divine. It was pretty crunchy and had the delicious caramel-sweet onions in all its flavorful glory. And unlike the fries, their serving was decent.

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.

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.