Rufo's Famous Tapa (Eastwood)

Beloved and I ate at Rufo's Famous Tapa a week ago. We were supposed to go to The Marketplace, pending a follow-up visit before we review it, only to find out that it was temporarily unavailable. Also, this was delayed because Diablo III. Anyway, since this was among the only choices at One in the morning, we decided to go ahead and try it out.

The place specializes in famous Filipino 'silogs and other strange but familiar Filipino dishes. Their main specialty is their tapa, or cured beef, which is probably obvious from the name. Despite being called famous, I have actually never heard of this place before, and I decided to try out the so-called Rufo's Famous Tapa (108 Php). Beloved had their Corned Beef Ala Rufos (75 Php) and we also ordered their Mushroom Adobo (104 Php). Finally, Beloved eyed one of their desserts and ordered it too: their Black Sambo (35 Php).

Kogi Bulgogi (Eastwood Mall)

Beloved and I had dinner at Kogi Bulgogi last night. This Korean restaurant is found at the second floor of Eastwood Mall's alfresco area. We honestly didn't plan this one, but Beloved wanted Serenitea and didn't want to walk on Katipunan because of the summer heat, so we just took the cab to Eastwood, the second closest one from home.

Anyway, since this was Korean, I expected two things: hot stuff and barbecued stuff. My expectations were correct, but I was also surprised to find quite a handful of Japanese dishes, such as sashimi and tempura. Of course, the Korean stuff still dominated the menu, and practically every Korean dish I know of is in the menu. They also have samgyupsal, as the one served unlimited of in Don-Day. Here, though, everything's on a per-order basis.

I did find the prices of most of the dishes fair, but the one that caught my eye wasn't. I ordered their Tuk Bulgogi (320 Php), which was essentially a Korean sukiyaki. Beloved had their Yuk Hoi Dulsot Bibimbap (188 Php), a rice bowl with raw beef and raw egg, to be cooked as you mix. Finally, we also ordered their Nude Kimbap (188 Php), just because of the name. Oh, and we also got a couple of their Iced Tea (65 Php), which comes with one free refill—a smart offer, I thought.

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).

Merry Moo (Eastwood)

After our dinner at Ramen Bar, we found ourselves strolling around Eastwood Mall. Since it was a Saturday, the Gourmet Market was open around the walkways. This market is basically a food fair featuring unusual treats. One such treat we found was ice cream made by Merry Moo. According to Beloved, this is one of the best artisan ice cream places in the Metro.

It didn't really strike me at first, but after seeing one of their flavors, I wanted to try it out. Each cup costs 75 Php, but I thought this price was worth our curiosity. So we did. I ordered a scoop of their Candied Bacon and Beloved had their Sea Salt Caramel.

Ramen Bar (Eastwood)

Beloved and I had dinner at the Ramen Bar last night. Since we're Japanese food lovers, this is a restaurant we didn't want to miss. However, the visit had to wait a while because we had little reason and funds to go to Eastwood. After solving the fund problem, we decided to ignore the lack of reason and just go for it.

The place itself felt very welcoming, especially with the table layout that encourages communal eating. Tables weren't separated per table, but rather by row. Although the separate chairs provided some distance, it's as good as being put in a long table with benches. Another clever thing I noticed is their menu, which doubled as their placemat. Obviously, it's dominated with Ramen, although there are some donburi and Japanese appetizers. Also, I noticed a board near the chef's window which contains some items not listed in said menu-placemat. Anyway, their ramen ranged from 120 Php to the more expensive 380 Php. The waitress explains that the cheaper ones are smaller than the over-200 Php bowls. The toppings and soup base also differed. I got their R.B.S. #01 (380 Php) and Beloved got their Sapporo Miso Ramen (320 Php). We also ordered their Chasyu Boat from the menu board.