Brickfire (Esteban Abada, near Katipunan)

Beloved and I had dinner at Brickfire last night. We've been pretty interested in this place after passing by when it first opened a few months ago. However, even though Katipunan was a pretty close place to ours, it was still a pretty difficulty commute. Since money is not as much as an issue now as it was before, and after learning that their menu was not as expensive as expected, we took the chance to try it out.

The place, while among the roomier places we've been to, was packed full. We were lucky to have a table available when we arrived. Their menu was a single page, consisting of three specialties, some main dishes—all meat dishes, pasta, and some sides. I ordered one of their specialties: Cowgirl Annie, "Saddle" size, which is the larger of their two offerings (250 Php). I upgraded it to have two prawns (100 Php). Beloved ordered their Salisbury Steak (110 Php). We also ordered some of their sides, because they sounded appetizing and had appealing prices. We got their Brickfire Salad (150 Php), Tofu Tempura (95 Php), and Jalapeño Cheese Stick (40 Php).

Old Oven Art Cafe (Katipunan Extension)

Before I begin, please note that this was a Valentines promo, and I'm not sure if this will be available in the future. That aside, read on.

Beloved and I celebrated an early Valentines at Old Oven Art Cafe. Honestly, this was done on a whim. Beloved had "liked" their Facebook page because she was interested in their cheesesteak sandwiches. She then saw them advertising this special menu for two starting February 12. Since it included risotto (which Beloved wanted to try) and rib-eye steak (which I wanted), it was pretty much a done deal and we made a reservation, despite knowing this place is a bit inaccessible for commuters like us.

When we got there, I noticed that it's not really as un-commutable as I thought it would be. It was actually in a walkable distance from the Santolan-Katipunan intersection. However, it was a bit hidden, so we almost passed by it while riding a cab.

You have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the actual dining area. The place itself reeks of artsy. It was lit dimly to add to the vibe and they feature artworks made by deaf people. We find our table ready when we got there, and then our candlelit four-course Valentines Dinner for Two (1000 Php) began.

Chophouse (Trinoma)

A week ago, Beloved and I ate at Chophouse. This grilled steak-specialty restaurant that features a cow statue with a halo and angel wings has been a mainstay in Trinoma's 4th floor alfresco area. Well, the cow statue is a mainstay—this place was formerly called "Holy Cow", quite appropriate for the mascot. At first we thought that this was just a simple name change, but Holy Cow opened doors on SM North EDSA's new Annex, and now we're not sure anymore. Me and my friends joked that perhaps Holy Cow was co-shared by two friends that drifted apart, settling for an agreement that one keeps the name while the other keeps the cow statue.

Anyway me in particular wanted to try this place out for one thing. They offer an eat-all-you-can table-side yakiniku for 300 Php. So I got just that, which I will informally call All-You-Can-Eat Beef Yakiniku. Beloved got their Putanesca Pasta (250 Php) and I also ordered their Classic Caesar Salad (280 Php) because eating just beef sounds tiring on the palate.

After ordering, we were asked to go their outdoor tables because their table-side grill wasn't smokeless, and was instructed that I wasn't allowed to share. I was, however, allowed to have leftovers, which was a good thing.

Almon Marina (SM North EDSA)

Me and my friends ate at Almon Marina for dinner a couple of days ago after our semi-weekly Bingo sessions. This relatively newly-opened sandwich bar replaced Seattle's Best Coffee's location in SM North EDSA's the Block. We had no idea what to expect here, but I guess it was safe to assume that this would be something similar to Oliver's Super Sandwich where sandwiches are the main specialty. However, I also assumed that they had good seafood due to the second of its name.

And indeed, both assumptions held true. Their choices had three entire boards dedicated to sandwiches, and among these sandwiches were seafood-oriented ones such as salmon, tuna, crab, et cetera. However, it wasn't entirely dominated with sandwiches, nor was it entirely dominated with seafood. They had grilled entrees as well, and because I was pretty hungry, and because the number of sandwich choices was too many to just pick one, I decided to order one of their house grilled specialties, their most expensive item on the menu, which was their Fillet Mignon for 260 Php.

Grills & Sizzles (Examiner)

Beloved and I had dinner at Grills & Sizzles a couple of nights ago. This steakhouse is located at Examiner street, a few walks away from Quezon Ave. Beloved and her family frequents this place because, one, it's pretty close to home and, two, they offer a buffet on weekdays at a pretty affordable price. She also tells me that this place is pretty empty despite the said promo. Despite that, she claims that the steak here is very good. Because Beloved's family goes here every week, we never really had a good opportunity to go here lest Beloved cares to gain some additional unwanted pounds. Because last week's storm, they weren't able to go, and, consequently, we were able to.

While the place serves their specialty grilled steaks a la carte, we went here for their Steak and Paella Buffet. This runs from 6 pm to 10 pm on weekdays at a surprisingly low price of 298 Php, provided you end up with a clean plate. You pay double if you have leftovers, so we kept that in mind as we dove to the buffet table.

BluFish (Eastwood)

First off, I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Beloved's been busy with her practicum, and I'm broke. The good news is that Beloved passed her practicum and I'm very happy and proud about that. Also, I've also decided to write about affordable food places that deserve to be written about to compensate for my financial problems. This post won't be one of them, though.

A couple of days ago, me, my mom, and my brother ate at BluFish in the Eastwood Mall. I have no idea what they serve, but I assumed they specialize in fish or seafood. I was correct. I was a bit turned off by the prices, but mom insisted, so we sat down at a table covered with a brown paper.

The brown paper made me think seafood boil, and indeed, they do have that in the menu. The prices, as I've mentioned, weren't as appealing to me as other seafood places I've tried, not that I've been to many seafood-specializing places that I'd crave to dine in again to aside from Gumbo. Also, I found it a bit weird that the server explains they specialize in crab while having "Fish" in its name. Anyway, because mom insisted, we ordered their Paella Valenciana (685 Php), Beer Battered Calamari (295 Php), Brazillian Tenderloin Steak and Lobster (995 Php), and finally their Classic Caesar Salad (365 Php) which we opted not to have either the seared tuna or grilled chicken that supposedly comes with it. It might seem a lot for three people, but we'll most likely manage with my brother with us. And it might also sound expensive all in all, but it's very rarely that we get to eat out.

Slice n' Dice (Timog)

Beloved and I went to an event last night. But, before going to the venue, we passed by a nearby Slice n' Dice steakhouse nearby. I've eaten in this franchise before at different branches—particularly the Visayas Ave., Kalayaan, and Katipunan branches, so I pretty much know what to order and what to expect. I've also eaten here while they were still named "In n' Out", so I pretty much know that this place has been around for quite some time. The particular branch we went to is found at Timog Avenue at the section closer to GMA. This is basically a budget restaurant specializing in T-bone steak. The prices are quite affordable with generous serving sizes, so it's always one of those places we go by every once in a while.

While the gist of their menu is the T-bone steak, they do have sides and other dishes. Beloved ordered for herself their Cream Dory with Rice and drink (132 Php). I ordered their regular T-Bone Steak (99 Php), which doesn't come with anything. That in mind, I also ordered their Sirloin Rice with a drink (62 Php) and mistakenly ordered the larger serving of their Kangkong Stir Fry (95 Php).

Pepper Lunch (Greenbelt)

While at Greenbelt a couple of days ago, beloved and I found ourselves having a late lunch at Pepper Lunch. Apparently, this is the restaurant is what borne Sizzling Pepper Steak that we frequent a lot. According to beloved, this restaurant uses superior quality ingredients so I should expect premium prices. Similar to Sizzling Pepper Steak, this is a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant where they put meat on a hot plate and you do the "cooking" on your table. Anyway, because we were in the area and most of the restaurants were closed in the afternoon, we ended up going here.

Unlike Sizzling Pepper Steak, Pepper Lunch uses a fast-food style counter to take orders. While I expected a huge price difference, it wasn't really that much with their non-premium meat. Their Beef Pepper Rice, which is a common item on the two comparable restaurants, are priced equally. We didn't order that, though. Beloved got for herself their Curry Beef Pepper Rice (218 Php). As for me, I took one of the premium items seeing as I probably won't be going here again and wanted to make the best of it. I ordered their Shimofuri Pepper Steak (610 Php), which I don't have any idea what it means but I liked how the beef has a lot of marbling so I got that. I also got their Yakiniku Sauce (30 Php) for the heck of it. For our drinks, beloved got for herself their Orange Juice (40 Php) and I had Hot Green Tea (40 Php), both are given right away from the counter fast-food style.

Sizzling Pepper Steak (Eastwood)

A couple of days ago, beloved and I went to Eastwood for dinner. We were supposed to eat at Ebisu only to find out it's closed. After a couple of hours of indecisiveness, our hunger opted us to eat at the closest resto that we know serves unlimited drinks. Even though we ate there a week before, it happened to be Sizzling Pepper Steak.

We're somewhat a regular on this chain, although not that frequent. Also we haven't yet tried this particular branch out. However, the same unique method of ordering applies here as that from our last documented visit. Beloved ordered what she always orders here—Fish and Fries (210Php). I wasn't really wanting to eat rice, but I ended up ordering their Bacon and Egg Hamburg (200 Php) with extra bacon (25 Php) and their Tamago Soup and Rice combo (55 Php) because I needed the starch, wanted a hot soup or drink, and was craving for bacon.

Kangaroo Jack (SM North EDSA)

Kangaroo Jack opened a couple of months ago as the Sky Garden opened, even though it was located at the main mall. Although they didn't serve kangaroo, their menu is filled with grilled meatstuffs served with rice. Every time we pass by, I saw appetizing pictures of steaks and sausages that I promised myself to try it out at least once. Every time we went to SM North EDSA, though, we end up eating someplace else.

Today, beloved and I went here after canvassing the new food places at the newly-reopened Carpark. We were pretty hungry and decided to eat here since it was the closest from where we crossed. Beloved saw that they served Cream Dory (120 Php) and went for that. After a quick scour at their menu, I decided to go for their Rib-eye Steak (175 Php) cooked medium rare. We also ordered a couple of bottomless iced teas (65 Php each).

Sizzling Pepper Steak (Trinoma)

Yesterday, me and beloved went out and ate at Sizzling Pepper Steak at Trinoma. We've been here a couple of times, and both of those experiences were not bad, so we went there again. They obviously specialize in peppered steaks, but there are also some other items such as fried favorites and pastas in their menu. There has been some drastic changes since the last time we went, but the menu was pretty much the same, with some new stuff in them.

One of the major changes was the way people ordered. It was now a bit of a self-service method, each table is provided with a paper with their menu items in it, and customers are to put the quantities of their orders on the respective boxes. After they completely fill up their forms, they will then flip a cow sign thingy on their tables from stop:

...to Moo-oove!

Then, a waiter or waitress would come and take your order. You use the same cow sign thingy whenever you need anything from them. Apart from this change in the way you order, there's the tubes all over the store where they have three models dancing in school girl outfits explaining how to eat. Although I'm no school girl, I'll avoid further digressing off topic and go on with the nomnoms, explaining the said method on the way without the matching dance-steps, I'm afraid.

I ordered Beef Pepper Rice (195 Php) for myself, with a couple of extra bacon (25 Php each) because bacon is delicious. Beloved ordered Fish and Chips (210 Php) for herself, and extra Pepper Rice (40 Php). We both ordered bottomless iced tea (55 Php each) for our drinks.

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.

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.

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.