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.