Bacolod Chicken Inasal

We were in Metrowalk to go to a bazaar one weekend. But since we haven't had lunch yet when we arrived there, we decided to eat first. We settled for Bacolod Chicken Inasal since it was one of the few restaurants that was open early, and had air-conditioning.

We're big Mang Inasal fans 'cause we're fastfood dorks that way, haha. We know that the inasal from Mang Inasal is a little way off from the authentic ones, so eating here at Bacolod Chicken Inasal provided us a good comparison of fast food inasal and authentic (or so they say) inasal.

Bacolod Chicken Inasal's walls are plastered with Bacolod's Masskara festival. Having the dominant color yellow, it brings out a certain cheery vibe to the whole place.

We ordered the following:

Petso and Paa. 99.50php each.

Kim's first reaction was, "where's the chicken oil?" Haha. We have gotten so used to Mang Inasal's chicken oil that we assumed that it's a standard for eating inasal. We found Bacolod Chicken's version of inasal a little too dry. It tasted good, but not as flavorful as we expected it to be.

Sizzling Gambas. 197php.

The gambas had a nice sweet and spicy flavor to it. Really great with a spoonful of rice.

We plan on going to Bacolod soon, and we hope that the inasal there is better than what we had at Bacolod Chicken Inasal. It's not that it was a bad meal, we just expected something more. Overall, the food was okay and the price was okay. Service was great, though.

Bacolod Chicken Inasal
Metrowalk Commercial Complex
Meralco Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Gaucho

September 9, 2013.


It's our blog's 1st anniversary and we decided to celebrate by trying out a new restaurant! (As if that's totally new to us.) Anyway, we ate at Gaucho Cocina Y Vinos Argentinos at Robinson's Magnolia. It was only through blog hopping that we came to know about this place, which was odd since we always frequent Robinson's Magnolia. Gaucho is located at the third floor of the al fresco area of the mall.

Gaucho is an Argentinian restaurant. Although we have already tried Argentinian/ South American cooking before in Cocina Juan, we were still quite excited to eat at Gaucho upon reading the positive reviews. Kim was personally excited to the baby lamb they serve and I was just excited to eat, haha.

We haven't been to any authentic Argentinian restaurants before, so we can't expertly say that the interiors were proper for the theme. The checkerboard floors, pastel colored walls, and stuffed animal heads hanging around the dining area all together made the ambiance interesting but remains cozy. 

 

The place is actually bigger than it looks outside since it has 2 floors and a very spacious round dining area, which we found out that is transforms into some sort of a dance floor every Tuesday for their Tuesday Milongas where everyone is free to tango. The main attraction for everyone though is the glass enclosed fire pit! Everyone is free to see and watch different meats/ animals get roasted. (Pardon for the vegetarians.)

For started we ordered the Chorze de Cerdo.

 

The chorize was roasted in olive oil and garlic. It was very aromatic, and tasted good. But there were parts of it that tasted a little burnt. Another thing is this was really very oily, and this is coming from a very unhealthy eater.

Kim was excited for her lamb, but to her disappointment they only start serving it at 7PM during weekdays (wholedays during weekends). We got there an hour early for dinner since we were really hungry. Kim had to settle for a different dish. In place of the lamb, we ordered the Falda a la Cruz.

Falda a la Cruz. 550php.

The Falda a la Cruz is US Beef Shortplate. This is from the El Pozo De Fuego (Slow Roasted from the Fire Pit) part of their menu, just like the lamb Kim was looking forward to. Everything from that part of the menu came with chimichurri sauce, organic pickles and unlimited steamed or garlic rice that can be shared. The beef was juicy and just had the right amount of fat on it, considering shortplate is usually a little tough and very fatty since it comes from the belly. The chimichurri was a great partner to the beef, as is always the case with grilled meats.

We also ordered Pollo Asado.

Pollo Asado. 360php

The Pollo Asada is a roasted half chicken. It's roasted in a coal brick oven, with just olive oil, lemon and garlic. It came in a clay pot and was swimming in some of its juices. This has got to be the most tender chicken we have ever had-- the meat can literally be taken of the bone! We tried putting chimichurri sauce on it also, and it works!

We'll surely try to come back here to get a taste of the roasted baby lamb they have. And I'm sure there's more to the menu that we would love to try including some of their desserts! Hmm, maybe we'll try to drop by on a Tuesday and see how people tango.

Gaucho Cocina Y Vinos Argentinos

3rd Floor Al Fresco, Robinson's Magnolia,

Quezon City

(02) 654 3184

https://www.facebook.com/gauchomanila

Tri Mo Shawarma Co

March 9, 2013. Saturday.

We usually don't feature small, cheap hole in the wall joints here in our blog. But that has always been one of our guilty pleasures -- finding and eating at these small places that have been around for so long that they are practically institutions in their neighborhoods.

And Tri Mo Shawarma Co is an institution. Growing up in Fairview my whole life, it has been there for as long as I could remember. Okay, technically Tri Mo (as it is regularly called) is in Lagro and not Fairview, but who cares? Lagro is basically in Fairview, or vice versa. The point is this shawarma joint has been around a very long time. How long? I don't know, but I do know that a special (I'll explain later what a special is) used to be at 40php and it's now at 75php.

From the outside, the place doesn't look much and frankly the inside isn't any better. The place is a little worn out, there's no proper exhaust and ventilation, and it's essentially just a garage filled with a counter and tables and chairs. At least the tables and chairs are new- ish compared to the last time I was here, and there's a working bathroom now! There was a time some years back that I had to find the nearest tree in a dimly lit area to do my thing, but that's a story for another time. But people flock here for the food! I've heard stories of people coming from as far as Parañaque just to grab a bite here. That's crazy, right? All just for some hot beef on a pita bread? If you want to know how crazy people are for this place, you have to be here during the prime hours when it gets so jam-packed, you have to grab a number and wait for your number to be called for you to order. If there's a number system just to order, then you know it's good.

Sizzling Shawarma. 90php.

I got Kim the Sizzling Shawarma. It's the contents of a Beef Shawarma put on a hot plate with egg, with torn pieces of the pita on top of it. She absolutely loved it! The beef was tender from being slow roasted on the skewer, and really flavorful. She had it with rice and she generously poured garlic sauce with every spoonful she had. Here's a little tip from a local (naks! haha), we usually don't order this since it's the most expensive thing on the menu. What we do is order a Beef Shawarma and a plate of rice. We just pour the contents out of the pita onto the plate and tear the pita over it. You saved practically 20php which could then be used to buy another plate of rice! I just ordered Kim this since this is not an item you'll see in most menu's.



Special. Beef Shawarma with Cheese. 75php.

I got the Special. You won't see the word Special on the board, but you'll see Beef Shawarma with Cheese on it. Tell the lady you're ordering the latter and she'll just shout to the carver, "Special!" So if you want to look like you've been going here for the longest time, just call it the Special. The price of this has almost doubled, but the taste has remained the same. Still one of the greatest Shawarma's I've ever had. You're pita is always packed to the brim with all the beef, lettuce, onions and tomatoes. With every bite, you get that slight creaminess and saltiness from the slightly melted cheese inside. Just pure food bliss.

Tainga and Isaw na Manok.

There's also a bbq stand right beside the entrance of the Tri Mo. The bbq fare here were always just tolerable in taste, but for some reason on this day it tasted bad. The tainga was hard and the isaw na manok had a really bitter after taste to it. I'll let it slide and just chalk it up to a bad day for them since it has always been a good partner to their Shawarma.

If you want some unadulterated dining experience, Tri Mo is right up your alley. I'm guessing not much has changed here. The food is prepared the same way it has always been prepared, and that's why the taste has remained the same -- still the best Shawarma this side of the Metro. Just one last tip, if you plan on dining here be sure to come real early or later than usual. It opens at 3PM and usually closes shop at 2AM. It is packed during meryenda and dinner time, from about 6PM to 9PM.

Tri Mo Shawarma Co

Bristol Street, Brgy. Greater Lagro
Quezon City

Serye

November 17, 2012. Saturday.

It seems like we've been eating out a lot more than usual lately. There's a whole load of entries that Kim has been bugging me to get into and finish. So instead of doing one entry a week, we will be doing about two just until we have cleared the backlog.

We first have Serye, formerly and more better known as Aristoctrat. Serye is actually a play on the surname Reyes, which is the family that is behind this restaurant. The name may have changed, but the food hasn't. They still serve some of the best chicken barbecue in town and of course, it is still best served with that java rice.

 

We've eaten here a couple of times before but we haven't started our blog yet during that time. So for this instance, we wanted to order something that we haven't gotten yet from before. As what the case usually is with us, ordering was a really tedious task since we wanted to order a lot again. The following are what we ended up having.

I ordered the Barbecue Duo 2.

Barbecue Duo 2. 385php.

The Barbecue Duo 2 consists of 2 pieces of chicken barbecue, a strip of barbecue spareribs served with atsara, java sauce and java rice. This plate is like having what's best about Serye -- their chicken barbecue and java rice. Of course there's more to Serye than just those two, but I digress. The chicken barbecue is just like what is has alway been. It's tender, juicy, sweet and smoky. The same thing with the spareribs. Couple those with the java sauce and java rice, it's just a perfect storm inside your mouth.

We then got Pork Sisig with Egg to share.

Pork Sisig with Egg. 270php.

Kim likes her sisig to be crispy, not chewy. This one was of the latter kind and it was also a bit savory. Nonetheless, the sisig was really good. It was served on a hot plate, and was a very good partner with the steamed rice Kim had.

And Pork Sinigang, also to share.

 Pork Sinigang. 265php.

The Pork Sinigang came in late. Very late. I was almost done with my plate, and so was Kim when it arrived on our table. To top it off, it really didn't taste good. The pork was very hard, and the vegetables tasted like it was just dumped on the broth the very second before it was brought to our table. Don't get me wrong I like my vegetables a little crunchy, but not like it tasted like it was just washed off.

Aside from that minor issue with the sinigang, Serye still proved to be an old reliable resto when it comes to Filipino food. While the prices might not be really all that affordable, the food and service should be enough to keep one satisfied.

Serye
Eastwood Citywalk 1, Eastwood,
E. Rodriguez JR Ave., Bagumbayan,
Quezon City
http://www.seryecafefilipino.com/

Cocina Juan

October 17, 2012. Wednesday.

We haven't been around the Maginhawa area for quite some time. So last Wednesday we decided to revisit the street that has become a foodie heaven in the past few years. Our restaurant of choice for the day was Cocina Juan.

It is Central American inspired and they specialize in Tex- Mex food. They are known for their use of chimichurri sauce in their grilled meats. Chimichurri is parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar. The food ranges from casual Tex- Mex fare like nachos, burritos, and quesadillas to the more locally unfamiliar like churrasco. Actually we know what churrasco is, we just call it barbecue or grilled meat.

It is quite hard to find the place if you don't exactly know where it is. It is in front of Moonleaf in Maginhawa, and the only signange you can clearly see from the street is a big red chili. There's no visible signage of the restaurant's name from the street, but there is one once you enter the al fresco dining area. The place's interiors are Central American inspired with earthy colors dominant all throughout the place and varying pieces of paintings and art displays strewn around.

We took our pet bear, Coke Bear, a.k.a CB, to dine with us. Haha. On to our orders!

We were first served with our drinka, a couple of Iced Teas together with complimentary nachos with their sweet white sauce.

I got the Churrasco de Nicaragua with Chimichurri Sauce.


Churrasco de Nicaragua with Chimichurri Sauce. 359php.

The grilled meats on my plate were sausage, chicken and pork. The grilled meats were served with rice and also came with sides of fries and salad. And of course, there was the chimichurri sauce. The meats were grilled nicely and evenly. It wasn't tough or chewy. It also was just seasoned conservatively with what I guess are just salt and pepper, which made it a perfect match to the citrusy and sour flavor of the sauce. The sides were nothing special but was enough to give your taste buds some variety.

Kim ordered the Cerdo Castillo Chimichurri Pork Ribs.

Cerdo Castillo Chimichurri Pork Ribs. 289php.

The grilled pork ribs is served with rice. This is a big meal for Kim, as there were two thick pieces of ribs. The meat was tender, but it was a tad bit salty. Good thing the chimichurri sauce was there to offset that.

We also got the Burrito Grande to share.

Burrito Grande to share. 199php.

I was so excited with this one when it arrived on our table. It was a big ass burrito! But that excitement quickly died down as we took a taste of it. It didn't taste like any burrito I've had before. And I'm not even comparing it to the ones I've had in taquerias back in LA. Even compared to local fare, this one pales in comparison. The thing that really spoiled it for me was how the beef tasted. It was sweet. You know how those street fare barbecues are marinated in ketchup and soy sauce? It tasted like that. It was weird coupled together with the generous amount of cheese and rice.

Overall, we'd say that this was a so-so dining experience for us. It's nice that Cocina Juan adds variety to Maginhawa as a whole with their different theme. But with so many other restaurants in the area that provide better a pricepoint, it'll be a while before we come back again.

Cocina Juan
100 Maginhawa Street,
Teacher's Village, Quezon City
(02) 4343911
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cocina-Juan/59845509318?sk=photos_albums

Cue Modern Barbecue

September 21, 2012. Friday.

Kim was sick for the most part of last week, so we mostly just ate in. Now that she feels better, we decided again to try our luck at getting a table in Cue during dinner time. We first ate at Cue about 2 months ago when it was still relatively new. We loved the food and we have wanted to come back since then. We have tried twice to get a table to no avail. Luckily, there were a couple of unoccupied ones last Friday.

Cue Modern Barbecue is located in Bonifacio High Street Central. As the name suggests, it specializes in different barbecued meats. During our first visit here, we really didn't know what to order from the menu. We played it safe and just got the Baby Back Ribs, since we thought no self respecting barbecue restaurant could mess up something as common as ribs. And we weren't wrong. It was that good! But then we want to try the other meats on the menu, so we just had to come back.

The wait staff serves you complementary popcorn while you wait for your order.

Wanting to try the other barbecued meats on the menu, we got the A Lil' Feast. Which is sort of a sampler.

A Lil' Feast. 1785php.

The chicken is a part of the board, but it came in late so it was served on a plate.

A Lil' Feast consists of beef belly slices, lamb ribs, roasted chicken (half), and half slab of baby back ribs. It also comes with your choice of a couple of sides. We chose whipped potato and fries.

Lamb Ribs.

The lamb ribs was tender and juicy.. but it was different. We really can't put it into words, but there was something different with how it tasted. It was a little gamey. It was our first time to taste lamb ribs so we weren't sure if it is really supposed to taste that way.

Baby Back Ribs.

Just like our first time here, the ribs were perfect. The meat was tender enough to come of the bone, and the charred glaze was the perfect balance of sweetness and peppery. It can do on it's own, but it's even better when you pair it with the red wine bbq sauce.

Beef Belly Slices.

The beef belly is served hot in this cute little pan, that holds all its juices and half of a roasted onion. Of all the meats we tried that day, this was the most tender. The meat breaks apart easily. It also had a generous amount of fat on it, which really adds to the flavor. Kim said it tasted like it had alcohol, and true enough it had alcohol in it. It is braised in ale before being charred to perfection.

Roasted Chicken.

And last of the platter is the roasted chicken. I was really surprised to see how oily the chicken was considering it was roasted. The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy, but it was too oily. It wasn't that bad, but we have had better chicken than this.

For drinks, we ordered their Freshly Brewed Iced Tea and a can of coke. Both were served in these cute little jars.

Iced Tea. 90php.

Soda. 90php.

Cue might be a little pricey compared to other restaurants that serve the same fare, but I think it is well worth the price. The food is great and the service is excellent. We're definitely coming back again, since there are still items on the menu we want to try.

Cue Modern Barbecue

Space NELG 105, LGF BHS Central,

Global City, 1630, Taguig

Monday - Sunday

11:30AM -3PM
6:00PM - 11:00PM

https://www.facebook.com/CueModernBBQ