Outback Steakhouse

We haven't been back in Outback Steakhouse for a while, because eating there isn't exactly cheap. But with their Lunch Specials, you could save a few hundred bucks and have your steak at the same time. Their Lunch Specials isn't reallya new thing, and its menu has changed from the last we were here but not to worry, as it still has some great dishes for really great prices. It's only available on weekdays, from 11AM to 3PM.

Outback really hasn't changed all these years. It still has it's dark wooden interiors, and quirky Australian decor strewn around the place. There's still the bar, where you could enjoy your drinks and food while watching sports on the monitors, which is also located inside the Smoking Area. The service is sometimes kind of touch and go here, sometimes it's great, other times it's not. Luckily for this visit, it was great.

We ordered the following:

Kim had the Victoria's Filet.

The Victoria's Filet might seem like a modest sized steak to some. But this 6oz. packs some great flavor. And despite being smaller than most of the other steaks on the menu, it is also quite filling. Best to have it medium rare as to not lose the flavor. This plate comes with mashed potatoes and some veggies.

I had the Chicken Fried Chicken.

This is probably our favorite from the Lunch Specials, and we have had it a couple of times already. Just can't go wrong with perfectly deep fried chicken topped off with their very tasty gravy. This also comes with mashed potatoes on the side.

And for dessert, we shared a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.

This might be described as a little too rich, and too sinful. But it's just right for me and Kim... Actually, more than right! It's one of the best desserts we like from everywhere we have eaten. It's the best that every spoonful you have has each of its components --  the warm brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and shavings, and the whipped cream on top! It's sweet, it's warm, it's cold, it's nutty, it's chocolatey... It's just a confluence of flavors inside your mouth!

We love that Outback hasn't changed all that much through the years. After all, why fix something that isn't broken?

Outback Steakhouse
E. Rodriguez Jr Ave (C5),
Libis, Quezon City

McDonalds Sans Rival McFlurry

McDonalds recently launched its new line for McFlurry and Coke Float, the Dreamy Decadence. For the McFlurry, the flavors are Sans Rival and Cookie Butter. And as for the Coke Float, the new flavors are Black Forest and Tiramisu.

And since we love Burger Machine's Sans Rival, we tried the McFlurry Sans Rival first for 59php. Basically, it's their usual vanilla swirly ice cream topped with a sweet syrup, I think it's corn flavor which hardens later on, and also added with ground graham crackers. They finish it off in the McFlurry machine where everything gets flurried.

So the verdict? It really tastes like Sans Rival that melts in your mouth! There's a different texture in every bite because of the hardened syrup bits and the ground graham. We loved it so much that we already tried it twice in just 3 days, and that's why we thought of making a quick blog post about it.

I think we're going to try the Tiramisu Coke Float next time because it sounds weird interesting, and then the rest.

McDonalds
It's everywhere! :D

Recipe: Deep Fried Oreos

Kim and I decided that we wanted to try some deep fried oreos. We searched for the simplest recipe (not that this is a really hard thing to do) we can find on the internet. We found one on http://allrecipes.com. We had to modify it a bit since the batter wasn't thickening and therefore not adhering to the cookies. This is what we came up with.

Ingredients:

2 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (for the batter)

1 cup pancake mix

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 pack of Oreo's (the one in a tube shaped packaging)

Steps:

- Whisk egg, milk and oil together. Then add pancake mix slowly. Whisk until no chunks of pancake batter mix remain.

- Heat oil
- Dip the Oreos in the batter, coating them generously.

Deep fry until golden brown.

- Drain on paper towels, and enjoy.

This is a great dessert you can make in less than 10 minutes at home! We loved how the oreos kind of melted inside the batter. We thought this would really be sweet but it was just perfect.

Magnolia Flavor House

April 26, 2013. Friday.

Kim and I had dinner in Yabu in Robinson's Magnolia. We were already full, but we still wanted to get something for dessert. I know that this new (fairly new) mall stands on where the old Magnolia factory used to be, and that it also used to have an ice cream shop up front. That old ice cream house now lives on through a rather modern iteration -- the Magnolia Flavor House! Now I only have a hazy recollection of going to the old Magnolia House when I was a kid, but this new version on the ground floor definitely made me feel like a kid all over again!

The place has that American Choc'lit Shoppe and Ice Cream Parlor feel to it.  Of course there are the ice cream machines behind the counter, the refrigerators, the colorful interiors and the ice cream! But aside from serving those cold and sweet ice cream and shakes, they also serve some main dishes like pizza, burgers and sandwiches, and pasta.

Since we already had dinner, we just ordered one of their specialties, the Chunky Monkey.

Chunky Monkey. 240php.

The Chunky Monkey consists of 3 scoops of Magnolia chocolate ice cream, brownies and slices of banana on the side, and finished with whipped cream on top with little chocolate chips. In today's sweltering heat, this is heaven. Try getting a piece of the banana and brownie together with the whipped cream and ice cream, and it's just an explosion of complementary flavors in your mouth. It's like there's a dessert party happening on your tongue.

Magnolia Flavor House is the perfect place for friends and families to have a casual meal in. It's has a very inviting ambiance, and a very simple, no frills, fun menu. It's a great place for the new generation to make memories in, and for the older generation to remember memories from days gone by.

Magnolia Flavor House
Ground Floor, Robinson's Magnolia,

Aurora Blvd. corner Doña M. Hemady St., 
New Manila, Quezon City
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Magnolia-Flavor-House/395739897159116

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak + Dulcinea

September 27, 2012.

Kim doesn't like Sizzlin' Pepper Steak just for the very reason that the food takes time before it cools off. But for some weird reason, she wanted to eat there last Thursday maybe because it was the only restaurant that seemed to have a lot of vacant tables that night. And a sparsely occupied establishment means fast service or crappy food. But since Sizzlin' Pepper Steak has been around for a while, we know that it can always be counted on a decent meal.

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak is the local version of Pepper Lunch (a watered down version that is). But no worries, I don't mean anything negative by it. It just means that Pepper Lunch caters to the more upscale while Sizzlin' Pepper Steak is more affordable for everyone.

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak is different from most restaurants mainly for two reasons. First, they have this thing called the Moo Flip in which you have to flip it to MOO-OOVE if you want to call on their staff, otherwise it should just be flipped to STOP. Then there's the thing that I actually dislike about this place, and that is you have to cook your own food or at least finish cooking your own food. The food is served half cooked I assume, and then you have to finish it by flipping it over on your hotplate and pouring your sauce over it. A novel idea, but one that I really don't care much for. This applies to most items on the menu. I dislike it. Well, it's because I'm paying good money to have my food served to me. And sometimes, I burn or undercook my meat. So, there.

I ordered the Beef Pepper Rice.

It's thinly sliced beef served in its own special sauce with pepper rice on a hot plate. I like how tender the beef is and how the sweet sauce complements the pepper-y rice. Again, my only qualm is that I need to cook my own meat. Would've preffered if it was served on my table already cooked to perfection.

Kim got the Beef Curry Pepper Rice. As usual.

Of the few times we have eaten here, I've only seen Kim order differently just once. This is her usual order, so I guess it must taste good for her to keep on ordering it. The thinly sliced beef is served with rice on a hot plate, and seasoned with pepper and curry powder. If you want to add some spice from your usual bestseller, this can be an option.

We also got Tori Karaage to share.

Tori Karaage is boneless fried chicken served with mushroom gravy. If only this came with gravy that tasted similar to Jollibee's, then this would have been a total winner. I know we got this to share, but I was the only one who ended up eating it since Kim didn't want any of it after having some a couple of days ago.

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak
Eastwood City Walk 1
E. Rodriguez JR Ave., Libis,
Quezon City
(02) 709 - 2242
http://www.sizzlinpeppersteak.com/SPS/

More often than not, we would always have some room for dessert even after a big meal. Kim wanted something sweet to compensate for her curry meal. And since it’s the time of the month for Kim to have cravings to which no one should interfere, we decided to get some churros.

How convenient it was that Dulcinea was just a few walks away from Sizzling Pepper Steak at Eastwood.  Dulcinea’s ever famous Churros con Chocolate is the epitome of churros- perfect golden crisp dipped in melted bittersweet chocolate. It just makes you feel like a kid again! As we were eating, we even thought of ordering the “Churros All You Can” next time. But after finishing the five pieces of churros together, we were pointing at each other on who will get the last bite. At 98php, it might be too steep for 5 pieces of deep fried bread, but it was actually just enough to make our tummy happy.

Dulcinea
Eastwood City Walk 1
E. Rodriguez JR Ave., Libis,
Quezon City
(02) 709 - 3574

The Chocolate Kiss Cafe

August 21, 2012. Tuesday.

When we're in UP Diliman, we usually eat at Rodic's. But since I wasn't really in the mood for Rodic's tapsilog and we wanted to try something new for the blog, we went to The Chocolate Kiss Cafe inside Bahay ng Alumni. We both have been to Choc Kiss before, but not together as a couple.

Choc Kiss is known for their desserts (cakes mostly) and iced tea. It first started out on the 2nd floor of the Bahay ng Alumni near the UP track oval. It has since expanded to another space downstairs for early diners wanting to get coffee and breakfast.

We ate at the one located on the ground floor. It hasn't really changed that much since my college days, a good 5-9 years ago. 'Di ako Isko pero maraming tropa na taga dito eh, kaya madalas rin tambay ng Diliman dati :)

We ordered Chicken Quesadilla as our appetizer

Chicken Quesadilla. 225php.

This is actually very, very filling even when it's shared by two. The flour tortillas are really heavy, plus add in the chicken, bell peppers, cheese and onions and this could have been one's main entree. But those are my only qualms about this dish, since it really tasted good. The tortilla was really crispy, and the chicken tender inside. One tip: eat this while it's hot, you wouldn't want the cheese to build up on you. And as usual, Kim had to pick out the bell peppers and onions.

Kim ordered Beef Salpicao.

Beef Salpicao. 295php.

295 might seem to be a bit steep to shell out for just one single serve dish, but this one was really worth it. This was, in Kim's words, "the best beef salpicao." This is part of the house specialties, and it really deserves its place there. The beef strips were really tender and the smell/ taste of garlic was really appetizing. And as you can see on the picture, there was a good amount of oil on the plate. Any dish that has just the right oilinessto it, has got to be good.

I ordered Tapsilog..

Beef Tapa. 185php.

I know, I know we went to Choc Kiss since I didn't want to get tapsi from Rodic's. But the weird kid in me just had to order tapsilog. There's something about breakfast food (not just tapsi), that I want to eat it at any time of the day. I was kinda disappointed with my order, though. Don't get me wrong, the tapa was good, but it still pales in comparison to the one from Rodic's. I really should have known better that I was setting myself up for disappointment with this order, because I will be comparing it with Rodic's no matter what.

And of course you have to order the house blend iced tea when you dine here.

Iced Tea (Bottomless) 70php.

I also got a cup PLATE of extra rice. Look at how effin' huge that thing is!

Extra rice. 35php.

Too bad we didn’t have much room for desserts because of the “plate” of rice and the overfilled quesadilla. Well, it’s a reason to come back and at least now we know how to pace our eating here.

Choc Kiss hasn't really deviated that much from what made them successful. As the saying goes, why fix something when it's not broken? This old Diliman favorite still provides quality food and service as it did before. So, if you have money to spare and willing to spend a little extra, you can't go wrong with Choc Kiss.

The Chocolate Kiss Cafe

Ang Bahay ng Alumni,

R. Magsaysay Street, UP Diliman Campus,

1101 Quezon City, Philippines

G/F: 921-8663/ 921-8659
2/F: 332-3502

Open everyday, 7AM to 10PM

http://thechocolatekiss.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/thechocolatekiss