'Cue Modern Barbecue

July 20, 2013. Saturday.

It has been awhile since we've been at Cue. We always consider eating there whenever in BGC, but it's always too darn crowded. But this time, since we were a little early for dinner, we found the place almost all to ourselves!

We've loved this place ever since the first time we set foot in it! The interiors are what I would describe as quirky-elegant-geeky. How does that work, you say? Examples: Ice tea in a jar, plant in a can as table top design, leather couches, anatomy of a cow on the wall, etc. See? Quirky, elegant and geeky!

For starters, we ordered the Bone Marrow and Steak Tacos.

Bone Marrow and Steak Tacos. 485php.

We always shy away from this, because it looks a little too rich, even for me! But I'm glad we finally gave it a try. I'm NEVER eating ordinary tacos again. The bone marrow, as expected, gives the tacos a rich and slightly salty flavor which really goes well with the salsa verde and the tender steak. This is best eatean as soon as it is served on the table, as the bone marrow dries up quickly. I still ate it even after it was already cold, but it already felt like eating cholesterol ice cream.

Then we ordered 2 mains from The Chopping Board part of their menu to share, both of which came with a side dish and sauce. The first one we got was the Beef Belly

Beef Belly. 695php.

We already had this before, and liked it so we ordered it again. It's beef belly braised in dark ale, charred with mustard with a whole roasted onion. But unlike the first time, the taste of ale was really overpowering. The beef was still tender, but it was hard to get over the taste of the ale. We had this with whipped potatoes and their house made BBQ sauce.

We also got the Bacon Slabs 'Cue Style.

Bacon Slabs 'Cue Style. 455php.

The description from the menu reads: Slow-baked then fried, house cured, half-pounder. How could you go wrong with something that sounds so sinful? The answer is you just can't! The slabs were really tender from the slow cooking, but it had a nice subtle crispiness to it on the outside. We had this with chimichurri sauce, which is normally for grilled meats but we figured the slight vinegar taste of it would offset the richness of the slabs.

'Cue will probably never be a target restaurant for those who are always high on clean eating (they have their greens, but who goes here for that?!?). It's for those who don't really calorie count and enjoy slobbing over copious amounts of meat and fat! 'Cue Modern Barbecue is a great place to be! The place is cozy, the service is always quick, efficient and courteous, and the food is always great (would've been exceptional, but I can still taste that dark ale).

'Cue Modern Barbecue
Space NELG 105, Lower Ground Floor
Bonifacio High Street Centrale,
Global City, 1201 Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
621-4052
0917-8992283/ 0921-2801389
https://www.facebook.com/CueModernBBQ?ref=br_tf

Stella

May 22, 2013. Wednesday.

It was Kim's birthday and she wanted to eat out somewhere we haven't tried before. After researching and reading up on the net, Kim decided she wanted to try Stella. We've always seen Stella whenever we eat in Cue or Nolita, but have never ever considered going through their doors. From the outside, you can already see that Stella (and Rocket Room, its sibling) looks more posh compared to the other restaurants around it. That in itself would have been a deterrent if it was me who was deciding, but it was Kim's day so she gets to decide. It's not that I don't like spending money on food (if you've read this blog for the past year then you'd know that's totally the opposite), it's just that I have an aversion to going to most upscale looking places.

Stella is under the Raintree Restaurants group. Included in Raintree's umbrella are Chelsea Market Cafe and Momo Cafe among others. So while the food might be priced a little high, at least you are sure to get quality food based the reputation of their restaurants.

We ordered the following:

Lamb Cochifrito. 295php.

This was actually from Rocket Room's menu but since they're under the same group, you can actually order from the other and vice versa. We felt that the lamb was a little overcooked since it was a little tough on the outside, but its taste more than made up for it. It had that herb-y aromatic taste going on without it being too overpowering.

Salt Baked Gindara Fish Fillet. 395php.

This is exactly what it says. It's Gindara baked in salt but we were so surprised when it was served. It came in a clay pot and from the looks of it. A generous amount of salt was used to envelop the fish then it formed a crust upon baking. They did a good job of presenting this with half the salt crust/ cover cut open and placed on the side. The presentation is awesome, but the taste so-so. The outer layer of the fish was salty, but the inside was bland.

 

 

 

Yellow Basmati Rice.

This smelled great and tasted even better. Couldn't resist pairing this up with the Lamb Cochifrito.

Wood Fired Roasted Sweet Pumpkin. 75php.

The Pumpkin was roasted nicely, giving it a nice toasted outside with a soft inside. The Ricotta on top of it added a little more sweetness.

 

Stella

Bonifacio High Street Central
http://raintreerestaurants.com/stella.html
https://www.facebook.com/stella.rocketroom

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

Lorenzo's Way

September 1, 2012. Saturday.

We were supposed to eat at 'Cue Modern Barbecue last Saturday night. We have been craving to try again their different kinds of slow cooked meats, all barebecued to perfection. But as soon as we crossed the fountain area of Bonifacio High Street Central, I saw that it was not meant to be that night. The place was packed! So lesson learned, we should call up and reserve a table first if it's a sweldo weekend.

Since it was still a little early for dinner, and we really had no idea where to eat for that night. We decided to walk waddle like penguins, as to not get creasing on the toebox of our kicks, around BHS first. We ended back in High Street Central in Lorenzo's Way.. only because Nolita was packed to the brim too.

Lorenzo's Way is from the LJC Restaurant Group. It is the same group that has brought to us the likes of Abe, Cafe Adriatico, Larry's Cafe & Bar and others. The idea behind Lorenzo's Way is that you can find old favorites from all those restaurants housed under the LJC group. That is why there is no certain theme to the menu, what you see on it are the best of what this group of restaurants has to offer.

I felt a little under dressed as we were ushered into our seats. The place looked classy, with nice wooden floors, leather seats, proper table presentation. As usual, I was in my basketball shorts, loose roundneck shirt, and basketball shoes. Good thing, Kim was in sneakers and shorts too. Haha!

On to to our orders!

Kim saw Salpicao in the menu. Kim wanted Salpicao. We ordered Salpicao.

Beef Tenderloin Salpicao. 360php.

Kim was disappointed with the Salpicao. It really wasn't that flavorful, and the beef was a little rare. Compared to the one we had in Choc Kiss, this one really pales in comparison. And another thing, we were really surprised to see the Salpicao under Appetizers on the menu. But anyway, we just had it served alongside our other orders.

We then got Bulalo.

Bulalo. 450php.

The bulalo was great. It was served piping hot, which really suited the rainy weather. It was seasoned correctly and the beef shanks were really tender. I only wished it had more veggies and utak in it.

And we also got KKK -- their own version of Kare- Kare.

KKK. 595php.

This tasted authentic.. err, what I mean by authentic is that it tastes home cooked, like how regular moms had to do it at home. I don't know if it's just me but there's a distinct taste in Kare- Kare when it's made from actual grounded peanuts rather than readily- made peanut paste. The oxtail and tripe were cooked perfectly, it was not too soft that it broke down in the peanut sauce but it wasn't chewy either. This was perfect for a cup of steamed rice alongside some bagoong.

For drinks we got their Lorenzo's Grand Iced Tea and Calamansi Juice.

Lorenzo's Grand Iced Tea. 95php.

Calamansi Juice. 75php.

Kim said the Iced Tea was one of a kind. The house brew was a mix of guava and pineapple. She thought at first that she'd be irritated with the pulp, but she was surprised at how the flavors of the two fruits mixed and gave the iced tea a nice subtle kick. The calamansi juice was too sweet.

It was a great experience dining at Lorenzo's Way. It kinda made us forget that we didn't get to eat at our first two choices. At first glance the place and it's upscale look might intimidate you, but we think that it is priced just right. Service was proper and fast, and the food was served and prepared well (except for the Salpicao, or maybe that's really just their version of it). The servings were bigger than what we expected, so it is a good place to bring your family or group of friends to. Usually in restaurants like this I feel ripped off the moment I get the bill, but with this one I actually thought we got good value for our money. Definitely this one merits a second visit in the future to try their other specialties.

Lorenzo's Way
C2 Building
Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City
Phone: 621 3163 to 64
Business Hours: Monday - Sunday/ 11am - 11pm
http://ljcrestaurants.com.ph/lorenzos-way/
https://www.facebook.com/LorenzosWayRestaurant

T.G.I. Friday's

August 18, 2012. Saturday.

To celebrate the last day of Kim's airbrush makeup class, we went to BHS to eat at TGI Friday's.

For starters, we ordered Fried Mozarella.

Fried Mozzarella. 315php.

This is best eaten as soon as the plate hits your table. Grab a piece even while it's very hot, dip it generously in the Marinara sauce, then take a bite. Forget about your burnt tongue. You'll thank me later. This might seem expensive for an appetizer, but then again mozzarella ain't cheap.

Kim got Jack Daniels Triple Treat Barrel Chicken, Chop & Shrimp.

Jack Daniels . php.

The set included porkchops, quarter chicken, and shrimps. All cooked/ glazed in Jack Daniel's sauce. Kim's regular order at TGIF is something similar to this, just without the porkchop. She said she loved how crispy the shrimp was, and how the Jack Daniel's dipping sauce complemented it with its sweetness. The chicken and porkchop was just okay. It was tender and juicy but the signature sauce was too sweet or weird for it.

I got Friday's Cheesburger for myself.

Friday's Cheesburger. 375php.

The patty was cooked medium rare. I should have asked for it to be medium- well. But even with that, the burger was great! I love burgers and Friday's has never disappointed me with theirs from all my visits here.

We each had a bottle of San Mig Light.

SMB Light. 85php.

Dining at Friday's isn't cheap. But the ambiance -- American diner/ steakhouse full of Americana, and the quality of food more than makes up for the dent in the wallet.

T.G.I. Friday's
Quadrant B3, Bonifacio High Street Taguig City
Contact No - 8562996 | Fax No - 8562997
http://fridays.com.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/welovefridays