Pepper Lunch

Everyone might be familiar with Sizzling Pepper Steak but not everyone might be familiar with the franchise it copied from – Pepper Lunch. Pepper Lunch is a  Japanese original that has been around the Philippines for 5 years. It recently opened a new branch inside Eastwood Mall.

Pepper Lunch is famous for serving their meals on a hot plate/ pan. The customer then has to (finish) cooking the meal on the hot plate. It’s a novel idea that might not be for everyone. I, for example, tend to overcook one side and undercook the other. And since I paid good money for my food, I would want it cooked perfectly upon serving. Despite that, Kim and I still frequent Sizzling Pepper Steak because we like the food. So when Pepper Lunch opened a branch in Eastwood, we naturally had to give “the original” a try.

Pepper Lunch has a unique ordering system. You pick from their visual menu, line up and order. What’s unique with that, you ask? Well, you only get assigned a table after ordering. So don’t bother looking for an empty table to save before ordering.

Kim ordered the Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with Egg.

Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with Egg. 235php.

Kim likes that the teriyaki sauce came separately with the dish, so she had the chance to cook the beef to her liking. She liked that the beef was tender and seasoned well, and that the egg proved to be a nice complement to it.

I had the Beef Pepper Rice.

Beef Pepper Rice. 198php. +40 for upsize, +60 for a meal

 

First off, I had my Beef Pepper Rice as a meal, which came with a drink and mashed potato (you can choose also either the miso soup or ice cream. And I also had it upsized. My first impression when it was served was visually it looked really small as compared to Sizzling Pepper Steak’s serving. But it was very flavorful!

We also noticed that the beef didn’t burn that easily inside the pan as compared to Sizzling Pepper Steak. But since it was our first time there, we can’t definitively say that it was due to the pan or just sheer luck on our side.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Pepper Lunch. It’s not as expensive as we thought it would be compared to Sizzling Pepper Steak. We’ll surely come back and try their other meals.

Pepper Lunch

4th Floor, Eastwood Mall,
Eastwood City
http://www.pepperlunch.com.ph/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/pepperlunchphil

Club Tara (Surigao)

May 28-30, 2013.

Kim and I went to Surigao at the end of last month. We stayed at Club Tara, Bucas Grande Islands. It was this serene resort right on the edge of one of the islands. Aside from swimming, kayaking and island hopping, the other main activity in the resort is eating! Reservation for staying on the island already comes inclusive with full meals all throughout your stay. The meals were really nothing special and different, but they were good and the servings were more than enough.

Day 1 Lunch (with mango)

Day 1 Dinner

Day 2 Breakfast

Day 2 Lunch

Day 2 Dinner

Day 3 Breakfast

Club Tara
Bucas Grande Island, Socorro,
Surigao Del Norte

http://www.clubtara-surigao.com/ppc/?gclid=CKey5fOC8rcCFTF34godJAgAWA
https://www.facebook.com/clubtararesort

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

Charlie's Grind and Grill

May 8, 2013. Wednesday.

Kim has never tried Charlie's Grind and Grill before, so we set a date to eat at their Ronac branch. Charlie's isn't my favorite burger place, but it's one of those dependable food spots that doesn't disappoint no matter what. The menu is priced a little higher than most joints, but it is well justified with the quality and quantity of the servings. I haven't tried any sandwich here that failed to satisfy -- and I've tried a whole bunch of different items here from burgers to hotdogs to cheesesteaks.

Charlie's may be a little high end when it comes to its price point, but the place itself is very simple. It has that serve-yourself vibe going for itself; you order at the counter, and get your own condiments. But of course, this being the Philippines, people still tend to ask the waiters for their water and condiments, which the staff would gladly bring to you. The bright colored and well lit interiors make this a perfect place to bring the family or barkada to grab either a quick bite or a heavy meal.

Kim ordered the Wagyu Burger with Fresh Fries.

This burger is packed! The wagyu patty comes with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. The burger itself is pretty thick compared to your average patty, and the amount of garnishing is pretty generous too. The thick cut fresh fries (that's what Charlie's call their fries) on the sides are abundant too.

I got the Double Wagyu Burger with Fresh Fries.

This is pretty much the same as Kim's order, except that it had 2 patties (duh). I don't know if it's just me, but I still prefer Angus beef to Wagyu, I just find it more flavorful and juicy.

Those two orders above should have been enough to satisfy 2 hungry adults, but we still had to order wings, well, because we love chicken wings. We also ordered their Buffalo Wings -- a dozen of it!

We were just supposed to get the half dozen but since I was already looking forward to eating, I absent-mindedly ordered a dozen wings. We only realized it when the basket of wings was brought to our table since we also didn't bother to check the receipt upon paying. We still tore through the hot wings head on, despite it being more than we can handle. I still prefer BWNT's wings more than any other wings, but Charlie's version of it isn't bad at all.

I first discovered this place (well, not this branch exactly) about 3 years ago in Kapitolyo, and it still serves some of the best burgers in the metro. The price has gone up, but the service and quality is still top notch. So if you're craving for a good premium burger, you might want to drive up to Ronac or Kapitolyo and dine in Charlie's



Charlie's Grind and Grill
Ground Floor Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Aven
Brgy. Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel #: (02) 4775021 & (0923) 4964747
Delivery: 87878
http://www.charliesgrindandgrill.com/
https://www.facebook.com/charliesgrindandgrill/photos_stream

Racks

April 27, 2013. Saturday.

Kim and I were craving for steaks but we were on a tight budget and our regular steak place, Outback, was a little out of the way. Good thing we were in Trinoma and we chanced upon Racks! We noticed while browsing through their menu that they seem to have just about everything that Outback has, only at a much much lower price! And by lower we mean that my usual order in Outback would pay for everything we ordered in Racks!

Sorry, we forgot to take a picture of the signage.

The Racks in Trinoma was a little cramped and we were lucky enough to get the last available table when we got there. Even though the place was packed, the service was quick and efficient. We had a little fun going over the menu as we tried to name the Outback counterpart of most items on the menu. We ordered the following:

Ribs and Hickory Smoked Chicken, with sides of shredded corn, Mac and Cheese. 489php.

I haven't dined in Racks for quite a while now, but the ribs hasn't changed one bit. It still fall off the bone goodness and juicy as ever. I know that a good 'cue is supposed to not need any sauce, but Racks' Original Barbeque Sauce is just the perfect complement to their ribs (or any of their meats for that matter)! The chicken was a little disappointing. It did fall off the bone but it was a little bit dry, good thing there was a whole bottle of sauce to give flavor to it.

Angus Au Jus with sides of mashed potato, and carrot and corn. 680php.

Kim had it medium well. For something that costs half as much, it certainly could hold its own against Outback's (well that's Kim's opinion). You don't need much sauce to give it flavor, since it was swimming in Au Jus -- it's own juice! Kim had to take home half of it since it as a little big for her, and it was still good when heated the next day.

All in all, dining in Racks was a pleasant experience for us. We were surprised that we weren't disappointed in it even after comparing it to Outback and Cue. Of course they are marketed differently, but Racks more than provided quality food for its price. Will we be picking Racks over Outback now more often? Probably not, but if ever in the mood for steak and on a tight budget, we will definitely consider dining here again.

 

Racks

2nd Floor, Trinoma, Quezon City
http://www.racks.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/RacksPHL

Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe

April 20, 2013. Saturday.

I have always noticed the Mom and Tina's signage every time I pass by along C5 when going to work. I always thought that it was just a pastry/ cake/ dessert shop since I have never tried going inside it. But since Kim and I had some time to kill this Saturday afternoon, we went looking for a place to have a "light" snack in. Passing along Katipunan, we impulsively ducked into the Regis Center from the sweltering heat. We still didn't know where to eat and pass the time, so we browsed through the selections. But once I saw that Mom and Tina's menu had silog meals in it, we quickly settled for a table there.

We never thought that Mom and Tina's served main courses aside from their pies and cakes, so we have never bothered eating there even though we often pass by their C5 Pasig and Katipunan branch. The place had a nice homey, cozy and welcoming feel to it. It was like dining in your own dining room. Well, if your dining room was this elegant. The place was a little small, but not cramped. The mirrors that fill up one side of the wall sort of expands the restaurant though, so you definitely won't feel claustrophobic.

You might be confused with the opening paragraph mentioning both light snack and silog meals in the same breath. Yes that's our definition of a "light" snack. Oops, have to change that to "my definition".

I ordered the Tocino and Egg.

Tocino and Egg.

I usually order Tapsilog when I'm having breakfast fare, but I decided to change it up this day. The tocino was tender and just had the right sweetness to it. I would've preferred for it to be a little more toasted though. I just love those burnt edges off my tocino, but that's just me. The egg was a little runny which was to my liking.

Bacon and Cheese Empanada. 40php.

Being a typical Filipino, Kim bought two thinking that a single pastry is usually not enough. Little did we know that this 40-peso stuffed bread is really worth it's price. It is like the most refined version of the yummy empenadas at local bakery shops. Once bitten, you could really see that your perfectly baked bread is filled with equally perfect melted cheese with bacon. And since this heavenly bread is almost as big as a fist, Kim only managed to finish one.

We loved the food and the ambiance of the place, but the service could definitely use some improvement. We had to wait for a while for our food to be served. I don't know if that is usually the case, but they only had 2 waiters to serve everyone -- and the place was packed! But if ever in the area again and we are in search of breakfast fare, we will definitely give Mom and Tina's a try again.

Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe

2nd Floor, Regis Center,

Katipunan Ave, Loyola Heights,

Quezon City

(02) 990- 2875

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