Big D's Smokehouse

Big D's Smokehouse just recently opened in Eastwood. If you pass by Katipunan regularly you might have noticed or even dined in their original location, which was in the rundown two story building made famous by Countryside. Their new location in Eastwood is in the 2nd floor of Citywalk 2, just almost in between Razon's and the 7-Eleven.

Big D's serves mostly American comfort food. And their interiors are a well thought out ode to their American theme. There's just a whole lot of Americana in here! There's a bar, old diecasts, old books, old toys, old posters and a cool smoker fashioned out of an oil drum! They even had this cool alfresco dining area that looked like a homey porch. It just looks like a cool place to hang out with friends and family to spend time over food.

It was dinner time and there were a handful of guests already dining when we got there. But the service was still fast and efficient. We ordered the following:

I had the Ribs Duo (390php).

My order was half slab of their ribs, with garlic rice and choice of 1 side. I had corn and carrots as my side dish. The ribs was really really tender and flavorful, too! Just the right mix of spiciness, smokiness and sweetness. I found the garlic rice kind of weird to pair with it though since I mostly associate it with silog meals.

Kim had the Open-Faced Roastbeef (280php).

This looked really appetizing in the menu and even when it was served. The roastbeef was served on top of a couple of pieces of bread, and was topped with mushroom sauce with sides of veggies and mashed potatoes. The beef was soft and easy to cut through, but the sauce was quite salty. You had to take a big chunk of the mashed potatoes or bread just to counterbalance it's saltiness.

We feel that the location of Big D's might not be the best in Eastwood since people rarely walk across that area. But good food coupled with good service and nice ambiance, people are bout to get word of it. And when that happens, then Big D's will surely be a hit.

Big D's Smokehouse

https://www.facebook.com/bigdsmokehouse/
Eastwood Citywalk 2,

Eastwood City, Quezon City

(0915) 487-8153

Marciano's Cafe + Bakery

August 23, 2014

Kim has been home for the past 2 weeks. We've eaten out already a handful of times, but mostly at places she has missed eating at for the past 5 months she spent in Hong Kong. It was only last Saturday that we got to try a new place again, Marciano's at the Fairview Terraces by Ayala.

It was also Kim's first time at this newly opened mall by Ayala. Fairview Terraces is full of different restaurants, ranging from cheap to the more upscale. We picked Marciano's because it was something we haven't tried before and it looked really nice from the outside.

Marciano's serves Italian- American food. It has a small bakery section up front where you can buy different pastries for takeout or for dine-in. The place had a warm and inviting vibe to it with the use of wood and yellow lighting for the interiors.

We didn't get to try any of their pastries as we were hungry and opted to share two different orders from their main menu.

We ordered the:

Classic Burger.

The burger wasn't that big compared to most we've had at this price range. But the taste more than made up for it. It was juicy, well-seasoned and it was grilled really well. The side of fries was a treat as well.

Buttermilk Chicken.

This buttermilk chicken fad is the latest one in the country, with Kettle's version arguably the most popular. We haven't tried Kettle yet, but we can say that Marciano's chicken was just okay. It was a little dry and not really all that flavorful. Kim was so disappointed that she seriously just wanted some Chickenjoy at that moment! The serving was more than enough though, and came with mushroom gravy, side of stringbeans, and biscuits which were quite hard and weird in texture.

Taste wise, the food was just okay for its price. Maybe we'll try the other items on the menu in the future just to see. The service was great though, with the servers being quick to attend to you. Go here if you want to dine in a place with great ambiance that is good for conversation.

Marciano's Cafe and Bakery
U/G Fairview Terraces,
Quirino Ave, Quezon City
https://www.facebook.com/marcianosph

P.F. Chang's: Migs' Birthday Treat

April 13, 2013. Saturday.

I wanted to treat my family out for my birthday. And I wanted it to be somewhere a little upscale, and somewhere most of us have never eaten at. So last Saturday we ate out at P.F Chang's in BHS, which is the 2nd branch in the Philippines of this Asian- themed American restaurant chain. It is located in the W Global Center on the same street where Nike Park BHS is. It is next to California Pizza Kitchen and IHOP.

Replica terracotta horses greet you at the entrance of P.F Chang's. Inside, miniature replica terracotta warriors are scattered throughout. The place has a Chinese restaurant feel mixed with Western influence. Wood is used a lot in the place, and I like it. I've always felt wood gives some sort of relaxed and homey ambiance. It's a little cramped and dimly lit for my liking, though.

Days before Saturday, I spent time online reading about reviews on P.F. Chang's and its menu. I then made a shortlist of menu items that I wanted to order. Since there were 12 of us for dinner, I was torn on whether to order a lot of dishes to sample more food (but a single order of one dish might not be enough to pass around), or to order fewer dishes but to have double of everything. In the end, the latter won.

We ordered two of each of the following:

Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. 285php.

This is their signature appetizer. The wok seared minced chicken already tastes great with the cool and crisp lettuce cups, but it is even better with their sauce of honey mustard, soy sauce and chili.

Dynamite Shrimp. 295php.

This was spicier than I expected, but it was still really good. In true Pinoy fashion, even though this was an appetizer I ate them with my rice.

Chang's Spicy Chicken. 320php.

The chicken in this was really tender, but not that flavorful on its own. But the sweet and spicy (yes, sweet and spicy despite it being called Spicy Chicken) sauce is this dish's saving grace.

Pepper Steak. 680php.

The US Angus Beef was tender and flavorful, but this might be a little bit too peppery for some. It also had some sweetness to it with the yellow onions in it.

Shrimp with Candied Walnuts. 795php.

I was excited for this dish since the first time I read about it! And all the pictures online, only added to the excitement. But to my dismay, it didn't live up to my expectation about it. It was good. The creamy sauce really went well with the shrimp, walnuts, and honeydew. But for its price, I can say that we probably could have ordered something better.

Chang's Fried Rice. 200php.

Mango Cream Cheese Wontons. 150php. Mixed Berries Cheesecake. 265php.

I didn't get to taste this but it looked good! I'll make sure to order this one again. Mango, cream cheese wrapped together then deep fried? Sure looks like a good combination to me. We've had lots of better cheesecakes in our life, but this one wasn't really that bad. It was a little too tart-y for our taste though.

Despite being a little expensive, we think it was worth it. The food was great and the ambiance was certainly different from most normal restaurants in Manila. Kim and I will be sure to go back here, as we both love Chinese food. We'll make sure to try different dishes in the future.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro
W Global Center
The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
(02)  664-5956 
https://www.facebook.com/pfchangsph 

http://www.pfchangs.com.ph/

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

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