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

Main Street Corner Cafe and Lucky Nugget Saloon - Disneyland

To celebrate Kim's birthday, we went to Hong Kong Disneyland. Once the park gates were opened, we were caught in a beeline just to have pictures with Mickey and Minnie. So after an hour of queueing,  we headed straight to the first restaurant we saw,  Main Street Corner Cafe.

The Main Street Corner Cafe is the first restaurant you will see coming into the park. There are a few food stalls and a bakery before it, but it's the only sit down restaurant in Main Street, USA which is the first section of Disneyland Hong Kong. It's presented by Coca- Cola, so while the setting was undoubtedly Victorian, they found ways to put Coca Cola design cues throughout the restaurant.

The menu is an eclectic mix to say the least. It's in Main Street, USA so of course they serve American staples like burgers, fries, and buffalo wings. But the menu also contains noodle soups and congee for the mixed Asian market that goes to Disneyland here.

Theme park food isn't cheap, and even then, this was probably one of the most expensive in the whole park as it is a full service restaurant. But we were really hungry, and the menu looked good so we didn't care if we had to shell out an extra hundred dollars (HKD) for lunch.

We ordered the following to share:

Cheeseburger (168HKD)

Maybe we were just hungry, but this was a really great tasting burger! The patty was moist and juicy, and full of flavor. It had the cheese melted on top with some lettuce and tomatoes with it. The burger came with a side of fries and some greens too.

Main Street Signature Platter (166HKD)

The platter had chicken wings, deep fried potato shrimp, onion rings, fries and served with chili sauce, sour cream and ketchup. The wings were plump and had a little zing to them. The shrimp was wrapped with a sort of shoestring potato and was really juicy inside. The onion rings and fries were just okay.

Coke Float (48HKD)

Since this is a Coca Cola sponsored restaurant, we just had to order a couple of Coke Floats!

We probably won't tell everyone to eat here when going to Disneyland Hong Kong as it's really expensive for park food. But if you want a nice meal without falling in line with a lot of kids running around, and are willing to spend a little more than necessary, then this place is for you. The place had a really nice ambiance that made you feel like you were in the 1800's complete. Plus, the food was great too!

We got hungry again in the afternoon and decided we'd just grab a snack. We were already at the Grizzly Gulch portion of the park and it had the Lucky Nugget Saloon. We got some chicken nuggets and fries, together with a weird fruity drink! (75HKD)

Main Street Corner Cafe and Lucky Nugget Saloon
Hong Kong Disneyland

The Clubhouse

We've been eying The Clubhouse for a while now. But every time we step foot in Robinson's Magnolia, we're immediately drawn to Yabu. Haha. So this time we made a beeline towards The Clubhouse as soon as I parked the car.

The Clubhouse is not easy to locate for first timers at this mall. You could always ask, of course. But for those who prefer to search for it on their own, it's located on the ground floor in one of the small alleyways which you would usually associate with restrooms. There's usually a menu board so it shouldn't be that hard to locate once you are in the general vicinity of it.

Once inside, it immediately reminded me of our house! There's a brick wall to the left, just like we have at home, only it's red. The tables are wooden just like in our dining room. And the other wall is covered in a bright colored flowered wallpaper, which we used to have in one of our rooms! Well, our house isn't this nice but The Clubhouse's interiors kind of look like our own and certainly has that homey vibe. We also liked the retro looking photographs hanging on the walls, the shelves with the plates and the counter which had cakes and other sweet pastries on display.

We were here for late lunch but as with most restaurants that serve breakfast food whole day long, we gravitated towards the breakfast portion of the menu. I was about to order the Vigan Longganisa Hash, but since I always order that almost anywhere, I tried to look for something else.

I ended up ordering the Lemon Caper Dory.

The Dory had a nice crispy deep fried outside, but I would've preferred for it to be a little less oily. The lemon caper butter sauce it came was really packed with flavor and went really well with the fish and the garlic rice. For those health conscious with their food, this might be a little too rich for you.

Kim got the Cheeseburger.

This had a quarter pound patty, topped with tomato, lettuce, caramelized onions and of course cheese. The edges of the burger were a little burnt, but the inside and middle part was fine and juicy. The same goes for the bun which was a little too toasted for our liking. This was served with potato wedges which were nicely fried.

Kim also had the Peach Iced Tea which peach lovers would definitely love, but it's a little too sweet though.

We'd definitely be back at The Clubhouse as we thoroughly enjoyed our first time here. And next time I won't hold back from ordering some breakfast grub!

The Clubhouse
G/F Robinson's Magnolia,
Aurora Blvd. Cor.  Doña M Hemady Ave.,
Quezon City
(02) 442 5571 
(02) 442 5571
https://www.facebook.com/theclubhousemagnolia

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Snack Shack

If you're from Quezon City and you're a burger lover, then chances are you have heard of The Snack Shack. If you haven't, then you might as well be living under a rock.

The Snack Shack is a hole in the wall (almost literally) joint that serves some good great burgers! We dropped by their Sikatuna branch. If you're not in the know you'll probably miss it as it is just a small place with no airconditioning, that barely seats 10 people, and has that sort of grungy exterior to it. But a wiseman once told me, "Do not judge a burger by its restaurant's facade." LOL. Seriously, I'd say their burgers are comparable to more expensive burger places that serves premium burgers. And it's just not me, I've seen people choose to stand or eat on the sidewalk for their burgers!

Their burgers are always made from scratch, and as a result you would have to wait a good 10-20 minutes depending on how long the order queue is. This no fastfood where you get your burgers upon ordering, nor is this your usual sidewalk burger stand. The patties are freshly made upon you ordering, and the veggies on it are also fresh. They also do a good job of grilling your burgers. They seem to always cook it medium or medium rare, but I think you can specify it to your liking also. But if you want some well done patties, you're better off going to an Angel's Burger or Burger Machine.

We had a couple of their Half Pounders to go (so pardon if the pictures don't give them justice). 135php each.

Since we had the burgers to go, it got a little cold during the trip home. But it was still very juicy upon taking the first bite. The lettuce, tomato, and onion also had a nice crisp to them, meaning they were still very fresh. The cheese was nicely melted on top of the burger. At 135php, it's a little pricey for a roadside snack but I'd say it's worth it if just for the size and taste alone.

They also offer a smaller burger, the Quarter Pounder, along with some sausages. We haven't tried them yet during the couple of times we've ordered from here, but I'm sure they're just as good. You can also put some add-ons to your burger if you aren't satisfied with just having the standard one.

The Snack Shack
V. Luna Extension, Quezon City (V. Lune extension is the same street as Maginhawa St. But this is near Anonas Ext and almost right beside the SM Save More)
https://www.facebook.com/snackshackburgers
09265122257

Jollibee Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ

October 19, 2013. Saturday.

Jollibee recently launched the Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ. This is in line with the soon to release in cinemas Thor 2: Dark World movie. Now, I don't think we've made a post featuring a fast food chain before. But this was just too good not to blog about.

*Again, we apologize for forgetting to take a picture of the signage. But hey, you know Jollibee's logo by heart! :D

I love the regular Champ. It has maintained its quality throughout the years and several price increases, which I can't say about its direct competitors from the other food chains. So how can you improve an already great burger to being with? Put it in a Thor themed packaging? Well that makes for novelty. But it's really simple. Just put melted cheese, bacon and mushroom in it!

Non-veggies would certainly love this incarnation of the Champ, as it maintains the same juicy 1/3 pound patty and replaces the lettuce and tomato with cheese sauce, bacon and mushroom! It's certainly not cheap for a burger from a local joint, as it's priced at 129php ala carte and 165php for a value meal, but who cares! It's a 1/3 pound patty, melted cheese, bacon and mushroom in one awesome package!

And keeping up with the Thor theme, every purchase of the Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ (ala carte or value meal) entitles you to buy Thor's Mjolnir for 95php! Mjo- what you say? It's Thor's hammer! It's not the real article, but instead a miniature that houses a 1G USB inside. A 1G USB is kind of obsolete today but for just 95php it's a good deal. And it does work, as my brother already used it to copy files.

I'm not sure if this will be a regular menu item or just a special burger for their Thor promotion. Better not wait and see! Get to the nearest Jollibee and try out the Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ for yourself!

Army Navy

July 16, 2013. Tuesday.

Army Navy recently opened up shop in Eastwood and since we've never eaten in any Army Navy together, we naturally had to give it a go. It is located on the front part of Citywalk, just across Cybermall, on the location used to be occupied by Tokyo Tokyo.

   

 

We went here for a snack, so don't be surprised if the quantity of our orders don't live up to normal KiMiguel standards. Kim ordered the Charlie Bravo Querida Mia.

Charlie Bravo Querida Mia. 195php.

The Querida Mia is an open face quesadilla, and Charlie Bravo is what they call the cheese and bacon variant. This actually reminded us of a mini pizza more than a quesadilla with the cheese on it. The bacon had a nice smokey flavor to it and was the highlight of every bite of this.

I got a Steak Starving Sailor.

Steak Starving Sailor. 235php.

I normally order a Double Burger with an extra egg on top when dining here, but I wanted to change it up this time. The Starving Sailor is Army Navy's take on a Philadelphia Cheesesteak. It's your choice of either steak or chicken, topped with jalapeño cheese, green bell peppers and caramelized onions placed on a sourdough bread. For its price, this was really good and very filling. The strips of rib-eye were juicy and tender, while the jalapeño cheese and caramelized onions provided a very nice contrast of flavors.

And of course, no meal here would be complete without ordering their Libertea!

Libertea. 75php and 65php respectively.

For a quick snack, I can't think of many fast food that is comparable with the serving sizes of Army Navy. Although it's a little expensive for a common burger joint, the quality of the food and the size of the serving is more than enough to justify the high price point.

Army Navy Burger +Burrito
https://www.facebook.com/ArmyNavyOfficial
http://armynavyburgerburrito.com/

Nolita: Revisited with Friends

February 8, 2013. Friday.

Special Note: KiMiguel are joined by Migs' Chicks-n-Wings groupmates, Brent and JT. They picked up the group's new impulse bike hobby after folding bikes -- fixed gear bikes.

Thinking there wouldn't be any traffic since it wasn't a payday Friday, we decided to get our fixed gear bikes on this day. We were so wrong. It was one of the worst traffic jams  in C5 I have experienced in a while. After a grueling hour and a half battle with traffic just from Tiendesitas to Comembo, we were really exhausted. Wanting a good meal after paying for our bikes, we trooped to BHS Central to introduce our friends to our favorite burger and pizza joint, Nolita.

 

Since it was already past 7PM, Nolita was really packed inside and out. We just lucked into a table as a group just stood up just as we entered the restaurant. We ordered the following.

Spinach and Artichoke pizza.

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza. 210php.

Brent, still on a vegan diet, ordered their Spinach and Artichoke pizza. So despite this being a pizza and burger joint, vegetarians are more than welcome to enjoy themselves here.

Angus All Beef Cheeseburger.

Angus All Beef Cheeseburger. 320php. Mozzarella and Cheddar respectively.

Both JT and I had their Cheeseburger. I had cheddar on mine, while he had mozarella. JT commented that it was a little too salty for his taste. I agree, but that still doesn't change the fact that this is one of my most favorite burgers in the metro. It has always been a little saltier than most burgers ever since we first tried it summer of last year, and the taste hasn't changed. It doesn't bother me though, since I really like it.

Shrimp Carbonara Pizza.

Shrimp Carbonara Pizza. 290php.

Kim had been waiting for the opportunity to taste this, but it always wasn't available whenever we dined here. Fortunately, it was available on this day. It was a little let- down from what Kim expected. It had that carbonara sauce going on top of it, but it was really almost non- existent in taste. It wasn't bad at all, but it really just fell short of all the build up going into it.

Bowl Of Chili.

Bowl of Chili. 240php.

We also ordered a Bowl of Chili. Locally, we might know such dish better as chili con carne. In the US, this is most commonly known as just chili and is a staple of Tex-Mex cooking. We usually eat this as a topping to our sandwiches or as a side to our meals, but this can also be a meal on its own. Nolita's version had a lot of beans, which was really the only little thing I didn't like with it. It was creamy, hot, spicy and really good for a hungry tummy.

So that's it for our 3rd entry covering Nolita. We probably won't blog about Nolita again in a while eventhough we will still frequent it, as we think it is obvious that you know our love for it :)

NolitaUG/F Bonifacio High Street Central,
7th Ave Cor. 29th St.,
Fort Bonifactio, Taguig City
https://www.facebook.com/NOLITA.PIZZA

Past Nolita entries:
Nolita (North of Little Italy)
Nolita (North of Little Italy) Again!

Zark's Burgers

January 27, 2012. Sunday.

Special Note: For this blog entry, KiMiguel are joined by Migs' friends Brent, Joseph, Jeti, Francis, Alex, Felix and Hannah. No in- depth reviews will be given to all orders as everyone had a "putok- batok" moment, rendering any chance at a coherent thought process lost.

Being a huge burger fan and carnivore, I've always wanted to eat at Zark's ever since I first saw images of its big- ass burgers back in 2011. As a QC kid, making the trek to Taft seemed too arduous just for a burger. But the stars aligned and the heavens opened (haha!), and I found myself in Taft on a lazy Sunday! I just had to try this little burger joint that has gained a following over the past couple of years.

Zark's started out as a little hole in the wall that has since then grown into a full blown eatery after news of its greasy and diet- busting menu gained steam on social media sites. Before we get to the food, let's talk about the place first. I'm not sure as to the school allegiance of the owner, but the walls are adorned with images of past and present DLSU men's basketball stars. It makes sense since it is located in a building called Archer's Nook and is smack dab in the middle of Archer land. It doesn't have the best interiors (biased!) nor the comfiest seats, but that doesn't matter since you came here to get your carnivore on, right?

On to our orders, starting from the smallest to the biggest and greasiest.

Zark's Ultimate Burger.

Zark's Ultimate Burger. 130php.

The Zark's Ultimate Burger consists of a single quarter pound patty on some fresh veggies, topped with mushrooms, bacon and a heaping cheese sauce. Yes, you read that right, cheese sauce! It is served with a side of thick hand- cut fries and a glass of iced tea. I know it's not an original concept since other burger chains have their own variations of the bacon mushroom melt. But do you know any place that prices their melt this low? I didn't think so. Just for the price alone, this trumps all other bacon mushroom melts out there.

Jackhammer.

Jackhammer. 180php.

Ever head of a Juicy Lucy? This is Zark's version of that beloved Minnesotan favorite and Discovery TLC feature. It's basically a half pound cheeseburger.. with the mozzarella and cheddar inside the patty! You probably have experienced a regular cheesburger served hot of the grill, with the cheese slice melted on top of the patty. Yum, looks delicious.. but then the cheese starts to form and thicken on you. A Juicy Lucy/ Jackhammer makes sure that doesn't happen, or at least tries to prolong the inevitable. This was Kim's order, and she enjoyed that the cheese was oozing from the core of the patty. Again, this is served with a side of fries and a glass of iced tea.

Deep Fried Burger.

Deep Fried Burger. 185php for half pound patty.

All great burgers are grilled, or at the very least fried on a flat stove. But never deep fried. Disregard any conventional thinking and rational thought, Zark's deep fries a whole burger -- bun and all! I'm not sure as to how they make this, but I'm thinking they first assemble the mushroom cheeseburger the traditional way then lose their minds and dip the whole thing in batter and deep fry it! I didn't get to try this, but this looked like the greasiest thing I have ever seen! Deep Fried I have my eyes set on you!

Jawbreaker.

Jawbreaker. 250php.

This, for me, is the pièce de résistance of the whole Zark's menu. There might be a bigger and greasier Tombstone compared to this, but the Jawbreaker has Spam, bacon and cheese! How would you not want that?!? Oh, and did I mention it has three, count 'em three! Three patties in it! Okay, let me calm myself down, and enumerate what is in this burger. First you have three patties fried into greasy perfection, then there's Spam and bacon on top, then there's also cheese in between the patties! Before I forget, it sits on a bed of fresh lettuce, but then again you don't care about that.

I attacked this barehanded, no utensils style as all self respecting burger aficionados should. At one point in my grueling battle with it, my nose was getting greasy from making contact with Spam, bacon and patty! The Jawbreaker is also prone to the patty slip -- y'know the scenario with all big burgers that the patty tends to slip from the bun and you don't notice at first, but then you are left with more patty than bun. Yup, that happened to me but it's all good. At one point, I was missing the whole top bun and still had a portion of Spam, bacon and all three patties in my hand! This is just pure burger heaven. Hands down, value for money- wise nothing can top this. Well, maybe an egg topped Jawbreaker. Hmmm. And if you are brave (for your health) and crazy enough, finish this bad boy in 5 minutes and it's free! Plus you get your name and picture on their wall.

Despite it being a little far out of our comfort zone, we'll surely be back try more of the grease- filled menu!

Zark's Burgers

2nd Floor Archer's Nook Bldg, Taft
In front of DLSU Taft
0923 7372517
(02) 392 1211
http://www.zarksburgers.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zarks-Burgers/125052717215?fref=ts

Nolita (North of Little Italy) Again!

January 5, 2012. Saturday.

 

In a span of just a week, we found ourselves dining in Nolita twice. This is the second of those visits. If this was any nearer to us, we would be dining here weekly. It's just a great place to eat and hangout. Since we have told you about this great restaurant before, we'll just go straight to our orders this time.

For starters, we had Honey Garlic Buffalo Wings.

Honey Garlic Buffalo Wings. 330php.

I was really hesitant at first to order this since I like my Buffalo Wings the traditional way --  a little hot with a slight zing, and a tinge of sourness in it. But I'm glad we ordered this, since we both really enjoyed it. I was expecting it to be really sweet, but it was just right and the garlic flavor really works well for these deep fried wings. It had about 10 pieces in it, so this is really a good finger food to be shared with.

Kim had the Angus All Beef Cheeseburger.

Angus All Beef Cheeseburger. 320php.

This was my order during our last visit which I let Kim had a bite of, and she really liked it so she ordered it this time. I mistakenly told her I had mozzarella put on it before, when it was really American Jack cheese. But no worries, the mozzarella worked well too with the thick patty. It's still as heavenly as before. Thick juicy patty, fresh lettuce, tomato and onion on a brioche bun? Perfect. And as mentioned here before, it's not really big diameter wise, but it is thick. It was too thick for Kim to bite on it, so she had to resort to using her fork and knife. Sacrilegious, I know.

I ordered the Nolita Burger.

Nolita Burger. 420php.

I was really looking forward to this since I really eat egg with almost everything (it's like a weird habit, that I want it as a side dish). The difference of the Nolita Burger from their all beef burgers is that it only comes with blue cheese (you can't choose), the onions are caramelized and it is topped off with bacon and a sunny side up! It's like a level up on their standard burgers! How can you go wrong with that? Was I in for a surprise. I didn't expect I'd still like the Angus All Beef Cheeseburger over this one. Don't get me wrong, I like the Nolita Burger, but I still like their cheeseburger better. I was caught off guard with the taste of the bacon, first off it wasn't crispy, it was like eating a really oily prosciutto. And it had this sweet, smoky taste to it. Again, not bad and probably some people like it that way, but I like my bacon crispy and salty. The caramelized onions also were sweet, and it's that sweet taste that I don't like in my burger. Maybe this one just wasn't my cup of tea, or plate of burger. It still is a well prepared and well cooked burger, but I just prefer something over it.

That concludes our second entry for Nolita. Expect more soon! There are still a lot of menu items we want to try. Personally, I want to try the Bowl of Chili. And I know Kim is still craving for that egg-topped Shrimp Carbonara Pizza. If you have an extra 500 bucks in your pocket and want a great meal in BGC, drop by Nolita.

Nolita
UG/F Bonifacio High Street Central,
7th Ave Cor. 29th St.,
Fort Bonifactio, Taguig City
https://www.facebook.com/NOLITA.PIZZA

Other Nolita entries:
Nolita (North of Little Italy)
Nolita: Revisited with Friends