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

Chopstop

November 16, 2013. Saturday.

There's this one peculiar spot in Eastwood Citywalk. In the past year alone, I think 3 establishments have occupied that same spot. It seems that no matter how packed the surrounding bars and restaurants around it are, it still doesn't manage to do brisk business. Just recently, it underwent renovations again and is now occupied by Chopstop.

Like most dining establishments in Citywalk, Chopstop is a restaurant/ bar, meaning they serve full meals there but they also serve alcoholic beverages. It has this street crossing or train track crossing/ station, with lots of faux road signage inside the restaurant. They even have a mini lamp post over by the counter! We went there for late lunch, so the place was really well lit. I don't know if it's the same case at night, but I think with the bright decor and amount of light inside the place it's safe to assume that it's the same at dinner time.

Chopstop has a simple menu consisting mainly of deep fried stuff. And as their name suggests, their specialize in porkchops -- different kinds of it. We ordered the following:

I had the Pork Tonkatsu.

We forgot to take down prices for all orders, but I remember that everything was affordable. For example, I'm sure my order of tonkatsu was less thatn 150php. It wasn't the biggest pork tonkatsu I've seen, but it was more than enough to satisfy. The pork was cut just right -- not too thin and not too thick. It was deep fried nicely, with a little crunch to the breading. It came with a side of veggies that had sauce on top of it which weirdly tasted like the fresh lumpia sauce from Goldilock's.

Kim had the Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Kim thought that the meatballs were burnt upon her plate being served, but it tasted great when she took a bite out of it despite the outside appearance. The spaghetti was a little sour, but it was just right and was perfectly complemented by the buttered toast it came with.

We also ordered Bacon and Eggs French Toast to share.

We ordered this thinking that the bacon and eggs would be on the side of the french toast, just like a normal breakfast plate would be. Were we surprised that it was like a sandwich upon serving, with the bacon and eggs inside the toast. Despite that, it was really good! With the toast having that perfect crunch to it. For those with a sweet tooth, it also comes with extra syrup.

I don't know if Chopstop will fall victim to the seemingly endless change of restaurants occupying its spot. But with an affordable menu and great food, I think they have a very good chance of sticking around. We might try to drop by here again at night and grab a drink and some finger foods, and see how service is during peak hours.

Chopstop
Eastwood Citywalk
Eastwood City, Quezon City
(0917) 5121212
https://www.facebook.com/WeLoveChops

Faburrito

October 31, 2013. Thursday.

Kim and I have been on a health trip lately. We've been generally trying to cut down on our food intake or at the very least trying to eat healthier. That gave us reason to try out Faburrito in Techno Plaza 2 in Eastwood which serves healthy and low- fat Mexican fare.

If you browse through Faburrito's website and head on over to the About section, you'll see that they promise to serve healthy low- fat meals with great service. You'll also be happy to know that a portion of their profits go to the FabFoundation which is a boarding school that provides opportunities for underprivileged children. You get a great healthy meal and you also get to help hard- up brothers.

Faburrito is located in one of the newer buildings in Eastwood, the Techno Plaza 2. It's the same building where the Robinson's Supermarket is. It's not that big, and probably only seats around 20-25 people max. It has that green and healthy vibe going on for it, with the predominant use of wood (faux) and green accents all around. There is also only a glass divider for their kitchen/ prep area, so you can see that the food is freshly made.

We ordered the following:

We had the Chicken Quesadilla to share.

This tasted a little bland, but nothing a few generous spoonfuls of the salsa and dressing can't fix. As expected this was very light. It's not that it was not filling, it just didn't leave you with that bloated feeling afterwards.

Kim ordered the Beef Salad (regular).

Same with the quesadilla this was a little bland. It was big and heavy for a regular order, but it also didn't leave you with a bloated feeling after finishing it off.

And I had a Steak Bowl (regular).

This was basically a Steak Burrito without the tortilla. At first glance I was disappointed that the serving looked small. But I was proven wrong after finishing the bowl, as it was just enough and substantial to satisfy one's hunger. It wasn't the tastiest burrito I've had even with the dressing, but I guess that's the price you pay for getting a healthy meal.

The common factor between all our orders was that the food was a little bland and light compared to most restaurants. But with the healthy theme of Faburrito, I guess that's to be expected. True to their company goals, service was great. It was quick, efficient and courteous. It's not the cheapest Mexican fast food we have tried, but since it offers a different take on it, we think it is acceptable. For those in the Libis area looking for a healthy fix, Faburrito is just right for you.

 

Faburrito

2/F Techno Plaza 2,
Eastwood City, Quezon City
http://www.faburrito.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Faburrito

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/

Slappy Cakes

July 5, 2013

We both love breakfast food, it doesn't matter what time of the day we take it and where we get it from. But it has taken quite some prodding to get Kim to agree to eat at Slappy Cakes. It's not the restaurant and it's not the food she has problems with, but it's the location! Slappy Cakes occupies the space once rented out by Kim's favorite restaurant -- O'sonho. I'm not sure as to why the Portuguese Fusion Restaurant moved out, it might be because of the poor foot traffic in the area it's located at (that was the case before J.Co moved in a couple of doors down), or poor service. I've dined at O'sonho a couple of times and the food was always great. It's just the slow service that was always a big letdown. But I digress.

 

Slappy Cakes is an American import that prides itself in being a breakfast restaurant that offers a fun and different dining experience. How could a breakfast joint be different you say? Well for one, Slappy Cakes menu is not littered with -silog meals. Although they have some -silog in it, it's not more than a handful like most other places. And oh, almost forgot, you get to cook your own pancakes! That's why there's a griddle at the middle of every table!

 

But before you get to cook your own pancakes, you need to choose what kind of pancake batter you want. They have Buttermilk, Whole Grain, Peanut Butter, Vegan, Chocolate. We chose the Peanut Butter to step out from the usual buttermilk batter.

Peanut Butter Batter (260php). Bananas (45php) and Nutella (75php).

Each batter comes in an 8oz. squeeze bottle. While that may not sound a lot, but I guarantee you it is more than enough to feed two people. After selecting your batter, you get to choose some fixins and toppings if you'd like. We went safe with the combination since it was our first time here.

And now that we have our batter, fixins and toppings, let's cook! And trust me, cooking pancakes is so basic no one could ever mess it up.

 

The pancakes themselves were really not that special, but then again that's not the main draw of this restaurant. It's the chance to cook and make funny pancake shapes with friends and families that makes this place different. Takes personalization to a whole new level.

Aside from the pancake, we also ordered  their Classic Breakfast.

Classic Breakfast 280php.

The classic breakfast comes with 2 eggs, breakfast potatoes and bacon or sausage and toast. We had the eggs scrambled, and had the potatoes and bacon. Although I'd prefer hash browns in my breakfast plate, the square cut breakfast potatoes weren't bad at all. Surprisingly, it was the highlight of this plate!

We enjoyed getting the chance to cook our breakfast food together at Slappy Cakes. The staff was also courteous and efficient in their service. You should definitely try Slappy Cakes if you want a different breakfast food experience!

Slappy Cakes
Unit 1880-5, Ground Floor,
New Eastwood Mall, Quezon City
http://www.slappycakes.com.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/SlappyCakesPH

Levante

June 28, 2013. Friday.

Midnight Mercato in BGC is arguably still the most popular and most frequented night food market in the Metro. But there have been a few other night food markets and bazaars to pop up in other areas. The latest one is Levante in Eastwood, which is brought to us by the same people behind Midnight Mercato, the Mercato Centrale Group. This night food market aims to serve the people residing/ working in Eastwood, Cainta, Marikina and other neighboring communities every Friday from 6PM to 3AM.

Levante is located in Eastwood Citywalk 2. It doesn't have as many concessionaires as Midnight Mercato, but I'm sure there's something for everyone here. The dining area also is considerably smaller than other night food markets, so you'd be better off taking your food to go. We've already tried some of the food from some of the same vendors from Midnight Mercato and Cucina Andare, so Kim and I decided to check out the other vendors we haven't ordered from before.

Sinangag Trip

https://www.facebook.com/sinangag.trip

Tapsilog. 90php.

I can't help but order Tapsilog everytime I see it on a menu, even though Kim always reminds me that I'll probably end up disappointed more often than not since I always compare it to Rodic's and Hungry Rover's version. And this case isn't any different. The tapa was tough and underseasoned. It may have been a bad day, and I'll probably give this another chance.. hoping that I won't end up disappointed again.

B. Wings
https://www.facebook.com/B.WINGSRESTO

 

5pcs Wings (Mild Spicy) with Blue Cheese. 130php.

We've seen this in a couple of night markets already, but we have never tried it despite loving Buffalo Wings. Wings is best eaten with your bare hands, and eating with your hands in a food market/ bazaar with sparse wash areas isn't a good idea. But since we are taking our orders to go, to be eaten in Kim's condo, we ordered the mild spicy with blue cheese. The wings were good, kind of a cross between Sunrise Bucket's and BWnT's.

Juana Bowl
https://www.facebook.com/juanabowl

Rib Eye Steak Value Meal. 110php.

This was our favorite out of all the things we ordered this night. 110php for some properly seasoned and cooked US Rib Eye Steak and rice? Now that's value for money. Of course, it isn't premium beef and the cut isn't as thick as most steak restaurants serve. But would you expect that for 100php? We're definitely ordering from Juana Bowl again.

There's still a lot more vendors we want to order from, including a couple of burger joints, so we will probably be back here again in the near future. Levante is definitely a great addition to Eastwood. It provides everyone with some nice alternative food choices even if only for a night.

Levante
Eastwood Citywalk 2
Every Friday 6PM to 3AM
https://www.facebook.com/LevanteEastwood

Sbarro

Despite being always in Eastwood, Kim and I never had the chance to eat in Sbarro when it was still located in Citibank Square. We always made plans, but never got to it since it was quite cumbersome to walk all the way to Citibank. Then that Sbarro closed down. Luckily for us, Sbarro opened up shop again in Eastwood but this time inside Eastwood Mall. The new Sbarro is located on the top floor, near where the cinemas are.

 

Kim has been craving for a slice of the white Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, so we ordered a couple of slices of those along with a plate of Roasted Chicken with Rice.

Chicago Deep Dish. 172php.

The slice, as usual, was packed and filled with different toppings (wait, do you still call it toppings if its inside?) and served with white sauce over it. We loved how the cheese was just the right softness -- not too melted and just a little gooey. Despite it being a little big for a single slice of pizza, we certainly enjoyed finishing it to the last forkful as it was very flavorful. A slice of this can definitely be a whole meal on its own!

Roasted Chicken with Rice. 169php.

I never understood why Sbarro serves their chicken with red pasta sauce on the side and I've never bothered putting it on my chicken. I've always liked their chicken and rice, which is a perfect combination. The chicken is aromatic, herb-y, tender inside, and just crisp on the outside.

Since it has been around a long time, Sbarro tends to get overlooked by all these new food chains that has been popping up left and right. But Sbarro is still one of the best fast food chains around, especially if you're looking to satisfy your Italian food craving.

*Because we were very hungry, we forgot to take a picture of us. :(

Sbarro
4th Floor, Eastwood Mall,
Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City
http://www.sbarro.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/SbarroPhilippines

Icebergs

June 8, 2013. Saturday.

One very rainy Saturday, we decided we wanted to have dinner in... Icebergs! Weird, right? While most people would look for places that serve some good hot soup during this weather, we ate in a place that is known for serving cold and refreshing treats. But we didn't go to Icebergs for their desserts, we went for their main meals.

Icebergs in Eastwood is relatively new. It is located on the 2nd floor of Citywalk 2, just right beside Reebok. It has 2 floors, but you can enter from either floors. But because it had 2 floors and the number of waiters were not enough, the service was a little slow -- both in them taking orders and serving the food.

Kim ordered the Pesto Penne with Grilled Shrimp.

Pesto Penne with Grilled Shrimp.

This was served late.. later than our other orders which were also served a good 20minutes after ordering. They bungled the order at first, serving Kim pasta with chicken instead of shrimp. The server then took the plate back, and replaced it a good 15minutes after. They got it right this time, it had grilled shrimp, but it was burnt. Kim was too hungry to care, but this wasn't a satisfying meal. The shrimp was burnt, the pasta was dry, and the pesto was too bland.

I ordered the Golden Lechon Kawali.

Golden Lechon Kawali.

The lechon kawali was served with steaming hot rice and sarsa, both perfect compliment to the deep fried golden goodness of the liempo.

And despite the weather, I just had to order their Halo- Halo.

Kim doesn't eat Halo- Halo, because she finds it weird that people want different flavors mixed in their dessert. I don't like sweets that much, but I can' resist getting a good cup of Halo- Halo whenever possible.

We might give Icebergs another try despite our experience with the slow service. It might just have been a bad day for them, but then again there were only a few diners around.

Icebergs

2nd Floor, Eastwood Citywalk 2,

Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City

Icebergs, Quezon City

02 4156778, 02 3528290

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