Outback Steakhouse

We haven't been back in Outback Steakhouse for a while, because eating there isn't exactly cheap. But with their Lunch Specials, you could save a few hundred bucks and have your steak at the same time. Their Lunch Specials isn't reallya new thing, and its menu has changed from the last we were here but not to worry, as it still has some great dishes for really great prices. It's only available on weekdays, from 11AM to 3PM.

Outback really hasn't changed all these years. It still has it's dark wooden interiors, and quirky Australian decor strewn around the place. There's still the bar, where you could enjoy your drinks and food while watching sports on the monitors, which is also located inside the Smoking Area. The service is sometimes kind of touch and go here, sometimes it's great, other times it's not. Luckily for this visit, it was great.

We ordered the following:

Kim had the Victoria's Filet.

The Victoria's Filet might seem like a modest sized steak to some. But this 6oz. packs some great flavor. And despite being smaller than most of the other steaks on the menu, it is also quite filling. Best to have it medium rare as to not lose the flavor. This plate comes with mashed potatoes and some veggies.

I had the Chicken Fried Chicken.

This is probably our favorite from the Lunch Specials, and we have had it a couple of times already. Just can't go wrong with perfectly deep fried chicken topped off with their very tasty gravy. This also comes with mashed potatoes on the side.

And for dessert, we shared a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.

This might be described as a little too rich, and too sinful. But it's just right for me and Kim... Actually, more than right! It's one of the best desserts we like from everywhere we have eaten. It's the best that every spoonful you have has each of its components --  the warm brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and shavings, and the whipped cream on top! It's sweet, it's warm, it's cold, it's nutty, it's chocolatey... It's just a confluence of flavors inside your mouth!

We love that Outback hasn't changed all that much through the years. After all, why fix something that isn't broken?

Outback Steakhouse
E. Rodriguez Jr Ave (C5),
Libis, Quezon City

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast

We just finished walking around the massive grounds of a carshow for the last 2 hours, and we are very tired and hungry. Naturally, same as everyone, we wanted some comfort food. Coming from the Manila International Autoshow held in the World Trade Center in Pasay, we traveled to Kapitolyo, Pasig just to have some breakfast grub which to us is one of our comfort foods.

Kapitolyo has become a foodie hub in the past few years. But one of the newest kids on its block(s), is Kanto Freestyle Breakfast. While not a new establishment per se, this is Kanto's newest branch. We have eaten at the Libis branch before, but this is our first time here.

Kanto serves breakfast food (duh).. but with a twist. I've heard someone describe their food as gourmet carinderia. Calling it gourmet might be pushing it a bit, but this is certainly not your ordinary carinderia fare either. For starters, I'm sure there's no other roadside eatery that puts tomato pesto as a side to their rice meals. Moreover, they plate the food. Sure you are having a simple tapsilog meal but it doesn't hurt that it looks just as nicely as it tastes right? The price might not be as cheap as Manang's little hole in the wall down the road, but with most meals pegged at under a hundred bucks it's still cheaper than going to a fast food chain.

We ordered the following:

Kim got the Breaded Pork Chop.

The breading wasn't as crispy as Kim would've liked, but it tasted good nonetheless. It came with a sweet/sour sauce, but it really should be paired with Mang Tomas which is what Kim did.

I got the Crispy Pork Belly.

This was just heaven in a plate. Crispy, crunchy and juicy. Perfectly fried pork belly that really went well paired with Mang Tomas and steamed rice.

For dessert, we shared an order of the Deep Fried Oreos.

Nothing surprising, as we already have had this previously and also know how to make this at home. But it's still a great dessert, especially when consumed while it's still hot and the insides still gooey.

Breakfast food is nothing fancy, but it doesn't need to be plain either. For those looking for some comfort food, trek on to Eastwood, Kapitolyo or Mandaluyong to have a first hand taste of Kanto's gourmet carinderia. They serve more than your average breakfast food, and I'm sure there's something for everyone in their menu.

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast
1st Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
https://www.facebook.com/kantofreestylebreakfast

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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Masuki

Kim and I go through phases where we'd get really addicted to a specific food or restaurant, that it'll be a constant in our diet for the next few weeks or so. In the past 2 years we've gone through a Nolita/ cheeseburger phase, BWNT/ buffalo wings phase, pizza phase, etc. And now we're sort of in the middle of a mami phase.. specifically mami from Masuki.

We've spent our weekend dates in Masuki for the past 3 weeks! I've always loved mami, but I never thought that Kim would also be quite addicted to it. We've been to both the Greenhills and Megamall branch, and would want to visit the original one in Binondo in the future.

Megamall branch

Megamall branch

I love how mami houses are a no frills kind of restaurant. You go there to enjoy their good food. The menu is always kept to the bare minimum of just different kinds of mami, siopao, different kinds of dimsum, drinks and that's it. And the smell! No mami house would be complete if it didn't smell and reek off the mami broth. Ma Mon Luk is the perfect and quintessential example of a mami house that has all of these characteristics. Just think of Masuki as its more modern brethren. For starters there's airconditioning and it's located in more accessible locations.

I ordered the Special Beef Wonton Chicken Asado. 230php.

This is basically their ultimate mami. It has everything in it! It's for people like me who can't decide which kind of mami to get, so why not just dump everything together. Works for me! Hehe. What I do before eating is to take about 2 spoonfuls of Masuki's special sauce and put it in my soup, then I'll put some ground black pepper in it and mix.

I tend to take a spoonful or chopstick-ful of each thing in my bowl then repeat the process. Usually its broth, noodles, chicken, asado, wonton then lastly beef. Rinse and repeat. This is just heaven in a bowl. Everything in it works together! But of course the most important part is the soup or broth of which its great taste actually ties everything together.

Special just means that it has more soup, more broth and more beef, wonton, chicken, or asado in it.

Kim had the Regular Beef Wonton. 180php.

Same broth, same noodles but this one only had Beef and Wonton in it. Kim seems to enjoy this as this has been her regular order.

We also had a Regular Asado Siopao, and a couple pieces of Siomai to share. 55php and 35php per piece respectively.

Masuki's special sauce works well with both the Siopao and Siomao, but it goes really well with hot sauce on the Siopao. We love how plump and siksik the siopao is, and who un- perfect its shape is compared to those fast food siopaos that just doesn't give off the same vibe.

Masuki's Siomai has got to be one of the biggest we have seen! And even with the size, it is still packed with flavor all the way inside.

So for those who we are friends with on Facebook, expect more Masuki picture posts from us in the coming weeks as we are sure to be back... and back again for more!

Megamall branch

Sekai Center branch (Kuya waiter is so cute! :D)

Masuki
Masuki Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Masuki/193897223966668
2nd Floor Sekai Center,
Ortigas Ave Cor. Madison Street,
Greenhills, San Juan
(02) 744 - 2720

Valentine's - T House Tagaytay

We spent last Valentine's at T House in Tagaytay. T House is a quaint B&B nestled in the chilly ridge of Tagaytay. Small as it maybe, it has almost everything you need for a quick weekend getaway from the city. It has 15 rooms that has that modern, minimalist vibe. It has its own pool. It has its own spa. And most importantly, it has its own restaurant that serves great food. We spent our whole stay enjoying the place! It didn't even cross our mind to go out and roam around Tagaytay.

Before we discuss the food, let us show you the different facilities they have. After our dinner, we tried their full body massage spa for an hour which was inclusive with our meal package. It was definitely a relaxing experience since we were already planning  to sleep right after. The spa place is located in a long room with only curtains as their dividers, but we didn't mind this because the ambiance was very tranquil (except for the snoring customer on the other bed, haha!)

Their pool and jacuzzi are perhaps the coldest ones we've encountered in our life! We tried to swim during the next day but I only managed to swim for a couple of minutes while Kim, although in her swimsuit, just took photos and videos because she refuses to swim in the icy cold water, haha!

Now on to the food!

For dinner, they had this 4 course dinner for couples spending their Valentine's weekend there.

Our beverage was what they call April's Mint which is basically a minty (with actual shredded mint leaves) soda.

 

The appetizer was Battered Garden Mix Vegetable in Creamy Teriyaki Mayo Sauce.

This was just okay. The greens were fresh, but the batter and taste wasn't anything special.

We were then served soup, Pistou with Basil Oil.

Since it was really chilly that evening, we gobbled this down quickly! It sort of tasted like pesto, only more garlicky.

The mains were Pan Fry Fish Fillet, Mashed Potato in Prawn Bisque Sauce, and the other one was Tenderloin Beef Medallion, Mesclun Salad With Mint Chutney.

Kim had the Fish Fillet which was fried nicely, but the Prawn Sauce was a little too rich for her.

I had the Tenderloin Beef which was seasoned well but was a tad bit  overcooked for my taste.

 

 

Dessert was Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry Walnut Crumble, Ganache Sauce.

This actually tasted good. A little to sweet, but a great dessert to finish off the dinner.

We also had breakfast the next day. They served us with a variety of complimentary bread with butter and mango jam on the side. Kim had the American Breakfast while I had the Longganisa.

Both servings were really big. It was definitely a good starter for our day!

And oh by the way, they also gave us  a complimentary cupcake when we checked out that their cook personally made. How sweet! :)

So if you just want to have a break from the busy whatnots of your everyday life, you might as well consider getting a reservation at T House, Tagaytay (just don't expect the pool to be warm in anytime of the day! Haha!).

 

T House

3195 Calamba Road, Tagaytay City

http://thousetagaytay.com/

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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

Ramen Nagi

We finally got to try Ramen Nagi which is hailed as the best tasting ramen in Manila. Popularly known as Butao in Hong Kong, this award winning establishment finally opened in Manila early this year and now has two branches in SM Aura and SM Mall of Asia. We visited their branch in SM Aura with Kim's friends.

The restaurant's interior is best described as an updated ramen bar with the usual wood furnishing and colorful and quirky displays on the walls and above each table. As with most ramen bars, you can't rearrange the tables and chairs to your preference. So that means you might have to dine and rub elbows (figuratively and literally) with someone you don't know which might be an issue to some. But with ramen this good, you probably won't mind.

They only serve ramen here. There are no rice meals, no gyozas, no dumplings. To order, they give you this sheet of paper called the Omotenashi Sheet where you can specify your ramen to your liking. There are 5 kinds of ramen that they serve: Butao, Black King, Red King, Green King and the Limited King which varies from time to time. During our visit, the Limited King was Ebi King. First, you need to select your ramen. Then, you tick off the following items on how you'd want your ramen to be.


You can see how we ordered ours:

Kim ordered the Limited King, which is the Ebi King. 410php.

Kim selected the pork belly to go with her rich soup base along with green onions. She had her noodles Extra Hard (some people might get the wrong idea of having "hard noodles," but this was just really firm in texture). She also had an extra order of Tamago or boiled egg (50php). Since this was our first time in Ramen Nagi, she just got the level 1 Spicy of the firesauce as suggested. Kim loved this since she loves shrimps, and this had a real, nice shrimpy flavor and aroma. The serving was a little much more than she could handle though.


I ordered the Black King. 410php.

Black King ramen gets it flavor from garlic and squid ink, which explains the black soup. This might not look like the prettiest thing to eat but it was really good. I liked how the subtle garlic flavor provided a nice kick to every spoonful. But since I had my soup base just Normal, it might vary for those who'd want a rich garlic flavor to their Black King. And just like Kim, I also ordered Tamago for my ramen.

We're not really ramen experts, and we haven't eaten a wide range of ramen in different ramen bars to say that this was the best we've had. But both bowls we ordered were really good! Although it's a little pricey, most ramen places are pricey anyway. We were a little surprised that's there no other menu item aside from the ramen, because we usually order gyoza or some chicken karaage to go with our bowls.

We suggest that for those who plan on visiting Ramen Nagi to arrive earlier than normal dining hours (lunch and dinner), as lines can get crazy. And no, they don't take any reservations. Also, make sure to mix your soup before eating to completely mix the firesauce with the soup base. I found this out the hard way as I took a spoonful of firesauce.

Ramen Nagi
5th Floor SM Aura Premier
McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
https://www.facebook.com/RamenNagiManila