BBQ DONE RIGHT AT VITO'S BBQ

 

I don't think I can stress this enough.. I love Pinoy Style BBQ. It's almost as if every Pinoy family has a secret receipt for their own BBQ. I know mine does! Vito's BBQ lets us in on their Family secret, and whips up amazing BBQ for us to try!

EAT 9707: STREET FOOD WITH A JAPANESE KICK!

       Though I studied in The College of St. Benilde in the 90's (Matanda na Tito Richie niyo), admittedly I had never heard of the place they call "Syfu's Grill", which seemed to be incredibly popular with La Sallians. 

    The sun may have set on Syfu's Grill, however from its ashes, a new concept has risen, and with consultant Chef Kel Zaguirre developing a "Street Food with a Japanese Kick" theme to the menu, Eat 9707 is shaking the foodie world to its very core.  

MIGHTY QUINN'S NEW BBQ BURGERS AND RICE BOWLS!

       When I first tried Mighty Quinn's at SM Mega Fashion Hall, I was instantly blown away but their mouthwatering BBQ dishes. Being the ever imaginative Burger Lover that I am, I couldn't help but wonder how these lip-smacking meats would taste when tucked between two buns.

          Rina, on the other hand, would never fail to add rice to her meals, making me think what a Mighty Quinn's Rice Bowl would look like.

       Well, Chef Lee Jose of Mighty Quinn's must have been listening, because he made my wishes come true when he launched Mighty Quinn's new BBQ Burgers and Rice Bowls!

THE ROYAL TREATMENT AT ARISTOCRAT

        I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I spent the first few years in my life growing (or not growing) in the good ol' U.S. of A (Which probably contributed to my picky palate). I was six years old when my family and I moved back to the Philippines after a five year stay in America. 

      The day after I had arrived, I still remember the first meal that my grandmother prepared for us. That images of that dish is still ingrained in my memories, to this very day, simply because what I saw scared the living crap out of me. It was a big bowl of black slop, with little bits of animal parts I couldn't make out floating around. I asked my yaya, "What is that?" and she answered, "Dinuguan.". I looked up at her and asked, "What's Dinuguan?". Never one to B.S. me, she got straight to the point and said, "Pigs blood". I made a face and answered, back, "Yucky!". My mom called me to come eat lunch, and I said, "I don't want to eat the blood of a pig!" and run up the stairs and into my room. Seconds later, my brother followed me into the room. I went up in tears, because in my six year old mind, I was afraid that moving to a strange land such as the Philippines meant being forced to eat food made from the blood of an animal and other exotic dishes.  

    Two minutes later, my mom and dad came into our room, saying that I shouldn't have stormed off, and I should apologize to my grandmother for insulting her food. I was in tears and said, "I hate Filipino food!". That moment, my grandmother entered the room with a tray in her hands, and a warm smile. I didn't have the guts to tell her that I didn't want to eat the food she brought, but thankfully, I didn't need to say anything. She walked in the room, and said, "Richie, you don't have to eat the dinuguan if you don't want to. I prepared this for you.". 

     I was half expecting to see an animal's head perched on to a plate, but instead, I found two plates (for me and my brother), with six slices of Spam, a cup of rice, and a bit of ketchup on the side. Needless to say, we tore into the plate like ravenous cheetahs having a field day with the carcass of a gazelle.  

    Later that evening, at around dinner time, my dad walked into with a bag of food. I won't lie to you. Whatever was in that bag, smelled really good. He said, "Hungry?". I was being bullheaded, and I just replied, "I don't like Filipino Food.". He dipped his hand into the bag, and pulls out a sandwich unlike any other I had seen before. "Its a flying saucer". he said of his strange, round, sandwich. He went in for a bite, and I gotta say, it looked really good. My dad continued to pretend that he didn't notice me watching him, and continued to focus on the TV. He then pulled out another sandwich from the bag and said, "All yours.". I hesitated for a minute, but in my mind, decided that sandwiches are considered American food. 

   I was pleasantly surprised with what I found inside after my first bite. It was definitely new territory for me. It was very meaty, but the flavor was something I had never experienced before. It was only after I had finished my last bite that my dad took the empty sandwich wrapper from me, to throw in the trash, and with a smile said, "That was called "Adobo Flying Saucer". It's made with Chicken. A very popular dish in the Philippines.". I was a little annoyed that I had been had, especially since my Filipino food boycott was still in full effect. My dad, with a laugh, said to me, "See? Filipino food isn't so bad, right?".

   The days following, my dad would bring for me take out food at least once a day, introducing my brother and I to basic Filipino food staples, such as their Chicken BBQ, Liempo and Pork BBQ.. All from Aristocrat.     

     More than 30 years later, I found it ironic that my journey into exploring Filipino Food would continue where it all began: At Aristocrat restaurant, whose standards in food and service still stands tall, till this very day.  

NEW BARBECUE SPECIALS FROM BULGOGI BROTHERS! -RinaZ

        I have a confession to make…

         I like watching Koreanovelas. Specifically the romatic-comedy ones. I think they write great plots and I get so kilig with those kilig moments. Kilig to the point that I have to cover my mouth with a pillow to scream. (I know). 

Family dinner scene from Golden Bride

From Full House. Rain eating kimchi rice straight from from a huge bowl

       Anyway, whenever I watch these koreanovelas, there are a loooot of dining scenes. And for me, how they eat is so appetizing. Like what they’re eating is really really good! They never fail to get my tummy rumbling! Especially how they eat steaming white sticky rice with that long spoon. Oh my golly! Really has a effect on my tummy!

Bulgoggi Brothers in Mall of Asia

              So when I went to Bulgoggi Brothers, I was so into the long-spoon-and-rice scenario that I ate 3 cups of rice!!! (No judging please hehe) Well, technically it was 2 and a half because I only finished half of my third bowl. But really, aside from the fact that I was having fun envisioning myself in Korea eating a lovely meal with steaming hot rice using a long spoon, the real reason which made me ate so much was their new Barbecue Specials Menu!

STAYCATION SERIES: F1 HOTEL MANILA AT BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY

          I believe it was in the year 2005 or so when I first discovered the beauty of a "Staycation". Even though I was already working then, I was still living at home, so I didn't have rent or mortgage to think about. Meaning I had money. I purchased a "Club Membership" from an exclusive Hotel in Makati, that offered room vouchers that gave me huge discounts, and just to seal the deal, they even included an overnight stay, absolutely free. 

      At first, I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical. I wondered to myself, "Why pay money for an overnight stay in a hotel that's just around 30 minutes away from my house?". Nonetheless, the membership also gave me a 50% discount at their famous buffet, so that was enough for me. 

      Within minutes of checking in, I saw exactly what the whole point of a staycation was. The point was to get yourself absorbed in all of the relaxation, without the hassle of long airport lines and bumpy plane rides. You drove a few minutes away, yet you're taken to completely new world.. One free of stress, where your every whim is catered to. 

       As a blogger, I was fortunate to have been invited to a staycation late last year, and made some wonderful friends from the blogging world along the way. That experience inspired me to expand my horizons in 2013, and try to write more travel posts, including some amazing places in the metro where you and your family could enjoy a relaxing staycation.

      Early June, I was elated to be able to add another hotel to the list of places I've had a staycation in. Considering it was a Hotel that I pass by every day on my way to work, nothing could further epitomize the concept of "Staycation" than F1 Hotel Manila. 

SMOKING HOT BarBQ: GLOBAL FILIPINO CUISINE AT GREENBELT 3!

             I'll admit that i'm not the biggest fan of Filipino Food. Whenever we go to a Pinoy resto, my default order is Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly) and i'm good to go! But I had an eerie feeling that Smokin' Hot BBQ, the new Filipino restaurant by The Bistro Group, would be definitely something worth checking out.

       Going to Smoking Hot BBQ was a little bit bittersweet for me because it meant having to finally come to terms with the closing of fish and co.'s Greenbelt Branch.. A personal favorite of mine. Imagine how I felt.. The restaurant that serves the best fish and chips in town is being replaced by another whose cuisine i'm not too fond of. Hurts, right? 

         Nevertheless I decided to put my faith in Chef Josh Boutwood, and trust that he would do amazing things with Filipino Food.

       And boy, was I right.

RIGHT ON 'CUE: MODERN BARBECUE

          Ahh yes.. Barbecue.. Perhaps my favorite food group. I'm going to be the first to admit that I have a weakness for food that is prepared in this highly esteemed method of cooking. From Barbecued meats, to the different types of sauces, it matters not. I love them all. 

      A couple of weeks ago, a childhood friend of mine, Chaveli, posted a picture on Instagram (follow me, pickiesteater!) that showed "Steak & Bone Marrow Tacos" from a Restaurant called "Cue: Modern Barbecue", with the apt caption, "Heart attack on a plate'. Chavs explained to me that it was a new restaurant at Bonifacio High Street that was opened by couple of our childhood friends from Cebu, Jon and Pebbles. 

     Regardless, though, the concept alone, "Modern Barbecue" had my full attention 

THE CHIC-BOY MADNESS

           The weeks before Rina gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Renee' Amelie aka Rain, we would have to go for her check ups with her doctor in QC. Naturally, we would eat out immediately after, which is how we ended up going to "Kanzhu Hand Pulled Noodles" (I'm still craving for their Lamb Dumplings) and "Size Matters" (I still need to try their "Breakfast In Bed" with an English Muffin). We usually head out to QC by 8am so we can be at the Doc's office by around 9am. It gets really packed, so we try to make it a point to get there as early as possible, just to make sure our lunch plans don't get hassled. Unfortunately during this trip, the doctor texted Rina after we had left already, saying that it would be best for us to get to her office by 12noon instead of 9am, throwing a monkey wrench in our lunch plans. 


      Instead, to pass the time, we decided to visit my grandfather who happens to live in QC as well. We then decided to head off to the doctor's office by 11:30, to get there, "Early". Unfortunately, all her other patients were thinking the same thing, so technically we were already late. The receptionist told us we would be waiting for roughly around an hour and a half or so, and advised us to get some lunch nearby and wait for her text. 


     With my growling stomach starting to alarm the other patients in the room, we headed downstairs where we saw the huge sign directly in front of our doctor's building.. "Chic-Boy". 

A RAINY VISIT TO ZAO VIETNAMESE BISTRO

Believe it or not, this was shot in the early afternoon, yet it was so dark..

      I'm going to do a magic trick for ya.. Quick! Think of the first Vietnamese Restaurant here in Manila that pops up into your brain! Lemme guess.. "Pho Hoa", right? Yeah, I thought so. If not, was it Pho Bac? or Pho 24? (If you thought up of any other restaurant, leave the name on my comment box please?) My point being, choices for Vietnamese food here in Manila aren't exactly easy to come by, unlike, say, Chinese or Japanese. 

    Zao Vietnamese Bistro was one of those restaurants that somehow flew under my radar. In fact, if it wasn't for their Barbecue Platter deal on Groupon Philippines, I wouldn't have even known they existed- Which is strange because, their two branches are located in Eastwood and Serendra - two places that I frequent quite often. 

   So on a gloomy Monday morning, Rina and I braved the rains and trooped over to Eastwood once again, to make sure we use our ZAO voucher before it expires!  

BARBEQUE HEAVEN AT CEBU'S LARSIAN

 Can we be any more tourist-y?

                       Just like the Magellans Cross and the Sto. Nino Church, Larsian sa Fuente has become one of Cebu's tourist attractions that you must go to during a visit to the queen city of the South. What exacty is "Larsian", you ask? Just the home of one of the country's best BBQ, thank you very much!

                     The Larsian I grew up with looked sort of like an outdoor Wet Market or "Palengke" if you will, but filled with BBQ stands. It was absolute mayhem trying to get in, because there was smoke coming from all angles, and people (people I could barely understand, mind you) would be screaming at you to buy from their stand. You would sometimes step on something squishy.. something you could only hope was a fallen piece of longganiza. Cars would zoom past you if you got too close to the street, making it seem like you were actually risking your life for a stick of BBQ. Was it worth it though? 

                 Hell yeah!
                      

TONY ROMA'S!

         For our 2nd Year Anniversary celebration, Rina & I decided to spend the night at Hotel Dusit. We just really wanted to shut off our cellphones off and keep ourselves away from the outside world, even just for a day, and since I had a free room (and free breakfast buffet), we made the most of it. During the afternoon, we decided to take a leisurely walk around Glorietta for awhile. Not to mention the fact that since we were both starving. We were thinking of a place to eat, and since it was a special occasion, we agreed it should be a place where we had never eaten yet together. Given the fact that we've been on so many hunger quests together, we actually drew a blank.

                         Then, as we entered the doors of Glorietta, a promo girl handed me a coupon for a 20% discount at Tony Roma's. And just like that, it was as if the gates of heaven opened, and the trumpets of the angels blared into the pristine azure sky. All of a sudden, I knew what I wanted in life. Some god dang good Ribs!!!