I've always loved my weekly Burrito fix at TACO BELL in Gateway Mall Araneta City. I don't usually eat alone, but when I do, I make sure it's going to be with real comfort food. But of course, the pandemic happened. I am so thankful that they remained in operation and deliver well loved Taco Bell items to my own home via their 8911-11-11 and delivery apps where available. Now I've been a beef lover all my life, and as a treat for people like me, Taco Bell is now putting Beef Carnitas in Burritos and Quesadillas on a limited time til October 18, 2021.
Imagine Beef that's slow cooked, mixed in with spices, garlic sauce and a hint of sweetness. They got that all wrapped up with your rice, veggies and made Taco Bell Beef Carnitas Burrito. If you prefer something that's enveloped in melted cheese and flour tortilla, go for the Taco Bell Beef Carnitas Quesadilla. It's available in meals, add Php 70 for Nacho Sprinkles and 16oz soda too. If you want the Beef Carnitas Burrito Big Bell Box that only costs Php 299, it's got a Beef Carnitas Burrito, Crunchy Taco, Nacho Sprinkles, Cinnamon Twists and 16-oz soda. If you prefer an even bigger meal, go for the Php 369 Beef Carnitas Quesadilla Big Bell Box that comes with a Beef Carnitas Quesadilla, a serving each of Fiesta Potatoes, Nacho Sprinkles, Cinnamon Twists and 16-oz soda.
If you're a fan of intense beef flavor, this definitely hits the spot. The sides you see have always been a staple in Taco Bell meals so that's a given. You'll save a lot when you get them on these Big Bell packages so might as well order them like that. Take a bite of it today and say Live Mas!
Have you ever had the freedom to eat BEEF BELLY STRIPS as much as you can? How about tons of Tempura for your Japanese food cravings? If you haven't had that yet, things might need to change as both Sizzlin' Steak and Teriyaki Boy bring you All-You-Can weekdays just for that!
Get a serving of Rice and a glass of iced tea and let them fill you up with Beef Belly Strips for only P349. I had that and got about ten servings of it in one sitting. I couldn't move much after serving number 8 haha! My other friends got the Tempura for the same price, though if you want more rice you just order that off the menu and it is still affordable. If you wish to have more servings of hot sizzling plates of Beef Belly Strips or Tempura, just go and raise the signboards and you'll get them running to your table. My trick is to order ahead because I kinda measure what I can still eat, but don't waste food!
Smores
Pork Tonkatsu
Chicken Teriyaki
Gyoza
If you want other things aside from Beef Belly Strips or Tempura, they have tons to choose from including desserts. The All You Can Eat though is enough, but who's stopping you right?
The offer is only good on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the whole month! You've got a few more weeks left this JUNE.
Kris Bernal has been wearing different hats since I have known her. Aside from being an actress, singer, dancer, business woman, here she goes again delving into a restaurant in Dapitan Street, Manila called HOUSE OF GOGI. That sounds like a fashion house but do know this stems from the Bulgogi which is a Korean beef dish that she fancies, we tried it out for ourselves a few days ago to know what it was all about.
The concept is simple, if it's lunch time you pay 399, if it's dinner you pay 488. What do you get for that amount you say? You get A LOT!
The Banchan (customary side dishes) consists of Fish Cake, Corn and Cheese, Potatoes, Korean Pancake and dried anchovies. They also refill at will so if you are a buffet Olympian like me, skip breakfast and bring your appetite to lunch with your friends and family.
The meats? It's what they are known for. GOGI goodness comes in Beef Samgyupsal, Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi Beef varieties. Pork also comes in Pork Samgyupsal, Pork Bulgogi and Spicy Pork viands. I went for the Beef Samgyupsal and had it with fresh greens which they serve with a table top one burner stove. Lay all the meats on the grill and wait for your cheese to melt (takes a few minutes) and all this comes with the price you paid for lunch. I asked how she was able to keep the prices of lunch and dinner so low, Kris shares because she gets them straight from the source. She tells us the supplier is the family of her non showbiz boyfriend which she has known for quite a while now. Remember MEAT KRIS? All the patties she used from that burger business came from that same supplier. She closed down shop because she felt that was all a testing ground before she decided to open a full blown restaurant - hence House of Gogi.
The meat becomes doubly good with their sauces, the gochujang was exceptionally good, kudos whoever made that because it has a little sweetness and not just super spicy.
The kimchi wasn't too strong, a little on the less spicy side but you can fix that with the gochujang. Your grilled pork will have even more love if you get melted cheese with it, not the cheddar type but real Mozzarella. You can ask for refills if you need to. This is so good!
Things like Beef Bulgogi and this steamed egg dish makes this place even better. Oh and did I forget to mention that they serve unlimited BIBIMBAP instead of the usual rice? Now how can you not try this place no?
The place is also instagrammable if there is such a term, so make sure you bring your phone cameras so you can share the experience.
After a good meal, we asked Kris Bernal a few questions about her upcoming show and a few details of who's going to be in it. She will be opposite Thea Tolentino on another ground breaking drama which GMA is known for.
Additionally we also learned she's planning to put up her own brand of lipstick, which dumbfounded me because everyone thought she was just quiet and doing nothing apart from her show, but NO. She's doing businesses left and right, some real estate investments, several shows and movies in the pipeline, even got a brand launched very soon.
Kris Bernal wants you to also experience House of Gogi for yourselves so head on to #55 Dapitan Street in Manila or just search House of Gogi in WAZE or Google Maps. It's this food park that has a car wash shop in the center. Just go up the small flight of stairs in the center and enter House of Gogi. Kris and her partners usually are there to say hi while you dine.
Congratulations Kris! Can't wait to see your other branches and other restaurants soon!
It was a nice afternoon for a great lunch so we headed our way to BEEFFALO by Hotrocks located at 135 Hoover Street in San Juan City. If my memory serves me right, I think I've already eaten in one of their defunct branches at Club 650' in Eastwood Libis which closed down because they stopped the lease and making that a community of condominiums. Now this place is off the beaten track, only a few restaurants exist in this place with the exception of the nearby Wilson Street area.
The restaurant was conceptualized by a husband and wife team - owners who adored grilling in their backyard in Marikina. Back then, their guests often comprise friends and family who absolutely adored their home cooking. The weekend parties became pretty frequent, even bigger and they kept on going back. The crowd became huge and later on found themselves spending a lot for food, then the husband thought about putting up a restaurant. His lovely wife thought he was crazy but decided to go through with it because he already paid for the space. The place in Marikina was barren land - where you would often see grass growing wildly, people often get lost as it was right in the middle of nowhere but people still flocked as a destination restaurant.
Today the whole street has been lined with shops, some commercial establishments jumped the opportunity to also open there. They decided it was time to open BEEFFALO so they could cater to more people in Manila, a place that would still have shades of HotRocks food people love, a chill spot for home cooked food, coffee and good desserts.
The Place
This place is quaint, a little rustic, got that shabby chic kind of decor with a touch of color here and there. During our time there, they were already preparing for Halloween and the General Manager Louie Abad told us how they take this occasion seriously. They really dress up and find it was good to entertain their customers too.
It could probably accommodate around 50 people in one go. Lines are a normal scene during lunch and dinner so they'd appreciate if you reserve ahead if you plan to have a meal here. Though if you're really in the mood, go here on weekdays and you'll probably have a better chance to dine.
I was actually excited to see they had the BEEF to put up decors like these cows in the mix. I felt right at home because you know, we're KUMAGCOW after all.
For small groups who plan to have intimate parties, might I suggest you get this section of the restaurant for more privacy. This would be fit for meetings as well.
Now all these nice things on the restaurant got me worked up. I think it's time to get to the more serious stuff and try out their food. Here's what you can expect from BEEFFALO.
The Food
Their dishes were pretty much a mix American comfort food, the ones that Filipinos love. The difference is the way they make it. I think it stems from the way their food is prepared because she (the wife) isn't formally trained, a proud home cook (a very talented one at that). You get to see the care and heart put in on every dish, which I absolutely love.
This is their Taco Barbecue Salad. It's a pretty hefty serving so
this would be best if shared by two people. It's got nachos, taco beef,
salsa, cheddar on a bed of roughly chopped lettuce. It's served with
drizzled ranch dressing and a bit of barbecue sauce. Filled me up
already, but there were more things on the menu.
They had a few soups on the menu but I chose this Roasted Pumpkin Soup. It's sweeter than the usual because they do roast the pumpkin before they blitz it. It was hearty, I felt warm and fuzzy already.
They do serve beer but prefer you have their hearty meals, if you want a bottle or two you can order these Nachos. They serve this with Salsa or Spinach Dip but we asked them to serve both because we're nice people. These are nice things to have before the main course, which we'll get to in a bit.
Might I interest you with this Biscuit Pizza of which they're very proud of because of it's super thin crust. This is their Margherita Pizza.
If you're a bit adventurous, go for the Garlic and Mushroom Pizza. Still with the thin crust, you get to taste more of the flavors of the toppings which they wanted when they made these pizzas. They also have it in Three Cheese and Pepperoni variants.
This is their Porterhouse Beeffalo Steak served with real mashed potatoes and vegetable slides. Now how do I put this, it wasn't as perfect as I wanted it to be because it's Tenderloin filet on the one side and the other is Strip Steak, which means it's more likely you get tougher piece of meat on one side and a softer one on the other. This was seasoned well but I suggest you eat this as soon as it lands on the table. It'll feel different if you let it rest too long on the table with airconditioning. Still, I love meat so I'd order this in a heartbeat.
I love this one, it's their Buttermilk Fried Chicken. This started as an experiment they had with a popular food magazine in the Philippines but they have now included this as a permanent item on the menu. It's served with mashed potato or garlic rice and a side salad. The creamy gravy MUST be there for obvious reasons. It's a good representation of comfort food.
Since we were that special, they served us something that's not on the menu. This is their Salmon Steak. It's been deboned, so you don't get pricked. This obviously is a HUGE serving so we asked them to perhaps have this toned down once it lands itself on the menu and they were very nice and accommodating with regards to feedback. I like that about them.
I would like to personally introduce to you my favorite item on their menu (aside from the next one though!) is these lovely, mouthwatering Beeffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip. It's perfectly fried wings saturated in their Original Spicy Buffalo Sauce and it's available in HOT or SWEET variants. You can also ask them to prepare both if you have friends who don't like it spicy, but I'd rather see you try it out yourselves. If my hunch is correct, they don't just use Tabasco here, but more of the Schezuan Pepper Corn which is known to be a bit hot. It's got a peppery profile so it permeates from the back of your mouth to your nose, I like this a lot I almost ate all of it LOL.
This brings it up a notch big time, this is their Baby Back Ribs. They do mean one and they use their own concocted spice rub which they say will remain a secret. As you may understand this is for sharing but if you're a big guy like me, please enjoy this on your cheat day. It's sweet and savory, not dry and you can taste how the meat must have been in the grill for hours as it also falls off the bone. If you have a special guest, please do not leave this place without ordering this.
BEEFFALO is but a wonderful place to get home cooked comfort food in San Juan. If you're near here or frequent this place, consider yourself lucky. It would be the best place to have a cup of coffee, dine with family and friends without minding too much on the budget. Best for groups too because most of their dishes are intended for sharing. Though I've seen quite a few pairs having lunch there, as it's cozy, not too fancy, very casual.
Please do visit them at 135 Hoover Street in San Juan City. I find that typing in the address on UBER or GRAB was easy than the actual name of the restaurant. I'll try and upload the photos on Google so you can find it, don't worry!
Bring around 1,000 for a date night and that could feed 2 people (if you're on a diet, much less than that). Trust me on the wings!
This is officially my second time going to Launchpad. It's that tall building that houses different startups and TV5 in Reliance street, Mandaluyong. Judging from the tenants, this looks like a mixed use space. The restaurants and kiosks in this area are starting to open and with the location quite near the Shaw-Pasig Kapitolyo district, I feel they must put up a great challenge to woo people from this side of town to stay there. The choices are humongous, but this one would surely interest you more if you're cup of tea (or the lack thereof literally) is meat, glorious meat. I guess this is their calling, to serve via Roadster Roasters things that are FUELED BY MEAT. How can you not love something like that?
The Interiors
The inside was a mix of raw concrete walls, some faux wooden posts, bricks, a little western modern barn and street club. With that mouthful of elements, I thought it wouldn't work but it's actually cozy.
The place can seat about 50-60 people half of which are the ones outside. The bunk seats are actually comfortable, good for groups and families.
Yes darling, it's all fueled by meat. They do make good barbecues which we'll show later, so this sign in a nutshell makes total sense.
You've got a little privacy in these seats, the others are all open and acoustics are all out there so you're going to hear the next table if they don't have music playing. They will most of the time.
The theme matched much of a trucking joint in the US, where travelers on the road take a break and have all the protein goodness they deserve before or after a long drive. It was a bit warm inside the restaurant that evening, but probably just because of the amount of people who wanted to have their share of meat.
The Food
The owners (4 guys) were pretty fond of having their protein fix after working out. I get what they are trying to get here, to have those favorite protein dishes in one place. Their dishes channeled a little southern, that good, intense smoky flavor. Their roasted meat spend around 12 hours in the smoker/oven much until each piece falls off the bone (for the ribs), and soft until it's just fork tender. I didn't get any piece that was over seasoned and I think they kept it that way so people would have a hand in what to mix or prepare with the meats. Their menu is still expanding, to fit what meat lovers would adore they probably need to have it that way. They're raring to even experiment a little in their kitchens and come out with new items every now and then. That's good news for those usually get tired and bored on menus, especially if you are regulars. People would appreciate that.
This is like church, but most of the things in the spotlight includes all the essential beers, drinks and desserts.
They serve cocktails and craft beers, so if you're looking for local or international brewers, they have these bottles on the menu.
Try not to be scared because these are called Mozza Bombs. It's meatballs with mozzarella inside. It's a little tangy because of the tomato sauce, doused with parmesan cheese outside. Make sure you eat this while it's hot so you could see that cheese ooze out of this appetizer, a great way to start a meal. Pretty good for kids too!
If you would like to pair something with the beers, take a look at this Roadster Nachos. Crunchy corn nachose with cheese sauce, strips of pulled pork, and a little salsa. Again, this would be a good beer match. Order this for yourself and your kids too.
One of my favorite things that evening was the Pork Rind. Crunchy and freshly cooked, a little backfat doesn't hurt anyone right? Again, I advise you to have this while it's hot. It won't be as good if you leave it out in the air for a few minutes, but that's just me.
For a more healthy alternative, have this Butter Roasted Chicken. It tastes good as it's smothered by roasted garlic, spices, and roasted well in the oven. The gravy was not too salty, a good thing to have on it's own or with rice. I prefer it as is because you'll enjoy every mouthwatering part of the chicken with your family and friends without worrying if it's too spicy or not. It's just simple, perfectly roasted poultry. Doesn't cost much either.
If you are fond of spicy stuff, then get the Roadster Sriracha Chicken Wings. Dip in sour cream, ughh... you'll love it!
People suddenly got out of their seats to see the Chef cut the slab of meat, the Texas Style Beef Brisket.
Still moist, smoky, so good with gravy. You don't even have to have
rice with it because this is a full meal. Fills you up in no time at
all. This is one of their specialties. I'll let you see it sliced nicely
on a platter with home made coleslaw and sausages.
If your goal is to gain weight and feed your muscles, this would be a good place to start! They also have Roadster Pork Ribs, and Roadster Pork Belly. I don't know about you but this just made my day!
Oh don't even think of leaving the table yet, because as far as I know one of these three desserts would actually tickle your fancy. Just choose between Hazelnut Nutella, Cookies and Cream, and Mango Caramel. Let's just say everybody freaked out when this landed on our table. With good reason right?
So if you're raring to have something comforting, meaty and good, take a trip to LAUNCHPAD off Reliance corner Sheridan streets in Mandaluyong City. Roadster Roasters is the first restaurant on the leftmost part of the building, you won't miss it. Tons of celebrities, bloggers enjoyed the night of food and drinks, I guess it's time for you to experience the same things we did.
