Tomahawk Chops & Grill, Kapitolyo

Like Marikina, Kapitolyo is also considered a home to a number of hole in the wall establishments in the East side of the Metro.  You will find a variety of budget friendly (and not so budget friendly) restaurants along the stretch of Kapitolyo in the heart of Pasig City.

Yesterday, we are in the mood for some steak so we decided to have lunch at Rub but then when we arrived Rub at 1PM in the afternoon, they were still full and there aren’t any parking spaces available anymore.  Luckily, when we drove a little more we saw Tomahawk on our left (coming from Pioneer) and decided to give it a try.

Though small, they still managed to put a number of tables (5) that can sit 4 people and 1 that can sit 2, 6 tables in total.  I like that they didn’t maximized the space to put tables all over the place and left one side of the hall open.   That way, customers will still have air to breathe even if the establishment is full.

One, among a number, of informative information about Tomahawk painted on their wall

When we arrived, we luckily were able to avail of their 11AM-2PM weekday promotion.  The promo is P199.00 for a Grilled Tomahawk chop which is originally priced at P275.00.  Both already have a glass of iced tea with it.  However, compared to the chop on promo, the regular priced chop includes 2 sides already.

Grilled Tomahawk Chop (P199.00, promo)
Though not evident in this photo, their chop is actually an inch thick!

Like what they’re claiming, their Grilled tomahawk chop is indeed an inch thick! Well, both of our orders were so I’m assuming that it is really their standard serving.  Just from the looks of it, I can already say that they know their chops pretty well.  Though thick, it is grilled to perfection with its juice oozing from the meat with each slice.  So tender that we didn’t felt the need to exert an effort to use the knife, or to chew for that matter.  About the flavor, I love that even if it is smothered with their signature sauce, it still tasted just right.  I also love that “grilled” taste is present in the chop.  And one more thing, I’m not really particular with the rice that goes with my orders but theirs is evidently in good quality.  I mean a person can tell if it is good just by the color, right? It’s just too white and is cooked perfectly for my liking.

Onion rings (P145.00)

Aside from the main that we ordered, we decided to order a serving of their onion rings (P145.00).  We would love to try their chili cheese fries initially but we were informed that it is not available at the moment.  The serving is enough for two persons.  Batter coats each onion ring perfectly, it’s not too thick and not too thin at the same time. They didn’t scrimped in the use of onions, each is sliced just enough. The dip greatly complements the onion rings too.  I personally think that we shouldn’t have ordered the onion rings, not because we didn’t liked how it tasted but because we were already full with the huge Tomahawk chop that were served, and finishing a serving of the onion rings became a bit of a struggle. Anyhow, we still managed to finish it though.  And besides, who are we to complain about having too much food to eat? J

To those who are interested to try, they’re open only during lunch and dinner:

THE VERDICT

Tomahawk is a very promising hole in the wall establishment in Kapitolyo.  Though there aren’t too much people when we came, I heard that they become crowded in the evening.  We can always go here for a quick (and out of the ordinary) steak fix.   We didn’t have any problem with the service.  The wait staff is always all ears and attentive. Waiting time isn’t something to be disappointed about too. We will definitely go back to Tomahawk.  I’m actually craving for another serving of their grilled tomahawk chop while I’m writing this.


TOMAHAWK CHOPS & GRILL
56A East Capitol Drive, 
Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Mobile: 0915-5135908
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tomahawkchopsandgrill
Instagram: @tomahawkchopsandgrill

Oh My Beef! Marikina

One of the things in my to-do list for this year is to visit Marikina more often and dine in almost every hole-in-the-wall resto in the area.  I live in a town that's very near Marikina but sadly I'm not really familiar going around within this 'indie' culinary haven.  I always hear about the famous Lilac Street and Rainbow Ave., though. They say that you can find everything that you're craving for in these areas.  One Saturday night, I decided to start my 'installment' Marikina culinary haven adventure. We decided to try out Qizia first, it's within SDS Medical Center compound along Concepcion Dos in Marikina.  I remember wanting to go there years ago but never had the chance to do so until that night.  Anyhow, as we're traversing the busy Gil Fernando Avenue in Marikina, we chanced upon this food joint on our left side of the road.

We've never encontered Oh My Beef! anywhere else before but its signage (read: steaks) made us stop and slightly consider to change our mind on what we want to have for dinner. Yes, slightly, because we decided to stick with our initial plan to have dinner in Qizia (which I'll be discussing on a separate entry), instead.

Going back, we literally went back to Oh my Beef! the following day for dinner.  Oh My Beef! shares an area with Tutti Frutti and Bacolod Chk n bbq House.  I assume (which is pretty obvious) the three are operated as one.

Let side seating of the establishment. A showcase of what
Bacolod Chk n bbq House has to offer on the wall.

Tutti Frutti's yogurt dispensing machines at the far center.

Right side seating of the establishment

I wasn't able to take pictures of the area from the outside but I can say that they have just enough parking spaces.  If I'm not mistaken, it can accommodate up to 10 vehicles on a jam-packed night. On seats, a lot are also available outside if guests want to dine al fresco.

Oh my Beef! in itself offers a wide variety of food to choose from:

WHAT WE ORDERED:

Tenderloin Steak (P325.00)
Pan seared beef ternderloin steak topped with bearnaise sauce and sliced mushroom.
Served with seasonal vegetables, choice of mashed potatoes or steamed rice.

Tenderloin steak is indeed tender, I didn't feel the need to use a knife to slice it. The bernaise sauce is tasty, too.  One look on the veggies tells me that it isn't cooked perfectly and are not fresh from the beginning.

Baby Back Ribs (P225.00)
Grilled marinated baby back ribs served with buttered vegetables.
Choice of mashed potaoes or steamed rice.

Like the tenderloin steak, the baby back ribs tastes good too.  The marinade is on the sweet side which is not a problem for me. Yes, it's tender. Well the part where there are no gristles is tender -- which is NOT so much, I tell you. Almost half of this chunk was left on our plate because of the rubbery gristle. I don;t know if  it's just me but I think there's something wrong with the portioning of veggies.

Creamy Carbonara (P185.00)
Creamy parmesan cream sauce, ham and bacon tossed in spaghetti pasta.

Among everything that we ordered, I personally think that this pasta is the one that hits the spot. For one, the serving is hefty that is satisfied 2 hungry tummies (that also had a steak meal each).  The sauce of the pasta is so creamy and tasty.  They didn't seem to scrimp on hams and bacons too.

THE VERDICT:

Taste wise, everything that we ordered isn't disappointing.  It would be great, though, if they pay extra attention to details such as (1) sides and main dish portioning and  (2) quality of veggies and especially meats that they serve to customers - which is pretty important since I assume they want to be known as a hole-in-the-wall steak restaurant.  One of these days (read: this weekend, lol), when we decide to go back for their unforgettable creamy carbonara, we can maybe reconsider to try their baby back ribs again to see if what we encountered on our first visit was just an isolated case.

Oh, and one more thing, you shouldn't be starving if you decide to go here.  Allot approximately 30 minutes (or more) waiting time upon order.



OH MY BEEF!
Mayor Gil Fernand Ave.,
Marikina City

IHOP, BGC

After a year of being on blog hiatus, please let the prodigal child return with an entry about the most talked about pancake restaurant in town - the International House of Pancakes (IHOP).  I'm actually way too late in trying this one out since they already have a number of branches in the country already (I've been planning to try this out when the first branch opened in BGC more than a year ago). But like what we usually say, "It's better late than never." 

Ever since IHOP opened in BGC last Feb 2013, I've been reading a lot of status updates and check -ins in social media, most specifically Facebook, from friends and friends of friends. And I never stopped being curious ever since.  The only reason that keeps on stopping me to go is that I'm not a sucker for long queues and hours of waiting. I don't think they're closing anytime soon anyway :) So after more or less 5 branches opened around the metro within just a year, I finally decided to pay a visit. 

I don't think I already mentioned here in this blog that I'm more of a morning person.  Yes, I am. I don't mind waking up so early in the morning for work, or for anything else for that matter. I almost always arrive the office 2 hours early, gives me enough time to do the things that I want to do to get in the mood for work -- which includes checking and answering personal and work emails, checking social networking sites (sssshhhh..), reading news on the net and other stuff.  One weekday morning, on my way to work, I decided that I'm in the mood for a different before-work-ritual that includes my favorite past time aside from sleeping -- eating.  That's when IHOP came to mind.  I mean, it's breakfast, the most important meal of the day, right? So why not make it special (and hefty, hihi) once in a while :)

Being the morning person that I am, it's good to know that IHOP in BGC opens as early as 6:00 in the morning. That way I'll have enough time to savor and enjoy everything that I'll order.  When I arrived IHOP, I was welcomed by a smiling female staff by the entrance.  She asked me if I'm with someone already, when I told her that I'll eat alone she led me to the second floor where I was able to freely choose the area where I want to sit for breakfast.  Of course I chose the area on the side with comfortable couches and a nice view of the uncrowded BGC on a nice early morning:

Uncorwded BGC on a nice early morning

One of the many perks of eating at a famous and talked about restaurant in the morning is this:

IHOP all to myself :)

Though I already know what food to order in mind, I still took my time to look at their menu. It's because I definitely know that I'll change my mind right after I see the variety of foods that they offer.  Yes, that's my fickle minded self talking.

So after 10 years, I was able to finally decide to stick with the order that I have in mind:

I decided to order one of the famous omelettes under IHOP's hearty omelettes which is the Big Steak Omelette (P495.00).  Based from their menu, their hearty omelettes are: 

"Made with a splash of famous buttermilk and wheat pancake batter for extra fluffiness and served with two buttermilk pancakes or seasonal mixed fruit (except for SIMPLE and FIT omelette which is served as described).  Substitute other famous pancakes for 75.00 more.  Add hashbrowns 75.00"

Big Steak Omelette (P495.00)
Tender strips of steak, hash browns, fresh green peppers, onions,
mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar cheese.  Served with salsa.

The omelette was served hot but because I prefer eating sweets/desserts first before the savory ones, it is cold already during the time that I was going to eat it.  The ingridients mentioned above are all present in the omelette. However, being the cheese lover that I am, I find the grated cheese not enough.  I'm not really familiar with the type of steak that they use but it is chewy for me and shall I say tasteless? I'm not really sure. Anyhow I think the salsa made up for what is lacking when it comes to being savory/tasty.

It's a good thing that I decided to upgrade my pancake to Cinn-a-stack pancake for an additional 75.00, because that's the only thing that I enjoyed devouring aside from their refreshing Splashberry:

CINN-A-STACK (P235.00)
Two buttermilk pancake layered with cinnamon roll filling and
topped with cream cheese icing and whipped topping.

Splashberry (P175.00)
a blend of IHOP's juicy red strawberries, lemon-lime soda
and premium orange juice.

The Cinn-a-stack pancake originally costs P235.00.  But since a buttermilk pancake is already included with an order of any hearty omelette, I just opted to upgrade my pancake to cinn-a-stack for an additional P75.00.  The pancake is the usual fluffy ones but surprisingly I didn't find it too sweet that's why I was able to finish all of it at once.

If you opt not to upgrade your pancakes, they have available pancake syrups to choose from as well

Available pancake syrups: Old Fashioned, Blueberry, Butter Pecan and Strawberry

Aside from the Cinn-a-stack pancake, I found the Splashberry worth the price that I paid for.  It's refillable too. But since I was too full with what I ordered, I only managed to enjoy 2 full glasses of it.

THE VERDICT

Every staff in the restaurant is attentive and is always ready to give what their guests want.  Though pricey, I can say that I consider going back to IHOP to try other dishes in their menu.



International house of Pancakes (IHOP)
Ground Level, W Global Center,
30th St. corner 9th Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City, Philippines

Operating hours: 6:00am to 12:00MN Sundays to Thursdays; 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays

Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant

The first time I dined in Conti's was almost 6 years ago, when it is not as popular as it is now.  It was in their Serendra branch and I remember not having a hard time getting a seat, still full but not as over crowded as it can get nowadays.  At present, they encourage customers to book a reservation first before going because I heard that you'll have to wait for hours if you're a walk-in customer.

The Conti's that I used to know has a simple interior.  I remember it to be busy with servers walking to and from the kitchen.  Nothing special, just a normal dining place.  The food is something that I don't remember anymore :)

Anyway, I had the chance to dine in Conti's again with my usual companion, my mom and brother.  This time it is in their Katipunan branch.

THE AMBIANCE

I was impressed with their interior.   It isn't the simple Conti's that I used to know.  The interior looks elegant and cozy at the same time.  You wouldn't think that this branch can be as big as it is looking from the outside.   I liked that they were able to maximize their space by having 2 floors for dining guests: one on the basement (?) area and one on the mezzanine (?) area.  I'm sorry I'm not really familiar with the terms.

The photo above is what you'll see on your right once you enter their door.  Those are their baked cookies and other delicious stuff.  The area facing it are comfortable seating area where to go customers can stay while waiting. Behind it is their cashier.  When you pass by the 'cookie station' and turn to your right, you'll see a number of glass door refrigerators. If I'm not mistaken, they have 4 of it.

Mango Bravo overload, yum!

The photo above is what their glass door refs look like--filled with visually appetizing cakes. Of course each have different flavored cakes in them.  Imagine that?! Heaven, right?

THE FOOD

Chicken Ala Kiev (P285.00)

Mom ordered Chicken Ala Kiev.  I'm sorry I'm really bad at taking photos :) It came with garlic rice and mixed veggies.  According to mom, she like how creamy its sauce is.  The chicken is soft that she didn't need to use a knife.

Grilled Pork Chop (P315.00)

Brother ordered their grilled pork chop.  It consists of two pieces of pork chops grilled to perfection. It came with mixed vegetables and java rice. Brother liked it a lot that he had to order another serving of rice to go with it.

American Grilled Spareribs (P295.00)

I, on the other hand, ordered their American Grilled Spareribs.  Like the usual, it came with rice and  a huge serving of mixed veggies.  I like that their mixed veggies are cooked very well.  It didn't seem like it was cooked straight from the fridge. In short, it tasted fresh.  Just the same, what I have for the American Grilled Spareribs are all compliments. Aside from its big serving, it didn't tasted like just any other grilled spareribs that I tried. Yes, the sweet-sour taste is present but it still has a taste of something aside from it. And also, it is so soft that I didn't feel the need to use a knife like mom.

Uhmmm you might be wondering why we don't have any slice of cake after our meal.  We actually had a cake, but we're unsure if a slice for each will satisfy us.  That's why we ordered for a whole serving of Mango Bravo to go and ate it all at home :) No more pictures, I always tend to forget when I get excited about food :)

THE VERDICT

Everything were delicious! None did disappoint.  We're actually going back two weeks from now with a bigger group :)

Conti's Pastry Shop and Restaurant

224 Katipunan Ave. Extn.,

Brgy. Blue Ridge,

Quezon City

Tel. No.: (+632) 682.0812 / (+632) 646.3306

Yabu: House of Katsu

Just last week we were able to try out Yabu, the most talked about katsu restaurant in Manila for the past months.  We're actually settled on having lunch at a different restaurant beforehand but for some reason we ended up trying Yabu instead.  From the parking area, I remember walking inside the newly opened Robinson's Magnolia, passing by the food court, finding our way to the restaurant that we want to have lunch at, seeing Yabu from outside, looking from afar, was fascinated by the interior and lighting of the area, walked nearer, then before I knew it we're already seated inside and looking at their menu. Haha!

They have a wide selection of katsu dishes to choose from: pork, chicken, seafood, veggies, name it.  Being first timers, we didn't had a hard time choosing what we want.  Every detail about a particular dish is described in the menu that they give to guests. We ordered their chicken katsu set.  Every katsu set comes with a DIY katsu sauce:

"black and white sesame seeds that you have to crush  'til your hearts content"

The photo above is a cooler (and lighter) version of the mortar and pestle.  It comes with black and white sesame seeds that you have to crush 'til your hearts content.  After the seeds are crushed, it is now time to pour your desired amount of tonkatsu sauce.

I find it nice that they ask guests if it is their first time dining in their restaurant because they really give extra attention to you if you are.  Since it is our  first time, our food attendant familiarized us with the sauces and dressings on our table.  He informed us what each is used  for--which I already have forgotten.  Sorry :)

sauces,dressings and other condiments

Our food attendant, Jerry, is very accommodating to all our requests even if he had other guests to attend to.  Their manager took his time to go around and visit each table to ask if everything is okay as well.

After about 10-15 minutes our food arrived:

The visually appetizing Chicken Katsu Set

Each dish in their menu comes with miso soup, japanese pickles, shredded cabbage, and a  couple of fruit slices.  Their presentation is pretty nice that it made me not want to touch any of it.  But, hunger took over and before I knew it everything was gone! well, except for the plates :)

THE FOOD

I'm not really a fan of tonkatsu but I find their chicken katsu very good.  Its softness didn't gave me a  hard time biting into it.  The chewiness that I don't like in tonkatsus isn't present either.  Its melt in your mouth goodness is something that I want to go back for.

And did I mention that their rice and cabbage is unlimited? Yes, it is.  The moment I knew about it I actually thought of Mang Inasal and Chickboy in an instant.  They are the very sosy version, though :)

THE VERDICT

I'm actually planning to bring hubby here when he gets home. Robinson's Magnolia is too far from where we live but I hope that they have the same kind of service, and food for that matter, in their Megamall branch when we visit.

YABU: HOUSE OF KATSU

Lower Ground Floor, Robinson's Magnolia,

Aurora Blvd. cor. Dona M Hemady St.,

New Manila, Quezon City

Philippines

Buffet 101, Mall of Asia

greens in front of Buffet 101

 Buffet 101 is located along Seaside Blvd. of SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.  It is located near the very big ferris wheel that is visible once you're within the bay area.  Since buffets are hot these days, we thought of giving Buffet 101 a try.  The feel of the restaurant is just the same as Vikings, the price range is almost the same as well:

rate varies on days of visit... and height?

Forgive me but I think you'll be reading a lot of comparison from the two until the end of this post.  And so here it goes: Compared to Vikings, Buffet 101 looks and feels more spacious and is not very crowded even if all tables were occupied.  We actually went there on a rainy Thursday but still the establishment is full and we can still see guests waiting outside for tables to be emptied.

buffet area from the dessert station

They are full but still their buffet table doesn't get uber crowded.  They were able to allot one side of the establishment for their foods, and the rest for the guests tables.  I was able to ask one of their attendants about the guest capacity, and she told me that the restaurant can accommodate up to 500 guests.  Imagine that? There were almost 500 guests when we dined in the area but it still doesn't look congested unlike in Vikings.

an area in the sushi bar

appetizers

more appetizers

hot dishes

candy bar and chocolate fondue area

crepe station

they have a big enough counter that's allocated for desserts only.
On this corner  are fresh fruits and the chocolate fondue section.
On the other corner are wide selection of cakes,
dessert in various shot glasses and crepe made on the spot

The photo above shows their crepe station with lots and lots of filling available.  And not in photo is the ice cream station beside it.  Nice no?  Right after having your crepe done, you can get a scoop/s of ice cream and put it on your fresh and newly made crepe :)

Ate making my crepe

my mango blueberry crepe with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
The mango isn't sweet, though :(

They have a little bit of every cuisine served on their buffet spread.  Aside from the unlimited drinks, they also offer unlimited fruit shakes.  

Just like Vikings they have seafoods that you can have cooked the way you want.

display isn't that inviting, though

I've been imagining of eating lots of baked oysters since the first day that I learned that we're going to dine here.  Imagine my dismay when I learned that they can't accommodate my request? :(  According to the stiff and unenthusiastic staff that takes orders in the seafood area, they don't bake oysters.  He just pointed to the area where an oyster dish is available--that's clearly not what we asked for and said "yun lang ang meron" ("That's just what's available").  I then asked for buttered shrimp, again with a "here-we-go-again" facial expression, he unenthusiastically told us that they don't make buttered shrimp. His attitude made me not want to ask for anything anymore.  I just settled with what's available and ready on other areas.

The unenthusiastic staff on his back.
If I were his manager, I will just assign him behind the counter in front of him
where there will be no curious first timer guests, like us, that can annoy him.

I remember not having a hard time asking for seafoods and other stuff cooked on the spot when we went in Vikings.  They are always willing to do what is requested from them. I don't see anyone that seems to not like what they're doing.  They may lack in the number of staff that collects empty plates from guest's tables but no one from them made us feel that we're not welcomed. 

Going back, speaking of empty plates, that's one of the good things that I noticed with Buffet 101. They don't let empty plates standby on your table for a long time.  There wasn't any situation where a number of empty plates are on our table while we're eating.  They're that attentive, well except for that person above that made me not fully enjoy my dining experience.

buffet area from the other end, dimsum station

 I wasn't able to take pictures of their tempura, it tastes really good.  The thin-batter-all-shrimp type of good.    Their tempura station is on the rightmost part of the photo above.  Sorry no closer photo :)

Did I mentioned that they have nice lighting fixtures? Here are some of it:

lighting fixture above the table where we're seated

a number of this above the buffet table 

I wasn't able to take pictures of the drop crystals that served as a curtain, but it can be slightly seen on the photo below:

It is not a lighting fixture but it served as one because the light kind of reflects on it.

Overall, I can say that they can pretty much handle the number of guests that they can fit in their establishment.  Their food tastes great.  Parking space won't be a problem because a number of parking spaces is available within the area.  Some of their staff could use a smile, though.


BUFFET 101
Seaside Blvd.,
San Miguel by the Bay,
SM Mall of Asia Complex,
Pasay City, Philippines
Contact #: (632) 556-2888; (632) 556-3888; (632) 556-9888