Project 365: Day 101 - CBD (Cheesesteaks, Burgers & Drinks)

The past weekend we were able to eat at CBD Ayala Triangle. The place is forthcoming with what it serves (Its in the name! yay!) and I do like me some cheesesteak :)

Philly Cheesteak sandwiches are made with green peppers, onions, beef strips in a bun covered with cheese sauce.

I've tried some local Philly cheesesteaks in Charlie's and Army/Navy and Iceberg's and so far Army/Navy seems to be the best one in terms of bang for the buck. Charlie's cheeseteaks just seem to overloaded for me and Iceberg's was nothing notable.

 The place is a bit hoity-toity for me but since its in the Ayala Triangle I guess that's to be expected. The idea of eating a blue-collar lunch in an uptight place just seemed odd to me. While going over the menu, Roxane and I decided to get an order of wings along with a sandwich to split.

The cheesesteak sandwich. And let me just say that this is just DINKY. Not a good sign to be honest. Flavor-wise its decent, the cheesesauce pretty weak almost making a non-appearance. On the upside, the onions and peppers weren't soggy and the beef was tender. But again, for the price this sandwich is TINY.

The sandwich came with shoestring potatoes. Meh. Tiny sandwich with a miserly portion of mediocre potatoes :(

The 6 piece buffalo strips were decent enough. Boneless wings in some pretty tasty sauce, we got both the mild and hot. Roxane liked these better than Chicken Bon Chon's but I disagree. We both agreed that you get better value from Charlie's

Reading everything again, I am coming off as a bit of a Charlie's fanboy. I don't mean to but they pretty much set the benchmark for burgers and wings for me so far in terms of taste and bang for the buck.

CBD offers tasty decent grub that's let down by small portions and a comparatively high price. I don't mind paying for food as long as I get value in return and CBD just isn't offering that incentive. You'll find better prices and servings elsewhere.

Project 365: Day 88 - Food! Papa John's Pizza

I've been working in the BPO industry for quite some time now and as those in the industry know, Pizza is call center agent fuel.

We get pizza days, we get gift cheques for pizza as rewards for a job well done, we have pizza for fun contests and we get pizza just because there are several places nearby.

Some people would think that I'd be sick of pizza by now. Nope. Not me.

Sure, I'd get sick of pizza if id be eating the exact same thing from the exact same place. No matter how good the pizza, repetition and saturation would make even the shiniest canary taxi look like a beat up old R&E. The trick is to look for new guys slinging the dough and try something different.

Now, Papa John's ain't exactly new. They've been in the business for a while in the US and now they've found their way to our shores. Their motto is "better ingredients, better pizza" and Roxane and I were able to put them to task.

I've been talking about trying something new so far, it's kinda funny though how after sitting down and looking at the menu, everything seemed familiar, common even and Roxane and I gravitated towards something that we were comfortable with.

We ordered their house pizza who's  name escapes me for the moment. Think of this as their version of the Super Supreme.

A familiar face, yet something is different...

We also got a couple of their sodas. A rootbeer float and an italian soda. I got the girly drink.

Verdict: I'm going to sound like I'm shilling for this company but their motto holds true. I've never had onions and bell peppers this fresh in a pizza before. The vegetables definitely werent raw but they kept their crunch even after being in the oven. The dough was awesome. Usually when it comes to pizza I'd take or leave the lip crust. Papa John's the dough was so good I'd be happy eating the dough on its own with just the garlic butter dip that they serve along with the pizza.

Taste-wise, the pizza is a very familiar mix of cheese, meats and veggies in a very familiar tomato sauce. Like I said this tasted a lot like Pizza Hut's Super Supreme. The edge though is the top notch ingredients that give it its own signature even if you've tasted dozens of pizzas like this before.

It feels like a love song cliche in a way.

I really don't want to end this review with that cheesy line, even considering the topic so I'll go over the stuff that PJs does differently. Or at least uncommonly.

PJ's serves the pizza with a garlic butter sauce that I mentioned earlier and a pickled pepper. I've had pickled pepper's before but PJ's is really good - spicy enough to wake ya up but mellow enough not to ruin the conversation. You can order a couple of other dipping sauces as well (I really like their pizza sauce by the way...) but again the pizza stands on its own to not need the sauces in most cases (unlike Monster's where the dipping sauces are THE focal point)

They also serve "cheese sticks" which is basically their pizza dough covered in cheese. 90 bucks from last visit I think. These are awesome with the sauces and if Papa Johns was nearby I'd be stopping in regularly for them.

Speaking of price, I've been comparing prices between PJ's and the other major pizza players locally and considering a dinner for two consisting of a pizza, a side dish and drinks... PJs goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Pizza Hut and is actually better priced than Shakeys. And all of this with BETTER ingredients

I cannot stress that enough.

Thumbs up.

Project 365: Day 82 - Food! Charlie's Grind and Grill

I thought I liked burgers. I thought like any carnivore, that there was nothing better than a good burger. Thinking about that a bit more made me realize how this wasn't very true for me. The countless times that I've headed out to eat, I find myself not ordering many burgers. Nor do I go out specifically to hunt down a good burger.

I guess it's because:
1. Fastfood joints are prolific and my eat-outs are supposed to be respites from that
2. Most places don't really offer good burgers (Brothers), are overpriced (Army Navy/ That place in Serendra...600 for wagyu burgers? really?) or God forbid, both! (Johnny Rockets)
3. Most places that would offer good burgers would offer something better.

I thought that a good burger would forever be just a bit out of reach and a good burger joint would be a distant thought.

I've hard about Charlie's from Joyce and I've been meaning to visit. My bro-in-law brought home a cold specimen from the place in a brown paper bag. At first i didnt know where it came from and I ignored the damp fries in the bag. I chowed down on the burger and for a cold sandwich i thought it was pretty decent.

I told Roxane about it and one night after work we decided to get some grub. We first thought about  going to Uncle Moe's for their cheese filled meatballs but decided we would hunt Charlie's down.

Charlie's Grind and Grill - East Capitol Road, Kapitolyo, Pasig City. Open till 2am

Awesomely enough Charlie's is just a stone's throw away from Moe's. The place is right beside a carwash which is genius really. Get your grub on while your car gets detailed.

Menu is written in chalk and I get the feeling that the whole menu may not be up there. Some interesting names for food and condiments like "Punyeta Sauce"

  Roxane and I have a tendency to get distracted by the menu and miss out on house specials. this time though we pledged to try out the house bestseller before anything else.

The house specialty is the Black Angus Beef Burger. Charlie's angle here is that their beef is never frozen and ground on site. I cant really tell ya if the beef used is really Black Angus as I'm no beef expert. I had my doubts because the burger is just at 190 bucks. That's less than my favorite Steakhouse Burger from Burger King. They say though that the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, the patty.

We ordered one burger each and added their "Fresh Fries" (30?),smoked bacon (30) and some sodas.

The lettuce was really THAT green.

Wow.

Take that picture in for a minute. Fresh veggies, big steakfries and thick cut bacon on melted cheese.

I didn't expect the fries to be a winner here. I love french fries but they tend to be the same frozen ones and if we did get house-cut fries they werent really anything extraordinary. Charlie's "Fresh fries" were fried and baked as far as I can tell and they are so good it took me a while to remember I had a burger to deal with. They're that good. Crunchy without being dry and the starch solid without being starchy. I loved the ones with the skin on and I wonder if I can request all my fries to have the skins on.

The bacon on the burger was another revelation. I added it on a whim and almost didnt. The bacon is not your breakfast bacon thinly cut and soaked in grease. These things are thick sticks of pork awesome. My heart stopped a second after i bit into the bacon as I KNOW these things aren't good for me. They have a mild smokey flavor and aren't over-cured. They remind me of the old style homemade bacon i used to have back when I was a kid.

Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my closeup!

With such an awesome supporting cast, you'd be worried that the star of the show won't be able to match up. Charlie's baby didn't disappoint. It's a good sized burger as you can see from the pic. the bread is a soft black sesame seed bun. The bread might be something that you'd not notice most of the time but I appreciated how much it held everything together. Sometimes good sandwiches would be let down by wimpy bread.

The patty is a juicy piece of moo. You know it's a good burger when the juice runs down your arm. you can tell that the meat is house ground and fresh as it still has that meaty earthy taste that I love. Right now I can't tell if its Angus since it's ground but what I can tell ya is that its a tasty, good quality beef.

Total damage, 250 for the burger and the fixins, and add another 45 for the soda. Not too shabby in the cost department either.

Now, I'm not gonna say that the place doesn't have its downsides though. The indoor dining area is a bit cramped and the smells from the kitchen kinda carry over with the AC. The place gets packed during the night and people do smoke in the outdoor dining area. The service is generally prompt and we got our burger faster than i would expect but if it's busy the service does take a dive. The manager was chewing out one of the cooks when we were there. Roxane ordered a rootbeer float and got a frosty glass of icecream and a can of Mug. Overall though, those don't really take a lot out of the exprience.

I guess I found my burger joint :)

Project 365: Day 63 - Le Creperie

This article is long overdue.

Last year, Roxane and I were discussing how I missed having a good crepe. Roxane wasnt really big on crepes and couldn't relate to my cravings. We had a couple of crepes in French Baker a while back and while it was okay, it definitely wasn't something to write home about.

We stumbled on La Creperie in Robinson's Galleria a couple of days after the discussion. It was still in a "soft opening" stage and the place was empty of customers. Seemed like a clear sign that someone out there is answering my food related prayers.

This is how everything went down during our first visit:

The interior. Yes the photo is flipped to show the store sign. I have this weird aversion to taking pics of storefronts after seeing "Coming to America". No, I can't explain it either.

La Christine: the first crepe that Roxane ordered. You can tell that the chef burned the crepe a bit and made the crepe crisp. Now I dont mind that, I usually like burned food but Roxane wasn't impressed. To be honest I wasn't either. The strawberries were a bit too tart and the entire dish didn't have a good lasting impression. None of the  flavors stood out. Seems like were off to a shaky start.

Salidou:  Roxane wasn't happy about her strawberry crepe and I think one of the reasons was that I had the Salidou. In my opinion, this crepe is a superstar. The Salidou is a simple crepe with whipped cream and a drizzling of salt caramel. The caramel is so good (not too sweet, not too thick) that I immediately asked if they sold it separately. I was given a very disappointing "no". Now the only way I can get the caramel is if I eat at La Creperie. Genius bastards.

At the first visit, La Creperie is coming off as a little uneven. From the very mediocre La Christine to the great impression that the Salidou left, the polite but sometimes distracted and inattentive service and the varied quality of the crepes (Roxane's was overcooked, mine was just right), the place is showing the signs of a soft opening but seems to be adapting well.

Roxane and I loved the Salidou so much that we dedided that the place deserves a second visit. I'm glad to say that some of the concerns during the soft opening were addressed and  the place is now one of our places to go to.

Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie: A chocolate brownie wrapped in a chocolate crepe drizzled in chocolate sauce.
Personally I stay away from chocolate redundancies but this is a crepe that I'm willing to make an exception on. The crepe isn't rubbery like most that I've encountered. This shows a discipline in making the crepe batter as most people would over-mix to get the chocolate in. The crepe was tender and the melting vanilla ice cream softened the brownie creating a good play of textures. A bit too sweet for me but that's more about preference than anything.

Crepe Suzette: this is a very Your Mileage May Vary crepe. If you've had a suzette or orange marmalade before you'll know what to expect. For the rest of you, its a crepe with orange marmalade and bourbon. The liquor is lit and an eerie blue flame plays over the crepe for a few seconds. You can barely make out the flames when they set up the dish in front of you and I wish they'd dim the lights to give the dish a bit more spectacle. Now I say YMMV because its bitter. Its a combination of the sweet and the bitter from the marmalade and the bitter and burn from the bourbon. I love this. Roxane..not so much.

Le "J.J.": If sweet crepes aren't your thing, La Creperie offers savory ones too. This is another superstar. Ham, tomatoes, chili flakes and gruyere cheese melted inside a tender crepe. Pricey but very much worth it. Don't let the chili flakes scare you off as this isn't a really spicy dish. The spice is noticeable but only to highlight the other flavors.

While you eat, french music pumps from the speakers discreetly. I don't know if the owners just chose the songs for their "frenchness" as some of the songs are obviously more geared towards blue collar than high end. I don't speak the language but you can tell the songs didn't have dining in mind. I would suggest that they check out the Ratatouille soundtrack from Disney/Pixar. That may come off as cliche but it should set the mood perfectly

La Creperie has a few more places opened around the metro, notably one in Eastwood. It has crepes for those craving sweets and those looking to try something different for lunch. The place will set ya back around 200 - 300Php per person. La Creperie also offers coffee, hot chocolate (an "authentic" french one that I'm eager to try) and lots of  tea.

It's one of those places where they successfully blend high-end product and preparation with accessibility and a reasonable price range.

If it were up to me, I'd have the Salidou once a day everyday and I know I will never get tired of it.

Project 365: Day 56 - In the House of Madness...

okay, things just got a bit creepy

at this point you'd expect to hear children's voices...

or random apparitions

well, at least the place seems welcoming...

WTF! redrum...redrum...

WTF indeed. No, you didn't stumble upon a low budget remake of Pa-Siyam or The Shining. This is my review of  vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR

Yep, that's the name of the restaurant.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a restaurant in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, run by a guy named Jethro...

Fuck this, I just lost my train of thought.

I was trying to come up with a way to describe this place in a few words. I was thinking of using "Theme Restaurant" and "international cuisine" in there somewhere but I felt that using those was a disservice. A disservice to whom? I have no idea.

I guess that's the best way I can describe this place. I have no idea. Even after reading blogs about this place. Even after spending a couple of hours in the joint, even after eating the food and paying the bill and walking away.

I have no freaking idea what just happened.

Writing a review shouldn't be this hard.

VGIB is a restaurant converted from a town house in QC. The place has a theme (more on that later), it's own set of rules and quirks. The place itself can only hold up to 12 people indoors and Roxane and I had to sit at a table outside. Thankfully the weather was cooperating. Their menu doesn't seem to be set in stone as what's available may or may not be written down. The decor is a mishmash of found objects, old stuff, odd stuff... and stuff that doesnt seem to belong in this plane of existance. Their water dispenser seems to have come from an eerie parallel victorian steam punk era for crying out loud.

and that's not the theme.

The theme for this place is actually there on the name itself. Bi-Polar, or rather famous people who are or are rumored to be bi-polar. Refreshingly, while they do name-drop heavily on their menu items, we are spared from seeing the likenesses of the celebrities themselves. Would you eat something if it had Mel Gibson's or Hitler's face associated with it? Didn't think so.

Yes, Hitler. That's the name of the 4 course meal we had. I'm dead serious.

Going back to the theme, Bi-polar disorder is described as:

Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depression and elation or mania.

Emphasis on Mania. This place is downright schizophrenic. The music is dissonantly creepy, there are flags and bills stuck to the door along with old knicknacks and teapots. It's charming though. More Luna Lovegood than Charles Manson...except for the murder wall.

urgh, I give up. Let's talk about the food.

Virginia Woolf's Tears

Like I mentioned we ordered the full course meal named after the despot himself. It included soup, an appetizer, a main course, dessert and drink. You have a choice on your appetizer, main course and dessert but again this is depending on whats available. Like any theme restaurant, it was pricey (expect to pay about Php300-600 per person) as you seem to be paying as much for the theme as the food.

And we circle around to the theme again. I don't know how to explain this.

The soup, named after a famous poet who committed suicide, gave us a hint of what's to come. I couldn't place what the soup-base was. Floating on the soup were basil leaves and raw carrots and home-made banana chips(!!!). The soup reminded me of my childhood where I would make soap bubbles with gumamela leaves and flowers. But weirdly enough the soup grows on you. I think it's the banana chips.

The drink was named after Courtney Love. Fruit extracts, ice, mint, cucumber, lemon grass(?) and a cherry. Refreshing, the cucumber adding a neat twist and texture to the drink. Try not to drink too much in one sip though as you'll start tasting leaves again.

The appetizer was named after Janice Dickenson and I think I know why. The dish looked innocent enough but the first spoonfull was pure WTF. Mangoes and strawberry jam on top of Itlog na pula in a spicy oil.

I really wasnt expecting this dish to taste the way it did and that explains the expeltive. It's certainly not a dish that I would willingly choose if I knew what was in it. Again, weirdly enough, the dish just WORKS. Roxane and I finished both our servings. It was a nice surprise.

The main course is Kurt Cobain's Medieval Chicken. Yes, we basically had the rockstar couple in our menu. The chicken was deeply marinated and cooked till it was fall-off-the-bone tender. I have to give props to rhe chef here as the chicken was made with care.

The chicken was topped with mangoes, and to the side you have strawberry jam, cabbage salad, black mountain rice, cashews and what have you. The banana chips also make a come-back appearance. It's a busy dish.

We forgot to take pictures of the dessert but I have to say it was memorable. Mel Gibson's Darkest sin is a mix of jaeger and german chocolate and walnuts in a shot glass that you had to gulp down. The chocolate and the honey cut down on the burn of the jaegermeister and i really enjoyed it.

During the course of the meal, the host and chef Jethro started moving from table to table talking to folks and telling us whats in the dishes we ordered. The place was packed and it took him a while to get to our table but we were able to hear him give his spiels.

I really dont know if Jethro intended this place to be as tragically hip as it is. For most folks its either an intentional approach or an accidental stumble. The few seconds I got to talk to the guy gave me the impression that it's neither. He's drinking the Kool-aid but its like he's in on the joke too. (- now I know why, he's Bi polar. *smacks forehead*)

Apparently the ingredients used were selected for their mood enhancing and depression fighting properties. Basically, eating the food and drinking the teas supposedly makes you happy. I don't know if I can refute or support that statement though. Roxane and I definitely had a good time talking about the place. Effects of the happy food? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?

Jethro knows.

Hmm... interesting.

La Lune - fitting isnt it?

And I guess that's the word I'll anchor my final thoughts around: Interesting.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an interesting place. The ambiance evoked conflicting feelings in me. The dissonant, sometimes downright creepy music and the contradicting decor softened by the warm lights put me on edge a bit.

The menu, while descriptive, doesnt give you an idea of what youre getting on your plate.  Reading it, however, made me excited by the idea of trying something new though.

The food is tasty, the ingredients obviously of good quality and the preparation showed skill. There were too many flavors fighting for attention though, too many textures catching you by surprise. There is no "safe spot" in their dishes and Roxane and I were struggling to find that "safe spot" to orient ourselves for a more objective view. Roxane actually had a small condiment dish that she thought had gravy in it. Nope. It's bagoong balayan.

I guess the biggest flaw that VGIB has is that it evokes its theme too well. The dishes swing wildly from one extreme to another leaving you without a cohesive idea of what you just ate. It works for the decor but not so much for food. You really dont know if you enjoyed it or hated it. For that fact alone I find it really hard to recommend the place to other people.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an experience. You go here for the quirkiness first and the food second. Is that something that we really should be accepting in a restaurant though?

Like this review and the interesting people they reference, vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a mess. But it's a wonderful, awkward, unnerving, hip and tasty mess that's worth trying at least once.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR
154 H Maginhawa St. Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, The Philippines, Diliman 

Added- VGIB has a facebook account by the way. Upon reading the facebook account Jethro puts forward what could be loosely called a mission statement:

"You’re not here to experience fine-dining service. You have to go to the counter, ring the bell, write down your order, wait for your order to get cooked and then come back for it at the counter when it’s done. You’re not here for good food, either. You’re here for an experience, to understand the life and world of a bipolar…. Here we celebrate our imperfections; here we embrace our flaws and weaknesses. I set this up as a way of sharing my life and my diet. Van is not about me; it’s not about the place. It’s a personal experience about the people who come here"


While that may be his intention for the place, Jethro definitely cannot impose that POV to the people who come looking for his place. I first read about VGIB in a food blog. The place is listed under restaurants in various places. It is with that mindset that I wrote this blog.

If  VGIB was listed under "Educational Tours" or something I might have approached this review in a different way :)

Project 365: Day 33 - Food! Nasi Lemak

Just a quick post today as I have a lot of stuff to do:

Nasi Lemak's Claypot Chicken

Comparing this to adobo is like comparing apples to oranges. Totally a horse of a different color. Yes, that train of thought was odd, even for me

Nasi Lemak is located in Robinson's Galleria in one of the side alleys, east wing methinks.

Feeling adventurous again, Roxane and I decided to try out this restaurant claiming to offer "authentic" south east asian food. I've been to similar places offering, malay, thai, singaporean and indonesian food and I have been happy (101 Hawker Stall in Makati) and I've been "meh" (Orchard Road in SM Megamall) so giving this place a try seemed like a good idea.

And it is :)

I just dont know how to describe this dish. It's billed as Nasi lemak's answer to adobo so when we orderd this , Roxane and I were expecting something along the same lines.

Now this dish isnt like any adobo I've tasted. The best way I can describe Claypot Chicken is to imagine Don Henrico's Buffalo chicken wings (when they were still GOOD and not these oversized abominations they serve now). Now imagine a milder version of that, but still barbecue-y. Now imagine that in a stew. With onions, baby corn and mushrooms.

If I lost you somewhere between Buffalo wings and baby corn, I understand how you feel.

Again, my description isnt doing this dish any justice. Its an odd but good tasting dish. I was not expecting  that barbecue taste. Is it authentic? Can't say. I dont really have a good point of reference. I just know I like it!

I'm definitely coming back to try Nasi lemak's other offerings. Their Chili Crab looks awesome :)

Project 365: Day 29 - Food! - Tokyo Cafe

Me and Roxane decided to try the New Tokyo Cafe that opened up in Megamall.

Now usually me and Roxane have big appetites (can't ya tell?) but this time we weren;t particularly hungry. We just knew that we had to eat because its been some time since our last meal (about 6 hours or so).

Trying new places to eat in is always scary as theres always the chance you'll walk away disappointed.But since we werent that hungry we decided now would be a good time to take a chance. We decided to split a dish and get a bowl of soup.

Tokyo cafe is another one of those japanese themed places that seem to be popping up all over the place (like Zango, Pepper Lunch, Bubble tea...) and they gave the vibe that they were on dry run. The waitresses were attentive enough but they seem to be preoccupied by one thing or another. The place's decor was nice but they had this big mural that showed a paris(?) train station and that just didnt make sense to me. Ah well.

We ordered the Hamburg Steak with Garlic sauce. I was a bit iffy with it because the picture in the menu made out the garlic sauce too be a bit too white. It was just screaming "MAYO!" and im not very fond of the stuff.

The food didnt look like the pic in the menu. Big surprise. This is a good thing because the garlic sauce was now a bit more appetizing to me but this was also a negative because the pretty char marks on the burger were nowhere to be found:

The other annoying thing is that we thought that the hamburg would come on a sizzling plate. The pic and the dish had that wooden thing you serve sizzling plates on and everything. But no. Plate was cold and the wood was just for effect.

The food itself was alright. Two juicy, well-seasoned burgers that were a good size. But aside from that the stuff wasnt anything special. There are a lot better options there that would meet or beat this place in terms of price and taste.

The clam chowder was good. We originally ordered the Shrimp Bisque but they didnt have it.   The clam chowder could stand to be a bit creamier in my opinion but it made up for it with chunkiness.

Now would I come back here? Maybe. Again, there's just a lot of other options out there. Maybe I'll try out their so called "smoogees" and their beef dishes (theres two i think) look interesting. I'm certainly not in a hurry to go back though.

Average cost per person would be about Php 300 by the way.

My favorite moment of the entire experience was watching Roxane try to cross her eyes:

she fails.

Project 365: Day 22 - Food! Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub

Roxane and I had brunch at Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub today :D I spent the entire day awake AFTER a full shift at work so that explains the lateness of this post.

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub is located in United Street in Kapitolyo Pasig. It seems the area is about to be heavily developed over the next few years so this location is a good choice for whoever owns the joint. if the name hasn't given it away the place serves shawarmas (is it redundant to say shawarma wraps? I think so) and other persian and mediterrainean inspired fare. Far from authentic, they have adjusted the food to fit more to the local palette.

I first heard about Uncle Moe's  from Joyce (my boss and my big sis in the office) and the place came highly recommended. She even went as far to tell me to try one particular dish (more on that later) and to avoid making the mistake of not getting that dish the first time I visit. Now there are two people I trust completely when it comes to food recommendations, one of them would be my actual biological sister Kristina and the other would be Joyce. I then planned my weekend around this trip (me and Roxane were previously going to hunt down the Ortigas branch of Mister Kabab)and set off to finding the place.

I'm not going to write stuff about the ambience and decor of the place as per food blogging 101. I'm the type of guy who would eat standing up at a street corner and STILL give the place full points if the food was good enough. And of course if they were clean enough. So long story short, place was serviceable and clean and thats good enough for me.

We tried the Kofta Balls stuffed with cheese as recommended. I immediately ordered two plates and extra bread for us. The food took some time to get to the table though for some reason even though we were the only ones in the place. We arrived at close to lunchtime so I guess most of their customers come around after office hours.

Meatballs with gooey Quickmelty goodness

After about fifteen minutes, two steaming plates of meatballs arrived. At first we were surprised at the size of the servings and thought we were going to bring home one of the plates untouched. For about 150 bucks you get 5 stuffed meatballs in sauce with a piece of pita. The meatballs arent the italian sized monsters that you would probably encounter elsewhere (god that sounded less dirty in my head than writing down).

The Kofta balls are good :) not of the "mindblowing this is the best" type of good but its certainly what I would call "happy food". It's the type of thing youd get when you're tired from work and you just want to unwind and get some good grub, nothing fancy nothing complex, just straight out good. Happy food. Can't go wrong with meat, cheese and bread :)

The other thing to note here is that even with two servings, Roxane and I polished off two plates and 3 pitas each. Now keep in mind that we are both big eaters (and I skipped breakfast)  but the meatballs were surprisingly "light". If  you've encountered Sbarro or Yellow Cab meatballs Id categorize those as "dense and heavy" meatballs. Me and Roxane finished off 5 each and weren't bloaty afterwards.

The pita bread were a bit weird though. They were a bit doughier and stretchier than I'm used to having , almost coming off as undercooked. Espasol-ish. One thing I can say is that is a hint that they're not using old bread.

Overall I'm definitely coming back to Uncle Moe's for some solid "Happy Food".

Maybe I'll ask them to heat the pitas a bit longer next time.

Nums!

(bad writing and parenthetical remarks abound!)

Project 365: Day 8 - Food! Salcedo Weekend Market

Pulled a 10+ hour graveyard training shift that ended this morning. I also had some trouble filing some admin stuff that i ended up having to send an email for. It definitely wasn't one of my better days.

Sleepy, tired and pretty much annoyed youd think I'd just head home and rest like any other sane person.

Nope.

I had to meet my girlfriend for brunch at Salcedo Park :D Nothing like good company and good food to turn a day around!

Me and Roxane

The destination: Salcedo Weekend Market! Where weekend cooks and merchants dish out their best

The grub! Wagyu Cheesesteak Sandwich. Pretty pricey (Php 230 for one fricking sandwich!) so me and Roxane split one. I gotta say, its a good sandwich. Fried wagyu beef with cheese melting in a good quality bun. I got the gristley beef strips but it was so soft you'd barely even notice.

The grub part 2. Chicken Samosas! Best samosa I've had so far. The light crust was a pleasant surprise and the generous chunks of chicken in a mild curry was very good.

Random cute kid of the day hamming it up.

The grub part 3. Chicken ala king in light pastry shells at Php 35 a pop. Kanin na lang kulang! Well priced and more importantly very tasty! Definitely coming back for this one.

The grub, dessert edition. Pistachio Baklava! This was a knockout winner for Roxane :)