FOODIE THOUGHTS: Big Better Burgers at SM Cubao

Thanks to this buying site, www.localroam.ph , I was able to avail of the 50% off the regular price from Big Better Burgers. Today is the first day that you can use your coupon and you know what, I was the first localroam customer who availed of the promo at this branch at SM Cubao! Not to mention, this is also my first time to try out this burger joint. :)

my fair share..Hating kapatid with my brother

thanks to this buying site..www.localroam.ph

I invited my brother and said to him that it was my treat and he readily went along with the invitation. Right after work, me and my office mate walked to the MRT station and I got down at the Cubao stop. I walked long and hard and the air was very humid so I feel a bit lousy. I was longing for A/C and when I finally reached my foodie destination, I found a comfortable spot and tried to relax..and I did. 

I gave them the voucher and my valid ID and listed down my name in their logbook and after a few minutes, the iced tea arrived. What a relief! To finally drink something cold, and I liked that the serving was not small, it was enough to quench the thirst that I felt. 

Then the Fries (with the skin on) and the PotatoWedges arrived with tomato ketchup. 

I munched on some while waiting for my brother. I was looking for a certain dip so I looked at the menu and ordered their Dill Onion Mayo (P20) which perfectly hit the spot. 

The wait for the burgers ceased as they delivered the burgers after 15-20minutes. 

Shiitake Teriyaki Burger

Hahalapeno Burger

I am loving everything! The fries are crisp and light and the wedges are cooked right. The dill onion mayo also worked wonders on my taste buds. The burgers are filling and oh so flavorful. Hahalapeno has a small kick, just enough for those who are not exactly fans of hot and spicy foods but adventurous enough to try something that has those aspects. And the Shiitake Teriyaki burger has a great sauce and I loved the caramelized onions placed generously on top of the burger. Yum! Me and brother finished everything up to the last bite. Winner!

I would also like to mention that their service crew are very friendly and accommodating. Perfect score for service excellence. So I wrote down a very good review on their survey form as this burger joint deserves it as well as the people working on this branch.

2 thumbs up! =)

This night is surely a winner! Let me summarize the savings that we got.

HAHALAPENO BURGER -           P152
SHIITAKE TERIYAKI BURGER - P152
FRIES -                                            P55
WEDGES -                                      P60
DILL ONION MAYO                     P20
2 orders ICED TEA (P35 each) -     P70
                                                      ---------
                                                        P509

But we just paid P250 because of the promo. Loved it! =)
               

RESTO FACTS:
Big Better Burgers
SM CUbao, Araneta Center, Cubao, QC
(02) 709-3021

FOODIE THOUGHTS: BonChon Chicken @ Ayala Triangle

I use to wonder what the fuzz was all about BonChon Chicken. They say it was really good. I did not believe it. But now, I am a proud converted fried chicken lover of this Philippine franchise from Korea.

The secret to this..its double-fried. First frying is to remove the fat and make it super crispy then the second frying is to blend in their supersecret sauce. Whoa! Just saying that makes imagine about it. It was that perfect! Especially the chicken skin that has absorbed already the sauce but still maintained its crunchiness, superb with a capital S!

The only minor downside to our late dinner is the Kimchi Coleslaw. I find it a bit bland, I cannot taste the 'kimchi' on it. But I will still give this a try next time around, not judging the dish on just one try.

But anyway, see photos below from our wonderful fried chicken experience. =)

picture perfect chicken which made me a BonChon believer

BonChon drumsticks - 12pcs for P720

BonChon wings - 6pcs for P185

Kimchi Coleslaw P45.. a bit bland

my officemate's takeout

RESTO FACTS: 
BonChon Chicken
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Ave., Makati City
02-6216188

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Banchetto (Shopwise Libis)

Banchetto...Banchetto...I have waited for a very long time and that time has come, finally!

With all the hullabaloo about this night food market, I was so intrigued. But it took me more than a year or so before actually trying this. I always pass by the Banchetto at Emerald Ave. when I come to work way back my Sykes days and I say to myself that I am going to try that. Many plans were made, and broken, made again and then, broken again. It was a crazy cycle. But thank goodness, 2 weeks ago, I finally had that chance. Though it's not the original that I always pass by before, it's still the same concept. This was on a Tuesday at Shopwise Libis.

Here's what I got, frozen in time. Check it out! :)

OUR ORDERS:

Salami Deep Dish Pizza (P120) - I just ate half of this because if you  eat it all, there might be no room left for the other treats

Kani Salad (P90) - the container was filled to the brim! I like the taste of lemon  on this,  takes the 'suya' factor away

Cheesy Potato (P40)

my friend's Binalot order

Pistachio Sansrival (P65) - Loved this!

Chocolate cake - so rich..so good..so bad for the figure..haha!

 Here are the other offerings of Banchetto:

All-time Pinoy faves!

Cannot go wrong with desserts! yum!

Deep Dish Pizzas..all for P120 per slice

Different pastas for P65/serving

K-Pop! Korean dishes..their best dishes available for us 

Japanese influences

I will try these next time

great desserts that are budget-friendly

Sweet endings for a night of gastronomical proportions =)

We arrived there, around 730pm, and the crowd was still fair in number but as the night deepens, so does the throng of hungry people looking for their meal to either start, or cap, their night. This first time experience was great! Weather was a bit humid but it did not stand in the way of the fun times. =)

FOODIE THOUGHTS: KFC's Tower Burger

The latest craze in the burger world..KFC's Tower Burger! It got a lot of hype and a lot of people is curious about this 'towering' piece of meat, bread and veggies. 

Last week, salary day, some of us opted to have KFC delivery at the office and a lot has ordered the new Tower Burger. I set aside my regular staple when ordering at KFC which is their 1pc. Original Recipe Chicken and Coleslaw for this taste test. 

Upon arrival, off we went to the pantry and opened our individual boxes with the burger inside it. First impressions? The burger bun was big, and the height was definitely towering but it looks just like your usual chicken burger except that this one has one piece of hash brown on it and that's what made this burger look tall. I took a a bite, a la 'Princess-style' as shown on the TVC and it just tasted like what I've said, like their usual. Nothing special. Even the additional hash brown did not really add a special taste to this, just provided the extra crunch. That's it. We found the bread a bit dry so we did not finish all of it. The burger itself was on the dry side. I actually prefer the Double-Down Burger to this one. It's much more tastier for me. I don't see myself ordering this one in the future. But it was good for one experience only. 

For its price of P110, it is a bit hefty but it did not deliver. I will stick to my regular order next time, that is, until they have another offering to the masses then I will definitely try that. 

Good thing, my office mate and I shared in 1 order of large-size fries. Made our day! Now this is something that we are familiar with and like it very much. The downside to this, the serving was a bit less. Not filled to the brim. A bit disappointing because the price was a bit high and the consumers should get the best out of their hard earned money. But nevertheless, it made up for its flavorful taste especially when you dip it in gravy. Yum! 

Well, to taste is to believe. I don't know, try it our for yourselves. After all, everyone has different tastes. You might like it better than I did. :)

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Teriyaki Boy at Trinoma

And yet again, I could not resist the pull of Japanese food.

My friends and I found ourselves at the entrance of another Teriyaki Boy branch. Same old story -- We were hungry and we wanted a place where we are familiar with so not to sacrifice the quality of the food that we are going to eat.

It was a good time to be there because there's just a couple of diners inside. We had all the peace and quiet that we need so to continue our chika moments. We ordered then waited and after 10minutes, our orders are delivered.

We shared everything -- Yakimeshi Rice, Kakiage tempura, Tofu Steak and Katsudon. All the dishes were good for sharing for us. These selection is our usual favorites so there's nothing that could go wrong. Haha! We were all filled to the brim but yet, very happy with our choices.

I would like to commend as well the service that the attendants have given us. They were attentive and we did not have to ask for water because they automatically refilled our glasses. Little things like this are worth much more when it comes to excellent customer experience. I hope they keep it up. 

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Conti's at Greenbelt 2

I am loving Conti's! We just walked from our office which is in Buendia corner Paseo in Makati to 

Greenbelt 2 so just imagine how tired we all were..and hungry! Good thing we were a bit early so 

usual Friday crowd and got a table at the second floor and we're set to order but it took us, maybe, 
5 minutes to finalize our choices.

Here they are:

Buffalo Wings P180

Here is our appetizer..Buffalo Wings! More on the sweet side which I like best. The chicken meat 

was tender and the sauce poured on it was just the exact amount so it was perfect! 

Chicken Ballotine P225

My choice. I wanted to veer away on beef or pork so I opted for chicken. It was like 

embotido topped with a generous amount of sauce so you can never say that it's 

lacking in taste. That's how I want to describe it. I said to myself that I would not 

finish all my rice serving but If I remember correctly, I did finish it all. Tsk tsk. 

Beef Tapa P160

My officemate was craving for tapa so here it is. Just the day before we ate here, 

she already ordered Tapa King but she was really looking for its taste so it followed 

us here at Conti's. She was not able to eat all of it so I had several pieces of her tapa 

and I find it very tender and tasty. With drops of vinegar on it, it was fantastic! 

Seafood Au Gratin P240

Another officemate's choice because she wanted seafood and something that 

would have cheese on it. Her first two choices were not available (bummer!) so 

she quickly delved into the menu and looked for her third choice and finally got 

one. It was delicious too but the seafood parts were a little bit lacking. By the way, 

I ate all of her Russian salad because she found it a little bit on the bland side 

but I didn't so I benefited from that. 

Of course, I could not go out of this place without ordering their famed Mango Bravo. 
Oh my, I loved it! I fell in love with it on my first forkful of this. Yum! 

Our dinner was great. It lived up to my expectations and that made me 
very happy that night. I am craving for their Mango Bravo right now but next time, 
I'll try to order a different dessert for the sake of experimenting. But maybe, I can 
order 2 cake slices, why not, right? Hmmm.. Gluttony! Haha! Let's see.