Cajun Red Rock – Amoranto St, Quezon City

Address: 105 N.S. Amoranto St(Retiro), Quezon City

Tel no: 4152605

Parking: Limited spaces available in front of the restaurant

This place used to be Cajun burger, but they changed the named to Cajun red rock.. dont know.,..why they change… they added more stuff to their menu,. Place is quite lonely. it could use better lights, and more advertisement to attract more people.

Shrimp and squid fritters with red butter- this was the first item that caught my attention…. I love butter though I also hate it because of its high cholesterol content but the taste of butter just lifts up a lot of ordinary tasting dishes. Cant imagine what a red butter would taste like and to combine it with shrimp… LEMME have it I said to the waiter. Hehe.

The shrimp and calamari were substantial in amount. The shrimps were plump and fried just right, the calamari was also tender and cooked well. The sauce was good, it wasn’t overpowering in buttery goodness, it was just right.   It suited the seafood well. The meal just lacked bread so you can soak up every drop of the sauce.

Volcano Burger- This is the only place that serves burger this style… here in manila.. I don’t know if they serve this in any other country.  The serving size looked daunting. But upon close inspection , the filling was not as thick as I want it to be. But I love the cheese sauce, the volcano effect was a nice concept. But the onion strips they used was breaded TOO THICK, you can hardly taste the onion.  This is the beef version and the bbq can be a bit overwhelming. Next time ill try the fish burger or the chicken

Big Better Burger – Timog Ave

I love burgers, butnever the yum burger of Jollibee(sorry jollibee fans) I love my burgers, meaty and pack. For fastfood burgers, nothing beats Wendys. Pure beef patties.. Meaty godness. Fzntastic. But we are not gonna talk about fastfood burgers now. I will be talking about this new burger outlet thats trying to make a name for itself. They call themself, Big Better Burgers. Located in the 2nd level of the Robinsons Supermarket area in Timog Quezon City. That why if you dont know that there is a burger place herel, i dont think you will find it.

The place is relatively small. can fit around 10 to 15 peoples comfortable. Everything is made to order

On the Table

Jalapeno Salsa Burger(136)- I like how their burger taste more fresh than Brothers(i think the expansion is killing theri quality) The size was just right to be full, not not overstuffed. THe Jalapeno factor was a bit mild for my taste. Added a few strips of bacon.. because.. who can resist bacon right??? THe burger was juicy and meaty, definitely no exte4nders used here. The bread was not really too great though. That they can improve still.

Country fries(45) – definitely much much better than fast food french fries. These are thick cut fries, that are dep fried just the way i like it.

This place has potential to be great, i lovfe the name. Location could use a more visible location to be more knwon quickly.  Will it last? its hard to say, We were the only ones eating here on a sunday afternoon merienda time..

Tale of two appetizers

I just love appetizers, may it be the ordinary Onion rings to the elaborate appetizers of hotel restaurants. Sometimes i like appetizers more than the main dish because a lot of restaurants do appetizers differently or their appetizers are more interesting than their main dishes.

PASTO

Chicken Pate Crostini P105- They serve their crostini differently, In regular restaurnts, crostinis are sliced baguettes topped with either veggies or meat or cheeses. Here, It was presented as pizza slices without the toppings, then it comes with either one of their choice of condiment. I choose the Chicken Pate. THe bread was baked upon order, hot and crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. THe Chicken pate was very good. Buttery in texture. THe taste was perfect. Not too bitter. Just right. Am not really a chicken liver fan but this one i liked.

Texas Roadhouse Grill

Santa Fe Nachos P220- from italian food lets go to tex mex cuisine. Now this loaded nachos is one of the better nachos i have tasted. Loaded with meat, bacon bits,cheese, sour cream, jalapeno slices(my fave!).  Kulang Nalang Cold Beer. Hehe.

Both establishment can be found in El Pueblo REal in Ortigas. Enjoy:)

I am not saying these are my favorite appetizers, but this is a break from my usual chicken wings and gambas and i found the two both great and pleasing to the palate.

Clawdaddy – Shangrila Mall

Address: EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila

Tel No:(02) 636-5679

One of the Babies of Raymund Magdaluyo,  and this restaurant is my favorite among all the babies which include Red crab etc.

THe concept of this restaurant to those who havent tried it, is maeircan style crab shack, with meats also avaiable. THe choices of the cooking style are the same as the ones in REd Crab and Crustasia but they serve it in a way that it is family style

On the Table:

Fried Boston Wings- P289- Chicken wings coated with sour cream rub served with bleu cheese dressing. This was a surprise, i never thought that the sour cream tub would suit fried chicken wings. It was very tasty and good. A alternative to the usual buffalo wings we order in a restaurant

Lamb Ribs with Mint Glaze P589- this was kind of a let down for 2 reasons. It was quite a small portion and it was a bit fatty. But i love lamb. and i just have to try this dish.

Black and Spicy Crab- 3 small crabs smotheres with creole spices and garlic. THe crab as ususal was cooked perfectly, the seaoning penetrating the crab meat( well it was cracked before cooking:)) Finger lickin good.

I never had a bad dining experience in this restaurant. SErvice was great. THey also have another branch in Bonifacio High Street

Charlie’s Grind and Grill – Pasig City

Address: 16 East Kapitolyo Drive, Pasig City

Parking: Street Parking

Hidden in one of the streets in Kapitolyo area of Pasig. One of the most talked about eating places in the past few months.

Famous for its mouth watering burgers and availability of different imported beers. THis place have been a frequent hangout of yuppies and people who loves burgers.

Place is decent, theres an alfresco area and an airconditioned area, but be ready to wait, coz there is always a lot of people eating here. Parking can be quite difficult because theres only 2 spot available in front of the restaurant and you have to park in the street.

On the Table

Buffalo Wings-(P150)- 6 pieces of chicken wing.. wait make that 3 wings cut into two. Fried then tossed in a spicy wing sauce that coats every single wing deliciously, the sauce was buttery and spicy at the same time which made it more yummy. Served with blue cheese dip and veggie stick. One of the better Buffalo wings available here in the city.

Angus Beef Burger(150 burger along, 175 with fries add 30 for bacon) One of the most talked about burger in the recent months. How did it fafe in my palate, well, it was cooked to my liking, not overly well done, but the meat was grounded too finely in my point of view, lakcs the bite i was looking for. Served with cheese and whole leaf lettuce. The fries were thick cut which i liked, but it was not as good as the thick cut friends of SANGO i dont know why but the fries were not cooked evenly, there are pieces wherein the inside were cooked through and there are fries that were hard. THe Bacon topped Burger was great, Good amount of bacon.. yummy

Fish and Chips(P180)- Dory fillet in beer batter, this was good, moist inside, crispy outside.. the tartar sauce was also nice and Malt vinegar was avaialble by request

Overall, the place is great, too bad i wasnt able to try the beefsteeak sandwich…. something to look forward to nexttime. Waiting time can be a b@#*h, little kitchen space, too many people. But it was all worth it.

Cebu Food Chronicles – Olio Steak and Seafood Restaurant

After eating at a wonderful italian restaurant.. Lets looks for a steak place. there is Blank Angus. Don Mertos.  Gustavian, TinderBox and many others.. but i eneded up here after all my reaadings…. Olio Steak and Seafood restaurant. Located in Crossroads Banilad. This restaurant is now marking its 6th year in the business. THe ambience is soothing with cool lighting plus the great air conditioning and soothing music piped in the whole restaurant.

On the Table(pardon the names of the dishes, my memory is not working at its normal pace..)

Warm mini Ciabiatta bread(priceless)- baked in the premises.. warm and ligjhtly crisp on the outisde, chewy insde, served with butter.. a nice way to start the meal…

Stuffed Mushrooms – Portabella Mushrooms, stuffed with breadcrumbs, ground meat and cheese then baked to melty perfection. Delicious.

Mille fuille of Parma Ham, Shaved Parmesan Cheese, Fresh Mozzarella cheese, Sliced grilled mushrooms,  doused with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Anoither excellent dish…

Grilled salmon with pommeray mustard sauce. too bad that some of the salmon flesh stuck to the grill..obvious by its appearance, however it was cooked just right, soft moist and flaky, the sauce complimented the fish.

Certified Angus rib eye steak, 400gms- cooked medium and perfectly cooked as i wanted it.. medium….THe meat was tender, succulent and full of meaty goodness. Only salt pepper and garlic was use to enhance the beefyness of this meal. Comes with creamed corn and spinach gratin.. which was also fantastic

Chocolate souffle with caramel sauce- wonderful light and chocolatey.. lip smacking good…

Panna Cotta w Baileys sauce- they didnt use real vanilla bean… the baileys sauce was good though

Banana Nutella Crepe- what can go wrong with this conbination? the crepe was made thin and hold everything together nicely

Pecan Pie- this was okay.. am not really a fan of nuts…

I am not disappointed with my choice here, this restaurant alone made the trip well worth it.

Gumbo – Various Branches in the Metro

Address: Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place, SM City Noth Edsa THe Block

I love Cajun and Creole Cuisine.. i dont know why… but i do. THis place serves this kind of cuisine, but i have yet to try their specialties. This sandwich was the only thing i got to try here, courtesy of my brother.

Its called a po boy sandwich.. which is a traditional submarine sandwich in Louisiana.. the main star here is the bread which should have a flaky crust with a soft, airy center. Gumbos po boy sandwich , loaded with ham slices, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon bites..was well worth the price of P195.. served wth fries… toasted… just the way i like it.