Entries Tagged 'Restaurants' ↓

CPK Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage

A week or so before National Heroes Day in the Philippines is National Pizza Day by California Pizza Kitchen. The two holidays are not comparable but the subjects are both “good” in a pleasant kind of way. 🙂

As a casual dining restaurant serving California-style cuisines, CPK is well-known for their hearth-baked gourmet pizzas and other adventurous food selections.

California Pizza Kitchen Philippines – Greenbelt Branch

In the last two years that National Pizza Day has been celebrated, California Pizza Kitchen designated August 15 for the celebration. The one-day event has been very popular and has seen long lines of waiting guests in the store from opening to closing time.

But one day of overflowing pizza just seems not enough for a pizza-loving nation such as the Philippines, right? So why not make it three (3) days? And so it is!

National Pizza Day 2014

On its third year, pizza lovers will be enjoying this event not only for a day, but for three days starting today – August 13 and until August 15! With every order of CPK‘s regular hand-tossed or crispy thin crust pizzas, guests get another regular pizza for free from CPK’s selection of three one-off flavors —Traditional Cheese, Original Pepperoni, and Italian Sausage + Pepper.

CPK Kitchen BBQ Chicken

You have to take note however, that this promotion is not valid with Personal and Kids Pizzas, Pick Your Match, existing promos, senior citizen discounts, privileges, catering, CPK gift certificates and the EAT card. Advance ordering will not be accepted and items for takeout are subject to 10% packaging charge.

I Ate 15 Slices of Pizza in 1 hour

In a blogger’s night held three weeks ago, CPK generously gave us the privilege to try 15 of their regular pizza flavors / variants. It included BBQ Chicken, Five Cheese Fresh Tomato, Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage, Pepperoni, Roasted-Garlic-Chicken, Santa Fe, The Farmers Market, The Works, Untraditonal Cheese, Hawaiian, Wild-Mountain-Mushroom, Italian Sausage + Pepper, Original Pepperoni, Traditional Cheese, and one more variant I forgot the name. 😛

CPK Untraditonal Cheese

CPK’s “The Works”

I took on their challenge of trying 1 slice  each of all the 15 variants laid on the table. I took on the slowly-but-surely strategy. My first plate consisted of 6 slices, this was followed by a plate of 5 slices, and finally, a plate of 4 slices. Good number set, isn’t it? 🙂

How To Eat 15 Pizza Slices in 1 Hour w/o being noticed

All of them were good but my favorites were Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage, Roasted-Garlic-Chicken, The Farmers Market, Untraditonal Cheese, and Hawaiian. But the one which took the gold that night was Santa Fe!

My Favorite “Santa Fe” CPK Pizza

“This celebration is not just because of our anniversary but it also serves as our recognition to our patrons, for continuously frequenting CPK since we brought it here in 1997. Our seventeenth year in this fast-growing industry is a testament that we’ve captured the tastes of many Filipinos,” said Archie Rodriguez, President and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts Inc., franchisee of the first CPK outside the United States.

National Pizza Day also coincides with the opening of the first CPK in the Philippines way back in 1997.

California Pizza Kitchen Philippine Branches

Visit a CPK branch today until August 15 at TriNoma, Greenhills Promenade, Eastwood Mall, Rockwell, Bonifacio Global City, Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center, and Harbor Point Subic.

National Pizza Day 2014!

Available for dine-in, takeout & walk-in at all CPK branches in the Philippines, indulge on your favorite CPK Pizza on National Pizza Day by ordering a regular pizza and get another one for free today until August 15, 2014!

When we talk about legacy, we pertain to something handed down from a distant past, even possibly from an ancestor. This is the kind of nostalgia you would get by visiting Kamuning Bakery along the corner of Judge Jimenez and K-1st streets in Kamuning, Quezon City.

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French Onion Soup

Or was it the other around? 😛 Anyhow, whichever  you prefer, whether you are a fox or a wolf by comparison or preference, you can satisfy both cravings at the newly opened Wolf & Fox gastropub at Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio.

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Undoubtedly, Tim Ho Wan’s maiden opening in Manila a few months ago was a huge success with its long lines persisting even until my recent second visit. My first was part of the SM Mega Food Tour.

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Greenwich introduced the improved Pizza Thins last year to address pizza-lovers’ thirst for thin crust love.

Special Signature Greenwich Pizza Thins

But what is it in Greenwich Pizza Thins that makes it better?

It’s the authentic cracking sound you hear with your first bite! Fresh from the oven, the crisp texture also releases the pizza flavor and aroma which enhances your experience and love for pizza thins, right?

And guess what, that experience is just about to get even better!

Greenwich #CrackThat Day!

Greenwich #CrackThat Day

Chhose Better w/ Chuckie (changed to Aug 8)

Exactly one (1) week from now on July 16 (July 17 gor Metro Manila), 2014 (Wednesday), it’s Greenwich #CrackThat Day!

This is when the country’s favorite pizza and pasta chain will be giving away 10,000 boxes of  FREE Double size Pizza Thins to the first 100 customers in select Greenwich branches around the Philippines and visitors in Greenwich pop-up booths around Metro Manila! (Check the list of updated branches below).

Tip: NomNom Club‘s guess is that the Greenwich SM North EDSA branch will be one of them!

Moreover, an anniversary night celebration will be held at Republiq Club in Resorts World Manila entitled “Choose Better: #CrackThat” featuring Chuckie!

For inquiries and table reservation, you may call 0917.5508888.

July 10, 2014 Update:

FREE 10,000 Boxes of Greenwich Pizza Thins  July 17 for Metro Manila)

Greenwich #CrackThat Branches

Greenwich Pizza Thins

Excited? Check out Greenwich Facebook Page for more #CrackThat Day news and details!

Can you guess which Greenwich branch I’ll be at for the Greenwich #CrackThat Day on July 16 (July 17 for Metro Manila) ? 🙂

Summer in the Philippines has officially ended as the rainy season kicked in with a tropical depression starting a few days ago.

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Surely you have tasted at least one of the more known Korean fried chicken brands in the Philippines. Top of mind may most probably be BonChon, 4Fingers, or even the one from Kogi Bulgogi.

Kyochon Philippines

But barely 6 weeks in the Philippines, new player Kyochon have been making waves based from both customer reviews and media feedback for its double fried chicken – Kyochon Chicken. NomNom Club was able to try ’em first hand a few weeks ago.

Kyochon Chicken

Kyochon Original

Their star offering, are of course – the Kyochon Chicken. It is offered in four (4) variant series – Original (Kyochon series), Honey (Honey series), Spicy (Red series), and the Soonsal series.

The first variant is a crunchy and crispy chicken with a light taste of garlic and soy which is a good starting point if you’d like to eventually try all four.

Honey Series

The second one is my personal favorite. The honey series is the sweetest among the four because of the honey glaze sauce covering its crispy chicken skin. Did you know that the chicken is marinated for 24 hours in a special seasoning then fried and coated with natural honey sauce?

The third variant is for spicy-chicken lovers. It uses Kyochon’s original hot sauce made from Korea’s hottest red chili peppers. Surprisingly, I liked this as well because its level of spiciness was tolerable and just right for my taste.

Red / Spicy

Finally, the Soonsal series is a special rice-battered, boneless and skinless breast-thigh meat. It comes with a choice of 3 dipping sauces. Among the four, I think it’s the KyoChon honey chicken which would click with Filipinos because of it’s sweeter profile.

Soonsal Series

Kyochon Philippines Chicken Prices

For WINGS, a ‘small‘ order consists of 5 pcs of chicken and costs P149. The ‘medium‘ order has 10 pcs at P290 while the ‘large‘ order with 20pcs is at P540.

For DRUMSTICK, a ‘small‘ order consists of 2 pcs of chicken and costs P149. The ‘medium‘ order has 4 pcs at P290 while the ‘large‘ order with 8pcs is at P540.

Tip: Cost-wise for both wings and drumsticks, the small and medium orders are similar. You can only save with the large order.

The Soonsal pricing is similar to the drumsticks as indicated above. Other soonsal variant includes Soy Soonsal, Soonsal Ricebowl, and Soonsal Salad.

Kyochon Salad with Blueberry Sauce

Kyochon Chicken Arrives in the Philippines

Kyochon Chicken Sauces

A particular Kyochon difference I noticed from other Korean fired chicken in the market would be its sauces. Kyochon Chicken are more moist and sauce-heavy in the glaze which is a good thing. The Original Kyochon series sauce is a mix of garlic and soy while the Honey series uses real honey. The Red series uses domestically grown red pepper concentrate

Potato Wedges

Other Kyochon Dishes

The other Kyochon dishes we were able to try were the salad with blueberry sauce (P120++), wedge potato (P150) and Kimchi Fried Rice (P99).

They also serve Barley, Corn, Green, and Sparkling Tea at P70. The barley tea I was able to try was plain and simple. If you want your drink without the fancy mix, then they’re for you.

They also serve beers like San Mig Light, Pale Pilsen, and Premium SMB at P65.

Perhaps I’d try their Chili Chicken Steak Rice and Galbi Chicken Steak Rice, both priced at P280, in my next visit.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Lastly, I highly recommend KyoChon’s combo meals. They are wallet-friendly considering that it’s a served restaurant and not fast-food:

• Combo 1 10pcs wings + salad + 2 rice + 2 drinks = P549
• Combo 2 20pcs wings + salad + 4 rice + 4 drinks = P999

Barley Tea (right) & Green Tea (left)

Kyochon: From South Korea to the Philippines

Kyochon SM Megamall

Kyochon started in South Korea as early as 1991. With a tagline “Chicken Like You Never Had Before,” Kyochon Korea has established its iconic Kyochon Chicken.

KyoChon Philippines strategically choose to open its first branch in SM Megamall, in particular at building B which houses the newest mall wing – the Mega Fashion Hall. In fact, it was part of the recent Mega Food Tour as curated by top blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet.

Kyochon Industrial Interiors

Moreover, SM Megamall is situated at the center of Metro Manila, not too far from Makati, and still considerably reachable from Quezon City.

The Kyochon Promise

Kyochon Philippines Prices

Kyochon offers three core promises. The first of which is that they offer good dining experience because they “are not fast-food“. This is followed by their commitment to serve only good and healthy chicken. And finally, the use of all natural ingredients so you can be assured that their pickled radish does not contain lacier acetic acid, sodium saccharine, and no MSG.

Kyochon Chicken is double fried with thin batter resulting to a less greasy and light taste made rich with its various sauce. We highly recommend it specially the Honey Chicken.

The 4 Kyochon Korean Fried Chicken Series

Kyochon Philippines might be a late-comer when compared to its competitors but I think they just elevated the standard for Korean fried chicken in the Philippines. Have you tried Kyochon in SM Megamall? Share with us your feedback and review in the comment section below.

Shakey’s Philippines

Shakey’s Pizza goodness has been around for decades creating good times and great food. And when the brand hit Philippine shores almost 40 years ago, it revolutionized the way Filipinos eat their pizza, the Shakey’s style.

Shakey’s Favorites

Aside form their world-famous thin crust pizza, Filipinos have come to love Shakey’s for their Chicken ‘N Mojos and Pasta.

Shakeys Pizza 1954

Last week, Shakey’s Philippines introduced a new innovation in their line-up of offerings – the Shakeys Pizza 1954. It was introduced to the media and a couple of bloggers at the Shakey’s Katipunan branch. They unveiled a contemporary gourmet pizza which brings the goodness of freshest ingredients coupled with a unique crust to come up with an awesome new offering.

Shakey’s Pizza 1954

The new Shakey’s Pizza 1954 highlights a new chewy, soft, and delectable dough base pizza customers will love. It is then made more special with juicy slices of Italian sausage, Angus beef, pepperoni, 100% Mozzarella cheese, red onions, and topped with rosemary, Basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese.

The Verdict

We were able to try a few slcies and eventually consumed everything. 🙂 They say “the secret’s in the crust” using a unique crust and a combination of fresh ingredients. I think that’s true especially when paired with chunks of Angus beef. Add to that the herbal aftertaste care of the Basil leaves.

It’s a tasty and delicious throwback indeed that can bring you all the way back to 1954! 🙂

Shakey’s Pizza 1954: “the Secret’s in the Crust”

The Shakey’s Experience

And what do you know, Shakey’s Katipunan branch uses Flat Technology for their tables. Flat Technology is a patented Australian technology which makes table dining experience stable and hassle free.

Have you had your coffee spill on your lap or your tea cup turned on the table just because one of the table’s foot is unstable?

Shakey’s Pizza Slice

The simple problem of wobbly tables has plagued the Philippine restaurant industry for decades and Filipinos usually just “sweep the problem under the rug“. Well, I guess its time to eleveate the customer experience and give diners what they deserve – a sturdy and steady table. And I’m glad Shakey’s Katipunan knows that by using Flat Technology-equipped tables.

I guess that’s another reason to love Shakey’s Katipunan even more. Add to that the new Shakey’s Pizza 1954 with a price for only Php 450 and we have a great throwback meal!

The new gourmet pizza is available in all Shakey’s branches in the Philippines since last week.