Entries Tagged 'Quick Service' ↓

I haven’t visited Mercato Centrale (the day market) since it started, but I was able to check out Midnight Mercato first with other blogger friends last weekend. This is defiintely for night people like me who can’t wake up early on weekend mornings. 🙂

Chilled/Hot Taho by Tahooo!

It was also the launching night of Midnight Mercato at the Bonifacio Global City last Friday so there was a simple opening ceremony, ribbon-cutting, guests, and the likes.

Briefly to the unaware, Midnight Mercato is a weekend late night food bazaar where foodies and barkadas can hanging out and enjoy great food you can’t easily find otherwise. You can feast on a wide array of food choices from gourmet selections to ‘lutong bahay‘ (home cooked) dishes; even sosyal street food and balut included. Add to that acoustic musical performances by Rock Ed – all in an air-conditioned ‘kubol.’ Yes, that is Tagalog for ‘tent’ (as fellow blogger Alex shared).

Here are some food trip photos I’m sharing from:

Buy 1 take 1 Sausages @ P150 and Chips To Go Booth (similar to Potato Loops)

Monster Burger & the Monster Burger Challenge (finish it in 4 minutes and it's FREE!)

Nutsylicious have different kinds of nuts including walnuts and pistachios!

After all the photos, it’s my tummy’s turn. So I got an authentic shawarma (P75) from a Mediterranean-looking guy whose booth I forgot, three Mochiko mochi ice cream, and  some Takoyaki balls.

Mochiko Mochi Ice Cream @ P70

Mochiko had a very long line and was out of stock before 12midnight. That speaks for itself. 🙂

I also had a set of Armenian Lavosh Chips with Pesto Mozarella Cheese dip (P145) from the stall with a witty name of ‘5 loaves and 2 Fishes.’

Armenian Lavosh Chips (right); Claypot Chicken Rice (left)

Big Bob's Quarter Pounder Burgers

I also got a bottle of Raw Honey and Organic Gourmet Rice from ‘Fresh Start‘. They’re quite pricey actually but I know mom would love the brown rice while I use the honey as sugar substitute in my morning milk (there goes the revelation). 🙂

Fresh Start Organic Gourmet Rice (Brown Rice P200) & Raw Honey (P300)

There were a number of media outfits and got to spot some celebrities including Mara’s Mom in ‘Mara Clara‘ , Ashlee Gosengfiao, Sarah Meier (I think), Mercato Centrale guy RJ Ledesma, and others. I also spotted Anton Diaz and wife Rachel at the Human Nature booth.

Rachel @ Human Nature booth (right); Mexican Kitchen (left)

Balut (Duck Embryo)

I wanted to try so much more but I can only take in so much having come from a full dinner at Rai-Rai Ken a few minutes before going to Mercato Centrale.

There were also other food finds which caught NomNom’s fancy and instantly became a favorite.

Watch out for that post coming out next week including my predictable Mochiko review. 🙂

It was a haven of grilled food, hamburgers, and suasages outside the Midnight Mercato Tent.

Moreover, I got some tips from foodie friends and is looking forward to try the following in my next visits:

Off Beat Burger‘s Krispy Kreme Burger,  Ravioli’s of Natalia,  and the Angus Beef Tapa Rice Toppings, among others.

Krispy Kreme Burger

I also got news from Antin Diaz’s blog that Bale Dutung will start tonight @ Midnight Mercato! I’ll have to wait a little longer though as I will be going to Thunderbird’s Resort in Rizal tonight and I’ll be at the Pyromusical competition in SM Mall of Asia tomorrow.

Check out more about Midnight Mercato and Mercato Centrale here.

Midnight Mercato Tent, Tables, and Interiors

Midnight Mercato happens every Fridays and Saturdays at Bonifacio Global City from 11pm to 3am the next day. They are located at the corner of 31st and 9th streets (vacant lots between Serendra and STI Fort). Mercato Centrale day market continues Saturday and Sunday 7am to 2pm.

New branch Max’s Forbestown in Fort Bonifacio opens its doors with a bang! After its grand launch to the media yesterday. It officially starts it operations today. And to make it more exciting for its loyal customers, they are bringing back the Chicken All You Can fever!

Max's Chicken All You Can

The Chicken All You Can promo is for one day only. So if you are nearby, around the area, or even far away, you can join the Grand Opening of Max’s Forbestown in Bonifacio Global City today – Friday, January 28, 2011.

Chicken All You Can

On a first-come-first-serve basis, enjoy the Chicken All You Can for only P199, inclusive of 1 rice and softdrink from 12nn-2pm, 6pm-10pm (dine-in only).

Chicken-All-You-Can Details:

• 

  After Chicken All You Can

  Chicken all you can fever only at Max’s Forbestown Center.

• Promotion is only valid on January 28, 2011 from 12:00 NN to 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
• All you can eat chicken is inclusive of 1 rice and a softdrink for only P199.
• First come first served basis.
• Valid for Dine-in customers only.

Max’s Restaurant – Forbestown

Situated in Taguig’s bustling commercial district, the two-storey branch caters to young urban professionals of Fort Bonifacio and executives of Forbestown community. of course, it still has its ‘sarap-to-the-bones‘ fried chicken, pancit canton, kare-kare and lumpia. You would also notice their own-branded catchup in contrast to the previous Jufran.

Max's Forbestown

Jim Fuentebella - Max's VP Corporate Marketing

Although there are parking spaces nearby, they can easily get filled during rush hours or meal time. So for your convenience, Max’s Forbestown also offers valet services.

Max's Baker's Corner

“People come together because of something they all share – the love for good food.”

“We bring this experience to a higher level by offering something new, yet distinctly homegrown to pique our customers’ appetites.  This year, Max’s has ventured into another feat by targeting the young and upscale market of Bonifacio Global City,” says Bobby Simborio, Corporate Communications Officer for Max’s Group of Companies.

Max's Forbestown Center Interiors

Max's Restaurant - the 'House the Fired Chicken Built'

Max's Forbestown 2nd Floor

The modern yet traditional architecture of “the house that chicken built” is inspired by the store design of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda while the Max’s service crews uniforms are by internationally-acclaimed designer Rajo Laurel. A visit to the second floor reveals a wider space that can be converted into four function rooms separated by glass panels for business meetings, weddings, christenings, debuts and kiddie parties.

Max's Forbestown Map

Max's Restaurant Chicken-All-You-Can

Check them out at http://www.maxschicken.com and http://www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant.

Remember, the Chicken All You Can fever is only for today, so hurry up! Max’s Forbestown is located at 26th St. corner Forbestown Road,  Forbestown Center, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The Ayala Triangle Gardens was then just a garden behind the business-heavy Makati Stock Exchange within the Makati Central Business District. But in the recent months, Ayala Land developed it further and now morphed into a leisure park complemented with a line of restaurants and dining places to enjoy – chat with a friend, nourish oneself after a healthy jog, or simply binge to your heart’s content. 🙂

Ayala Triangle Gardens

And indeed, I got the chance to somewhat ‘binge‘ a few weeks ago with friends. This was actually my second time at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. My first was a dinner of authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice at the famous Wee Nam Kee from Singapore. And after that night, I swore to be back and try the other restaurants.

And so it was. This time, I made sure I came earlier, which was in the afternoon.

Banapple

Similar to a famous food blog, dessert comes first. We took it the other way around and first indulged in Banapple. Aside from the usual Banapple Pie, we also had their in-season cake – Banana Starry-berry Custard Cheesecake.

Banapple

BonChon Original Chicken

Next stop was Bon Chon. We got a small order each of the Korean chicken wings in soy garlic (non-spicy) and of course, the ‘Hot & Spicy one. They took care of the latter while I feasted on the former.

BonChon Chicken

A small order of 6pcs. cost P185 while a medium order (12pcs) is P365. They also have drumsticks, chicken combo and chicken chops. In any variant, you’ll love the different crunch of the interestingly-breaded chicken skin.

Pho 24

It’s Vietnamese food, and I am most delighted with the traditional Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup served to us. Complete with condiments served on the side, it included beansprout (taw-ge) and lemon slices, among others. The soup was both filling and internally refreshing as common in most oriental soup.

PHO 24

If you want to make it more exciting to taste, you can also add some Sriracha Hot Chili sauce by the table side.

* Expect a dedicated blog post on what else we had on each of my Banapple, BonChon, and Pho24 experiences. 🙂

Almost all the restaurants offered an open al fresco dining experience facing the greens of Ayala Triangle Gardens.

MOMO Cafe & CBTL Soon!

Chef Laudico's BFast

Other restaurants include Amici, Cara Mia, Omakase, and Chef Laudico’s Bfast for an all-day breakfast menu. There were some shops which are stilll under construction though. But it won’t be long before we can try Momo Café, my darling Kanin Club, C.B.D., and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL).

Golden Spoon

Next on my restaurant list when I come back at the Ayala Triangle Gardens is Golden Spoon for their frozen yogurt delights. I’ll be bringing a ‘golden fork‘ to complete the pair. 🙂

I say it’s a pizza week! A few days after featuring Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza, we’ll see another innovative pizza creation; or should I say pasta? or pizza? Angel’s Pizza Pasta introduces a new addition to their heavenly line of treats – Pasta in a Dough.

It looks like a pizza, yes. It’s because of the dough. And the topping is not actually a topping, it’s pasta.

Classic Spaghetti Pasta in a Dough

Pasta in a Dough is, as its name suggests, pasta on a dough. 🙂 It comes in three variants – the Classic Spaghetti, Creamy Bacon, Tuna Pesto.

Spaghetti fans can go for the Classic Spaghetti Pasta in a Dough with its meat and tomato sauce. It’s also on the sweet side just like how the Filipinos like it.

Pesto lovers on the other hand have the Tuna Pesto Pasta in a Dough which is filled with chunks of tuna in pesto sauce. It’s made a little spicy and with some pepper.

Tuna Pesto Pasta in a Dough

Creamy Bacon Pasta in a Dough

The photo above is the Creamy Bacon Pasta in a Dough, which is my favorite. It is indeed creamy and has a generous topping of bacon bits. I love the combination with the cheesy sauce.

Another highlight of Angel’s Pizza’s Pasta Dough is the dough itself. It’s soft, fluffy, and chewy. Make sure to consume it immediately upon serving for the best bite. You can eat it like pasta in a bowl or you can slice it just like a pizza. 🙂

Angel's Pizza

Price starts at P189 for classic spaghetti while Tuna Pesto and Creamy Bacon is at P199. Hopefully they could lower the price a bit to the range of P150-P160. Nonetheless, even if you have a big appetite, you will surely be filled with the big dough and the generous pasta serving atop Angel’s Pizza Pasta‘s newest creation – Pasta in a Dough.

“Pwede na akong mamatay” is a local euphemism which literally  means “I can die now.” Indeed, after you have tasted Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza, you could say that without hesitation, especially if you know you are going to Heaven. And well, because your cholesterol shoots up double time. 🙂

Pizza consumption by itself is one  the West’s strongest influence in modern Filipino food culture. The number of competing brands alone speaks for its itself.

The varieties also testify the market’s complex taste and preference of their own pizza. You have the thick, the thin, the stuffed, the pop-ups, and the top thats.

On the other hand, the “Lechon” (roasted suckling pig) is a major food centerpiece for big gatherings, fiestas and celebrations here in the Philippines.

I never thought the day that the lechon and the pizza would meet can actually happen. But Pizza Hut did it. Pizza Hut dared and successfully combined the goodness and crispiness of lechon and the quality of their pizza.

Lechon Pizza Slice

Think of Pizza Hut layered with generous cheese with chunks of lechon meat and slices of the sought-after crispy lechon skin and you have your deadly but delicious Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza.

The skin is not the traditional shiny lechon skin but more of the fried and crunchy. Good thing I liked it more this way. Pizza Hut intentionally air dried the skin separately and adds it as topping on top of the pizza only as it is served. This allows the lechon skin to maintain its crispiness.

Your initial temptation is to pick the crispy lechon skin atop the pizza slice and eat it by itself. But that might  leave your pizza lacking as a whole. I prefer to hold my guns and consume it altogether and experience the crispy lechon skin as I take one bite at a time of the lechon pizza. 🙂

You could also request for the sauce to be held and not immediately spread on top of the pizza as served. Although the lechon pizza sauce is still on the sweet side, it is not as much as your retail favorite Mang Tomas lechon sauce. This can either be good or bad on a person-to-person basis. 🙂

Hold that saliva from dropping. The Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza comes in two sizes – medium and large.  The Lechon Pizza price starts at Php 329 for the former with 10 inches and Php 499 for the latter of 14 inches.

You can also have it as part of a special package under the Manila Signature Dishes where it is paired with  other servings and wine for the price of P799.

“Inspired by the popular local favorite, this new flavor celebrates the Filipino creativity and ingenuity.“

Manila Sugnature Dishes 2010:
Pizza Hut Bistro New Lechon Pizza Set P799 (Price still subject to service charge and local tax)

• Medium Lechon Pizza
• Seafood Supremo
• Olive Garden Salad
• 2 Glasses Casillero del Diablo Merlot

It has the rustic burnt lechon aroma you can smell from afar as it comes nearer your table. It is an ultimate dream come true for pizza and lechon lovers. Have the best of both in a single serve. You should not let this ultimate foodie comfort food pass this Christmas holiday season as it is only available until about the end of January next year.

Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza

I recommend the Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza with a thumbs up for those who love pizza and lechon. Be sure to bring family and friends to share it with as  I myself was only able to consume 3 slices. Try one before you die, it’s Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza or forever hold your peace. 🙂

Bounty Fresh

Bounty Fresh Chicken recently invited NomNom in their first online product launch and quad-media day at Chef’s Table Restaurant at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

A Filipino-owned supplier of leading chicken products, Bounty Fresh aims to providing quality poultry produce to Filipinos. In fact, their president Mr. Tennyson Chen recently won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 award. Moreover, they bagged the 2009 Asian Livestock Award for best practices as Asia’s Best in the broiler integrator category.

The Programme

Ms. Patricia Cheng, Ms. Kathy Gomez and Meg Entrata (inset)

The program started with welcome remarks from host Meg Entrata. Some games including Pinoy Henyo about chicken brought entertainment to the crowd while a raffles was also conducted in the end.

There was also an AVP presentation  by Bounty Fresh Brand Marketing Group Head Patricia Cheng on Bounty Fresh’s history.

It was followed by a brand talk by Bounty Fresh Assistant Brand Manager for Processed Meat & Fresh Chicken Kathy Gomez.

All these with free Wi-Fi and free-flowing coffee and tea.

Of Chicken & Health

Boutny Fresh Chicken dishes served

Chicken Recipes

Aside from the awesome chicken dishes prepared by Chef’s Table Chef Bruce Lim, I found the Wellness Talk by renowned & respected nutritionist Joan Sumpio RND very interesting.

I often see regular and vacuum-packed chickens at the grocery or at the kitchen as prepared by my mom. But I just regard them as the same and considers the latter as more expensive in exchange for the extra safety having been ‘pre-packed‘.

It turns out that there is more to it with vacuum packs than just safety.

Wellness Talk

Ms. Joan Sumpio RND

As former head of the Dietary Department in University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Ms. Sumpio pointed out the benefits of vaccum-packed dressed chicken:

1. Fresh – Chicken is stored in an air-free environment that keeps it fresh always
2. Delicious – The chicken’s natural flavor and juice are preserved
3. Safe – The pack keeps chicken away from harmful bacteria that migrates from other foods and  those coming from the external air
4. Longer-Lasting – It can have as much as 5x its normal refrigerated shelf life.

That’s something new to me and I think every mom and foodies should know as well.

Moreover, she mentioned in her talk that chicken is an excellent source of protein (from meat), phosphorous (chicken head), selenium, and vitamin B3 (liver part) & B6. Add to that manageable amount of fat, calcium, iron, beta-Carotene (vitamin A), Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B2. Healthy weapons we need these days against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, malnutrition, and osteoporosis.

“It’s about time, you think about good foods for your health and not just simply looking for delicious dishes…it’s chicken,” adds Ms. Sumpio “Chicken is one of the most versatile and healthy ingredient  we can include in our meals.”

Chicken Menu Calendar shows Chicken DIsh Versatility

She ended the nutrition talk with a funny acronym of CHICKEN: Choosing Healthy Ingredients for Cooking & Knowing the Essentials in Nutrition. It was indeed an enlightening realization of the importance of chicken meat, nutrition and finding the right product in the market.

The Bounty Fresh Chicken Dishes

Of course, this blogpost will not end without featuring some of the chicken dishes we had in the Bounty Fresh event.

TV celebrity gourmet Chef Bruce Lim prepared some delicious and healthy chicken meals for the guests. He also demonstrated some of his well-loved chicken recipes such as the Chicken Pandan.

Chicken Pandan by Chef Bruce Lim

Chicken Tocino served at Chef's Table

Chef Bruce Lim captured taking photos of his craft

According to Chef Bruce, Chef’s Table Restaurant itself uses Bounty Fresh chicken for their chicken dishes which include whole dressed chicken and chicken cut-ups (for Chicken Tinola).

Bounty Fresh also have Chicken Nuggets, Corned Chicken, Juicy Liempo and Super Leg. Interestingly, they are also the sister company of the 900++ roast chicken chain stations of Chooks-to-Go famous for the ‘masarap kahit walang sauce’ flavor.

Chooks-To-Go

Bounty Fresh Brand Marketing Group Head Patricia Cheng further elaborates that “from the day Bounty Fresh Foods was established in 1996, the company has always been committed in providing clean and fresh chicken and chicken-related products…[whose] standard of quality are met at all times.

Bounty Fresh’s Group Marketing Manager Dondi Alentajan adds that  their unique processing methods include triple washing carefully grown chickens (first of its kind). Vacuum-packing is done immediately to preserve the freshness and flavour with “world-class vacuum packing process.”

Chef Bruce of Chef's Table in Fort Bonifacio

Check them out on their website http://bountyfreshchicken.com/ and Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bounty-Fresh-Chicken/43041273378 as well.

They also had celebrity Lea Salonga as their latest endorser. With Lea and Chef Bruce, they further indeed symbolize Bounty Fresh as Asia’s Best Chicken.

Seriously? It’s Starbucks Philippines‘ 400,000++ fans which prompted Starbucks Philippines to give the second Creme Brulee Macchiato for free to their customers.

Having reached more than 400,000 likes in their Starbucks Facebook Fanpage, Starbucks Philippines is treating all their customers to a second Crème Brulee Macchiato.This means after buying a Creme Brulee Macchiato, you get another one free, of any size, of equal or lesser value, of what you ordered, instantly.

I got this from the Starbucks Philippines Facebook page

Free Starbucks Philippines Creme Brulee Macchiato

Creme Brulee Macchiato is a warm mix of creme brulee flavored syrup, steamed milk, and Starbucks® espresso. It is then topped with foam and lined with roast dark caramel. ‘Tall‘ is priced P130, with ‘Venti‘ and ‘Grande‘ at P145 and P160, respectively.

All you need to do is say this line to the Starbucks Barista “I am a Starbucks Philippines Facebook Fan“. This treat started yesterday and will run from until tomorrow October 28, 2010.

You may have your Starbucks Creme Brulee Macchiato hot or cold (Iced Creme Brulee Macchiato) but Crème Brulee Frappuccino Blended Coffee is NOT included in the offer. Congratulations Starbucks Philippines!

I recently observed a number of small businesses offering delivery services through the network of “TWO AnyONE” with the numbers 21212. I haven’t tried that though. The other day, I saw this “Mang Inasal, Pa-deliver na!” ad banner atop a public jeepney enroute Buendia. I was reminded of an email encouraging me to try this out.

Mang Inasal Delivery

And so I did, over last Sunday.

October 10, 2010 – 1:30pm, I called-up 733-1111 and ordered from Mang Inasal. It was the usual fast food hotline greeting and order placement inquiries. I timed it consciously since it was my first with Mang Inasal delivery.

By 1:54pm, it came! With 24 minutes, I should say that it was a good delivery time.

I had quite high expectations actually  because I had it delievered in my Makati residence. I know of many Mang Inasal branches nearby and being a Sunday, there was virtually no traffic.

Mang Inasal Delivery Boy Photo

On another note, I think Mang Inasal should incorporate, if not yet, validation call backs to verify the orders and contact numbers given by customers. The ‘order’ guy asked for my cellphone number (since I don’t have a landline in my Makati residence). I was actually waiting for a verification call back first but delivery immedaitely came.

Nonetheless, congratulations Mang Inasal! It was a good delivery job. No wonder Mang Inasal restaurant franchise inquiries abound.

Mang Inasal Pecho Meal

it was a filling lunch with Mang Inasal Paa with rice (Paborito Meal 1; top photo) and Mang Inasal Pecho with rice (Paborito Meal 2). I loved the rice packed in banana leaves. The former is P97 while the latter is P99. it comes with chili, calamansi, and soy sauce (toyo) condiments. You can try ordering from Mang Inasal Delivery yourself at 733-1111.