Fine Life On A Budget + + +

Tex-Mex (Texas-Mexico) specialties, like Japan's sushi, are treats that I did not grow up eating. My mom and dad are into seafood. My brothers are into American breakfast staples such as bacon and hotdog. As author of this food tripping blog, I can't exclude the prospect of sampling food such as the nachos featured above.

The nachos I sampled is Texas Roadhouse Grill's starter specialty called Santa Fe Nachos. Priced at Php275, its crunchy nachos topped with melted mixed cheese is good for two. It was served with my choice sour cream dip which I preferred over salsa.

Texas Roadhouse Grill is frequented by its patrons for its grilled steaks and ribs & chops. The latter's pride is the half-rack Baby Back Ribs which I also sampled. It costs Php25 less than half a thousand pesos (okay, it's Php475), but it's also good for two and the meat succulence is incomparable.

The restaurant has a branch in El Pueblo, Ortigas Center, but the one I visited is in The Fort, Taguig City.

It was the wee hours and I got a nasty appetite for pizza and chicken. Fifteen minutes later, I was at Sbarro, Eastwood-Libis. It was one hour and 30 minutes to closing (4:30am) and I was the only customer inside. It was like waking up to a home-situated restaurant that's just next to my room.

My chicken meal wouldn't be complete without the chicken vegetable rice. I love how I always need to put in more salt for extra taste. An officemate of mine loves to pair it with Sbarro's meatball viand. I just love the vegetable rice just the way it is.

The Supreme flavored pizza that I love was out, so I settled for the flavor featured above. I honestly forgot what it's called, but I tore into it anyway. I also got myself a serving of spaghetti and a buy-two promo of their bite-size pizza (Php120).

After a whole day of attending two special occasions -- a joint birthday celebration of a college classmate's son and daughter and the son of my boss' baptismal event -- I was ready to rest and get some sleep. The day, though, proved to be not over. By evening, I was in a casual reunion with two college classmates. It was impromptu and I couldn't beg off because I have not seen one of the two classmates for more than a year. Metro Manila does that to us, sometimes. It was a good thing that food reunites us all when the time is right. In our case that night, crispy chicken and ceasar salad did!

Secret Recipe's salad bowls do not come in small servings. They are something that people on a healthy diet can brag about as a hefty meal. I ordered the Crispy Chicken Salad (more or less Php180) because I love tomatoes and onions and it has lots of those. I had its spicy dressing served separately so that I could control the taste. They each had the Ceasar Salad (Php150) which got its kick from its dressing which tasted a bit lemon-y.

While waiting for our order, I had my salad circle members pose like they were the tandem of the '80s duo Everything But The Girl.

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I've tried Eskimo Bob by Iceberg's milkshake before. I decided to return to the place for its meals. Soon, I was all over the Shrimp Gambas with Mushroom that I ordered. It was served in olive oil with lots of spices, garlic rice and corn and carrots. It may not be as topnotch quality as most plush restaurants' version, but it was good enough for me to find such a meal being offered in an ice cream parlor. I didn't want that day to have my meal and desserts in two separate restaurants. Somehow the setup worked for me.

When it comes to the interior design, I found the chairs' back rest very amusing what with that fancy cherry hole! I know that the lighting and wall design were conceptualized to attract kids, but somehow they appealed well to me as well. The food spot is remarkably a good break from the similar-looking restaurants at the mall.

I've been to Hong Kong once, but I barely remember what happened. It was for a family vacation when I was still in grade school. I just recall having missed getting aboard that water ride in Ocean Park. I even recall staying at the Hyatt just watching cartoons which I could have done back in Manila, so, you see, it was not much of a memorable trip for me. I couldn't even remember eating famous Hong Kong dishes.

Fast-forward to 2009 one weekday afternoon. I was told that if I wanted authentic Hong Kong-style Chinese food, Lutong Macau is the place to go to. A friend boasted that he already dined several times in its Makati branch somewhere in Jupiter. A college classmate tipped me that Lutong Macau's 2nd branch just opened at the SM Mega Strip where SuperBowl of China was formerly situated, so I wasted no time and sampled myself some Hong Kong food specialties.

Lutong Macau, I found out, is most famous for its aptly called Lechon (Litson or roast pig) Macau. This is a testament to the restaurant's operations for less than a decade already. I managed to have the rest of ithe roast specialty for take out and it still tasted flavorful the next day.

Should you drop by the restaurant soon, I recommend that you order the Hainanese Empress Chicken (first image above). If anything, it's the best of Hong Kong that you can taste out of Lutong Macau. The meat is totally succulent and the thick skin is firs-class Oriental.

With both tasty viands on my table, I figured I drown my palate with Pink Lemonade. I enjoyed the concoction for the pulp bits that cleverly decorated the drink surface.

When it comes to Chinese food, one must not miss sampling the dimsum. The classic Pork Siomai is a can't-miss. If you're more open to be surprised, then also try the Steamed Shrimp Dumpling which I did. There are plenty of sauces to dip it into anyway, so you're in control of how Oriental you want your food experience to be. Toss in the restaurant's other popular fare -- the Fried Spring Roll -- which is anything but simple and you are ready to say "I've been to Hong Kong and back!"

Lutong Macau is also a condusive food place for groups of 12. The restaurant allots a function room for such convergence for a consumable rate of only Php5,000. A good three hours is guaranteed private and a delicious food experience for a casual gathering at the heart of the SM Megamall Strip.

To celebrate the restaurant's opening, Lutong Macau currently offers 20% discount on all food items for the whole month of September for dine-in transactions on cash basis.

Ortigas residents and office workers will be glad to know that the resto will be available for food deliveries starting October from 10 am to 10:30 pm. Call 633-1111 or 632-1111 for details.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALBERT LIBRE III

Once upon a weekend, I visited the newly-opened garden walk at the SM City North Edsa. I reckoned that checking out the fancy strip would show a new food place. There are a lot of those actually, but I found my restaurant for the day inside the SM Annex. I found KKK or Kainan sa Kalyeng Kanluran.

KKK serves Kapampangan food or native dishes of the province of Pampanga. I've eaten in its Mall of Asia branch. It has a branch in West Avenue, Quezon City as well.

For my late lunch I ordered their Lechon Kawali Kilawin-style. The dish comes with unripe mango and tomato slices, plus lots of onion. It was a treat in that it has crunchy pan rosted pork (litson) and the usual side dish all in one. The number, though a bit pricey at Php220, was delightful in the mouth. Everything was remarkably crunchy.

I paired the pan roasted pork off with Tinapa or Smoked Fish-Stripped Fried Rice (Sinangag na Tinapa). KKK's version has bits of salted egg (itlog na maalat) which makes it more interesting. It costs Php145 but the serving is good for three people. The fried rice is a meal in itself.

The restaurant interior even offers more than what the usual customer sees in other establishments. Dining out in one of KKK's branches takes you to a memorable cultural experience. Makes you wonder if you are even inside a mall.

FOOD ORDERED: Tender and flavorful/ SERVICE: The dining area is quite big for a customer to be noticed during busy lunch or dinner hours
 
Working on graveyard shift is not that horrific as some opine. It's got its perks. You don't get stuck much in traffic most of the time. Taking coffee breaks at 3:00 am usually gets a boost from the jolt of the cool morning breeze. My favorite perk is getting past my 11:00 am snooze for a hearty lunch. Daytime lunch for me becomes extra special because I get to not mind the time.

I had one of those memorable lunch outs last week at Mannang, Mann Hann's Filipino equivalent. The restaurant is situated at the basement level of Megamall B. Before its necessary renovation last summer, the restaurant had a darker interior which made it look more like a bar than a family food place. This time, though, customers can expect a more vibrant dining experience because of the pristine white dining area and neutral wall colors.

I had Lechon Kawali Rice for my meal which came with crunchy string beans (sitaw). It set me back for Php195. The rice was sticky and larger than the usual serving, making it good sharing with a companion.

I've tasted other restaurants' take on the lechon kawali. Forget Dencio's because Mannang so far takes the crown for the most tender and flavorful one.

To try a new drink that I haven't tasted, I went for Mannang's fresh sugar cane juice (Php80). I won't recommend it to anyone who's after quenching one's thirst only when it comes to ordering a meal drink. Besides, it's got a distinct acquired taste. Try it only for a delightful kick to go with the meal because you eventually need to wash down the taste with ice cold water if you are the iced-tea type of foodie.

It was a rainy weekend, but the restaurant I was in got lights that made the dining area light up like a bright oven. All I could see were shades of yellow and red. The place is called Prince of Persia. I managed to find it while looking for a post-dinner meal in Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City. It's this small Persian cuisine-oriented restaurant that's been there in Eastwood for as long as the other old restaurants have been. It somehow escaped my notice (much like this other Middle Eastern restaurant in Megamall) because I subconsciously am not into such kind of food on a daily or weekly basis.

Not that the food was forgettable, but I just failed to remember the dishes I sampled.  Anyway, they look exactly like the ones below. Each set me back for no less than Php150.

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+ Middle Eastern cuisine at Persian Grill

FOOD BEING SERVED: Wide array / SERVICE: Efficient and festive ambiance

It was a Sunday night and the rain was pouring hard in Pasay City near SM Mall of Asia in the reclaimed land of Macapagal Avenue. Inside YakiMix, however, people were pouring in throngs, instead.

YakiMix is a buffet restaurant that specializes in Korean-Japanese smokeless grilled food Teppanyaki-style. The customer himself cooks his own food at the site. The niche market alone is not highly specialized at all. It covers two cultures and two cuisines in an eat-all-you-can rendition. Manila-based Japanese and Koreans won't hesitate to be at home, although Filipino-Chinese and Filipinos make up most of the human traffic in the dining area. What you get is a fiesta of food and foodies.

The late dinner was a birthday celebration for one of my friends who is set to vacation in the U.S. next week which explains why an eat-all-you-can buffet was put into order. Everyone sampled on the wide array of beef, pork, and seafood in what I prefer to call the buffet battle.

Check out an image I took of the buffet line. The last thing one needs to see are poles of bamboos sticking out haphazardly, but they're there 24/7 waiting for the next batch of foodies to snatch the raw treats for grilling on the smokeless grill. Interestingly, YakiMix also offers its clients cooked food which they strategically placed behind the buffet facade. There's also lots of sushi to choose from, but I dislike it, so I avoided the area with a ten foot pole.

FOOD ORDERED: Succulent; loved the onions / SERVICE: Speedy and on-spot

Teriyaki Boy used to have a darker interior. The bare color of wood could be found to make the site somber, but early this year the owner had it changed to bright yellow, if there is even such a term. The charm of the bright color lights up the whole place. I particularly liked the yellow picket fence that boldly sweeps the narrow end of the dining area. It's a great use of the small space. The effect seems to make eating Japanese food fun. Even the restaurant's menu design underwent redesign which is remarkable and important for branding. I even saw online a pre-finalized optional design of their menu.

As for my meal, I worked on a bowl of Pork Shogayaki Don which is a set of thin-sliced pork strips, stir-fried with onions, bell peppers, and the restaurant's signature ginger-based Shogayaki Don sauce. I am crazy for onions which is why I went for this meal. The meal comes with a heavy and sticky serving of Japanese rice which is different from your usual Filipino rice. The former is good for chopsticks, but I refuse to learn (for now) how to use it and opted for the spoon and fork, instead. The meal set me back for Php180 sans the iced tea drink and it's for a good purpose. Ordering one via Teriyaki Boy, you see, lets you help kids who need financial support (see inset image above). It's a good way of dining out on a weekend -- discovering new interiors and drinking for a good cause.