Bullish for Bullchef!

T'was another fun, fun Saturday last week. I was again in Pasig City for my second food trip there with one of my dearest chums, Chie. I also tagged along my youngest son this time (wrong decision. haha!) . We went to Bullchef as we had planned. For some reasons, our visit was delayed by a week, though, making me and my friend "sad" because we were already craving for bulalo. But then we were bullish we'd be able to push through with our plans the following weekend and we did, making our bulalo dreams come true. Haha!
Bullchef, by the way, means bulalo chef (so they say), and this soupy beef dish is of course the star in this small but now popular restaurant. Last year, just to recall, Bullchef was featured in the GMA NewsTV program "Poptalk" when they went on a Pasig food trip. Since watching that episode, I'd been wanting to eat there, bulalo being one of my top favorite Pinoy dishes. Thanks to my friend for finally presenting me the chance and being a very willing food trip companion. Oh well, I'm now sharing what we had: 

Bullilit (Bulalo Regular), P135.

Sizzling T-Bone Steak, P179. 

Sizzling Burger Steak, P135.

Free Bulalo Soup

Red Iced Tea, P25. and Ripe Mango Shake, P39.

Inside Bullchef

Pictures of their celebrity-customers fill the wall

Celebs' signatures 

Everything we had was delicious! My bulalo was heavenly - the soup was packed with flavor, beef chunks were tender and there was a lot of veggies - a piece of corn on the cob, Baguio beans and Baguio pechay. Loved it! Chie loved her T-Bone steak too. She gave me a piece to try and I liked it as well. It was very tender and the gravy was yummy. But my little boy, who initially said his burger steak was delicious, only had a few spoonfuls and then no more. What a waste. As I said, it was no good decision to bring along a little kid on a food trip. My son, particularly,  only likes Jollibee, McDonald's or KFC. He doesn't like anything that's new to him. Well, I tasted his burger steak and I liked it. I also loved that there was enough of the buttered veggie side dish. Oh well, there's no doubt I'd be coming back to Bullchef. There's a lot of other dishes to try: tapsilog, beef sinigang, sisig, etc. 
By the way, Bullchef is at #4 East Capitol Drive,  Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

Be a brekkie gourmand at Kanto Freestyle Breakfast

My friend Chie just gave me the adrenaline rush yesterday with the mere mention of an all-day breakfast restaurant in her neighborhood in Pasig City. So even if I wasn't ready to go out of my comfort zone of Manila to venture into the "unknown" in Pasig (I rarely go there!), I said "yes" to my friend's urging. How could I say no to a craving good friend? Haha! Oh well, I love breakfast whether it's for lunch or dinner. (I hope that doesn't confuse you!) And I love my friend too. (aaww. .missed her and our chikahan). Anyway, I was super curious about this  place which, I understood, was unique, aside from the fact that it serves gourmet breakfast at affordable prices. What more could I ask for? I gotta see this, I thought as we talked over the phone. About three hours later, we were there, at Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in Kapitolyo, Pasig City. It's situated in a residential area, a garage converted into a restaurant. How clever! The owner doesn't have to pay rent. We checked out the menu and were even more impressed: gourmet breakfast at less than P100! After much contemplation (on my side), 

we ordered:  

Crispy Pork Belly, P90.

Vigan Longganisa, P90.

French Toast, P50.

Deep-fried Oreos, P50.

Scramble, P35.

This is taken when we arrived. By the time we left, the place was jam-packed.

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in Kapitolyo, Pasig City

But while we were impressed by the food presentation and all, the same wasn't very true with some of what we ordered. Chie found out that her Crispy Pork Belly wasn't crispy at all and in fact was undercooked, with a piece still having some blood in it. And while I liked my Vigan longganisa, I think it was a bit undercooked, too. My Ilocos sausages would have been a lot more delish had they come close to a crisp. Well, that's just my personal preference, anyway. As for our desserts, my friend's was yummy. I knew, she shared it with me. Hehe.. Does French Toast come in the dessert category, by the way. Well, even if doesn't, that's how it served us. Haha! The triangular slices of bread were sweet and yummy with the butter-cream on top and a douse of syrup. 
My own dessert, the Deep Fried Oreos, failed to make me happy, though. Chie commented that it seemed they used "old" (used and reused) oil in frying the battered Oreos. There was one saving grace, though..my ice scramble! Oh, didn't you just love that pink, cool dessert that you bought in the streets when you were little? Love..love..love! This time, I was having scramble not in a small, plastic cup but in a "sosy" wine glass! It was beautifully served, topped with marshmallows and candy sprinkles and chocolate syrup. Yummy too! I wish they have a bigger serving because it left me wanting for more. 

Oh, well..I so liked this place in spite of some disappointments. The ambiance is cool (no walls!) and the over-all concept is totally unique. Imagine having gourmet, fine dining-style  breakfast at a price you'll love and at a garage! As for their offers, many look so good in pictures like the eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes. Do check out their Facebook page. I'm sure many of those are really delicious. Proof was the customers coming in droves just before we left - groups of friends and family. 

I promise to return here soon. Kanto Freestyle, BRB!    

A taste of Pahiyas Festival

    Have you ever witnessed how the Pahiyas Festival is celebrated in Lucban, Quezon Province on the 15th of May each year? It is among the most popular tourism events in the Philippines, and is held by the townsfolk to thank and honor their patron saint San Isidro Labrador for their bountiful harvest. It is a tradition among the locals to celebrate Pahiyas by adorning their houses with colorful lanterns called kiping (which are plant or tree leaves spread with colored rice paste) as well as fruits, vegetables and handicrafts. I'm embarrassed to admit that even though I hail from the coconut-producing coastal province of Quezon, never in my 44 years have I joined the huge crowds to admire the adorned houses and sample the delicacies sold on the streets during this event. 

Reading about Pahiyas Festival on the Internet, I longed to also have my picture taken with these houses in the background and to eat pancit habhab (a noodle dish that is served on a small piece of banana leaf and which you eat straight from it using only your mouth - no utensil!) on the street. That would be unforgettable, I'm sure!

This year, I was close to witnessing the Pahiyas when two of my sisters came home from abroad. We had planned to go to Lucban in time for the Pahiyas but because of mixed up schedules, we went there a week after the festival.  We spent the night in a resort and as we went around town, we passed by this restaurant called Buddy's Pancit Lucban at Longganisang Lucban. We chose to dine, however, in a seafood restaurant. Days later, I read in some blogs that Buddy's has several branches in Metro Manila. This restaurant, as the name implies, offers Lucban and Quezon specialty dishes such as the famous pancit and longganisa. I felt I had to dine there. 

Last Saturday, I and the rest of our family finally had that opportunity when I thought of celebrating a few days earlier the birthday of my hubby. I suggested that we try Buddy's for lunch, to which my hubby agreed. We went to this branch near his office on Pearl Drive in Pasig City. I wanted to go to the Timog Ave. branch in Quezon City but since we would go to pick up hubby's company rice supply, we went for the Pasig branch.

Entering Buddy's, I was impressed by the cheery interiors that made me feel a little like I was in Lucban celebrating Pahiyas. On the ceilings, hung were kiping lanterns and on the walls, floor and again, the ceiling, were sunflower designs.

Other things that impressed me were the extensive menu and the prices of the fares - they're pocket-friendly! And the food - they're delicious! I specially liked the Chami, which is a saucy type of pancit (noodle dish) that is popular in Quezon (Lucena City, the capital of Quezon, holds a Chami Festival to coincide with the fiesta celebration also in May). Our only complaint was on the fried rice that came with the Longsilog Lucban. It was soft like it wasn't stir-fried at all. Anyway, we were given complimentary soup and that's a plus point for me. I definitely want to go back to Buddy's to try their other dishes such as the pizza with longganisang Lucban (native sausage) and kesong puti (white cheese made from carabao's milk).

Buddy's on Pearl Drive in Pasig City

This is on the second floor.

Wall accent would have been lovelier if not for the few busted bulbs.

The kiping lanterns hung on the ceiling make you feel a bit like being in Lucban celebrating Pahiyas Festival.

Close up of the kiping lantern.

One of the light accents on the ceiling.

Sunflower designs are everywhere, even on the floor.

Tapsilog, P115.

Longsilog Lucban, P110.

Chami Special, P180 (can be shared by 2-3 persons).

Sizzling Beef Steak with Rice, P170.

Pancit Lucban (I guess this is one and the same as the pancit habhab), P175 (good for 2-3 persons).

Calamansi Juice, P40.