The New Flatiron

Flatiron is no new name to me as I've visited the home of the famous 6-hour brisket a few times already. But it seems that I haven't dropped by for a long time as I didn't even notice the change in Flatiron's look. More than its interiors and new logo though, it also revamped its menu and added new mouthwatering dishes.

Hello, Flatiron.

I was greeted by a place with familiar look but different hues and a more vibrant vibe. As I moved closer to the private dining area, I spotted M who, as always, greet me with much warmth. 

First Bite: Big D's Smokehouse

My uncle couldn’t stop raving about this ribs place in Eastwood and told us that he’ll treat us there on his birthday. Confident about his choice, he scheduled the last Sunday of the Christmas break to be his birthday celebration at Big D’s Smokehouse.

Hello, Big D’s Smokehouse.

We arrived a bit too early in Eastwood and ended up waiting for 20 minutes outside for the restaurant to open. 

I was a bit hesitant to dine here as the place didn’t exactly get a lot of good reviews online. Some said that the ribs were dry while others were disappointed with every single dish they ordered. But it’s free so… game!

My uncle wanted to order The Big Feast which includes a plate of nachos, two servings of onion rings, 2 pasta plates of your choice, 2 orders of chicken fingers, 3 full slabs of ribs, 4 side dishes, 5 cups of rice and a sizzling plate of pulled pork for PHP2,999. I did the math and if you choose all the most expensive pasta and sides, you manage to save about PHP200 or have that sizzling pulled pork for free. (I guess it wasn’t that bad if you do not want to think of what to order anymore.) We also ordered a plate of Hush Puppies (PHP175) as additional appetizer.

First served was the platter of nachos and it looks so oily. The tortilla chips were thin and crisp which I enjoyed. But I would have liked it more if the beef topping was juicy. The one we got was dry and the cheese wasn’t as creamy or gooey as I wanted it to be.

Onion rings were served next and it’s your usual crisp onion rings with garlic ranch dip. Nothing much to talk about.

Hush Puppies soon followed and it was a crowd favorite. The combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan cheese created a delightful and crisp cheese ball! It also had the right level of tart. But what I loved most about this dish is that every bite is promised with an ooze of the heavenly cheese combination. 

The smooth and creamy melted cheese with the crunchy batter was divine. I also enjoyed it with the garlic ranch dip.

The chicken fingers (PHP190) looked so… thin. Taste-wise, it was a bit bland and dry. We had to put a generous amount of honey mustard for it to be more palatable. At least it was crisp.

Restaurant Favorite: Tender Bob's

Whenever we’re hungry and do not have the energy to look for new places to dine, we seek sanctuary in this all-American restaurant…

It was way past lunch time when we went to Shangri-la. With grumbling tummies (and trying to catch up a 3pm show), we decided to have lunch instead at Tender Bob's.

Without even reading the first line in the menu, my sister ordered Chicken Tenders, Original Recipe (PHP220). Tired of chicken, I looked for another meal. I was not in the mood for steak or pasta so I concentrated on seafood and as a salmon lover, I ordered Grilled Salmon with Tropical Salsa (PHP395).

The chicken tenders arrived first. (My sister hated me so much that it took me 2 minutes to take photos of the dish and she was so hungry then. She wasn’t able to resist so the photo was missing two or three fries. Well, who counts it anyway?)

One thing I love about the chicken tenders/fingers of Tender Bobs is that the chicken is actually… well, tender. Unlike other restaurants, the chicken was not overly cooked to the point that the meat becomes dry. I also love the honey mustard dip (though my sister prefers to drown it in gravy).

Finally, my order arrived. S.A.L.M.O.N.

The salmon’s skin was a bit burnt but I didn’t really care since I don’t eat it anyway. The salmon was fresh and the salsa added oomph and texture to the dish. There was a bit of spice though but it was totally tolerable.

The mashed potato also helped make the dish filling. The corns on the other hand were really sweet to the point that it could serve as dessert (and I meant it in the most positive way). Overall, I loved the dish I ordered.

I will try their steak platter soon… or as soon as I get to convince a friend or two to share it with me.

Tender Bob's is located at 6F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City.

Rock. Pepper. Chili's.

It has been a long while since I last had dinner at Chili’s. I still remember that they get kiddie crews every summer. Cute little kids will take our orders and assist the servers bring the food to us with innocent smiles on their faces.

With weary feet (and wallets) from the Rockwell Bazaar, my mom, sister and I decided to call it a night and head back to the mall to have (a late) dinner. I wanted to eat at a new restaurant but my mom wanted to eat at Chili’s and I just could not resist their oh-so-good-made-from-real-potatoes fries. Okay, technically, Chili’s is not a new restaurant to me so the best I could do is order something I haven’t tried from Chili’s before.

Since I was still full from my cup of taho (I have this weird addiction to silken tofu with syrup and small tapioca), I decided to order something I could share with my mom.  My sister on the other hand was pretty easy to please. As long as the restaurant offers chicken fingers, she’s happy.

We then ordered Triple Play (PHP485) and Chicken Crispers (PHP300). I also ordered Chili’s Soup of the Day (PHP150, cup) and Molten Chocolate Cake (PHP390) for dessert.

Despite having a lot of customers, the service was very fast. We got our soup in less than 5 minutes. It was Seafood Chowder.

It was served with a small pack of crackers. It was creamy and not that heavy unlike other chowders. The serving though was quite small. I managed to finish it in less than 2 minutes.

Next served was Chicken Crispers… (FRIES!!!)

It was nothing special. It was your typical chicken fingers. It wasn’t very crispy. It even reminded me of camaron rebusado. K The fries though were really good. Real potatoes!!! (Okay, fine, it wasn’t that special as a lot of restaurants serve that too.)

The Triple Play was good for two people. My mom asked the server to separate the sauce for the buffalo wings as we were informed that it was spicy. Well, it was bland without the sauce. It was your typical deep-fried chicken. The Southwestern Eggrolls on the other hand had a very strong onion taste that I don't like. It somehow reminded me of the soft taco I had from another restaurant. I only ate half of a roll. There were also Chicken Crispers in the plate. (Wrong move there.)

Finally, dessert… Molten Chocolate Cake.

First thing we noticed was the generous serving of ice cream. The chocolate syrup froze already and we had a hard time cracking it. After several taps and pokes, the hardened syrup finally gave up. YEY! 

The ice cream, syrup, and chocolate cake were… okay. It was not as rich and velvety as Cyma’s though which disappointed me. The price made me expect more from it.

There was this one dish that I really wanted to try but didn’t order. I will definitely try that when I visit Chili's again.

Chili's is located at Level P1, Powerplant Mall, Makati City