Holy Cow Sizzlers Launches Meat All You Can

Unlimited or unli is a very appealing word that makes Pinoys forget their 2020 resolutions. After all, how can one resist a bottomless feast for under PHP500? And if you're tired of Korean BBQ, I discovered a restaurant that offers unlimited meats without having to grill or smell like smoke afterwards.

Hello, Holy Cow Sizzlers.

Holy Cow Sizzlers recently launched a mouthwatering Meat All You Can promo for just PHP399 which includes five kinds of meat and 10 side dishes.

Foodie Alert: The Shrimp Fever is on at Blue Post Boiling Crabs

Love shrimps and don't care to have your hands messy for the sake of good food? Then you'd definitely like what I have to share with you. Blue Post Boiling Crabs & Shrimps has something up its sleeves to make Halloween and your November yummier.

Hello, Blue Post Boiling Crabs & Shrimps.

Just when I thought I'd be living an anti-social life and not go out given the unpredictable weather and horrendous traffic, I went out. There's only two words that made me brave Greenhills traffic and that's "unlimited shrimps". Yes! You read that right! Unlimited fresh and delectable crustaceans. How can you resist that?

First Bite: Pista Food Hall

As much as I love exploring Manila, I never had the chance to visit Baclaran. I know that’s where the famous Baclaran Church is located but I also know that the place is chaotic, crowded and not really a good place to be roaming around without a reason. But I finally got a reason to visit the area a few months ago.

Hello, Pista Food Hall.

Located on the 5th floor of Victory Food Mall across the busy Baclaran Church, Pista Food Hall’s ambiance is a refuge from the chaos of the streets below it. In fact, it may seem like it’s a bit out of place considering its location. But not quite. Especially when you hear what Chef JV Mangibin has to say about his vision for Pista.

First Bite: Acacia Hotel's Acaci, The Lobby and A Steakhouse

Alabang seems to be a very distant place if you reside somewhere in Quezon City or what we call “North”. This is why I hardly get to explore the serene and posh area of Metro Manila. I was lucky though to be invited by Acacia Hotel to celebrate with them the launch of celebrity chef Boy Logro’s dishes in its Acaci restaurant. 

Hello, Acacia Hotel.

It was my first time to step foot inside this Filipino restaurant and I was impressed by its high ceiling lobby. I was also mesmerized by the beautiful abstract art that adorns the spacious area. 

It was then when Acacia Hotel’s Senior Sales Manager, Jason Dinglasan, mentioned that the abstract art near the elevator is actually a dragon split into different canvasses and the metal art on the wall against the front desk is a bird’s eye view of an acacia tree. 

Acacia is one of the shortest, if not the lowest, hotel in Alabang. So do not expect a striking view from its roof top. 

But what Acacia could offer is its accessibility to the malls and other establishments. It is also located right across the road that gets closed every Sunday to cater to joggers and bikers. 

First Bite: Shaburi

After our fun dice game at R's place with his family, his siblings teased Uncle R, the chongwan winner, to treat the whole family (and I) to dinner at Buta+Wagyu. Unfortunately, the SM Aura Sale and traffic made us change plans. Eventually, we decided to try this new Japanese shabu-shabu place in Uptown Mall instead. 

Hello, Shaburi! 

Since we were a party of nine, R's sister H, took the initiative to place reservation so that we are guaranteed a table to fit everyone. The place though seems to be doing very well on its first two weeks as the earliest reservation slot was 8 pm. We just took the slot and had light snacks so that we won't turn hangry. 

We got to the place a few minutes before 8pm as R's family is strict with time. However, it seemed that Shaburi doesn't share the same value. There was no table available for us and we were told that it'll be available after half an hour. WHAT THE HECK?!? So what is the point of reserving a table if we have to wait outside the restaurant basking in humid Manila air and wait for half an hour for our table to be ready? 

We approached the front host and told her that we do not find waiting half an hour acceptable and that they should also respect the customers' time as we did with theirs by taking the effort to be there by 8 pm. Dazed, she told us that our table was being prepared. She told us that at 8:10 pm. 

As I grew even more impatient and hangry, I approached the front host again seven minutes later and found out that the table they were preparing for us was imaginary. The area supposedly reserved for us was still being occupied by other diners and it didn’t look like they will be done anytime soon. In short, she did a terrible blunder, lie to upset customers. 

Gastro Park Kapitolyo Find #6: Tokyo Tempura

The craze for food parks has just began as more and more areas are being developed to accommodate start up food concessionaires offering unique and delectable dishes and drinks. Sadly, I haven’t been to most and the only ones I have visited were Pioneer Food Market (where I just walked and exited in a few minutes) and Gastro Park Kapitolyo. One of the stalls I tried a few months ago was this Japanese store that offers unlimited tempura.

Hello, Tokyo Tempura!

Gastro Park was packed when we went one Saturday night. We were lucky though to spot an empty table at Tokyo Tempura. Honestly, this store didn’t attract me when I visited earlier that same day. I guess it was because their tempura was just the usual, except that they also offer unlimited tempura. 

But since we will sit there, we made sure to buy something from the store. Hungry R availed of the Tempura All You Can (PHP199) while my friends and I decided to share Chili Cheese (PHP49) and Stuffed Chori Burger (PHP180). The burger is from Offbeat Burger but is also owned or managed by Tokyo Tempura. 

R’s tempura was served first which he quickly attacked hence it being undocumented. We noticed that the tempura was quite short. Small and thin shrimps were used for the tempura and there was more batter than shrimp. Since it was an unlimited promo, the ones who avail of this have to sit near the store so that the servers could monitor as sharing is not allowed. R, being persistent and all, gave me a few bites of the tempura while nervously checking if the rather huge server saw us. 

The Chili Cheese was super spicy that one small nibble made me turn red. It is definitely not for those with low spice tolerance. I didn’t even get a taste of cheese.

Promo Alert: Max’s Chicken All-You-Can 2015

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No… it’s Chicken All-You-Can!

Yes, they are bringing Chicken All-You-Can back in celebration of Max’s successful 70 years. The house that fried chicken built will be having a party (and by party, I mean EAT ALL YOU CAN) again soon! There are no final dates or list of branches yet but based on how my tummy grumbles, it will happen sooooon.

See you there! [Use #ChickenLove to share the yummy Chicken All-You-Can news!]

-Gluttonshopper

PROMO ALERT: IHOP PHILIPPINES’ ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES

I think I am losing my foodie spirit. I was totally unaware of one of the yummiest offerings this month—All You Can Eat Pancakes!

In celebration of the National Pancake Day, IHOP Philippines holds All You Can Eat Pancakes this March 3!

Unlimited buttermilk pancakes for only PHP250? Oh yes, it’s real!

Happening today from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight for Bonifacio Global City branch and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for UP Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, Century City Mall, Filinvest City and Araneta Center, it’ll be a day full pancakes (in the tummy).

The sweetest part of this deal is that while you fill your tummy with IHOP’s yummy buttermilk pancakes, you also help ill children in need as IHOP partners with Kythe Foundation, an NGO that provides young cancer patients with psychological care.

Not so fond of pancakes? You may also donate through the IHOP donation box or by buying Paper Icons.

See you there! <3

-Gluttonshopper

P.S. You may learn more about Kythe Foundation here.

Promo Alert: Churros All You Can at Boqueria

I love churros. I remember that it is one of my must have dishes whenever I visit Dulcinea. The rich chocolate and the crunchy churros are just perfect as an afternoon snack (or dessert). I even went gaga when they had a kiosk at the ground floor of SM Megamall where they focused on eclairs, cream puffs and churros. However, Boqueria, a new player in the market, captured the churros loving crowd with its decadent hot chocolate and churros and now, they are offering something foodies would absolutely love...

Unlimited churros? Why not?

 Yes, you read it right! Boqueria is offering CHURROS ALL YOU CAN!

But of course, there's a catch. It is only available from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. So if you work near SM Megamall and you have a flexible lunch break, then lucky you! Promo runs until September 15, 2014. So schedule it now!

I do hope that they consider having this as a weekend promo. (And an option to have plain churros. Sugar coated churros dipped in their rich chocolate is just too much for me.)

Boqueria is located at 3rd Floor, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City.

Lugang Café's Feast All You Can

For some reason, “eat-all-you-can” lures me like a bug to light. It never fails to make me drool like some hungry toddler. I went crazy when I saw the ad for Lugang’s feast-all-you-can as I failed to try it last year with my former colleagues due to conflict of schedules.

My food loving friends and I agreed to meet at Lugang Café around 7 p.m. at the SM Megamall branch and that the first person to arrive reserve a table for us. A was the early bird that day and she made sure that I remember it for weeks with her nonstop messages and calls. (I still love you though.)

I arrived soon after and I was surprised that there were only very few people. I guess Monday's not really a popular day to feast. 

L arrived a few minutes later and we decided to order our first plates.

I also ordered Blended Mango and Sago with Coconut Milk as my beverage (and dessert in one).

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao is of course one of our first orders followed by… well, a lot more.

Presenting... our feast.

Vietnam Egg Rolls (It was served warm and crunchy and it sure made our grumpy tummies happy.)

Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings with Truffle Oil (I find this one to be too oily and had the umay factor. One or two of this is enough for me.)

Weekend (Endless) Eating: Eastwood Cafe's Weekend Family Buffet

Stay-cation is becoming a trend nowadays. With the intense heat, hardly anyone has the energy to roam around under the scorching heat. Things to do with the family have been limited to the comforts of the home but let’s give mom a break and head to Eastwood Richmonde Hotel for a family buffet. 

 

Eastwood Café of Eastwood Richmonde Hotel started to offer Weekend Family Buffet for a friendly price of PHP880 for adults, PHP440 for children age 6 to 12 years old, and FREE for kids 5 years old and below. With that price alone, it’s already pretty tempting but here’s a nice touch to it, they have a special nook for kids to play after eating. 

There’s also a very charming sweets station that is very eye catching. 

I started my buffet adventure with the salad station. They had a good mix of Filipino-style salads and the usual lettuce, carrot, tomato over Thousand Island dressing salad. 

 

Restaurant Discovery: Matgalne

Korea has stolen the hearts of many Filipinos—from dramas to music to food. I’d say, I have this long-term serious relationship with samgyeopsal. Throw in the word “unlimited” and I am yours!

Eat-all-you-can samgyeopsal for only PHP299 for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and PHP399 for dinner (5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.), then throw in more than 20 side dishes, not a bad deal right? I was lucky to receive an email from A about this place called Matgalne that serves Korean dishes at friendly prices. Since curiosity got the best of me, I decided to pay Matgalne a visit during elections.  

It was rather hard to find the place if you’re not familiar with going around Makati but one landmark to remember is St. Giles Hotel and you’re almost there. I was lucky that I could read Korean as we totally didn’t notice the hotel’s signage. But for easier reference, here’s a photo of the façade. :)

When we arrived, I was surprised that the place was quite packed. Yes, the restaurant was slightly small, similar to how most hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Seoul are but this one could easily seat around 30 people and almost every seat is occupied by a hungry customer. Again, I was lucky as I instantly got a seat as I was in touch with A.

My only shot of the spread as I got too excited to eat right away!

Soon, I started to fill my plate with side dishes. First one I took was the Chapchae (or jabchae), one of my favorite dishes! I love that the sweet potato noodles (Korean 101: Sweet potato noodles is called dangmyeon in Korean) are not as oily and the vegetables included were fresh and quite crunchy. I just love it.

I also got some Jumeok Bap (Korean 101: Bap means rice). It was really yummy! I love the sticky texture and the saltiness of the seaweed.

See that little ball covered in nori? Yes, that’s Jumeok Bap!

There were also a lot of “jeon” available such as ham jeon, mushroom (Korean 101: Mushroom is called beoseot in Korean) jeon, and zucchini jeon. The key ingredients namely ham, mushroom and zucchini were [separately] batted in eggs and flour. If you adore fried oreos, pancakes or anything batted in eggs and flour, you’d like these.

I have mentioned several times that I do not like spicy dishes but some manage to be my “exemptions” and one of which is Matgalne’s Dak Kang Jung (Korean 101: Dak means chicken), sweet and spicy chicken. It was flavorful and it wasn’t very spicy at all. It was just right, and an instant love!

Promo Alert: SumoSam Unli Tempura and Sushi

I think it's pretty obvious that I have this strong passion for Japanese food. One thing that could make me go out on a super lazy day is... salmon sashimi. But I wasn't fond of it at first. The first time I tried eating salmon sashimi was when I was in my last year of college. (Late foodie bloomer?) But give me unlimited Japanese food, even if it's not salmon sashimi, I will be there in a second (or an hour if it's traffic).

 Presenting... SumoSam's  Unli Tempura and Sushi for only PHP499!

Yes, you read it right, unlimited... until further notice!

But wait, it gets even better as the ramen, salad and dessert are all part of the unlimited offering. Plus, just add PHP300 and you get unlimited wagyu beef as well!

 

So, what's the catch? It's only available at SumoSam's Somerset Olympia branch (across Ayala Triangle). Not really a big deal right?

Promo Alert: Lugang Café's Feast All You Can

Dieting is impossible if you are surrounded by foodies. We talk about food in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and yes, even during lunch break.

*ding*

Okay, there really wasn't a sound but when A sends an email, it has to be about one of the following-- (1) picture of the day, (2) weird things I do not wish to explain further, or (3) eat-all-you-can. And because I always hope that the emails are about the last one, I read the emails ASAP. 

And true enough the last one was about Lugang Café's Feast All You Can. 

Weekend (Endless) Eating: F1 Café

I simply cannot resist buffets despite the intense guilt after eating a lot. When N invited me to a buffet lunch last Saturday at F1 Hotel, I immediately texted back, YES! *Darn gluttony!*

I instantly said yes because it was pretty convenient as I stayed at F1 the night before as I helped out with the ingress for the Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run. All I have to do is head down and EAT.

N and I met around 11 a.m. and the buffet was still closed as they open at 11:30 a.m. but the waitress told us that we could help ourselves with whatever was out that time.

The bread, desserts, salad and sushi stations were ready to be "attacked" so N and I took some photos and started our 3-hour lunch challenge.

Promo Alert: Dine at HEAT Restaurant at 50% off!

My friends know that I have this thing for buffets. I just can't resist it. I remember as well that my first date with N was also in an eat-all-you-can restaurant (and found out later on that it's a no-no for first dates. I guess it doesn't give that romantic ambiance given that you're surrounded with people with mountains of food on their plates).

But since I am stingy, I do not go to the hotels for buffets. I'm satisfied with a PHP299 deal from Don Day or Sambo Kojin or even Yakimix (for unlimited salmon).

Then one lucky day, I saw a photo on my news feed. Overheated? Oh shoot! HEAT! Edsa Shangri-La's HEAT is having a summer buffet promo!

The price is so tempting as for only PHP715++ (for lunch Mondays to Saturdays for the whole month of April), you get to eat awesome food! The catch though is that you need to bring along with you a company of 4 or more to avail the promo. Still, it's not a bad deal at all!

I'm booking a reservation soon to celebrate someone's birthday. Book now too! :)

For reservations, contact 633-8888 ext. 2777. Note that prior reservation is needed.

HEAT is located at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel,1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Konnichiwa, Roboto San!

It has been quite a while since I last saw some of my college block mates given that some of them moved to the other side of the world. So, when I found out that R will be visiting Manila, we took the opportunity to somehow catch up. It was also the perfect opportunity for me to ask for a travel itinerary as I will be traveling next month (and I am so excited to explore and try new dishes!!!).

 

I find it odd that every time I meet a balikbayan friend, we always end up dining in a non-Filipino restaurant. Last time was way back February where N (boy) and I had dinner at a Korean restaurant. This time though, R and I had a mini reunion at… Roboto San.

Konnichiwa, Roboto San!

 

N (girl) had coupons that were about to expire and I just can’t stand wasting a good deal. R and I were originally planning to meet up for brunch and I thought that a Filipino restaurant would be a brilliant idea but the coupon entered the picture and changed everything. To make things more fun, I invited A as well as she knows R.

Foodie Alert: Unlimited Crispy Pata!!!

Unlimited. Eat-all-you-can. Overflowing. Those words never fail to make me smile!

Gluttons rejoice as C2 Classic Cuisine has a promo that is simply hard to resist. Just combine a sinful yet oh-so-good dish plus the word UNLIMITED… *happiness*

UNLIMITED. CRISPY. PATA. *twirls, jumps, and (if I could) somersaults*

The promo is actually simple. Just go to the C2 Classic Cuisine Greenhills branch, order the unlimited crispy pata and pay PHP299. But waaaait!!! For those with tight budgets but big tummy space, fret not as you could slash PHP100 off your bill by following these easy steps:

Date A Girl Who "Really" Eats

The hit articles “Date a girl who reads” and “Date a girl who travels” gave me an idea to write my own version of “Date a girl who eats” then I found this article by Twenteensomething. After reading the article, it made me reconsider writing an article about it as the one written by Bianca Consunji, the person behind the blog, was really good. But I was raised to never give up without trying. So here goes my version of… Date a Girl who “Really” Eats. 

Date a girl who really eats. Date a girl who would not hesitate to dine in an eat-all-you-can restaurant for she knows that eat-all-you-can does not really mean eat till your pants rip into P1 and P2. She knows how to pace herself thus mastering the art of buffet dining.

Birthday Lunch Surprise: Sonya's Garden

I have been targeting to visit a hidden yet well-known “gem” near Tagaytay for quite some time now. Fine, it has been years, two or three years to be more precise. But for some reason, my parents were always busy and my friends were not very fond of out of town adventures. But this 2012 seemed to be nice to me as I finally got to cross out one of the items on my to-do list—a trip to Sonya’s Garden.

I am the type of person who plans out my own birthday. I make sure that I will get to eat good food on my special day (and the day before and two days before that too as I just love birthdays). Hey! I don’t think it is being a spoiled brat or anything like that. I only get to have the right to demand to be special in one out of 365 days! Anyway, going back to Sonya’s Garden…