First Bite: Franks Craft Beers Manila

We've seen the growth of gourmet burgers in Manila. There would be some that would charge as much as a grand for a thick and juicy patty and there would still be a market for it. But one category that seems to be not as saturated is gourmet hot dogs. Sure, we have the likes of Pink's which was well received when it opened in BGC but there are not a lot of establishments that offer fancy franks. And I was pleasantly surprised to discover a hidden gem tucked inside the casino of Resorts World Manila.

Hello, Franks!

Franks is one of the many signature restaurants of Resorts World Manila. Originally designed to cater to casino guests, it offers quick bites such as fries, nachos and hot dogs. But its delectable offerings were just too good to be bound inside the casino. Soon, patrons would drop by for some of their favorites to go and enjoy it with the whole family as they watch movies on the 4th floor or feast on it at home. 

Since 1999: Brothers Burger

Do you still remember what you were doing in 1999? I sure don't but I know three brothers who clearly do. The Jose brothers started to revolutionize how burgers should be that year. The genius trio were tired of the usual burgers fast food chains offer and this triggered them to start their own burger joint--the first to make artisanal burgers. And Brothers Burger was born. Several years later, Brothers Burger is still a brand of choice for foodies particular with their patties. But on its 18th year, Brothers Burger has become more than just burgers. 

First Bite: Buns & Bros

Burgers never fail to attract me like fly to light. And when its patty is beautifully grilled and succulent, it was like luring Winnie the Pooh to honey. Hence, despite being full from my late lunch, I still found room for some serious burgers from this new food park in City Golf.

Hello, Buns & Bros!

I first saw Buns & Bros to-die-for burgers from The Bald Baker's Instagram feed. It was love at first sight but I had my reservations too as it looked too beautiful to be tasty too. Then again, after reading several comments saying that this rather hip establishment offers legit and bang for the buck burgers, I just have to give it a try.

Second Bite: Buffalo Wild Wings

R and I have been trying to cut our food expenses by staying in on weekends. When we feel the urge to eat out (simply because I’m lazy to cook), we try to stick to places where we have gift certificates. One of the restaurants where we could eat for free is Buffalo Wild Wings and we decided to head to the wings place one weekend.

Hello, Buffalo Wild Wings.

This place has a bit of sentimental value for us as it is the first restaurant we visited on a weeknight. I still remember how smooth R invited me. I was just at home then waiting for The Walking Dead to air when he messaged me if I want to eat out. “Eat out.” He said the magic words. 

Anyway, to reminisce that night, we sat on the same bar but ordered different dishes. We went with Parmesan Garlic Chicken Flatbread (PHP375) and Juicy Steak Burger (PHP625). We also got Unlimited Iced Tea (PHP105). 

The perk of sitting by the bar is that you’ll never be out of drinks. Our glasses were refilled countless times! 

First served was the burger and it was delightful! The thick burger patty stayed true to its name… juicy. It was also seasoned well and each bite was packed with flavor. 

The thin prime rib cuts added flavor and texture to the dish. I also enjoyed the crisp and gigantic onion rings. The fat fries were also great and went well with the filling burger. The Buffalo Wild Wings sauce added a bit of sweet spicy kick that made it very irresistible.

First Bite: IHOP

I have never tried IHOP here in Manila for two reasons, crowd and bad first impression. I tried IHOP in the US and everything I ordered were too salty or too oily. It made me wonder how this breakfast joint became so popular (even to Filipinos). But I guess there's no avoiding IHOP when P invites you while you're on a Sakura vacation. I immediately replied GAME when she mentioned IHOP. IHOP, we are meant to enjoy each other's company. 

Aaaaaand... I was late. I was trying to avoid Uber surge that morning but I eventually gave in with 1.2 surge as I was really running late. And to make things worse, I didn't know that 9th Avenue (or was it 7th) was closed for an event. Almost everyone was there when I arrived. 

After a few catching up and sharing our food finds, we eventually ordered. 

First served was my Splashberry (PHP175) drink. It was so refreshing and I loved that there were whole strawberries inside!!! Yum! The fizz from the lemon-lime soda and the sweetness of orange juice made this drink the top choice to beat the summer heat! Pricey? Well, did I mention that it was refillable? WE HAVE A WINNER HERE!!! 🏅

We also got to try some of IHOP's LTO (limited time offers) for lunch! We had Southern Fried Chicken (PHP195, one piece | PHP295, two pieces) and IHOP Tacos (PHP125, single | PHP195, double).

First served was the Appetizer Sampler (PHP425) and it was goooood! The sampler comes with giant onion rings, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. The mozzarella sticks were a bit on the bland side and lacked the gooeyness great mozzarella sticks have in common. But it was good with the marinara sauce. I liked the chicken tenders more as it was so crunchy on the outside and quite juicy on the inside. It went well with marinara sauce too. The onion rings were great too! I ate 3 rings, I think. I totally ignored the honey mustard sauce as I fell in love with the red dip. 

The Southern Fried Chicken was served next and it was delectable. Simple and straightforward, it's that type of chicken that reminds you of home cooked fried chicken, only better! The skin was so crispy and the meat inside was so juicy. The one we got though had slight red spots which I didn't like. I guess I should request for breast for more white meat. 

The tacos and pretty much everything else were served after. We took advantage of the natural light and scored some nice photos. But it took us long enough for the Banana Hazelnut Crepe (PHP275) to require some retouch. 

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.

One Yummy Project: Creating your own burger

If only school projects are as tasty as this, I would have been a straight-A student from preschool to college.

We were now on our second stop of our Teacher’s Village Food Trip and the next destination was The Burger Project. With an attempt to burn some of the samgyeopsal we ate earlier, we decided to walk. (Well, the joint was pretty near the eat all you can place. Let’s say about 100 steps away?)

We were greeted by a plain looking signage with The Burger Project name on it. It didn’t really make me utter wow or anything. I just knew that I was in the right place.