Now in Manila: Rico's Lechon

Cebu has been known as the city where one can get great lechon. And with the influx of several lechon brands and restaurants, only the best stood the test of time. One of which is Rico's Lechon. 

Hello, Rico's Lechon. 

I would always visit Rico's Lechon whenever I'm in Cebu. Despite having low tolerance for spicy food, I could not resist myself from ordering its spicy lechon, a dish Rico's Lechon started. Each bite of the spiced roast pig never fail to tickle my taste buds. And I was thrilled when I found out that Rico's Lechon is finally opening in Manila. 

Rico's Lechon is opening in Manila this August

It's no rumor or #fakenews! Rico's Lechon is heading to Manila and is opening this August!

Hello, Rico's Lechon. 

If you've been to Cebu, you may have come across Rico's Lechon one way or another. This famous lechon brand has been one of the most recommended food stops in the Queen City of the South. And it would be hard to miss it when it has multiple branches in key locations all over the city.

First Bite: The Halal Guys' Spicy Chicken BBQ

Spicy food never excite me. Just thinking about gasping for water after a few mouthfuls make me cringe. But I simply could not say no to The Halal Guys new Spicy BBQ Chicken Platter.

Hello, The Halal Guys!

First Bite: 24 Chicken Delivery Manila

Most of us try to be better versions of ourselves come the start of the new year. I've had several new year's resolutions but most if not all end up in the bin. And after several years of making new goals, I decided to make this year's resolutions more realistic and attainable. And one of my goals this 2018 is to be more exposed to new flavors, primarily spicy food. Now is the time to try that spicy chicken! 

Hello, 24 Chicken Delivery Manila.

First Bite: The Broken Oven

Comfortable dining experience, value for money dishes and ample parking are just some of the important elements to consider for a food park to be successful. Thankfully, the newest food park in Ortigas, Industrie Food Loft got all these covered. Located on the second floor of City Golf's party (or drinking) strip, we were greeted by a colorful wall mural and bright signs. The hippie industrial interiors makes the place very young and vibrant. And our first stop here was The Broken Oven, under the same owners of Olive Treat. 

First Bite: Pablo’s

Working in Fort Bonifacio could sure dent your wallet if you’re not smart with your money. Temptation is very strong, especially on payday, as we are surrounded by restaurants and retail stores. There are even a few malls to choose from. And being stranded could also be costly. Believe me. As a person who brings homemade food to work, I make sure that I spend less than PHP100 a day, even less on most days. But when rain pours, sometimes, so does money.

Hey, Pablo’s!

Rain was crazy a few weeks ago. I was stranded for almost 3 hours for two days! And since I had no plans to brave the rain, I decided to join my officemates for dinner at Pablo’s.

It has Happy Hour until 8 p.m. but since I have some drinks at home, I focused on the real food. On my first night, I opted to get the Sirloin Beef Tapa with 2 Eggs (PHP245) and an order of Pablo’s Potato Chips (PHP170). On my second visit, I went for Basil Chicken (PHP245).

The potato chips confused me. Those were definitely not “paper thin” as what the menu claimed. It was fat potato cuts. At least it was crispy.

But it was smothered with spicy red powder making it difficult for me to enjoy.

My officemates kept saying that Pablo’s tapa is deeeelish so I had my palate ready for something awesome.

When it was served, first thing that came to mind was, “serving size is okay, it’s fragrant too, but is it better than my mom’s tapa?” Yes, I have never tasted better tapa than my mom’s. My mom’s tapa has this sweet and tangy taste that I love and so far, I have not tasted anything better.

It was okay. The tapa was tender and it was juicy. It was a nice mix of sweet and salty taste. I didn’t taste the tanginess that I want from tapa though. But it was pretty good for its price. And I loved that the rice was not your usual plain rice. It was mixed with tapa sauce and bits of marinated sirloin.

First Bite: Rolling Bap Korean Rolls House

It was my sister’s big day (by big day, I mean graduation and not wedding) last Saturday and we all had a late start. We were supposed to leave our place at 10 a.m. but we left an hour later. Traffic in Makati was bad too and we got to PICC area past 12 noon. Since we wanted to have lunch first, we decided to explore Macapagal Boulevard and found Hobbies of Asia. There are several restaurants there but most guarantee a fresh scent of lunch to stick to our clothes. After looking for other options, we discovered…

Rolling Bap Korean Rolls House

The place is pretty small and the menu is straightforward. They have the basic dishes covered and we decided to get Regular Kimbap (PHP130), Bibim Mandu (PHP280), Tteokbokki (PHP270) and Bulgogi Rice (PHP250).

First served were the complimentary pickled radish and kimchi. I didn’t try the kimchi but I loved the slightly tangy and crunchy radish.

The kimbap was served next and it was delightful! The strips of kani, egg, ham, cucumber, carrots and radish wrapped in sticky rice and chewy nori was quite filling. 

For PHP130, it was a steal! I also love the mix of different textures and flavors.

Not Just Toasts: Toast Box

After an afternoon of being tea-loving friends, we decided to stop by Toast Box, a cute little restaurant that I thought only serves toasts. Hey, the name was deceiving. 

Hello, Toast Box.

N was drawn to this restaurant while we were trying to burn some calories (and J mesmerized by LEGO). I was pretty surprised that the restaurant has a lot of dishes to offer. They serve Nonya Laksa (PHP225), Hokkien Prawn Mee (PHP220), Chicken Sausage Noodles (PHP149), and a lot more aside from toasts. N, J and I ordered the three I just mentioned. We all added PHP30 to get a glass of Iced Barley.

 

The place was really packed when we entered but were lucky to spot an empty table right away. Despite the crowd, service was pretty quick. We were still digesting our brunch when our bowls arrived.

I wasn’t really able to taste the bowls of N and J as the itsy bitsy taste of their soup made me drink a third of my drink. It was SPICY! I have mentioned in my previous blogs that my tolerance for spicy food is pretty much non-existent. I try but there are just some I really could not eat as I’ll just cough throughout the whole meal.