First Bite: KFC's Chaco and Cracklings

We've seen Jollibee and McDonald's launching new products here and there for the past months and KFC joined the merriment by launching its Original Recipe Cracklings and Chaco. And I finally got to try these last Friday. 

Hello, KFC.

KFC's delectable spiced chicken has always been a reliable meal for me. I never had a moment when I disliked its flavorful chicken. I do like it better though when it is twice-fried. (Hello, leftover chicken from bucket meal!)

If you're always checking your social media accounts, you may have noticed an influx of Chaco posts a few weeks ago. Even the trusted foodie Masarap Ba? reviewed it but sadly got Chaka for its rating. 

New Favorite: Taco Bell

Taco Bell has been in Manila for years now but it was only last year when I had its famous tacos. Though it may not be the best taco joint in town, its no frills straight forward Mexican fare does the job in keeping my tummy happy. And a month back, I discovered that Taco Bell also offers pretty good quesadillas! 

Hello, Taco Bell. 

I usually go for soft tacos whenever I visit Taco Bell and never gave trying its quesadillas any thought. The shop after all is called "Taco" Bell giving the impression that its best item in the menu would be, you got it, tacos. 

First Bite: Mimi & Bros

I simply cannot resist comfort food. And now with how things are going in Manila, I need daily supply of good food. Thankfully, a new restaurant just opened and it offers dishes that would definitely make get by a bad day. 

Hello, Mimi & Bros!

Love at First Bite: Alegria Cozinha Moderna & Sangria Bar

I love sangria! It's one of the drinks I simply could not resist when on a night out with friends. And when I found out that there's a new bar in town that not only offers photogenic dishes but various sangrias as well, I got very excited and giddy to visit! 

Hello, Alegria Cozinha Moderna & Sangria Bar.

Located at the fourth floor of Uniqlo store along 7th Avenue, Alegria offers a lovely and relaxing space perfect for night caps after work or a tiring day doing errands. It also has an al fresco area that gives a nice view of surrounding area. 

First Bite: Taco Bell

Would you believe me if I tell you that I've never been to Taco Bell before? Well, aside from it having few branches in Manila, I'm always more inclined to visit a non-fast food Mexican joint for my taco fix. I'd find myself just walk past its purple and yellow facade without any second thought. But last week was different. 

Hello, Taco Bell. 

I was at Trinoma last week for the opening of my favorite yogurt, llaollao. I came in a bit too early for the VIP party so I decided to look for a place to have late lunch instead. I was leaning towards getting Turks Shawarma but I bumped into a friend who wanted to go for Taco Bell. Since I've never been to Taco Bell, I figured that it's not a bad idea.

We saw this meal for two that includes nachos, fries with sour cream, tacos, churros and drinks priced at less than PHP400. Sweet deal right?

Sundays Made Better: Mercato at Heat

Don't you feel that the day is not enough to do all the things you want? Sunday seems to be the only day with an acceptable traffic that would make us more productive. But we also want to spend this day with the good ol family which again makes time a bit more scarce for everything else. Edsa Shangri-La got our backs though and thought of something brilliant.

Hello again, Heat!

It was my first time to visit Heat for lunch so I didn't know what to expect. Though I already know that Heat offers a bountiful and impressive spread from breakfast to dinner, I was not prepared to be awed further. 

When in Pampanga: Bale Dutung

As much as I love to eat out, I also enjoy staying at home and experimenting in the kitchen. Lately, I find attending events a bit too much especially when all my loose clothes are starting to be fit. But an invite to Bale Dutung is too good to resist. And before my brain cells could even process the pros and cons of attending, I already click the send button with yes as my reply.

First Bite: Brad & Pit's Ribshack

Ribs became a crowd favorite ever since the popularity of Rub Ribs, Tomahawk and other ribs place that made the delectable piece of savory meat accessible to people with limited food budget. And with its popularity came other food joints and one of the later players is Brad & Pit’s Ribshack.

Hello, Brad & Pit’s Ribshack!

The place was quite full when we arrived and I was thinking how our big party will fit in the restaurant. As I follow the others roam around the restaurant, we were surprised that there’s another dining area at the back of the restaurant. This area actually serves as a private function area for small parties. 

As we marvel over the vinyl cover displays, plate after plate of delectable dishes were placed on the long dark table. 

Dishes served were the following: Mount Nachos(PHP195), Dynamite Sticks (PHP165), Wings (PHP220, small), Taco Sticks (PHP165), Original Rib Mountain (PHP245, small—good for 2 pax), Cubano (PHP135), Steak Combo (PHP225), Blueberry Cheesecake (PHP145), Brownies ala mode (PHP120), Chocolate Milkshake (PHP135) and Cucumber Shake (PHP95). 

Affordable Bites: 7flavors

It was one random day when I got an email from A inviting me to visit 7flavors buffet in San Juan. His name sounded so familiar that I just have to fish. And true enough, A and I have met before back in 2012 when I was still with Summit Media handling Yummy magazine. The foodie community is indeed big yet so small. 

Hello, 7flavors.

This spacious two-storey restaurant is headed by celebrity chef Boy Logro and all the dishes served here are based on his recipes. The first floor is designed for diners who do not fancy buffets and prefer to order a la carte. The second floor tends to be more crowded with its pocket-friendly lunch (PHP399.99 on weekdays and PHP599.99 on weekends including Fridays) and dinner (PHP499.99 on weekdays and PHP599.99 on weekends including Fridays) buffets. 

I read through a handful of reviews before going to this place and most reviews gave it a fair rating and mentioned that it covers the basic dishes and would be considered a value for money place. True enough, the buffet was a simple spread of viands, appetizers and desserts. I spotted DIY taco and halo-halo stations and took a mental note to try it after my first plate. 

My first plate was a combination of crispy kare-kare, steamed fish, oil-based pasta and buttered chicken. All dishes tasted pretty average and something you’d get from the price you pay. 

Restaurant Love: Leona's Art Restaurant

I was so excited for the Quezon City Food Fest as it sounded so promising. Imagine, gathering all the best finds in Quezon City in one area. It was a foodie’s dream come true. But I wasn’t expecting (1) that it’ll rain pretty much the whole afternoon and (2) that there wasn’t anything special about the whole event. There were no special dishes or offering and every single restaurant was packed! In short, I ended up being a sticky and wet hungry girl.

After an upsetting trip to this new Japanese restaurant I shall not mention, M recommended that we visit his favorite pizza place instead. And since I was famished and the two sorbetes cones I bought were about to disappear, I agreed.

Hello, Leona’s Art Restaurant!

The place is pretty small and we had to wait for a bit for a table to clear up. Luckily, the wait wasn’t that long.

Since the place was packed, it took the servers a while to clear our table and to get our orders. But since the owner was apologetic, I was more forgiving this time. (Plus, the sorbetes helped calm me.)

We opted to get the Take Three Pizza Promo for only PHP499 (for 10 inches). For the flavors, Three Cheese and Pepperoni are fixed. We could only choose one more and we got the Garlic and Mushroom. I also ordered the Tomato Espresso (PHP80) and Soft Taco (PHP90). I also got a rootbeer float as drink/dessert.

Kapitolyo Food Stop: Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina

Kapitolyo sure is a foodie destination with so many restaurants appearing left and right. And since it was a holiday last October 6, the Foodie Trio of UA&P (which I now baptize as F3) decided to explore Kapitolyo once again. Our first stop is none other than Silantro.

Hello, Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina!

This wasn’t my first time to visit this place as I got to try it a few months ago with W. However, we didn’t order food and I just had their unlimited mojito (for only PHP250!!!). And the mojito was not bad at all.

We arrived a bit past 11 a.m. and the place was already packed! It was a good thing though that K’s friends, the Triple J (as they all have J in their names), arrived early and managed to get a table inside.

After a quick look at the menu, I decided to go for the Completo (PHP110) where I could choose three kinds of meat for my soft shell taco (I chose lamb, oxtail and beef), Silantro Quesadillas (PHP160) and a glass of Mojito (PHP90).

First served was the mojito but I did not dare take a sip as I skipped breakfast for the food trip. After the first 10 minutes, I started to become restless and at the 15 minute mark, I started to be irritable.

Twenty minutes later, the server approached us to inform me that they were out of oxtail. I snapped! They could have told me that way before! Why wait for 20 minutes???

Anyway, I told the server to give me lengua instead and make sure that he serves my order in 5 minutes or less. And it did. However, we had to wait for a few more minutes for our utensils and sauce. *sigh*