Black Scoop Launches its Pints-To-Go

Milk tea is one of the drinks I find hard to resist. I've been so used to gulping down at least one large cup a week. The lockdown changed all that as I barely had any sweet drink for months. To make up for all the milk tea I missed, I had a gallon of boba from Black Scoop and tried a few new items on its menu.

Hello, Black Scoop.

Black Scoop has been one of my favorite milk tea brands since 2018. I always get its classic boba flavors and fruit teas whenever I pass by. 

First Bite: Pepeng Hapon

I'm a purist when it comes to Japanese food and I usually automatically dislike Japanese fusion dishes as soon as I see it or get a whiff of its strong aroma. But all that changed when I got to savor Ooma's crazy good dishes. And when a Filipino-Japanese restaurant reached out to me, I quickly said yes.

Hello, Pepeng Hapon. 

Pepeng Hapon is a Filipino-Japanese restaurant in Malate offering pocket friendly maki, takoyaki, and more. With some of its dishes at under PHP200, it isn't surprising for this place to become a popular spot for students and workers in the area. 

First Bite: Wing Zone

Wings has been one of the staple comfort food for many. With most wings shops offering several flavors, it would be hard to get tired of munching on these goodies. And one of the most recent additions to the list is Wing Zone. 

Hello, Wing Zone. 

Wing Zone is an Atlanta-based American food chain founded Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, back in 1991 when they were still studying at the University of Florida. With their buffalo wings' immense popularity within their fraternity, they decided to open two stores in Gainsville, Florida two years later. Eventually, it expanded to Latin America and Central America. And in 2018, it found home in Manila which is now up to five branches in the city. 

First Bite: Slabbers

I am a big fan of Hole in the Wall and most of the concepts in the first ever upscale food hall in Manila. However, I hardly visit Century City Mall as its location's a bit off from where I live. I make sure though that I pass by this picturesque dining hall every time I find myself in the area. And for my latest visit, I tried one of its newest stalls, Slabbers. 

Hello, Slabbers. 

This new concept in Hole in the Wall opened last July and has been firing up some mean ribs and wings since then. With its prime location near the entrance, it would be hard to miss Slabbers. 

Revisited: Genki Sushi

A concept born in 1968, Genki Sushi has grown from a Japanese sushi bar into an international brand. It opened its first store in Manila 3 years ago and it has been expanding ever since. Its success can be attributed to its extensive menu of pocket-friendly sushi and maki and interesting way of having it served. And Genki Sushi beefed up its offerings even more by adding bentos and rice toppings. 

Hello, Genki Sushi. 

It has been a long while since my last visit at this quirky sushi bar. I still recall how much fun I had ordering my favorites and the giddiness I felt whenever my "race car" or "train" arrives with my orders. This time around, I didn't focus much on the novelty of how the food's delivered and focused more on the dishes. And for this visit, I got to try some of Genki Sushi's newest dishes. 

First Bite: After All

I love knowing every restaurant's back story as it gives it more character and allows me to have a better grasp on what it aims to be. Some started out as passion projects while others wanted to fill the market's unmet needs or wants. One establishment I've recently visited sprung from the idea of the owners wanting a place to hang out and enjoy their favorite dishes. It turns out though that the food they always crave would be a hit with people outside their circle. After all, their favorites are classics.

Hello, After All Bar & Grill. 

This restaurant and bar in SM Jazz opened its doors to the public last month and it has been getting a steady following since then. It isn't surprising as After All offers a wide variety of dishes and drinks. 

I was greeted by dim lights and dark hued furniture when I stepped inside After All. It was still very quiet around 6 pm with only some of the owners at the other side of the restaurant. Diners came in around 7:30 pm and the place became very busy around 8 pm. 

First Bite: AM:PM Brunch Bar and Cafe

I hardly frequent San Juan as traffic there gets too insane at times. I still remember the times when I get stuck in standstill, no thanks to a certain school. But thanks to Waze, I discover new routes in order to get around its small streets filled with good food finds. And a few weeks back, I discovered this new restaurant that offers everything from breakfast to bar chow that is worth braving the traffic for.

Hello, AM:PM Brunch Bar and Cafe.

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). 

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.

Restaurant Discovery: Buffalo Wild Wings

Capitol Commons is starting to become a foodie destination. At first, I was lazy to visit the place as I have already visited Tipsy Pig, Black Olive, Sentro1771 and Nomama. But my Instagram feed went crazy one time with so many posts about this new wings place in Estancia Mall. And it sure made me curious. So…

Hello, Buffalo Wild Wings!

The place was quite packed with yuppies on a weeknight. (I can’t imagine how packed it will be when the big games are on!)

Since we were quite hungry, we didn’t mind being at the bar. After browsing the menu, R and I decided to go for the following: Pepper Jack Steak Wrap (PHP495), Naked Tenders (PHP395) and Traditional wings with Honey BBQ sauce (PHP295, snack | PHP495, small | PHP695, medium | PHP895, large). We also got unlimited iced tea and lemonade.

First served were our drinks.

The lemonade was super sweet! I had a hard time finishing my first glass and I even had to ask the server to mix the second one with water to dilute it.

 

Restaurant Discovery: Frankie’s New York Buffalo Wings

As a hardcore The Walking Dead fan, my Mondays are blocked for my 1 hour bonding with Rick, Glenn, Terry, Carol, Maggie, Michonne, and of course, Daryl. However, I can get lured by restaurants I have never tried before in an instant. I blame my tummy. >.<

K suddenly wanted to eat out and since he lives a few minutes from my office, we decided to have dinner somewhere in Ortigas. He recommended wings and honestly, I’m not fond of wings. I always think that you end up paying for the bones and not the meat. Anyway, I gave in as I’m not really craving for anything in particular and I had to be home by 9 p.m. so we had to decide fast.

Soon, we’re at Frankie’s New York Buffalo Wings, a wings place at City Golf.

Frankie’s has an industrial/basement chill vibe and I noticed that the diners are students and yuppies. Well, with the affordable prices, it’s not hard to attract the young market.

We decided to order the following: a basket of fries, three types of wings—Cheesy Bacon (PHP173), Nagoya Tebasaki (PHP173) and Caribbean Jerk (PHP173). We also ordered a slice of New York Cheesecake (PHP120) and a few bottles of Tanduay Ice to start the week right. :)

First served was the basket of fries and just like what they said, they use real potatoes. Yey! Nothing fancy about it though.