Wrong Ramen

So there's this new ramen place at Fort Bonifacio. By Burgos Circle, to be exact. And to be even more exact.. beside Bugsy's.

Now the name is an eye catcher. After pondering, I thought that maybe they serve a different kind of ramen here. But to name your own product wrong was something different. It definitely caught my attention.

So the decor was something else. I enjoyed it. I didn't get bored waiting for the order. I just had to look around the restaurant and glance along the walls. There were several unique posters as well that really caught my eye.

This is one of said posters. I was too engrossed in capturing the image of the poster that I forgot to make sure the text was seen. Anyway, the text says "How can you be right if you have never been wrong?" Makes sense. There were other variations. Ramen coming out of a Starbuck's cup or a spam can.

This little gem was right beside the washroom. It made me feel like such a sexy beast while I was taking care of my business.

 This was Tantanmen (Php 395). It was a spicy sesame broth with ground pork in it. I thought this was amazing. Whatever your preconception is about ramen; Leave it at the door. You're finding none of that weak shizzle here! This was a gamble that paid off!

Eating at a Japanese restaurant is supposed to have you engaging a symphony of flavors. When you close your eyes you can imagine a geisha serenading you with a shamisen while you devour your food.

But this was Wrong-Freaking-Ramen! Geishas here were wearing Kiss makeup and rocking an electric guitar while you eat your food. Now turn that geisha into liquid and put some pork on top of her and that's what you get in that bowl. Spicy. Flavorful. Awesomeness.

 This was the Tonkotsu (Php 395). A milky chicken and pork broth. Apparently it's too rich in pork fat for some people so there's a milder version of it. I tried it and loved it as well. And I think that if you're going to eat pork, it's all or nothing.

So scrap the milder version and let them order a salad instead. They're insulting your genius! This bowl of ramen was so milkily amazing. I could've sworn it was the love juice of angels. I applaud you all.. pork fat and all. To ask you to lessen that which makes the dish great is to insult your culinary prowess. 

It's been quite a while since I said that I would try everything on a menu of a restaurant. Congrats, Wrong Ramen.. you have earned my patronage. I will eat everything on your menu, one day at a time. 

You have it all. Food and ambience plus the added effect of humor. Those posters and decors are just so hilarious that I can't wait to meet the man who conceptualized it. I'm sure we can share a couple of beers and a hundred laughs. 

If you don't get a notion of how funny I think he is... then let me share this. There's few dessert items on the menu. One is Belgian chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. The menu title? Poop of the gods.

I was never a fan of traditional ramen. And it looks like I never will be. If the ramen here is wrong, then I never want to be right.

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza

 

 So I was just walking a little away from Power Plant Mall at Rockwell looking for a new place to eat and this restaurant caught my eye. Mainly because of three words.

Brick. Oven. Pizza.

Nothing can catch my attention more than that. Except by adding a fourth word that precedes all three. "Free".

So one of the things I ordered was the Agnolotti. Basically it's like ravioli. And the filling was mushrooms. The first thing I thought was that it didn't look like Agnolotti. Maybe they ran out..? Maybe the pasta broke..? I don't know.

Secondly, what I assumed was ground mushrooms tasted a lot like sausages. Trivia: Ground mushrooms when seasoned correctly can taste exactly like meat!!!So I thought that maybe they have some secret spice that made the shrooms taste like sausages.

This is the point when the receptionist came over and apologized because we had gotten the Salciccia instead. Sausage pasta. And they wouldn't be charging us for it. So I was satisfied anyway because the pasta was amazingly awesome.

We had finished our pasta and we had a pizza on the way. The pasta was so meatingly delicious that I was excited for my meaty pizza. When all of a sudden the waitress comes along with this.

It was the Agnolotti that we originally ordered!!! So that was pretty amazing of them. The whole time I thought that we just got the Salciccia for the price of the Agnolotti... when they gave us that one as well.

It wasn't as good as the Saciccia, in my opinion. But I'm sure the herbivores would enjoy it. (So guys, if you're dating a vegetarian, this is a good dish to get for her).

Lastly is the Tutto Carne. An all meat pizza. And it was food. freaking. gasmic. Salami, bacon, and Italian sausages. And just because it's only 3 kinds of meat, doesn't make the meat less. They overload the pie with MEAT!!!

And good quality meat, may I add. Not the cheap, generic, just-about-available-anywhere meat.

And the whole thing had mozzarella on it. So that's probably the clincher.

My only complaint about the place was the chairs. They had design but lacked function. I think I tried to lean back about 4 times that night but had to lean forward again because the chair didn't feel strong enough to support a human being. The backrest felt so flimsy. Upon looking around I noticed that no one was leaning back, either.

And here's a picture of the brick oven. Please donate this to me when you guys get a new one.

So that's it. Check them out on Facebook. Try the restaurant. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm an Italian food connoisseur and I'm definitely coming back here.

Second Burgerbar Experience

 I know that I had been here only a month ago.. but I meant it when I said that I love this place so much.

So I came back to Burgerbar at Greenbelt 2 to try making my own burger. And here it is.

So I opted for a burger with onion rings, yellow cheddar, lollo rossa lettuce, barbecue sauce, and jalapenos. You know.. a manly burger. And I absolutely loved it. Our server asked me if I wanted to name my burger and I didn't because I was kind of embarrassed to name it.

That's pretty much it. I just wanted to share the combination I chose for anyone who would want to try it. I know I wasn't disappointed with my choices.. I hope you won't be.

Another bonus that we didn't experience last time. The courtesy. We got a personalized thank you on our receipt. Good job, Burgerbar employees... you made us feel like you were happy to receive our patronage. I hope you know that we were equally happy to receive your service.

Until next time... because this is definitely not the last.

Yufuin Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant

 So a few weeks back I decided to go to the Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark Air Base. The experience was amazing. However, being that we aren't from that area... looking for a place to eat was relatively difficult. For the first few meals we stuck to the favorites; Sbarro and Jolibee. However for our last meal in Clark I wanted a place that couldn't be found in Metro Manila. So after a few minutes on my phone I found this "must try" Japanese restaurant in town. Yufuin Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant.

Now I have VERY high standards when it comes to Japanese restaurants. But I saw a number of Japanese businessmen inside, which is normally a good sign.

Another good sign is that they had a sushi bar. In Metro Manila, the most authentic Japanese restaurants have sushi bars. Which was a good sign for my standards, but a bad sign for my wallet.

 

So we ordered the Uni Temaki for starters. Uni is Japanese for sea urchin. And on my first bite I knew that this was going to be an authentic Japanese dining experience. The uni was fresh and it had an amazing sauce that went with it. The nori wrapper was crisp to the bite. Definitely not one of the cheaper brands of seaweed that you see in some other Japanese restaurants.

 So this is their Chahan, which is Japanese Fried Rice. It was my first time ever to try Chahan. I usually go for Gohan, which is sushi rice. And I think this will also be my last time to try it. Not that it wasn't good.. it was really delicious actually. I just prefer sushi rice.

 

This was the Ebi Kakkiage. Which is shrimp and vegetables that were battered and fried. This is actually one of my favorite Japanese dishes if done correctly. Sometimes it's all flour and minimal vegetables. Sometimes it's just bits of shrimp instead of whole ones. And this time...? Well.. let's just say that I have found my favorite version of my favorite Japanese dish. The Kakkiage was just amazing. We were supposed to be sharing this plate... but I ended up getting more than half.

 

 The Gyoza was alright. It tasted just like every other Gyoza in every other Jap restaurant I've been to. Nothing to write home about.

 And lastly, the Agadashi Tofu. Quite honestly I would've liked my tofu breaded a bit more. But I think the reason why they didn't bread it heavily was so that customers could see the freshness of the tofu. It melted in your mouth and still had the right amount of crunch to it. Dipping it in the soup was quite an experience. As everyone knows.. tofu is quite boring. But the soup was so flavorful that I gulped down a couple spoonfuls with each bite of the tofu. And it went well with the tofu, too.

So this place is a definite must try if you ever find yourself in Clark.

Oh, and remember when I said that it wasn't a good sign for my wallet? Turns out I was wrong. So all those stuff we ordered.. that wasn't it. There was more that I didn't take a picture of because I didn't eat them. There was Miso Soup, Gohan Rice, and Tempura. So those three plus all the pictures of the ones I ate... the tab rounded up to something like 1,200 bucks. Very not bad.

Authentic Japanese at an affordable rate. If you want authentic in Metro Manila you have to be prepared to pay 2000-3000 pesos for a meal this big. Be sure to try this place out if you ever find yourself at Clark.

Good job, Yufuin. I'll see you again next year during the next Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Burgerbar

For the life of me, I cannot remember what the restaurant was before Burgerbar and it's brother "Namnam". And after eating here, to be honest, I didn't care. I stopped caring. I don't want to care. Because Burgerbar, of Greenbelt 2's ground floor, was freaking amazing.

I don't have a picture of the interior but it was awesome. The place was rustic and vintage and. reminded me of a classic burger diner. The wall decor and the upholstery suited the place so well. Everything contributed to the charm and the aura of the place. I'd love to come back here and lounge around for a few hours. With a burger in one hand and a beer in the other, of course.

And to nip it in the bud... 90's music was playing in the background.

So I ordered the "Hangover Burger". Two beef patties, cheddar cheese, arugula, barbecue sauce, and a freaking sunny side egg on top! It doesn't get any more hangover friendly than that. I'm usually one to offer bites of my food to my friends. I usually do it so they can taste my food and more importantly, so I can taste theirs.

With the HB, though... I knew no one at the table. All of a sudden I was alone in the room where it was just me and that delectable burger. I was faintly aware of a table of people talking about certain things.. but I didn't care. All I wanted was to have that sandwich inside of me.

I deliberately saved the egg yolk for last. There is no better taste in the world than the last few bites of a burger that have wiped up the spilled velvety yolk juice. None.

So here is the Four Cheese Burger. Yeah, a burger. It's usually on pizzas or pastas. But some genius at Burgerbar decided to put it on a burger. Be sure to thank him if you ever meet him.

Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gruyere, and some other cheese I can't quite place. The three alone would have me foodgasming. But there was one more. And it was amazing.

The onion rings weren't a favorite, though. It was a butter explosion. So unless you're sure you'll die tomorrow then I wouldn't suggest ordering the fried butter. I mean calamares.

Aside from the burgers that have already been assembled with unique names and toppings.. you also get to create your own. Something to think about.

Charlie's Grind and Grill had my 2011. Boulavard Diner won 2012. This early in the year I'm dubbing Burgerbar of Greenbelt 2 THE burger place of 2013. I'm definitely coming back here again.

Early Bird Breakfast Club

Sorry for not updating in a while. Aside from being busy at work, I also don't have a camera anymore. I couldn't resist and had to update so please forgive the less-than-quality shots from my phone.

So there's a new drunk food place in The Fort Strip. Early Bird Breakfast Club.

So imagine eating breakfast at any given time of the day. Imagine eating breakfast during your lunch break. Or grabbing a grilled cheese before heading home. Enjoying bacon and eggs when the rest of the world is having some fancy dinner with different wines and cheeses. I dunno about you.. but that is my idea of Heaven. A place where it's breakfast food 24/7.

So this is the Adobo Sunrise. Adobo flakes, egg, and rice. That was a huge serving, ladies and gentlemen. You know how you and your friends would get pretty hammered? I do. And with my friends, as per drunken tradition, we usually head over to Rufo's to get some tapsilog before sleeping until 3pm the next day. The only problem is that to drunken me... one order of tapsi just isn't enough. Well.. the serving size over at EBBC is pretty "me" sized. I was starting to get full about 3/4 of the way through this dish. And it was so good I ignored what my brain was telling me and chowed down anyway.

Now. The blog started out with just burgers before I realized, I'm limiting myself too much. But the mere fact that it started out with just burgers should probably give you an idea as to what kind of dude I am. So I ask you... if you see something that says "Ultimate Grilled Cheese" on the menu, could you resist? I couldn't. I didn't. I wasn't disappointed. It's a little pricey, if you ask me. But when Gruyere is one of the cheeses that makes it's melty way into your mouth, I think I forgot the price. This wasn't one of those grilled cheese sandwiches that was all bread, either. Every bite had at least 3 cheese strings from my mouth to the remainder of the sandwich. And come on.. let's be honest. Those cheese strings are what make it all worthwhile.


Don't be fooled by how small the place looks from the outside. It has a second floor as well. The food was awesome. The ambiance was relaxing. And the music was soothing. My only major problem with the place was the number of times I had to swat the flies away. But other than that, it was pretty amazing. I'm sure I'll see these guys again pretty soon. Maybe if I get drunk in Fort Bonifacio sometime this week, I'll get me some drunken Eggs Benedict.

Oh, and EBBC...? Please find a way to make a breakfast pizza. I will buy a whole pie just for myself.

Johnny Steams

First of all, I'm going to apologize for the quality of pictures for this review. This was a spur of the moment decision and I didn't think I was gonna make a review... but I saw burgers and my mind just shifted to auto-pilot. So I used a camera phone to take pictures.

That being said; Johnny Steams; Manila's first steamed burgers. Whenever you hear the word "first" in a restaurant it's always risky to try it out. I had my qualms about a steamed burger but I decided to give it a shot anyway. So I opted for the Chili Cheese burger and got it with the White Truffled French Fries.

So like I said earlier, I had issues with eating a steamed burger. The burger was pretty good. The whole shebang that came with the burger was ok. The other choices looked pretty awesome as well so I don't doubt that they taste equally as great. The homemade chili, by the way, was fantastic. Absolutely loved that.

My only problem was the burger patty itself. And it was a big. Freaking. Problem.

Steamed burgers? Seriously? The very thought was sacrilegious. Don't get me wrong.. you guys over at Johnny Steams are doing a great job. All the toppings and burger choices make up for the steamed burger. But I just couldn't enjoy it. When I get a burger, I want it with the char marks. I want a little to moderate amount of oil or grease. I want the flavor of the grill. I want my manly, macho, masculine, beards-are-tough, biker, trucker burgers!!! If I wanted healthy I would've ordered a salad.

So yes.. this healthy, guilt-free burger is not high on my list. I'd sooner order a salad than get this burger again. But again, everything else was pretty good. It was just the patty itself I didn't like. So maybe that's just my opinion. Maybe all the people who enjoy waking up at 4 in the morning to go jogging can enjoy this grease-free snack. Maybe people who are trying to fit into their wedding dresses can gorge on this before the big day. Who knows.. maybe it'll be the next big thing in Manila. But as for myself? Give me my greasy bacon cheeseburgers with grill marks any day of the week.

Oh, side note. Fries were great. I saw real truffle oil being infused into the fries.

Johnny Steams is located at the Mercato Centrale tent which is at Fort Bonifacio.