Rediscovered Love for Tapa King

Tapa King has been around for quite a while. I remember taking a break from sleepless college thesis nights, walking to the nearest 24-hour Tapa King branch (just across the street from the condo), getting an order of the spicy Tapa Queen, and enjoying the fifteen-minute break from programming. Since then, partly because of logistics (no branch within a walking distance from my house), I've stopped making Tapa King a midnight habit.

Just recently, because of a snafu with dinner reservations (including a power outage), I ended up on a date in Tapa King at the cozy complex of Santana Grove, Sucat. That night turned out better than it would have been had the original plans pushed through. That night has made me rediscover my past love for the royals of the tapa world.

Yummy Christmas Goodies At KunehoCrafts

UPDATE: KunehoCrafts Christmas Goodies Price List is now up.

Only a few weeks left before Christmas and once again, I'm still not quite done with my shopping. Every year, I resolve to have my gifts ready before the Christmas rush begins but each and every time, I hit a snag somehow and end up joining the throng of last minute shoppers, elbowing my way through the frantic crowd.

I actually still have no idea whatsoever what to give some people (wish everyone had wishlists, including my mother). At least I already know what I'm getting my friends, that's one thing off my list. If we're friends, I'm getting you some special Christmas goodies from KunehoCrafts (surprise!).

Bunnies make the best desserts

Thanksgiving Turbaconducken

Belated Thanksgiving everybody! The holiday isn't big here in the Philippines, we don't celebrate it at all, in fact. But in honor of the holiday that turkeys fear the most, we at BaconTunaMelt present to you the TURBACONDUCKEN! *cue lightning and thunder* 

It's not human body parts

What in the name of all that is holy is that, you ask? That was exactly my question when I first saw it so I did some Googling and found out that the people of BaconToday cooked up this.. thing.

Sidcor Sunday Market Claims to be the Biggest Food Market This Side of Town

Been hearing many things, some good and some bad, about this Sunday market in Quezon City for the longest time but I haven't had the chance to check it out. 

Unlike the Salcedo Market or the Legaspi Market, Sidcor Sunday Market is more than just a food market. They have over four hundred stalls selling a wide variety of goods including exotic meats, seafood, plants, clothes, furniture, and believe or not, pets too!

The Sidcor Sunday Market used to be located at the parking lot of the Lung Center but they've recently transferred to Eton Centris Walk along EDSA. They're open from 6am until 2pm every Sunday, it might be better to go as early as possible to avoid the traffic and the midday heat. 

Good and bad reviews aside, it would be awesome to check out the biggest weekend food market in the metro. One of these days, I'll make the trip to Quezon City and will do a feature on it. (That's assuming I figure out where it is and I survive to tell you the tale.)

Sidcor Sunday Food Market

Location: Eton Centris Walk, EDSA corner Quezon Ave., Quezon City
Contact Info: 09175131573

Other Info: Facebook Page, Multiply Site

Vegetables and Pizza Dont Go Together. Or Do They?

Before gettting blindsided by crepes the other day, it was pizza that we were after. And soon as dessert was done, we headed to Yellow Cab to order a pie. Their newest offering is the Dear Darla pizza- a nearly vegetarian pizza featuring aragula leaves and alfalfa sprouts as toppings.

Now I like vegetables more than your average joe, but a "vegetarian pizza" sounds a bit off to me. I like my pizzas as meaty as possible and was apprehensive when presented with this thin crust pizza sparsely topped with olives, tomoatoes, onions, cheese and a bit of pepperoni, all ready to be rolled with fresh vegetables. We bought an 18 inch pie for only 635 pesos, good enough for six.

Yellow Cab's Dear Darla pizza (p635 for an 18 inch pie)
*veggies in a separate container

Johnny Rockets Is Where The Good Times Roll

Saturday night EDSA traffic is notorious for being almost unbearable. Usually, I don't mind it, the many vehicles and tempers provide enough entertainment to pass the time. Last weekend was a different case though, the traffic was crawling at half past seven and we were due to attend a birthday dinner of a special little girl on the other side of town scheduled at eight. From Sucat, we were headed for the newly opened Johnny Rockets along Tomas Morato, already late.

Fries all you can, baby!

Thankfully, Johnny Rockets is easy to locate- the flashing lights in the shape of an arrow pointing to the restaurant is hard to miss. It's a good thing that Johnny Rockets offers a worry-free valet service because cars were double to triple parked along the popular Saturday night hangout when we got there and it looked near next to impossible to find a slot by ourselves.

Crepes On The Go at Crepe Delight

Taking advantage of the holiday last Tuesday, Bim and I set out early to get some legwork done. We wanted to take a look around this warehouse in Makati we found online because we needed good chairs and they were selling office equipment at bargain prices. By mid-afternoon, we were pretty happy with ourselves for accomplishing what we set out to do so we headed to the nearest mall, Cash & Carry to get some celebratory pizza.

Nope, we didn't get pizza here

It was this inviting little crepe stall that we caught sight of on the way to the pizza place. Without so much as batting an eyelash, we walked straight up to the stall and promptly ordered crepes for each of us (and temporarily forgot about pizza). At Crepe Delight you can pick between two kinds of crepes- Crepe ala Mode or Crispy Crepe, and both come in a variety of flavors.

Thanks to Metrobank, Thursdays are North Park Days

Do you have a Metrobank credit card? If so, you'd be happy to know that by using your credit card, you can claim your North Park's Special Toasted Noodles every Thursday for free.

North Park's Special Toasted Noodles (p235) (Picture not mine, taken from here)

How? Just order anything on the menu that has the same amount (or greater) as the  North Park Special Toasted Noodles, and you'll get the noodles for free. It's like a buy-one-get-one deal! The promo has been running for a while now but it seems to be little known. But I can guarantee that it's still ongoing- the first time I availed of it was in July and the last time was just yesterday.

North Park has always been a favorite because there are branches everywhere, the prices are affordable,  and the nomz are good. With this Metrobank deal, it has now become even more so. Because of the promo, North Park dinners are becoming a regular Thursday habit.

McDonalds of the World: McArabia in Abu Dhabi

Besides social culture, there is also a diversity of culinary cultures around the world. We Pinoys love rice, the Americans go for mashed potato, the Italians prefer bread. Unsurprisingly, this also applies to fastfood stores. McDonald's, possibly the world's largest fastfood chain, is one good example. Although they have a preset list of menu items like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Filet-o-Fish which can be ordered from any branch, each country with a McDonald's franchise has added their own personal touch.

McDonald's of the World: Abu Dhabi

Here in McDonald's Philippines, we have fried chicken, the McSpaghetti and rice meals. We don't think anything of it and it's nothing unsual for us; besides, local fastfood chains sell it too, we're used to it, it's nothing special for us. But bring a foreigner to a McDonald's here and he'll be surprised to find them on the menu (they'd also be surprised at the smaller sized drink cups and french fries, but that's another story). In other countries, they have different specialties as well, and you'd be surprised at how unusual some are.

Perk Avenue: Coffee, Internet, and the We Didnt Start The Fire Wall

It was this coffeeshop that we found one night while cruising along Presidents Avenue in BF Paranaque looking for caffeine (and Starbucks was packed). When I first saw the coffeshop's signage, I was reminded of Central Perk, that fictional coffeshop where the gang from the TV series Friends hung out. But the  similarities of Perk Avenue and Central Perk end with their names. 

Coffee!

Unlike Central Perk that had a suburban living room look and feel- bright and homey but with a countertop and a cashier, Perk Avenue's interior resembles something like a dad's den- with warm walls, dim lighting, easy chairs, and a relaxing mood. It's a place where you'd want to settle down in a comfy chair, drink your coffee, read the paper, or surf the Internet (yes, they have free and unlimited WiFi).

KFC Double Down is the Talk of the Town

Everyone's been talking about it since it was launched locally just last Friday. I just had to see what all the hype was about so I dialed 887-8888, KFC's delivery hotline, and had a KFC Double Down delivered for lunch today. And yes, my arteries have survived the onslaught of cholesterol and are fine for now, thank you.

So what's the fuss all about? Why is everyone lining up over at Colonel Sanders famous fastfood chain to get a KFC Double Down or two? Check out this week's talk of the town-

KFC Double Down (p100 over the counter; p110 if delivered)

KFC's latest item on the menu, the KFC Double Down Sandwich is a sandwich with no bread at all. What it has is strips of bacon smeared with a dollop of mayonnaise and melted cheese sandwiched between two juicy slabs of glorious KFC Chicken fillets. And as expected, the Double Down did not disappoint. 

The heavy sandwich is an overload of rich flavors- the taste of the chicken seasoned with KFC's secret recipe combined with the flavorful trio of mayo, cheese and bacon tastes like a delicious party in your mouth. A party not unlike those drinking parties you enjoyed but regretted as soon as you wake up with a headache the following morning. This new food craze is not recommended for the weak of heart. Literally. 

There's no denying that it's not an ideal healthy snack, its ingredients spell h-e-a-r-t-a-t-t-a-c-k-i-n-t-e-n-m-i-n-u-t-e-s. But if you're young and healthy, go for it, the KFC Double Down Sandwich is undoubtedly yummy and addicting. Call KFC Delivery now and don't be the last one to try this delicious treat!

KFC Delivery Hotline

Contact Number: 887-8888

Other Info: -a minimum order of p200 is required

                  -the delivery charge is 10% of the total amount

                  -waiting time is 30 minutes or less

Groupon Mania in Manila! (Part 1)

A new trend has popped up in the city recently and it's called "groupons". For those new to the term, a groupon is a website that offers group deal coupons. Group + coupons = groupons. That pretty much explains how it works.

Discounts are usually given to those who buy in bulk. This is why when you get three pairs of shoes at Greenhills, you get each pair for less than if you just get one. But what if you don't need three pairs of shoes and want to get it for a lower price? That's where groupons come in. The beauty of groupons is that you get deals at bulk rates (a lot of deals are restaurant discount coupons) but you don't have to buy in bulk. Members of the groupon site can avail of the day's offer, collectively meeting the minimum number of buyers to be able to get it at bulk prices. Ingenious, ain't it?

Groupons are quite popular internationally, with the original website serving many cities in the United States, but it was not until this year that our country has caught on to this craze. To my knowledge, there are only three active local groupon sites as of now (and one just opened today!) but I'm pretty sure many more will pop up soon enough.

These are the pioneer groupon sites of Manila-

1. Buyanihan

Click to go to the Facebook page

This site is my current personal favorite. They've been around the longest too (among those I know of). Their name has quite a nice ring to it and is most certainly very Filipino. Their website is nice and simple, almost monochromatic, and their ordering and payment scheme is secure enough. I've been seeing good deals from them since they started. I've tried a few and I'm satisfied with their service.

2. Cash Cash Pinoy

Click here to go to the Facebook page

Theirs is a much happier looking site, with blues and reds as the main hues of their page. They usually have very interesting offers but I have yet to avail of one. An interesting feature of Cash Cash Pinoy is that you can choose to get a coupon as a gift for a friend.

3. Awesome!

Click here to go to the Facebook page

This predominantly green groupon site launched recently and they've caused quite a stir. Their first deal costed only 24 pesos for a spa massage at a 92% savings. That's probably the biggest discount I've seen so far as well as the cheapest. I'm definitely looking out for their next deal.

Another groupon site that has launched just today is-

* Presyong Patok

Click here to go to the Facebook page

Today's deal, their very first deal, is a bit too expensive for an initial offering. They're offering a 35% discount for a entrepreneurship training that will cost 2599 pesos. Still, Presyong Patok seems promising. Their name sort of sounds like a game from a local noontime show. Presyong Patok has a very yellow theme. Notice how all four groupon sites have a very different look and feel?

(Read all about Groupon Mania in Manila! (Part 2) here.)

Tips for a successful groupon buy:

• Read the offer carefully. Don't just get blinded by what's written in bold lettering, the fine print is very important too. Take the time to read it through twice so you know what exactly you're gonna get.
• Before you click "Buy", think if you really want to get it. There's no turning back after you've clicked "Finish". It's an actual sale.
• Make sure that your purchase is secure. Be careful when giving out your credit card details, you might become a victim of a scam (although the groupon sites listed here are all legit).

Brothers Burger Celebrates Thanksgiving on November 15

At a burger joint last night, I was just saying that Brothers Burger Double Brothers Burger remains to be my favorite burger of all time (followed by Burger King's Whopper at 2nd place, McDonald's Double Cheeseburger a close third, and Cable Car's Gripman Burger rounding up my top 4). This morning, I got wind of this bit of good news via the Brother's Burger Facebook Page-

Isn't social media a wonderful thing?

Brothers Burger is celebrating Thanksgiving by offering a 50% discount on their famous Big Brothers Burger! The promo will run on November 15, 2010 from 11AM until 10PM. We get an eleven-hour window to avail this Thanksgiving promo! That's tomorrow guys!

I'm a little bummed that the branch at Bonifacio High Street isn't part of the promo. Participating branches include- Convergys, Magallanes, Tomas Morato, Megamall, Malate, Ortigas, Capitol Hills, and Pasong Tamo. There's a maximum of twenty burgers per guest, so my suggestion is to group yourselves and draw lots! You just need one or two people to line up to get burgers for everybody! ^_^

Christmas Gift Ideas: Marians Home-made Empanadas

It's Christmas season once again and with a little more than a month left before the actual day (meaning just two weeks before the dreaded Christmas rush begins), now is the perfect time to think of gift ideas for family and friends.

Food is the easiest and most practical gift to give out this Christmas season. It's usually better than giving a friend something he won't use or would just re-gift (admit it, you're guilty of this too!). And gift-giving can't get any easier than ordering baked Christmas goodies from an entrepreneurial office colleague and getting it delivered to your desk within the week.

Marian's Home-made Empanada

The significant other's officemate is selling these delicious homemade empanadas in time for the Christmas season. Marian's Home-made Empanadas comes in three flavors, namely- Tuna, Chicken Pork mix, and the best-seller, Cheese. Watch out for their new flavors of Beef, Chicken, and Pork empanadas coming really soon. 

Medium Cheese Empanada (p28/piece; p168/box of 6)

These empanadas also come in three sizes- small, medium, and large. The one in picture is a medium cheese empanada. For 28 pesos a piece, you get a hefty pastry that's packed with filling and larger than the typical empanadas sold commercially.

The small empanadas are 18 pesos a piece, and the large ones are 48 pesos each. For a Christmas box of your choice, an additional charge of 10 pesos will be added to the total amount. Place your orders now and don't wait for the Christmas rush. These lovely home-made empanadas make for the perfect holiday treat!

Marian's Home-made Empanada 

Contact Numbers: 736-6754; 0918-9246025; 0929-8874862

Jupiter Archives #2: Veggie Delights at Corner Tree Cafe

Like I said in the Lutong Macau review, the first post for Jupiter Archives, one of my foodie goals for this year is to try as many restaurants along Jupiter Street in Makati before the year ends.

And this is why I've been dragging this poor guy to Jupiter Street nearly every Friday night. He's been a good sport so far, humoring my regular requests to find unusual restaurants to dine at. (Thanks, doll.) We usually just cruise along the bright and busy street and stop at whatever restaurant that catches our attention.

The nondescript storefront of Corner Tree Cafe

Last Friday night, we already had restaurant in mind when we saw the dimly lit restaurant (it looks a bit bright in the picture, but that's only because I adjusted the levels) across the street and decided to eat there instead, just because. The quaint little corner store turned out to be the vegetarian restaurant called Corner Tree Cafe.

In contrast to all the other restaurants that lined the street, Corner Tree Cafe had very low lighting which made the space look cozy and inviting. The area had a romantic feel to it, with easy music filling your ears,  candles lit on the table, a little nook in one corner where you can read magazines and books, and very few Friday night guests. (The only other party present had a super cute, well behaved and bright eyed pomeranian puppy with them.) 

Appetizer-

Greek Spinach Filo Triangles with Feta Cheese Dip (p150)

Once we got settled in, we had a look through the menu and it was only then that we realized that Corner Tree Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant. Neither of us are vegetarians, but we do like our greens. 

We started the dinner off with the Greek Spinach Filo Triangles that came with a feta cheese dip. The spinach had a hint of tartness to it, was wrapped in triangular filo dough (same dough used for baclava and flaky pie crusts), and baked to a nice soft crunch. It's a bit pricey at 50 pesos per triangle but it's lovely.

Main course-

Kare Kareng Gulay (p160)

A week ago, I was picking at the kare kare I ordered from another place, removing the meats and keeping just the vegetables when I expressed my sentiment that restaurants should serve kare kare with just vegetables in it.

It was like someone heard me say it, because on the menu of Corner Tree Cafe, I found exactly what I wished for. They had Kare Kareng Gulay that comes with a cup of red rice and bagoong at an affordable price of 160 pesos. The meal comes in a medium-sized bowl filled with all the vegetables that I like swimming in nutty kare kare sauce. Yummy!

Bowl of Chili (p245)

My date ordered the Bowl of Chili. It comes with a big bowlful of beans, corn kernels, a dash of unidentified vegetables, herbs and spices in slightly spicy tomato-based sauce and a cup of red rice. Although it would have been nice if it also had some ground beef in it (of course it wouldn't, it's a vegetarian restaurant!), the chili was rather good.

Verdict-

The homey interior of Corner Tree Cafe

The interior of the cafe gives off a relaxing vibe. The decor, the music, and the lights set a very romantic mood. If you and your date are vegetarian or you just simply enjoy vegetarian dishes, this is the place to go. The prices are affordable, the ambiance is sweet, the service is good, and the nomz are fantastic- in short, Corner Tree Cafe is the perfect date place (unless of course if you hate vegetables). Also, any restaurant that allows guests with supervised pets gets two thumbs up in my book.

Corner Tree Cafe

Location: 150 Jupiter St. Bel-Air, Makati

Contact Number: (02) 897-0295

Other Info: Corner Tree Cafe Facebook page 

Keep reading BaconTunaMelt and wait for the third entry on Jupiter Archives!

A World Without Chocolate?

This just in: Gizmodo reports that the world is running out of chocolate! The article says- "According to the Cocoa Research Association, we're consuming more chocolate than we're producing cocoa." This is simply unacceptable! 

Why haven't the chocolate bigwigs ensured that this tragedy doesn't happen EVER? Hershey's, Cadbury, Ferrero, Nestle, Lindt, what have you done? Why is this happening?

"In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar. It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it." 

This is very sad news. I, for one, cannot imagine a world where chocolate is something only the rich and famous can get on a regular basis. One of life's simple joys for me is walking to the nearest 7-11 after a particularly hormonal morning and getting a bar of Kit-Kat.

The good thing about this is that because the world is now aware of this near tragedy that's about to happen, we can take steps to ensure that it DOESN'T happen. Save mass-produced chocolate!

Jupiter Archives #1: Quality Chinese Food at Lutong Macau

Friday night crowds are usually something I try to avoid. Busy malls don't appeal to me, so I look for restaurants in isolated buildings or street corners instead. Lately though, I find myself drawn to the famous Jupiter St. in Makati, where a row of restaurants line the length of the street one after the other.

While I have eaten at some of the eateries on the street before, I want to make it a goal to try them all  (and write my stories) before the year ends. We'll be starting off with Lutong Macau, an oriental restaurant that's a popular spot for small gatherings among Makati corporate drones.

Friday night feast

Luckily, the place wasn't too crowded when we got there. We were ushered to our table pretty quickly and were welcomed with the very distinct smell of Chinese cooking. Our predicament was that we wanted to try many dishes, but as there were just two of us, it seemed a bit indulgent to order too much on a regular night.

The Village Coffeeshop and their Delightful Custard Cake

Because I'm usually content basking in the comforts of my own home, very rarely do I get the chance to stroll around the neighborhood (who needs sunlight?). Having a hyperactive puppy has changed that, Bugsy needs his exercise and wants to be walked every so often.

It was during one of these walks when I found out about the village coffee shop called 1021 Coffeeshop & Bakeshop at the small village complex next to the park and the chapel. I was curious, so the little puppy and I stopped by one time to have a quick snack. We enjoyed their coffee and cake slices immensely and I ended up buying a whole custard cake, one of their bestsellers.

1021 Bakeshop & Coffeeshop's Custard Cake (p200)

For 200 pesos, you get a large round custard cake neatly packed in a cream-colored box (ready for gifting!). Every person who visited the house that weekend was served a slice and they all liked it very much. I personally adore this delightful cake (that's best served with coffee!). The cake base is light but solid, not too sweet and perfectly spongy and the cool layer of creamy custard (tasted like good leche flan to me!) on top added to the cake's sweetness.

Thinking of Plump and Juicy Bangkok Lanzones

After dinner tonight, I was kind of looking for something tangy for dessert. Then I remembered last week's lanzones. My tita who flies to Bangkok regularly for business recently came back from a trip and straight from the airport, she brought us bunches of these very large lanzones pictured below. The fruits were cleaned right away and served in a basket to nom over chitchat. 

Bangkok Lanzones (25 baht/kilo)

And nom we did. The fruits were plump, juicy and sweet as can be. We finished several bowls of Bangkok lanzones among five of us really, really quickly. Just like Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop! Because it's so easy to eat and it's delicious, you wouldn't notice that you've eaten a bunch already. (It's healthy anyway. :P) 

Pindang Damulag ng Pampanga

Having Kapampangan relatives sure has its perks. For one, they're fantastic cooks. Two, Kapampangans never run out of stories. And three, they love to party! Combine all these and you get lots of fun (and loud) gatherings where many delicious nomz are served.

We just had a very Kapampangan reunion a couple weeks ago and like usual, it was full, it was noisy (the good kind), and the food was yummy! There were, of course, many delightful dishes served then (my favorite was the alimango and the suman salihiya but that's another story altogether), but what was new to me was this curious meat served in a bilao that looked to me like tocino.

Pindang damulag

Without asking anyone what it was, I put some on my then pretty full plate to try (home buffet lunches make me inadvertently eat more than usual o_O). It was definitely not tocino. What I was expecting to be the familiar sweet, slightly salty and chewy cured pork meat turned out to be quite sour and squishy soft meat (with a consistency not unlike sushi).

National Sandwich Day at The Sandwich Guy

Because it was National Sandwich Day yesterday, grownup Russell* and I made sure to get us some sandwiches for dinner. Where best to get fantastic sandwiches? Without batting an eyelash, I would say there's no better place to get sandwiches in the city than The Sandwich Guy.

It seems only fitting to do this post on this particular holiday. They've been a favorite of mine since I first found out about them a couple of years ago. Also known by the acronym TSG, The Sandwich Guy boasts of a healthy menu of many different sandwiches, pastas, and salads. Their tagline, which reads "Fresh not fried.", is a good marketing ploy imo (specially because they're right next to a McDonald's).

Cheap Eats in Makati: Yoo-hoo Bar-B-Que

Armed with a meager daily budget, I'm always on the lookout for cheap places to eat around the Makati area. While jollijeeps and fastfood restaurants are lifesavers, they get old quickly if you eat there every day. One might suggest that it should be cheaper (not to mention healthier) to just bring food from home instead of buying lunch but that's not really an option for me, I can't cook to save my life.

This is why I'm glad to have discovered Yoo-Hoo Bar-B-Que along the busy road of Makati Avenue. When most restaurants in the area require a budget of 150-200 pesos per meal (it can get pretty expensive if done on a daily basis for us working class citizens), you can eat like a king at this barbecue stall with a reasonable budget of 50-100 pesos.