Starting Over...

after sooo long

I get to finally do food blogging again :)

wow... feels good actually

this time, with a new trusty camera :) yay!

whew... feels like i'm getting a restart on everything

so that also means... even though I've been food blogging for years

i'll put them in the past and turn a leaf for a new one

hence... THIS blog :)

and speaking of restarts

i get to blog with a good one or should i say, FOUR...

yes, FOUR new places you should try out (or not)

not bad for an opener huh?

so without further due....

on the day of hearts, after a very long walk in the middle of everywhere

i decided to eat

so you'd say... "uh-huh. you don't have a date and you decided to eat. so what?"

well guess what... so what to you too! :P

kidding aside

i decided to get my camera a spin on the food photography so i was craving for something new (as i always do) or if not new, something i knew was worth destroying my diet (i'm food blogging and i'm on a diet...go figure)

so a magic carpet brought me to a whole new world

and boy am I so lucky it brought me there...

Food Junction

Food Junction at Eastwood

Location: Eastwood, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao.

Once at Eastwood, go over at the old Citywalk until you get to Stackers, take a right going to Blue Onion and ride the escalator there. The place is just at the top.

The place is new, in fact, it was so new that we went there, it was grand opening :)

It looks like a high-end cafeteria with lots of high-end looking food spots. It's got a modern style of white and clean lines and curves, not too fancy. Place is evenly lighted and still tidy. The stairs not too steep and there's actually just 3 sets of them so navigation is pretty easy. The stalls are evenly placed although I'd say one of the shops below has got the center and I find it the most strategic.

Anyways, on to the food. :)

The first I tried was...

D' Original Didi's Manok

(Didi's Manok in Facebook)

Didi's Manok

I actually love this place's logo. It's very cartoony and large so you'd really notice it.

And the reason I tried this first was because of the recent boom of chicken places nowadays. I was trying to find out if there really is a unique or standout chicken among these (I've found some actually).

Grilled Chicken

So when I looked at their chicken, I already thought, "Uh, is this another one of those inasal chicken again?"...

...but at least they did have other offerings like lechon kawali, lumpiang shanghai and of course, pansit.

The Budget Menu

I always check the prices first because I'm the type of guy who only eats what he can afford and finds out if it was really worth it or not. For Didi's, it was the typical price of the inasal places today, ranging from 50php to roughly 120php at most. They do sell pansit sa bilao (360php to 610php) at whole/half servings of chicken (120php to 210php)for take-out.

Name: Busog A1

Price: 55php

Busog Meal A1

So what I ordered was BA1, which consists of chicken, atchara, soup and a small iced tea.

Looks normal huh? Well, it is. That also means it's another fail in my quest for a better chicken. :(

The chicken is just like all the other chicken you taste there. It's NOT inasal take note, the manager told me it was just grilled chicken. And so it was. I do have to say, it was tasty. The actual chicken was pretty small but the rice serving was bigger than the rest I've tried. The chicken meat was a lil tough. The atchara was typical. I loved the soup though. It had real chicken stock in it and I think a small mix of egg? It was very tasty.

So I wasn't happy obviously...

Not really worth the buck for me :(

The second I tried was...

Fu Yoh

(Fu Yoh in Facebook)

Fu Yoh

Fu Yoh is actually owned by 7 people. They're a group of friends who decided to setup a food place of their own. One of them have explained to me that Fu Yoh means a couple of things combined. "Fu" in Chinese means wealth. And in this case, having a wealth of different cultures of food. "Fu Yoh" is actually a Malay expression that translates to "Oh my God". So as a whole, when you experience their food, you are given the feeling that "This is really good!". I'd have to agree with that. :)

"Our food place offers Singaporean/Chinese fusion dishes and a hint of Indian", says Delbert, one of the owners. They only got a few on the menu but they're good ones. The Asian staples are there: satay, curry, char siu and of course, roti. And I didn't regret trying this one because they may not have a lot to offer, but what they do, they cook it good. :)

Fu Yoh's menu

Their prices are really good if I may say. Only the chicken rice (and the roti overload) went a lil over a 100php which fits the typical Filipino wallet. Their budget stuff are all under 60php which is for peeps like me hehe.

Oh and by the way, this the place I was talking about that had a strategic location. I was the only one at the mezzanine at the center. It had the easiest access for everyone.

Name: Pork and Chicken Satay

Price: 25php/stick for a total of 100php (4 sticks)

Chicken Satay (top), Pork Satay (bottom)

I was actually with a friend that night who ordered at Fu Yoh. My friend got the chicken rice (which I forgot to take a picture of) and the satay. I actually tried both meals hehe.

The satay was good. The meat wasn't tough and easily gets chewed off the stick. They were both tasty by themselves although in my opinion, the pork tasted better because the chicken was a bit dry. But what makes this satay stand out was the peanut sauce. Their peanut sauce just had the right thickness and it was so peanut-ty! It even had bits of peanuts for added texture. It was just right salty and tasted like authentic, grounded and mixed peanuts instead of just processed dips or those who put peanut butter for extenders. Oh, the satay also had ensalada which I found odd because instead of your usual small amount of vinegar and some onions, this one had cucumber, onions, chili floating on a cup of vinegar. I liked the mix I almost drank it haha.

Name: Chicken Rice

Price: 120php

Chicken Rice

The chicken rice was also good. Not for the typical Filipino palate though. The chicken wasn't too tasty not that it was meant to be because as far as I know, their steamed chicken is really cooked that way. Once you mix their nicely ground ginger/garlic paste with the hot white rice and chicken, then you really get to enjoy it.

Was their food worth the price? The satay definitely. The chicken rice might be pricey for the thrifty type but the serving size is filling.


The third I tried was...

Kalbi

(Kalbi in Facebook)

Kalbi

Talk about modern, this place really feels like modern Korean cuisine to me. It didn't look like typical Korean places like Kaya or the Chinese-Korean resto near GMA 7(which is sadly closed) and it felt more like an American burger place.

Kalbi is owned by Andy and Jerome, cousins who are actually Chinese.

Jerome (left), Andy (right) - chef and owners

Jerome said that Kalbi (or galbi) is a Korean dish made of grilled BBQ short ribs. Also if you noticed, the small print under Kalbi says "Korean to go" so that means they serve fast and easy packages.

The head chef and also owner Andy told me their best seller was their burritos and recommended I try their Bulgogi one. And so I did. It took just 10mins for them to finish my meal, not bad at all. :)

Name: Bulgogi Burrito

Price: 140php

Bulgogi Burrito

Now, do take note, I am a monster of gastronomic proportions. I eat a lot and I'm a big guy. But THIS really stuffed me. As you can see, this monster burrito is even cut in two. And just one of these halves is very filling. Heck I even think, if you split the burrito in three, you'd all be happy with the size.

Closer view of the burrito

The burrito is chock full of: Korean beef, onions, lettuce, kimchi rice, some sauces and cheese all stuffed in a slightly thick pita wrap.

Now there's no easy way to eat this thing as it's big. So you either unwrap it and it eat it with a spoon/fork or you can just eat it as it is (which I'd highly recommend of course). I ate the first half (you'll know why I said it this way later), so the veggies add a crunch at the first layer then you can easily taste the juicy and tender BBQ beef sandwiched by a layer of rice mixed with oozing cheese. Want me to try that again? :) But really, it was jsut oozing with juicy flavors all over. And what's good is when you start chewing, the pita makes sure the experience stays intact to the last chow. After finishing the first half, I was already satisfied.

But how can I pass for another of half of this burrito? I can't. I pretty sure you can't too haha. What made the second half unique was that somehow, most of the kimchi flavor was on it. I was surprised that the second half actually a different experience because of that kick it made on the whole thing. After that, I was really satisfied.

What I especially loved was how the melted cheese compliments the whole thing with it's hint of saltiness and how it promotes contrast with the strong flavors of both the meat and kimchi rice.

Same as Fu Yoh, you'd probably think it's pricey but believe me, it's definitely worth it. Or you may want to share it with someone else :)

The fourth one I tried (yes, the last one but certainly not the least)...

Cafe Terya

Cafe Terya

So the name's catchy for me, why? Because it's Filipino. :)

This one I had time to chat and socialize with the people working there.

Me: "Ano'ng bestseller nyo?"

All 3 Girl Employees: "Lahat po"

Me: (laughs) "Ah, mahirap naman ata yun. Di ko kayang tikman lahat yan."

All 3 Girl Employees: (laughs too)

Cashier: "Sir, pwede ninyo i-try ung Sinanglay, Binagoongan, ung Chicken, BBQ..."

Me: (interruptingly) "Wait lang, eh sinabi mo din lahat ng nasa menu eh" (laughs)

All 3 Girls Employees: (laughs too)

Me: "O sige, ano na lang madalas na na-order sa inyo so far?"

The cashier was talking when I realized, I saw a very familiar word... bagnet.
Me: "Teka, yung kare-kare nyo, bagnet ang ginagamit nyo?"
Cashier: "Yes, sir."
Me: "Yan na lang ittry ko. Mahilig ako sa bagnet."

Then out of nowhere, a pretty lady comes up and asks "How can I help you sir?"
This beautiful lass is actually Joan, one of the 2 owners of Cafe Terya. As you can see, both of them already look friendly and believe me, they are more so in person :)

Joanne (left), Jovi (right) - owners

So we had a lil chat and I told her that I do food-blogging. And she kindly responded to my questions. Joan's food industry exposure goes way back and if you're familiar with the famous Mr. Biggs' Inasal in Laguna (check: A taste of Mr. Bigg's in Laguna (Phil Star article) ) then that's where it dates back. Their love for food and sharing it for the Filipino taste to savor is a family business, as she puts it. I guess that's where all this variety of Filipino dishes in their menu came from.

The Cafe Terya menu

So I said to her, I actually decided on getting the Kare-kare Meal so I can see if it lives up to the authentic Ilocano bagnet as I've always known it (I come from an Ilocano and Bulakeño descent).

Name: Kare-kare Meal

Price: 98php

The bagnet

The kare-kare as a whole, is kind of unique as they separated the sauce and veggies from the bagnet. This preserves the crunchiness of the meat. It is, of course, served with bagoong.

The bagnet is cut thinly, which is not typical, even for local versions of this dish. Usually it's served with thick slices or chopped like your inihaw na liempo. But since it's cut like so, cooking it to make it crunchy makes it easier. And that's what I liked about it most because I usually like my meat that way. To be honest, it's not exactly the same bagnet I've known but it is definitely closer to it than it would be to the lechon kawali that most know of. The meat's easy to chew and it's not too salty.

The kare-kare sauce

As you can see, they did a good job on keeping the veggies fresh. And the best proof of this is because it's still crunchy when I ate it. It had sitao, pechay, onions, eggplant and if I remember the name right, banana stalks (I'll confirm this :) ). The peanut sauce was not too thick and was a bit more oily than usual. The good side of this is it goes really well with the rice and all.

The bagoong

And of course, the bagoong. I liked their bagoong because it's not drenched in oil and it wasn't too sweet like the ones I usually get from restos. Plus it had chili so what more can I ask for? :)

I have to say this isn't my usual kare-kare and I'm happy that I did try it because I love good surprises hehe.

But you know what, Joan was kind enough to let me try another dish: rellenong sili. She said it was on the house so why would I turn it down? :) But I was so full trying all the dishes I had room for only one.

Rellenong sili

This is actually an oversized sili stuffed with tuna (I'll have to confirm this), onions and some spices. It's drizzled with cheese on top. I'm actually a bit confused as what actually made this spicy: the actual vegetable or the ingredients in it. But I liked it nonetheless.

As with the other two favorites I have above, I recommend Cafe Terya as well. :)

Overall, that experience was really fun and I may be doing it again but not soon as I need to burn the gained calories over that feast. :)

Hope you all liked my first "re-post"

Keep following for more!

~2GBTG!