Power Food Finds at the Power Plant (Part 1: Pepper Lunch)

I finally got to try Pepper Lunch and I love it! We arrived early to avoid the line that usually forms in front, evidenced by the queue barrier post as seen in the picture below.
It's kind of a high-end fast food joint, it being semi self-service. You get in line for your orders, the computer monitor shows you your bill, then you pay with cash or credit card.
The crew assigns you a table number (usually you get to choose if there are hardly any customers, which is rarely) then you go off and wait for your food. The seats are comfortable with soft leatherette pillows, nice for lounging around or resting off your full tummy after the meal.
I ordered one of their bestsellers, the Beef Pepper Rice (P198) with drinks (P235). Though with a lot of freshly ground black peppers (obviously), the taste is just right, not in the least bit overdone. A little bit oily, but still delicious. It's quite filling too, it's sort of feeling that you're well beyond satiated but you can't seem to stop yourself from finishing the whole thing.
How To Enjoy a Pepper Rice Meal:
1. When served, turn the meat over and over to cook, while the plate is still hot.
2. Then cut the meat into smaller pieces. Pour some sauce (you can choose between honey brown sauce or garlic soy sauce -- I like the Honey Brown sauce).
3. Then mix it up with the rice and corn. Voila! Bon Appetit!
There's also the Salmon Pepper Rice (P275) with drinks (P312). The salmon is a bit dry though, so I suggest putting more sauce. Other meat options for the pepper rice are pork, chicken and curry beef.
Besides the pepper rice, they also offer steaks, hamburgers and a combination of meats, ala carte or with rice and drinks. My mom tried the Pork and Chicken Combo (P250) with rice and drinks (P320). It was ok, but I think the endearing factor of the restaurant's concept is the mix of the special pepper rice with the viands so our vote still goes to the Beef Pepper Rice.
Pepper Lunch
Spot: Ground floor, The Concourse, Power Plant, Rockwell Center, Makati
Telephone: +632 895.6185

Food Trips (Part 5: Racks)

I missed Racks. It's been a few years since I've last eaten there. There was a time when all its branches seem to have closed down. Then they opened one in Magallanes, only I don't get to go there. Good thing they recently opened up in Festival Mall, Alabang.
For starters, I ordered my favorite soup, Clam Chowder (P78). Made with fresh clams, bacon bits, onion, celery, carrots and a little wine then simmered over a low fire for that hearty flavor. I've always loved Racks' version of this chowder, and after several years, they still make the best of it. There were generous portions of clams, and was so flavorful that I had to stop myself from ordering another one lest I don't have enough gastronomic space left for the main meal.
We ordered the Ribs & Chicken Family Platter (P1,055). This comprises half rack of beef ribs, half rack of pork ribs, half a chicken, a platter of rice, coleslaw, baked beans, and a pitcher of softdrinks or iced tea. This comes off cheaper than ordering separate dishes and is a good choice for families. You also have the option of an all chicken, all pork or all beef platter. Actually, the secret of every food order here is their signature sauce, which you can also buy from them by the bottle. It comes in regular and extra hot variants. I liked the pork ribs best, soft and tender with none of those unwanted tendons present in beef ribs.
The coleslaw was so-so. It was drenched in Thousand Island dressing. It was ok for a side dish but not really expedient for working up the appetite.
The baked beans was left untouched. Partly because it wasn't appetizing at all, but more so because of a traumatic experience our family has had with bean burritos years ago, which left us, well let's just say, weak in the stomach. The only beans we will eat -- if we must -- is canned pork and beans.
And as usual, we wash down everything with our staple drink, iced tea.

Racks
Spot: Chef's Avenue, Level 3, Festival Mall, Alabang
Telephone: +632 809.2189

Related Posts:
Food Trips (Part 1: Dulcinea)
Food Trips (Part 2: Las Paellas)
Food Trips (Part 3: KopiRoti)
Food Trips (Part 4: Super Bowl of China)

Hanging Out in the Milky Way

And I don't mean the Galaxy. Nor the chocolate bar. Milky Way is a restaurant and take-out counter that serves good, home-style Filipino cooking. They offer high quality food in take-away packages and provide home cooked fare that has been frozen and packed in microwaveable containers or vacuum packaging.

For those that have been a frequent visitor of my blog since its inception, you would gather from my posts that I can't cook to save my life. In our home, if -- take note, it's IF not when -- someone's buzzing around the kitchen, it's my hubby and not me. That's why food markets and take-out counters are really my life savers.

Milky Way has a great number of food choices. There's the already cooked Filipino dishes like BBQ Pork Spareribs (P180) -- I love this one, the fat tastes great, the sauce is sweet, the meat is very tender, worth every peso; Dinuguan (P85) -- another favorite, light on the sauce with a tiny hint of chili; Laing (P75) -- I always have to get two orders of this coz my hubby also loves it, one just isn't enough for the two of us. There's also Menudo, Korean Beef Spareribs, Paksiw na Lechon, Beef Caldereta, Sinigang sa Miso, Sinigang na Baboy, Bistek Tagalog and a whole lot more. Sometimes, you have to ask them if a particular dish is available because they can't display everything at once, the other meals are stored away.
Then there's also the frozen goods like Beef Tapa, Longanisa, Embutido, Lumpiang Shanghai, Pork BBQ, Tocino, Rellenong Bangus, Siomai, and many more. Just re-heat it in the microwave oven and you're good to go.

They also have preserves and native delicacies, my favorite of which is the Dikiam na Mangga (P200). It's sweeter than the regular Burong Mangga (P160). Both goes great with Pork Spareribs, Longanisa or Beef Tapa.
Other selections are the salads and sandwiches, cold pastas and desserts. All these come at very affordable prices but you have be ready with cash as they don't accept credit cards.

Milky Way
Spot: Ground floor, Rockwell Power Plant, Makati
Telephone: +632 756.5026

Another Taste of Las Paellas

I know I've done a review of some dishes from Las Paellas, but let me share with you a few more. Let's start off with the Roasted Black Angus (P195). Slices of roasted black Angus beef topped with mushroom gravy sauce. I was hesitant to order this as I was imagining something similar to Heaven and Eggs' Angus Tapa, which recently went from tender and perfectly cooked to hard and rubbery, along with their change of ambience. My mom, on the other hand, was brave enough to risk it. Smart move. The beef was thinly sliced, it was so tender, it could have melted in your mouth.
Another beef viand is the Salpicao (P245) for sharing (P395). Grilled beef tenderloin chunks in garlic sauce. This one was also good, not too garlicky given the garlic chips scattered all over. Just like what we can expect from a good old Salpicao recipe.
For the dessert, we had a slice of Canonego (P75). Light and delectable merange dessert with custard sauce. I love this cake, it's actually the same white part that you see from Brazo de Mercedes (the only part I eat -- I give the sweet, yellow portion to my mom). Plus, it's dredged in caramel and a little rum, topped off with cherry.
And for all these delectable dishes that have traversed our digestive system, the best beverage to wash it all down...Iced Tea.
Las Paellas
Spot: Promenade Entrance Festival Mall, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang (across Starbucks)
Telephone: +632 842.6919

Related Post:
Food Trips (Part 2: Las Paellas)

What Happened to Teriyaki Boy?

Teriyaki Boy is not my favorite restaurant in the metro but it's quite good for an ordinary lunch or dinner. My recent visit to the Festival Mall branch was an otherwise experience, though. We were quite hungry for just a mere afternoon snack and so we were contemplating on whether to eat at Teriyaki Boy or Las Paellas. With stomachs rumbling, we decided to go to the nearest one from the main mall entrance. Apparently, delayed gratification would have been the better decision.
I ordered the Teriyaki Boy Chicken Ju (P195). Teriyaki Boy's signature grilled chicken, with sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce, topped on steamed Japanese rice, served in a special Ju box. It was quite ok, the usual sweet teriyaki sauce poured over the usual grilled chicken. Nothing special, nothing that leaves a mark.
Their California Maki (P125) was horrible. What was supposedly a crabstick salad with fresh mango, coated with fresh roe, was instead a sticky rice with a faint hint of crabstick and an even fainter hint of mango. The rice tasted like they were stored in the ref for a week already, the whole thing was extremely dry enough to choke you up.
My hubby ordered the Tonkatsu (p138). Fillet of pork, breaded and deep-fried until golden brown, served with katsu sauce. As can be seen from the picture, it was very plain and dry. No garnish or small salad on the side, the pork lacked juice and flavor, and to make matters worse, it wasn't even cooked well. My hubby was very much disappointed and didn't finish it because a lot of the portions were undercooked.
We ordered the Chicken-Gyoza Meal (P160) for our daughter. It's a selection of Teryikai Boy chicken, gyoza, gohan, fruitsicles, jelly and Nestea iced tea. The chicken tasted ok, just like my own order. But the jelly was a semblance of something served in a public school cafeteria. It tasted like solidified water jello with a chocolate coloring. After tasting it, I had not bothered having my daughter eat it. We were appalled with the whole meal, we didn't even risk trying the gyoza and fruitsicles. The whole dinner was extremely disappointing.

Teriyaki Boy
Spot: 3rd Level, Chef's Ave. Festival Supermall, Alabang
Telephone: +632 807.6268 / +632 807.7091

New Rank in the New Year

I just wanna share my shock slash joy when I suddenly noticed that my PR ranking increased from 2 to 3. Thanks to all my visitors who have contributed to this stat increase.

It's been a whirlwind year and with the birth of this blog, I have discovered some things about myself and those that catch my interest. I am liking what I see, every bit of improvement, I deem a feather in my cap. Hopefully, even through all the daytime urgency and nighttime craziness, I will still continue to find time to sit back, reflect on and share my interests, my discoveries, accounts of my daily life, accompanied by captured moments, imprints of the present, memories immortalized. And as I continue this journey, hopeful of the unclear future, reminiscent of events past, may you still be here, willing and able to give a fraction of your hour and take a glimpse of my life, one piece of account at a time. Again, thank you.

Captured Fireworks

While driving on the way home along Alabang Town Center, we suddenly saw colorful sparks in the sky. Every year during the Christmas season, just before the New Year, there would be fireworks at ATC around 7 pm. It was all so pretty and I learned that taking pictures of fireworks from inside a moving vehicle would give you some interesting and varied outputs.


The fireworks look like giant trees and green balls when taken in motion.

I love this picture, it's so pretty in a dazed and confused way. I'd like to call it "Delirious Bliss".
I like how the camera captures the after-flames of the fireworks. It's usually the part the eye overlooks as it expects the next ones to erupt. It's pretty how they can be seen slowly fading by the camera, immortalizing the moments taken for granted by some.








This one is my masterpiece, the climax of the story, a sad welcome to the slow decline of exciting displays.


Then the final big bang of the evening. A spectacular blinding light, with a star-like towering flash, like a guiding beacon of a nearby lighthouse.
And then there were none.