Chubs Chasers ( Visayas Ave, QC )

There is a wide array of restaurants to choose from along Visayas Avenue in QC., Chubs Chasers is one of those. 

The facade looks nice, clean and modern. The way its interior is designed is really interesting and unique. The walls and tables are scribbled with different quotes.

Here's a preview of their very unique and interesting interior design.  The quotes can lighten up your mood.

The Pesto Malunggay had the usual basil leaves substituted with malunggay leaves. It has nut, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and chicken. For just 129 pesos, it is really worth a try. It comes in ample servings and a slice of bread. The taste of malunggay blends well with the other ingredients. This dish proves that healthy food can taste good.

We also tried their Lasagna. It has beef, mozzarella, cheddar cheese and tomato sauce. There is not much meat in it. It taste good but not the best out there. The tomato sauce and the cheese is a good combination. For 149 pesos, this can be a good choice for an afternoon snack.

For dessert, we had their Chocnut Smores. It is made of mallows, chocnut, graham crackers and chocolate. Those with sweet tooth and chocnut fanatics will love this dessert. It is served hot and the graham crackers tastes good when combined with the mallows and chocolate, the texture is really good. It only cost 39 pesos.

Aside from good food at a reasonable price, Chubs Chasers also offer good service and friendly staff. The place is clean and can accommodate large group of people. They also offer a wide array of choices in their menu from salad to steaks and Filipino food. Dining here is a nice experience and that is enough reason for customers to keep coming back.

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Filipino, steaks
Delivery:
Operating Hours: Sun - Mon 11am - 11pm
Contact Number: (02) 794 1871
Branches: Visayas Ave, QC

Hassan Kabab and Steaks ( Visayas Ave )

Being a fan of shawarma and kababs, Hassan Kabab and Steaks caught our attention while strolling along Visayas Ave, looking for a place to have a quick snack.

We tried the spicy Beef Shawarma. A non spicy variant is also available. The regular size costs 70 pesos and 95 pesos for large one. It is meaty but not so tasty. There's nothing special about it. The sauces helped to improve the flavor a little bit. It is good but definitely not the best that you'll ever taste.

We also tried their Beef Kabab Wrap. The regular size also costs 75 pesos and the large one for 135 pesos. It tasted the same as the beef shawarma, only that this one isn't spicy and it has more vegetables in it. I'm not sure but I think this one tastes better than the shawarma.

They have a variety of sauces to enhance the flavor of your food. Some of it are cheese and garlic and herbs.

The Mango Yogurt tastes more like a milkshake. I can taste milk instead of yogurt. It's 85 pesos a glass.

You can add 20 pesos for extra mozarella cheese if you order any of their wrapped meals like the shawarma and kabab. Regular and spicy variants are also available.

As of the place, they have tables outside and inside if you want the comfort of having your meal in an air conditioned room. Unfortunately it is warm inside when we were here. They might be cutting down on their electric consumption since there are only the two of us and a group of four or five people there drinking beer on the other table. Yes, they serve beer here. Service is okay, not fast but not too slow. I can say that our dining experience here wasn't that comfortable, simply because of poor air conditioning and having the drinking and dining area in a single room. I've been to a lot of bar and restaurants but the drinking and dining areas are always in a separate room, mainly for security purposes (anything can happen when people get drunk, especially fights) and the comfort of customers who are there just to eat. Majority of customers wouldn't be comfortable dining with people who are under the influence of alcohol and others are passed out on their table. Just like what we experienced. I just hope that their other branch is better.

RATINGS: 

Food: 3/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Ambiance: 2/5

Service: 3/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: middle eastern, arabian, lebanese

Delivery: none

Operating Hours: 24 hrs Su - M

Contact Number: (02) 781 00 51 

Branches: 

- visayas ave, qc

- katipunan ave

Sandwicheese ( SM City North EDSA Sky Garden )

Sandwicheese recently opened a branch in SM City North EDSA Sky Garden. Just the word cheese made me agree into having a quick snack here when we passed by this place.

The Salsa and Cheese Nachos is basically nachos topped with jalapeño slices, cheese sauce and some spicy salsa and grated cheese. I don't know if it's just me or the salsa is too spicy, I liked the jalapeño slices and the cheese. I think it would taste better sans the salsa if it is the culprit in making it too spicy, but it's not bad at all, especially for those who love spicy foods. A single serving can also be good for sharing and it only costs 80 pesos.

The Supersonic Frankfurter Sandwicheese is made of  garlic cream cheese, chili bolognese, jalapeños, relish, mozarella and parmesan cheese, cheese sauce and a cornmeal bun. For 160 pesos, you can enjoy a big and scrumptious sandwich. It's a bit spicy and cheesy. The cheese and bacon makes a great combination. One serving can be good for sharing if you're not a hearty eater. This sandwich is a must try, it's delicious and a bang for the buck.

We also tried the Banapple Homemade Brewed Iced Tea. It is refreshing and not too sweet. One tall glass costs 65 pesos.

The Pretty Green Slush is made of calamansi, mint and brewed tea. It is served with crushed ice, it's more like an ice cone, only that it is not served in a cone. It is not sour as some would expect because of the calamansi. It doesn't even taste like an iced tea to me. It tastes like a mint candy that is melted in water. A glass costs 80 pesos.

Sandwicheese offers good food at a reasonable price. Service is also good and fast. The place is clean and has a lively ambiance. They have enough space to accommodate more than a few groups of people during mealtimes when other restaurants are full. This restaurant is worth a try and I think that they will be here to serve customers some nice food for a while.

RATINGS: 

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: american

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: 

Contact Number: 

Branches: 

- sm city north edsa sky garden

- katipunan ave. blue ridge

- market market

Mazza Shawarma ( Eton Centris )

Mazza Shawarma is one of the restaurants here in the Philippines that serves Middle Eastern cuisines. It is located at U/2C Eton Centris Walk EDSA cor Quezon Ave West Triangle, Quezon City. Shawarma seems to be one of their best sellers and they are famous because of it so

The Beef Shawarma Rice is made out of sliced beef sirloin served on a bowl of steamed rice with diced cucumber, onions and tomatoes on the side. The meat tastes good and it comes in big chewable chunks, unlike the way other shawarmas are served wherein the meat is almost ground. It also comes in ample servings for just 100 pesos. You can choose from two different sauces to enhance the flavor of the dish if you want to. They also have Chicken Shawarma Rice for the same price.

The Beef Shawarma Wrap is also made from marinated beef sirloin, sliced cabbage, diced onions and tomatoes and an option to add cheese for 10 pesos. You can have it wrapped in pita bread or served on a plate, unwrapped. Also for 100 pesos, this meal comes in big servings. The meat tastes good and the vegetables are still crisp and fresh. The pita bread is thick and soft. The meat is flavorful and tender. There is also a chicken variant of this dish for the same price.

The bottomless red iced tea costs 50 pesos. The flavor is just right, not too sweet.

Mazza Shawarma not only offers good food at a reasonable price, the service is also good and the place is very relaxing. They also have tables outside to accommodate more customers.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Delivery:
Operating Hours:
Contact Number:
Branches:
- pasig
- mckinley hill
- alabang
- eton centris
- eastwood city walk 2

A Taste Of Heaven Mimkshake Hub ( Maginhawa St. UP Village, QC )

Another popular place for foodies is UP village, different restaurants are located along Maginhawa street. We decided to have a quick snack at one of these restaurants, the one called A Taste of Heaven Milkshake Hub. 

The place is not that big but it is clean. The only problem we encountered was looking at the menu, it's hard to read it from afar due to small fonts and low contrast of colors.

There are only a few tables but there wasn't many customers when we went here. Most of them just take only a few minutes to finish their milkshakes so you don't have to wait long just to be seated, in case that all the tables are occupied.

We tried one of their premium milkshakes and also one of their best sellers, the Jamocha Oreos. It wasn't too sweet as I've expected, it's like sipping melted ice cream with a subtle taste of mocha and a few crushed bits of chocolate cookies. It has whipped cream on top, but you can opt not to add it. It is drizzled with chocolate syrup on top. It's not the best out there but it's not bad for a 130 pesos milkshake.

Customers can customize their own milkshake here. You can choose from vanilla, chocolate and strawberry for 80 pesos then add whatever toppings you want from their list for 15 pesos for one, 25 pesos for two and 35 pesos for three add ons. We tried the classic vanilla and added m&ms peanuts and oreos. I do not know how much of the add ons they mix with your customized milkshake because we cannot see it while they are preparing it. The vanilla milkshake also has a subtle flavor and not too sweet. I can hardly taste or feel the m&ms peanuts, it must have dissolved or was blended with the vanilla together with the chocolate chip cookies. It would be better if the customers were also given the freedom to decide how much of the add ons do they want to be mixed with their milkshake and just pay for how much they have added depending on the weight. That way, customers can totally control how their customized milkshake would taste. But that's just a suggestion.

Their Freedom Chips is a must try. It is made from thick slices of potatoes and cooked just right, with the skin on, and sprinkled with powdered flavorings. It is also served hot and goes well with the milkshakes. You can enjoy this delicious fries for 60 pesos.

They offer good service here but not that fast. Be sure to remind them about your receipt in case you need one, we just got ours when we asked for it. Parking space may also be a problem here since it is located alongside the highway. The place is air conditioned so there's no need to worry about the dust, smoke and noise from vehicles passing in front of the shop. They also serve low fat milkshakes only, as written on their menu. So, is this truly a taste of heaven? I can say that it is almost a taste of heaven but something is still missing or needs a little bit of improvement.

RATINGS: 

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 3/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: beverage shop

Cuisine: 

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M - Sa: 12pm - 11pm, Su: 12pm - 9pm 

Contact Number: 0906 223 3644

Branches: 

- maginhawa st UP village, qc

- one archers place, manila

Jordan's ( Visayas Ave, QC )

Jordan's is located at 34 Visayas ave Vasra, Quezon City. It is one of the new budget friendly restaurants along Visayas Ave. The place is air conditioned so you don't have to worry about the smoke, dust and noise coming from the vehicles passing by outside. It is also spacious, though it tends to be a bit crowded during meal times.

Their Flaming Sisig is a must try. It is good for up to two persons. It is served with egg and drizzled with mayo on top. It is not too spicy which is good because the other flavors aren't overpowered. Another good thing aside from the taste is that it only costs 99 pesos.

This restaurant seems to have joined the bagnet craze. They have a combination of kangkong and bagnet which they call, Bagnet with Garlic Kangkong. The kangkong also known as swamp cabbage, river or water spinach, etc., is sauteed in garlic tgen topped with deep fried pork or the Ilocano version of lechon kawali. This dish comes in ample servings and can be shared by two to three persons. The crispy pork complements the fresh taste of the kangkong. For just 155 pesos you can enjoy the famous bagnet and it comes with a little bit of twist.

They have bottomless or unlimited iced tea for just 29 pesos. 

 

The odd thing here is that for some reason, the serving of their extra rice is more than that of the initial serving. 

They are also open for franchising, as seen on the ads on each of their tables.

Even if Jordan's is a new player in the industry, they certainly have an edge because of the great tasting food that they offer at low prices and big servings. They also have a wide selection of dishes and desserts on their menu. The service is fast which is also a plus.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Filipino
Delivery:
Operating Hours:
Contact Number: (02) 455 2208
Branches: Visayas Ave, QC

Stoops Bagnet Ilocos ( Visayas Ave, QC )

Visayas Avenue in Quezon City is really filled with lots of good restaurants that are budget friendly. Stoops just recently opened a branch at AL3 bldg 53-1A Visayas Ave. Vasra, QC and they are one of the many restaurants here in Metro Manila that serves the sought after bagnet of Ilocos.

Bagnet is perfectly partnered with rice at any time of the day, so even if it's dinner time we decided to have some. Customers can choose between two variants of the Bagnet Meal, the regular and the spicy. The regular version costs 105 pesos and an additional 5 pesos for the spicy version. Both comes with a side dish of your choice. Choices are, KBL ( Kamatis, Bagoong and Lasuna ), KKB ( Kamatis, talbos ng Kamote and Bagoong ) and TBA ( Talong and Bagoong Alamang ). We opted to have the KKB side dish for this one. You can also choose between plain and garlic rice, and order for an additional egg. We have tasted almost all of the bagnets that are being served here in Manila, but not one of those tasted like the authentic bagnet from Ilocos aside from this one, which was also noticed by my girlfriend who is an Ilocana. The crispyness and the flavor of the pork that we have tasted in Ilocos is there. The serving is good for one person only but an extra rice is always welcome. I must say that this is a must try.

This seems to be the only restaurant that serves Chicken Bagnet as far as I know, and the first time that we are about to taste one. The Quarter Chicken Bagnet also has two variants, the regular which costs 125 pesos and the spicy version for an additional 5 pesos. You can also choose between plain and garlic rice and an option for additional egg. It is also served with one of the three side dishes of your choice. The chicken bagnet is very crispy on the outside but not too dry on the inside. It is basically just a deep fried chicken sans the breadings. The good thing here is it is not oily as what you would expect. It tastes like it was just flavored with salt and pepper which is good. The serving is good for one person, but with the size and taste of the quarter chicken, a cup of extra rice is a must.

For dessert, they have ice cream in cups for just 25 pesos. They have a wide variety of flavors to choose from. We tried the Coffee Mocha Fudge. It's not too sweet and you can taste the flavor that was written on the label unlike other ice creams with unpopular brands

For beverages, customers only have two options, iced tea for 25 pesos or soda in can for 35 pesos.

They have bagoong and sukang Ilocos if you want additional flavors on your food. The bagoong Ilocos mixed with a little bit of vinegar or calamansi makes a great dip for bagnet.

Stoops serves a wide variety of Ilocano dishes from bagnet to empanada and longganisa, the only thing missing is the famous miki from Ilocos. The place is not that big but it is still enough to accommodate a few groups of people for lunch or dinner. The place is clean and comfortable. Service is good and fast. Parking space is also available outside. These factors combined with quality good food and budget friendly prices will make Stoops stay in business for quite a while and a worthy competition for other restaurants which serves the same delicacy.

 RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino, Ilocano

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: 

Contact Number: 

Branches: 

- the zone, makati

- visayas ave., qc

Razon's of Guagua ( UP Technohub )

Summer is here, and once again the scorching heat of the sun especially here in the Philippines, makes us crave for ways to cool down. Halo halo is one of the best ways to beat the summer heat. Razon's of Guagua's halo halo is one, if not the best in town.

Their halo halo is made much more like a smoothie. The solid ingredients seems to be blended together with the ice, while some of it are still in chunks to add texture. It is topped with leche flan also known as crème caramel or caramel custard. They usually serve it after your meal, just ask them to. One tall glass of halo halo costs 105 pesos. A bit pricey but it's definitely worth it.

Razon's is also famous for their sizzling dishes. We tried their Sizzling Bulalo. It tastes like the usual bulalo, sans the soup which can be a big deal to some, because the bulalo soup is where all the flavor is. Don't be hesitant to try this bulalo with a twist. The bulalo flavor is still there. The meat is soft and flavorful. The bone marrow is also present. The only thing missing here are the vegetables which can be found on the usual bulalo. The soup is replaced by gravy. A single serving costs 295 pesos and can be good for two persons. It is not served with rice so you'll just have to buy one separately. This dish is more like a sizzling beef steak with bone marrow on the side than a sizzling bulalo, but it is good and definitely a must try.

They don't have much choices in their beverage menu so we decided to just have a can of soda.

Razon's of Guagua offers scrumptious and good quality food at a reasonable price. The place is nice and relaxing. They have enough tables and chairs inside and outside the restaurant to accommodate lots of customers especially in a busy place like UP Ayala Land Technohub. The service is fast and the place is well maintained.

RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: Sun - Mon 10:00am - 10:00pm

Contact Number: (02) 441 1893

Branches: 

- sm manila

- banawe

- sm mall of asia

- alabang town center

- parañaque

- up ayala land technohub

- greenhills shopping center

- jupiter st.

- trinoma mall

- sta. rosa

- mckinley hill

- market market

- san miguel by the bay

- robinsons place manila

- sm megamall

- gateway mall

- timog

- sm city north edsa

- sm city fairview

- sta lucia east grand mall

- fisher mall

- marikina

- robinsons galleria

- greenbelt 1

- sm makati

- araneta

- pasig

- tagaytay

- eastwood city walk 2

- sm center las piñas

- sm city novaliches

- sm bicutan

- silver city mall

- robinsons magnolia

- j centre mall

- tiendesitas

- cash and carry mall

- sm sucat-lopez

Rafael's Garlic Chicken and Eatery ( Batac, Ilocos Norte )

If you are looking for lutong bahay style of dishes and in a tight budget, Rafael's Garlic Chicken and Eatery is one of the best places to go. It is one of those kubo or nipa hut style restaurants around the vicinity of Batac, Ilocos Norte. 

There are a few tables that can accommodate groups of people, situated away from the crowded area where most people eat. The place is made mostly out of bamboos and parts from old houses that they put together to set up this place. Old things from the farm can also be seen hanging on the walls which serves a dual purpose of being like a piece of a puzzle that completes the wall and a decoration as well.

Pakbet is one of the famous Ilocano dishes. It tastes good as expected, the meat and vegetables are cooked well. The vegetables are still a bit crunchy which is good. It complements fried or grilled meat and fish dishes very well.

We tried their Spicy Squid. It is not over cooked and not too spicy which is a good thing as I am not a fan of very spicy dishes. The squid is also fresh and it comes in big servings.

The Ginisang Upo is just one of their vegetable dishes that is a great complement for grilled or fried fish and meat dishes. The upo is cooked  and seasoned just right.

Their Inihaw na Baboy or grilled pork is a must try. It is seasoned well and cooked to perfection. Still tender and juicy. A single serving can be good for sharing. 

 The kare kare is a bit different. It is not the usual kare kare with thick sauce made out of ground peanuts. Although it has the ingredients of a regular kare kare, it seems that it was cooked like the pakbet. It has a runny sauce and bagoong. The meat is tender and the vegetables tastes fresh.

This eatery has lots of customers and tends to be over crowded with students and employees during lunch time. They offer a wide variety of great tasting dishes to choose from. It is a pay as you order style of service. Uniformed waiters can be seen roaming around the eatery, ready to assist customers. It is not air conditioned but there are ceiling fans installed everywhere. The materials used in building the restaurant such as the pawid and bamboos really helps in preventing the temperature inside from rising to an uncomfortable level. Aside from the budget friendly prices of their food, there are still some recommended dishes that we haven't tried yet so we will surely be back here on out next visit to the city of Batac, Ilocos Norte.

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 4/5


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Filipino
Delivery:
Operating Hours:
Contact Number:
Branches: Batac, Ilocos Norte

Labig Lutong Bahay ( Batac, Ilocos Norte )

Labig Lutong Bahay is located at 5 Callaguip Batac, Ilocos Norte. Another one of those restaurants that were highly recommended by the locals. Labig is the leaf of a palm tree called palma brava.

A long nipa hut houses the dining area of this restaurant. Wooden tables and chairs inside and outside the hut are available for customers. There are plants and trees surrounding the area so it feels relaxing and comfortable even during the summer season.

They sell different flavors of milk shakes here. We had the vanilla, chocolate and ube flavors. The ube flavor is a must try. The milk shakes are topped with whipped cream and chocolate bits and with chocolate wafer stick or

 stic-o. It costs 55 pesos a glass.

A bowl of Chicken Mami costs 45 pesos. It is served with hard boiled egg and shreds of chicken. The soup is good and comes in ample servings.

.

They serve different types of "silog" here. We tried the Tosilog (tocino-sinangag-itlog). The meat is cooked and flavored just right. Nothing fancy but the meat and egg can be good for two cups of fried rice. Not bad for a 45 pesos meal.

The Pork Chop with Rice is also good for a budget meal. It comes in big servings however, just expect more breading than meat. The good thing is, it tastes good and it is served with a lot of rice so it's really not bad for 60 pesos.

Apart from the fresh and relaxing ambiance and the low priced good food, the free wifi is what makes people come back here to eat. The latter part was according to the locals. They also offer good service and have friendly staff. They close at exactly 7:30 pm so be sure to come in a bit early if you plan to have dinner here.

RATINGS:

Food: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Filipino
Delivery:
Operating Hours: 6:30 am - 7:30 pm
Contact Number:
Branches: Batac, Ilocos Norte