Pretty cool mural

Ang Mo Kio Singaporean Hawker Cuisine is no different.  I mean, 250 bucks for a plate of chicken rice — when any hawker stand will sell it to you for less than 200.  So is the food worth it?

I like to start my meal with a Roti Prata, which is flatbread with is served with curry.  I wouldn’t say it’s better than Banana Leaf’s, but I wouldn’t say it’s worse either.  Price-wise, I think you can get the same thing in Singapore.

Roti Prata (P50.00 or $1.10 for 1 piece; P95.00 or $2.10 for 2 pieces)

If there is one dish that really defines Singapore, it’s Chicken Rice.  We got the half Hainanese chicken with 2 servings of chicken rice and vegetables.  It’s better value that the 1/4 order IMHO.

Half Chicken Rice (P558.00 or $12.40)

It was OK — nothing really special about it.  They have the usual condiments of dark soy sauce, a ginger dip, and a chili sauce.  Suffice to say, they weren’t anywhere close to what they do in Singapore.  But the real star of the show is the chicken rice.

It’s not the best you’ll find, but I guess it’s a pretty respectable imitation of real chicken rice.  I found the ginger flavor too overpowering in the rice whereas the chicken stock and pandan leaf flavor should really sing.  But you could really do much worse.

Chicken rice

I’m not exactly sure if it’s the Chinese in me, but I love my noodles.  And god damn it, I love a good Char Kway Teow. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a decent plate in town.  Ang Mo Kio serves a semi-decent plate that can border line on acceptable and overpowering.  They serve it with squid, Chinese sausages, fish cakes, and a myriad of veggies.  A bit heavy handed with the soy sauce, but what can you do?  It’s not like there’s a better plate out there.

Char Kway Teow (P275.00 or $6.10 for Single; P550.00 or $12.20 for Good for 2-3)

They’re actually pretty famous for their Laksa — which was done in the Peranakan style.  I’m not the biggest laksa fan, but they serve a decent bowl.  The distinct taste is supposedly from the dried shrimp paste, but the prawn flavor of the stock was pretty strong… along with coconut milk.  It could use a hint of spiciness to it, which I didn’t get at all.

Laksa (P308.00 or $6.80)

What did get me pretty excited about the menu is that they actually had Fish Head Curry — which was precisely the thing I had been looking for in Banana Leaf.  Here, they use the head of a red snapper with okra and brinjals, semi-stewed in Kerala-style curry broth.

To be honest, I found this a bit disappointing.  There wasn’t too much meat and it’s not exactly the freshest seafood you will get.  When eating fish head curry, it’s all about the broth — trust me.  And this fell a bit short IMHO.  I’m glad they actually serve it, but I hope it gets better.

Fish Head Curry (P350.00 or $7.75)

In a place like this, I usually go for water, but I went ahead and ordered the Iced Tea with Calamansi and my sister got an Iced Coffee.  And you know what?  They aren’t half bad at all — especially the iced tea.  For 65 bucks, they use their own blend and, although there’s not much calamansi flavor to it, it’s actually pretty refreshing.  Especially with the hot weather.

Left: Iced Coffee (P85.00 or $1.80); Right: Iced Tea with Calamansi (P65.00 or $1.40)

Overall, I liked Ang Mo Kio better than Banana Leaf.  I found the food to be a tad better, but I still can’t get over the price comparison if I get the same shit over at a hawker stand in Singapore.  I’d get it cheaper there AND I’d get much much better plates.  But for what we have here, I guess I should be fine with this.  Only if they can make it cheaper, though.

I have a love-hate relationships with buffets.  I love them, but I hate myself afterwards.  But hey, I insist on abusing my body at buffets, so that’s the price to pay the piper.  Anyway, I consider myself a sort of buffet connesu- conniues- expert.  I eat at a lot of buffets, and I eat at them often.  However, Circles at Makati Shang has always been a little too steep (P1,671.00 or $37.10 net for Monday-Saturday lunch) for my price range.  So when we got vouchers for buy-1-take-1 dinner buffets, I was pretty excited to see what the fuss was all about.

First up, the cold cuts.  I’m not big on cold cuts and cured meat.  I always wonder, “What’s wrong with the meat that it had to be cured?”  A little food blogger humor there.  Lester, on the other hand, is a big cold cuts guy.  Let’s just say he said “Wow.” a lot.  I’ll never understand that guy, but let’s assume that the cold cuts and the cured meats were great.

A few cured meat, tomato, and bell peppers

I immediately looked for the prawns and the crustaceans.  Most people who go to buffets gorge themselves on the prime rib roast, and that isn’t a bad thing.  The delights of roast beef are well-documented, and a good prime rib roast deserves to be the centerpiece of any spread.  However, to get your money’s worth, you’ve got to go for the seafood.  Circles doesn’t disappoint with a pretty good selection of prawns.  Not as fresh as I would’ve liked, but not bad at all.

Prawns

Up next, the Chinese station.  I don’t really know how to write about this thing.  Every time I went to get some siomai or spareribs or hakao, there was none to be had.  It was weird because I saw waiters carrying trays of food to the station.  Every time I got there, though, there was nothing!  Eventually, I was able to steal a few dumplings to taste.  I didn’t see what the big deal was.  Tasted like normal, regular Chinese dimsum to me.  Right next to it, the Indian station.  Again, we turn to Lester, who was satisfied with the spread.  I’m not much for Indian cuisine.  It just smells a little too Indian for me.

Crab curry

Now we have something more my speed, the Japanese station!  The sashimi was… OK.  If you’ve ever eaten really good sashimi, you’ll never be able to go back to the regular stuff.  Fresh sashimi smells like the ocean.  There is no fish smell, there is no slimy component to it.  The fish is fresh and firm, like it came straight from the sea.  The sashimi they served wasn’t bad, not at all, but it doesn’t measure up to the golden standard we look for in fresh sashimi.  Not bad, not great.  Just OK.

The ebi tempura, though, that was something else.  The batter was light, crisp, flavorful.  The prawn was cooked through, and it just tasted really, REALLY good.  I wish there were some other way to say it, but that’s what it was.

Ebi Tempura

Like most buffets, Circles has a pasta station.  My personal theory on this is that carbohydrates are cheap.  Breads, grains, pastas, all that stuff doesn’t cost a lot, and it fills you up, fast.  Hey, the more carbonara you eat, the less crustaceans you’ll be filling up on, right?  Anyway, the pasta station was manned by a female cook who looked like she weighed less than my right leg.  She looked pretty overwhelmed by all the orders, and probably wasn’t able to pay as much attention to cooking our food as she would have liked.  That being said, the pastas came out just OK.  Nothing spectacular, but just OK.  Some of us had white sauce, while others had red sauce.

Spaghetti Bolognese with some more cured meat

Now, the piece de resistance.  The crowning glory.  The main event.  The prime rib roast.  I love a good prime rib roast, and I mean it.  I’m using the word love here, for a piece of cow meat, crispy on the outside with salt and caramelization and rosemary, while red and pink and tender on the inside.  I always have very high expectations for prime rib roasts, expectations that are rarely met.  I approached the steak.  It was pink, which was good.  There was decent marbling, which was good.  But it looked like it had been left in the oven maybe just a few minutes too long.  Which trepidation, I sliced off a small piece and popped it into my mouth.  Success.  The beef was tender, it was moist, it was delicious.

Roast beef

It looked lonely, so I got some roast lab and potato wedges to go with it.  Perfect.  They were like old friends on my plate, happy to be there, ready to bring me to epicurean paradise.  And they did.

More roast beef… And lamb. And potatoes. And mint sauce. And mustard.

After the meal, the girls suggested dessert, which I didn’t have any of.  I’d just eaten caveman serving of still bloody red meat.  I had a reputation to protect, but here are the photos for all the ladies out there.  Of the desserts, not myself.

Desserts

Overall, Circles at Makati Shangri-La is a decent buffet place.  Will it usurp Sofitel’s Spiral as the premiere buffet destination in Metro Manila?  No.  Would it be worth it without the 50% discount?  No, but what buffet is?  But it’s a good selection of good food, which a few exceptional standouts in the prime rib roast and the Japanese selection.

Image taken from ESPN.com (taken by Gary Dineen, NBAE/Getty Images)

So yeah, I dreaded this way.  As a huge Bulls fan, it was a fucking painful experience to wake up to this news and even worse to watch this while eating some wings.  But you know what?  They wings helped ease the pain… for a while.

First, we got their House Blend Iced Tea for the really hot day.  I wasn’t too big a fan, but I guess you can’t complain too much for 55 bucks of non-Nestea Iced Tea.

House Blend Iced Tea (P55.00 or $1.20)

We tried their Pepperoni Pizza, which is 12″ of pepperoni and cheese.  It’s a lot like the thin crust pizza of Shakey’s and I can’t believe they use worse quality pepperoni for this.  For a place that has “pizza” in the name, I say skip this.

Pepperoni Pizza (P295.00 or $6.55)

The wings weren’t bad, though.  The Double Wings (P320.00 or $7.10 for 10 pieces) will set you back 320 bucks, which is pretty fair considering what other places charge.  You can choose your flavors and they still cost you the same.

I chose the Honey Bourbon for half of my wings and they were OK.

Honey Bourbon

The other half, I had to go with their Original Buffalo blend.  You can go with Hot, X-Hot, and Suicidal for this variety.  I went with the medium (X-Hot) blend and this was probably one of the spicier wings I’ve had here.  I’d like to think I’m not a puss when it comes to heat, but this was amply spicy.

Original X-Hot

This was the one time when I probably needed the Bleu Cheese dip, but in their case, they sell it separately.

Despite the miserable playoff day, the wings were a temporary relief.  If you think about it, there’s nothing really special about the place.  I did love the fact that the wings were actually spicy and the fact that the prices aren’t overwhelming.

Marc loved the quesadilla, so I figured the Steak Carne Asada Quesadilla would be a great place to start.  It came with a side salad and was pretty good.

Steak Carne Asada Quesadilla (P340.00 or $7.55)

The Pork Carnitas Chimichanga is a pretty good deal — a better choice than a burrito IMHO.  Chimichangas are basically fried burritos.  I found that the filling is packed a bit more vs. a more heavy tortilla flour with a burrito.

Pork Carnitas Chimichanga (P330.00 or $7.30)

But let me tell you something — the Crispy Chipotle Chicken Wings?  They are fucking delicious! Just a burst of flavor going on there.  It can get a bit salty, but I enjoyed it a lot.  Loved the chipotle sauce.  It’s pretty unique from other wings you’ll get elsewhere.  My problem is that during my different visits, I’ve only been able to order this once.  They’re usually out of stock — even if during 11AM on a Wednesday.

Crispy Chipotle Chicken Wings (P280.00 or $6.20)

Their Spicy Short Ribs sounded really good and I wanted to try it.  In fact, we were entitled to it because of this Citibank or Metrobank promo.  No surprise when this wasn’t available.

We ended up getting the Cilantro Cashew Chicharones, which isn’t a bad consolation prize.  It’s a huge chunk of grilled pork served with a cilantro-based sauce, the same side salad as the quesadilla, black beans, and some awesome dirty rice.  Loved this but maybe they can trim the fat a bit more.  I’d totally order this again.

Cilantro Cashew Chicharones (P450.00 or $10.00)

We did get the Tamarind Iced Tea and the Raspberry Iced Tea, but it’s not something I would do willingly again.  First of all, it tastes fine. But for (almost) 130 bucks for such a small cup, it better be fucking amazing.   Second, they don’t even serve filtered water in the San Juan branch.  Yeah… What’s up with that?

Tamarind and Raspberry Iced Tea (P125.00 or $2.75)

No question the food is great.  Hell, even my Mexican cousin-in-law says this is probably the closest to what he used to have in Mexico.  That has to count for something, right?  It’s so close to being an excellent Mexican joint.  People say that you go for the food, but come back for the service.  I tried to go back to take out a couple of wings.  Guess what?  They were out.

I’ve written about Malcolm’s before.  But it’s in a different part of town with a slightly different menu.  Two things are pretty consistent:

1. Their menu features the Kitayama Wagyu beef that they raise on their own, and
2. It ain’t cheap!

The only reasons why I actually visited Malcolm’s are because I was treated to a lunch by former colleagues and because we bought coupons from Deal Grocer.  If not, I’d probably still be walking past that place.

To start with, they offer you some toasted bread with some olive oil.  Pretty nice.  You can ask for balsamic vinegar.

Bread with Olive Oil Dip

The Deal Grocer coupon was pretty enticing.  Valued at P2,500 they sold it at P1,250.00 (or $27.75) — good for two people.  Not bad.  It’s a 4-course steak menu that comes with 2 soups, 2 salads, a steak course, and 2 desserts.

The Pumpkin Bisque with Shrimps and Pancetta Bits was pretty hearty.  Good start to the meal.

Pumpkin Bisque with Shrimps and Pancetta Bits

The Mediterranean Salad with Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese was… well, very Mediterranean.  They used a light vinaigrette dressing, which was a good contrast to the salty feta cheese.

Mediterranean Salad with Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the steak course.  They served 500 grams of Pinot Noir braised Grade 6 Kitayama Wagyu Short Ribs, but it wasn’t a steak in the classic sense.  We asked them to split it into 2 and it came with a heavy tomato-based sauce.  I would’ve really loved to get a grilled steak seasoned with just salt and pepper to really taste the beef.  Afterall, why cover the natural beefy taste of Wagyu beef?  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad.  But why do that to a (supposedly) great piece of meat when you can do that to the cheap bits?

Pinot Noir braised Grade 6 Kitayama Wagyu Short Ribs

The dessert was a choice of Strawberry or Mango Panna Cotta.  I liked the mango more, but both incredibly sweet for me.  Like eating pure syrup.

Strawberry and Mango Panna Cotta

Now, when there weren’t any coupons to use, here are a few things to try for (fairly) cheap bastards not unlike myself.

Give the Spaghetti Bolognese a try.  They use Kitayama Wagyu in all their beef products but I wasn’t a big fan of this.  There was this overpowering flavor that I didn’t find to work.  This is probably for the people who want to try a “Wagyu Spaghetti.”

Spaghetti Bolognese (P375.00 or $8.30)

Instead, I preferred the Spaghetti with Sea Clams, Garlic, Chilies, and Fresh Herbs.  The dish was really light but seasoned well.  Seafood was fairly good and not overpowering, unlike the Vongole dish in Chelsea.  Ironically, this is without any of the signature Kitayama beef.

Spaghetti with Sea Clams, Garlic, Chilies, and Fresh Herbs (P375.00 or $8.30)

Of course, you have to try the Malcolm’s Wagyu Burger, which an old colleague declared the “Best Burger in the Metro.”

Malcolm’s Wagyu Burger (P495.00 or $11.00)

First of all, I love that it’s a pretty simple burger.  Patty, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes, fries.  Perfect.  Second, I don’t think it’s the best burger in Manila.  It used to be pretty fucking amazing, but this time around it was a bit dry and not as beefy as I’d like it to be.  It’s still tasty, but the 500-Peso price tag is a bit tough to swallow.

For a cheaper alternative, you can probably go for the Wagyu Sliders, which is basically 3 small versions of the Wagyu Burger.  They serve it with 3 different toppings, which is good if you’re into that sort of thing but I like my burgers with little to no toppings please.

Wagyu Sliders (P395.00 or $8.75)

I love the Malcolm’s Flavored Iced Tea.  Peachy! It’s actually brewed and sweetened lightly.

Malcolm’s Flavored Iced Tea (P120.00 or $2.60 for Glass; P240.00 or $5.30 for Pitcher)

Overall, the place is not bad at all, but pretty pricey.  The quality of the meat is pretty good, but I don’t think it’s as good as before.  There are different Malcolm’s branches out there that cater to different markets.  This is geared towards the high end.  Like I said, they closed up for renovation or relocation or something, but I do hope that they crop back up… and with more coupons this time around.

Nice interior

Real men are secure enough to say, “I love meat in tube form.”  So god damn it, I do.  I love it.  To start with, you cannot go wrong with their German Sausage Sampler.  You can 3 of their sausages and it comes with home-made sauerkraut, a side salad, and croutons.

German Sausage Sampler (P300.00 or $6.50 for Single; P480.00 or $10.60 for Double)

You really can’t go wrong with any of them.  They’re all pretty good.  The side salad was fresh and simple and the sauerkraut is pretty nice as well.  Not for people who hate sour flavors, though.

And if you’re feeling a bit rich, go for the Wagyu Sausage.  It has a more beefy flavor to it and a bit more fat and oil from the Wagyu beef.

Wagyu Sausage (P450.00 or $10.00)

Now, there are different ways to go about your meal.  You can go the pizza route and get the Jamon de Oro Pizza.  I’m not a big fan of their pizzas, but they have really light and clean flavors to it.  For the health freaks out there, this might be one of the healthier tasting ones out there.  Then again, I’m not exactly an authority for healthy eating.

Jamon de Oro Pizza (P330.00 or $7.30)

The light flavors apply to their pastas as well.  They use less salt and probably less butter in their dishes.  Still, they have some solid, but not over-the-top, pasta dishes.  I like their Aglio Olio Pasta, which is your simple olive oil pasta with fried garlic flakes.  It’s really light, but I thought it needs a pinch of salt or two.  A couple of chili flakes won’t hurt either.

Aglio Olio Pasta (P180.00 or $4.00)

My sister tried the Truffle Oil Pasta with Mushroom.  It was OK.  A bit light-handed again on the truffle oil.  But cheating is still cheating even if you do it just a bit.

Truffle Oil Pasta with Mushroom (P280.00 or $6.20)

And I’m not a fan of their Chili Seafood Pasta.  Looks fantastic, but not enough of the chili or tomato flavors, but overly salty from either the seafood or a handful of salt.  The texture and taste reminded me a lot more of Chinese misua than Italian pasta.

Chili Seafood Pasta (P280.00 or $6.20)

They have a selection of comfort food, which are basically rice meals.  We tried the Irish Beef Stew and the Lamb Curry.  Both were OK, but I liked the lamb curry a bit better.  It’s not up to par with the curries that we’re used to, but it was OK.

Lamb Curry (P300.00 or $6.60)

The Irish Stew’s meat was a bit dry and tough to chew.  It was really aromatic, though, with the use of thyme (I think) and bay leaves, but overpowered the beef’s flavor a bit.

Irish Beef Stew (P280.00 or $6.20)

Both came with a side of their signature Bacon Rice.  I’m not sure why it’s so special.  They use good rice, but the bacon didn’t really add much.

Bacon Rice

I did love their Bacon Slabs with Eggs.  It’s the biggest and thickest that I’ve seen.  They use actual pork belly and it was awesome.  Probably two people can take on that huge slab and those two massive eggs.  It can get a bit heavy so it’s not bad to share.

Bacon Slabs with Eggs (P280.00 or $6.20)

What keeps me coming back are the sandwiches, which all come with their home-made Casava Chips.

Casava Chips

One of my ex-colleagues ordered the Turkey Ham, which is a turkey ham on a bagel.  Looked alright, but I’d rarely touch anything as dry and as healthy as turkey.

Turkey Ham (P220.00 or $4.80)

The US Sliced Steak on a New York Bagel Sandwich is one of their best sellers and I can see why.   The beef is flavored and seasoned well, but was a bit tough.  Too much fat and too vein-y.  I’d still get this again, though.

US Sliced Steak on a New York Bagel Sandwich (P200.00 or $4.40)

But my usual (and favorite) sandwich has to be the Prosciutto with Mozzarella Cheese.  Just a simple light cured prosciutto with melted mozzarella and a hint of tomato paste.  Awesome.

Prosciutto with Mozzarella Cheese (P220.00 or $4.80)

If you’re like me, you could get their juices but it’s not a very wide selection — only 2 for that matter.  The have their signature Citrus Delight, which I will never order again.  It wasn’t bad, but you can make it at home.  It’s basically Sprite with a slice of lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit.  Not paying 120 bucks for that again.

Citrus Delight (P120.00 or $2.60)

Poco’s Special Freshly Brewed Iced Tea is pretty fucking good though.  A hint of berry to it, it was quite different and refreshing from other iced teas out there.

Poco’s Special Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (P65.00 or $1.40)

There are cakes to choose from.  The New York Baked Cheesecake was OK, but pretty ordinary.

New York Baked Cheesecake (P165.00 or $3.60)

The Black Out Chocolate Cake was pretty good.  I suggest you get that one instead.  It’s made with Valrhona chocolate, caramel, and Belgian chocolate.

Black Out Chocolate Cake (P140.00 or $3.10)

There aren’t really dishes here that knock you out of the park.  They’re all consistently solid, though, and priced fairly for the most part.  Great ambiance in a bustling street of food shops and great for a quick sandwich fix.  I have a soft spot for delis… because they’re all fucking awesome.

Cafe Sweet Inspirations has a selection of food, pastries, and cakes.  They have some pretty low-budget combos that if you factor in inflation, I’m might be willing to pay for them if I were still a college student.

Mind you, the serving isn’t going to overwhelm you, but what the hell can you expect for something less than 150 bucks?  Mom would go for the Pasta Combo C, which is Spaghetti Bolognese with a Mango Cream Pie.  It comes with a free glass of Iced Tea.

Pasta Combo C (P125.00 or $2.75) of Spaghetti Bolognese and Mango Cream Pie

You can also go for a Native Combo D of Arroz Caldo and their Special Bibingka.  Hell, even go for the Pasta Combo D of Lasagna and Chocolate Mousse.

Top: Pasta Combo D (P145.00 or $3.20) of Lasagna and Chocolate Mousse, Bottom: Native Combo D (P120.00 or $2.65) of Arroz Caldo and Special Bibingka

I’d say, though, that the food is fairly mediocre.  So don’t fuck around and just go for the Mongolian rice bowls.  What’s not to love? You pick your own meat, some carbs, go crazy with the sauces and eat like a king.  Now, I usually chide people for going for the quantity-over-quality thing when it comes to food, but Sweet Inspirations does offer a better selection of sauces.  Sesame oil? Yes! Garlic and lemon water? Why, yes!

But the best thing they have over all other Mongolian joints is their chili paste.  Simple, but pretty awesome stuff going on there.

Mongolian spread

The Single Bowl is good enough for me, but they’re only available on weekdays until the mid-afternoon.  I don’t need to tell you that you just try to pack in as much as you can.  My trick is to stack some rice and noodles underneath, pile your greens, then top it off with more carbs before they measure the meat for your  bowl.  Go for chicken and pork, like I do.

Single Bowl (P205.00 or $4.55)

If you’re really hungry, go for the Eat-All-You-Can Bowl.  Forget the carbs and just pile on your meat here.  Hell, forget the greens, too.  What are we here in Food Porn Junkies, rabbits?  Meat, people.  Meat.

Eat-All-You-Can Bowl (P320.00 or $7.10)

The thing about Mongolian meals is: you’re responsible for your mix.  If it doesn’t taste good, then you probably fucked up.  And yes, I’d be willing to pay for this now.

Today we tackle one of America’s most significant contributions to the world of food-gasms, the Cheesesteak.  Which brings us to Mr. Elbert Cuenca.

Mr. Cuenca, whom we shall henceforth address us Elbert because I feel like I’ve known him a long time,  is the proud proprietor of Elbert’s Cheesesteaks in Rockwell Power Plant Mall.

The first thing you will notice about Elbert’s Cheesesteak is that the sign is in neon pink.  This shouldn’t shock you, as Elbert enjoys an interesting collection socks in every color you can imagine.  See what I did there?  More to come.

Elbert’s Cheesesteak

The menu is pretty straightforward, as Elbert is an avid Mac user, and we’re known for our love of simple, elegant things.  The thing is idiot-proof; I mean, you decide how much beef you want, whether you want vegetables with it, then what cheese you want along with it.  How much simpler does it get?

I went for the Regular Cheesesteak with Provolone, which came in a somewhat larger portion than the vegetable-laden hoagie.  I know that traditionally, cheesesteaks were made with only Cheez-Whiz, but I am a cultured, sophisticated man who enjoys the finer things in life.  Also, I think provolone sounds funny.  “Provolone.”  Snort.

Provolone Cheesesteak (P310.00 or $6.80 for a Hoagie Bun / P390.00 or $8.60 for the Classic)

So the cheesesteak came.  The bread was warm, and quite… sturdy, which I like.  I bit into it, and FUCKING NIRVANA.  Spank my ass and call me a monkey, but the thing was fantastic.  The beef, the provolone, the white onions, everything came together spectacularly.  I looked around at my friends and I could tell that they were all going through the same epicurean wonderment.  We locked eyes, and we knew. This was our cheesesteak covenant, the Holy Grail, Israel, and Graceland, all rolled into one.  Right there and then, I knew I’d be eating here a lot.

Provolone Cheesesteak

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we were called to pick up the fries.  I so was lost in deep, meaningful conversation with my cheesesteak that I completely forgot we ordered fries with those.  I was already halfway through my ‘steak, and I didn’t really want to interrupt the truly amazing experience I was having, but I knew I had to write a review for the fries as well, so I grabbed a hot handful and stuffed them in my mouth.

Awesome fries

Two things came to mind.  One, THIS SHIT IS FUCKING AWESOME!  Two, THIS SHIT FUCKING HOT!!

The fries were freshly cooked!  The only thing I like better than french fries are fresh fries, and these were it.  The potatoes were crisp, with just the right saltiness to really complement the cheesesteaks.  Everything was just, well, really good!  I wish there were a better way to say it, but that pretty much sums it up perfectly.  It was a really good meal, which I washed down with some Sola.

Sola

And then, we were done.  The rest of the night was a blur, but right before getting into my Subaru Forrester, I seriously considered going back and getting a cheesesteak for the road.  And I did.

All valid questions that I will address, culminating in a photograph of the Food Porn Junkies team covered in butter (slightly salted).

First off, what the hell happened?

The FPJ team needed a sabbatical.  I know we hadn’t really accomplished anything, and that the beginning is always the most crucial part of any endeavor, but we’re products of a private, Catholic all-boys’ school that taught us at a very early age that the world would respond favorably to us whining, cajoling, cutting corners, and cheating.  None of these things applied to the blog, so we were stumped.  We needed some time to step back and reevaluate how to proceed with this bitch up in here.

OK, you went through a few weeks of serious soul-searching, cleansing, blah blah blah.  Cry me a fucking river.  Now what?

Cry me a river!

Basically, we decided: We love food, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we were also assholes.  Not mean assholes, but assholes as in we’re not going to keep this blog General Patronage.  We’ll swear like sailors, or Mel Gibson after a few shots.  We will compare food to the various parts of the reproductive system.  If we think it tastes like shit, we will say so.  On a bad day, we might even describe the shit; texture, taste, smell, consistency.

This is not to say that Food Porn Junkies will be a basher blog.  On the contrary, we’re very easily pleased.  Give us good, clean, honest food, prepared with fresh ingredients, and we will sing your praises.  We will write you odes of praise that will make you blush, and not just because of the racy content.  We may be irreverent as anything, but we will ALWAYS respect food that is prepared with respect.

I read what you had to say.  Where’s the butter photo?

Lester refused to do it.  What a pussy.

And that’s exactly how I felt about Peri-Peri Grill House back in the day.  Walk along Promenade, glance at the menu outside, see 300 bucks, then keep walking.  I finally went in last week and here’s my take.

Peri peri or piri piri chicken is arguably the national dish in Mozambique and in some parts of the African region.  It’s your basic grilled chicken over charcoal or wood fire basted in the piri piri sauce.  It’s supposed to be blistering hot from the main ingredient — the African Bird’s Eye Chili.  The sauce is basically made of peanut oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, tomato, and the aforementioned piri piri chili.

I seriously doubt Peri-Peri Grill House’s is remotely close to the real thing, but I guess without any real basis to compare, let’s take it for what it is.  We got the Peri Chicken Combo 2 (P330.00 or $7.35), which comes with 1/2 grilled chicken and 2 side dishes of your choice.   You have your choice of basting whether lemon and garlic (their specialty), the mild, or the hot.  Call me a puss or call it a choice of getting the house specialty, I went for the lemon and garlic basted chicken.

Piri piri grilled chicken

The chicken was OK.  I half expected for it to be dry but it was nice and had a hint of citrus flavor from the lemon baste.  Portion-wise, it was OK to feed about 2 people.  The sides were nothing special, but weren’t inedible.

Clockwise from Top Left: Java Rice, Plain Rice (P35.00 or $0.75), Gravy for the puss, and Fries

I usually say that the star of the show is protein, but in this case, it’s really all about the piri piri sauce.  They put 3 bottles of chili sauce in front of you.  A mild variety, a hot variety, and some chili oil.   They serve the chicken with a small bowl of gravy, which is basically for the puss.  No heat whatsoever.

I found the piri piri sauce to be quite unique.  The mild has some heat to it, but not really overpowering.  I even bought a bottle home for around P75.00 (or $1.65).  The hot one wasn’t immensely hotter but had more of a kick to it.  But the chili oil — god damn!  Easily the hottest thing on the table, but I would think there would be more than a handful of people who will find it tolerable at the very least.

Piri piri sauce

Their House Blend Iced Tea isn’t bad at all.  It’s not your typically shitty Nestea Iced Tea (which I totally expected) and it comes with 1 free refill.

House Blend Iced Tea (P65.00 or $1.45)

Overall, I found myself surprisingly satisfied.  I really half expected it to suck but it’s good value for a meal.  The chicken itself isn’t spectacular but like I said — the piri piri sauce is the real star of the show.  I’d say don’t puss out and go for the mild or hot baste and drown your chicken in the piri piri sauce (like what we guys do in KFC).  I know I will.