Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly de Cebu

Eating alone is something I have perfected since college. Given the tight schedule back then, I often had to eat breakfast or lunch by my lonesome. It was difficult at first but I got used to it through time. Now, eating alone in malls is something I actually schedule from time to time. But when I do that, I usually prefer to eat at food courts. You see, in restaurants, people tend to look at you when you don't have companions. They're probably wondering if you're that bad you don't have friends to dine with or probably you got dumped by you're date.

Anyway, oneof my favorites at the SM Mall of Asia food court is Belly Bob's. They serve boneless lechon belly de Cebu. I know a lot of us like lechon Cebu. Many believe, including myself, love the taste of the lechon from the queen city of the south. But access to it is not easy. You either fly down south or you order a whole roastedpig to be delivered at your doorstep. That's too impractical, to say the least. Good thing there is BellyBob's.

Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly de Cebu serve a really tasty lechon belly at  a very affordable price. For less than P 150, you can already have a serving of lechon with a side dish and a cup of rice. They often have a small glass of juice to go with it.

The skin is crispy and the meat is tender and tasty -- the very reason why we love lechon Cebu. It's oily but who cares. That's lechon. It's notreally healthy but once in a while it's nice give in to your cravings. There was even a time I ordered to servings for lunch. But don't worry, I always have my medicine for my hypertension with me. lol

Look at the picture below and see how yummy it is. For this one I had pancit. Sometimes I order sisig as side dish but I don't do it often coz that doubles the cholesterol.

Maginhawa St., Quezon City - The Newest Food Hub

Last Saturday, a Food Festival was held at Maginhawa St., Teacher Village, Quezon City. It was a well publicized event. It was announced that there will be lots of food stalls from different places in addition to the ones that will be put up by the restaurants along Maginhawa St. We all know that  there are quite a number of restaurants along that street and the neighboring streets so people really expected a lot of food stalls to choose from.

I  went to the Food Fest quite late. My friend and I arrived there at 8:15 pm. We were already expecting that a few stalls will have no food to sell because we were like more than 10 hours late. But we were greatly surprised that not just a few stalls were "closed" but actually almost all were. I mean there were a few stalls that were still open but unfortunately lines were really long(because people had no other choice). And add to that, the remaining stalls aren't really the ones you look for in a supposedly grand food festival. I mean you don't go to a food festival to eat Tender Juicy Hotdog on stick. Let me clarify that I have nothing against Tender Juicy Hotdog. It's just that when I go to a food festival, I usually look for food that aren't always readily available or can only be found in restaurants that aren't accessible to me.

The walk was long. According to a press release I read, it was 2.2 km long. Wow, 2.2 km and I didn't find anything to eat. There were popcorn and fish/squidball carts (the ones you see being pushed in the village on a day to day basis) but I didn't pay P200++ on a one way cab ride to eat kikiam. Unfortunately, up to the very end of the road I didn't see a stall I could buy from so I ended up eating a 4 piece 25 peso siomai. All in all, the siomai was like worth P475 - or even higher coz I think the cabbie asked us for a "tip" on our way back to Makati.

Multi-colored popcorn

I'm not really complaining about the whole thing. For one, I know we came late. And I actually enjoyed seeing a lot of people walking in search of something they couldn't find. lol

Anyway, here are pictures of someof the restaurants that line Maginhawa St. These are the restaurants that actually made the place a food hub. These are also the restaurants commonly featured by food bloggers these days. (They were also SROs during the food festivsal).

Burger Project: one of the popular restaurants along Maginhawa St., Quezon City.

Bowl & Brew: they offer Lucban Specialties according to the signage.  This is along V. Luna.

Cafe Quezon: it looked clean and cozy from the outside.

Gerry's Jeepney: interesting concept. They had 2 jeepneys outside that night. I don't know if they're day always.

Bobo's Pizzeria: the place looked inviting (although the name Bobo has a different meaning for us, Filipinos).

Crazy Katsu: katsu  restaurants are "in". I  wonder if they have the same concept (unlimited rice and vegetables) as the other popular katsu places in the Metro.

Jed's Kubo: the place looked welcoming. They have Jed's buko (coconut water) too.

A Taste of Heaven: this is a milkshake store. The line that night was so long I thought it would reach heaven.

Simple Line: one of the many "drinks" (i mean tea, milkshakes, coffee) places in the area.

Billiberk's: ground floor of a house converted into a bar and restaurant (i think).

Barkin Bakes:

Takeiya: if you wanna go Japanese.

Nuezca Cafe: one of the nicest places I saw that night. And "organic" they have for the health conscious.

Roberta: serving Asian cuisine.

Series/Movie Marathon Companions -- Best Food for Marathon Viewing

For the past few weeks I've been reviewing for the International Friends TV Series Quiz Bee. I've started watching the series again to refresh my memory about the characteristics of the 6 lovable characters. I had to watch from Season 1 to know how they've met. I've forgotten the names of Joey's sisters. I've also forgotten the story behind Phoebe's family tree. And I can't remember Rachel's sorrority. Who is Ross Geller's first wife? How about Monica's doctor-lover? Of course I remember Chandler's dad is gay, but when did he come out? Now I'm in Season 8. Almost ready for the Quiz Bee.

Okay. There's no Quiz Bee. I've been watching it just because I want to. It's really funny, you know. And it gives you hope that there are people who can be your really good friends.

Anyway, since I've been doing a lot of viewing marathons, I've decided to list down the best marathon snacks to have. This list is based on my experience with the Friends marathon as well as the Game of Thrones. Oh, and before I forget, also the Suits marathon.

PEANUTS. This is probably the best series marathon companion  one could ever have. It's probably the food version of the wash and wear haircut. What? Don't ask. I also don't know where that came from. Anyway, what I want to say is that after you've opened the pack, you are all set. You can have it straight from the pack or unload everything in a bowl and your good. The best choice of Peanuts for me would be Chedings from Iligan City. It's oven rosted peanuts. Their spicy version is also great. But if you have no way of having Chedings, Growers is still available in supermarkets. And if you really have no time to buy at the supermarket, your friendly neighborhood sari-sari store for sure has peanuts for you. Adobong mani, P10 per scoop. Yeah!

CORNICK. Just like peanuts, cornick is also a wonderful series or movie marathon companion. Another wash and wear food. Yeah! Cornick comes in different flavors so you won't easily get sawa. If you have the chance, I suggest you buy Chichacorn from Vigan. But if it's too far (I know it is), the good old Boy Bawang will come and save the day for you.

While you're at it, you can mix PEANUTS and CORNICK. Heck, you can even throw in some green peas. Remember Sunshine? NO? That's sad.

PIZZA. This is something you can have if you intend to watch during periods that would cover lunch or dinner. It's definitely more filling than PEANUTS, CORNICK and GREEN PEAS combined. But pizza is not wash and wear (yeah, this again). I mean it is messier, right? Plus you have to squeeze hot sauce or sprinkle salt and pepper on top. That would take you a few seconds away from what you're watching. That's unacceptable. But then, it's better than stopping longer to get a full meal. My favorites are Yellow Cab (4 cheese), Shakey's (anything that's thin and without olives), Pizza Hut (bacon cheeseburger) or Patricia's (the cheapest but still delicious - available at Cash and Carry, Makati City).

POPCORN. I'm not really a fan of popcorn but I know many like popcorn while watching movies so I included this. Besides, I also like some popcorn flavors so I might as well mention this. Chef Tony's Popcorn is definitely a good choice. Original Caramel is good but Cheesy Jalapeno is my favorite. You can also have Tater's Popcorn. My favorite flavor is wasabi. It has a very strong wasabi flavor. I warned you. Anyway, Tater's has big  take out packs that's perfect for marathon viewing.

CHIPS. Another wash and wear. I get sawa easily so I have to have different kinds and flavors. Basics for me are Clover Chips (Barbecue) and Nova. If I'm feeling a little bit generous (to myself), I buy a tube of Pringles. I buy at the Cash and Carry. I like the thin chips. Much better than the local version - makapal at matigas. The red tube tops my list.

PRAWN CRACKERS. I like prawn crackers. I remember cooking prawn crackers when I was still in elementary. Besuto. That was the brand I liked. You can have prawn crackers but make sure to cook a lot before you start watching. Put it in a container with lid to keep it crispy. If you don't want to cook, Chowking's Chicharap will do. I actually like Chowking's Chicharap.

That's about it. I know there are still some more but I have to stop now so I could finish Friends soon. You see, Carrie Bradshaw is waiting for me.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang, Mesa, Seasons Cafe and other Buffet Vouchers

I checked group buying sites again this morning to see what's the latest fatured promo.

First up is the buffet at Manila Hotel's Cafe Ilang-Ilang.  I know it's very expensive so my attention was immediately caught when I saw that it's for P999 only. My initial reaction was perhaps this isjust for lunch buffet because dinner buffet is usuallymore expensive. Then I saw the phrase "starts at" right before the price so I knew I was right. Still, I checked out the details and whoa I was just half right. Yes, P999 is for a lunch buffet and it's for a CHILD. Lunch buffet for an adult is P1850. Whew! But you know, Cafe Ilang-Ilang is a really good restaurant. The first time I had lunch buffet was actually at Cafe Ilang-Ilang. My boss brought us there to celebrate something I don't remember. Thef oodwas really good but my most favorite is the soupthat's called Shrimp Bisque. You see, I still remember the name. That's because it was really good.

There's also a deal by Mesa. For P1,140 you get a set meal for four that includes half portion of Boneless Crispy Pata (I think the Crispy Pata in the picture is way larger than what they'll serve), Sinigang na Hipon sa Guava (yes, that's how they call it), Laing 2 ways (what ways?), 12 pieces Baked Scallops (count it! lol), Adobo Flakes Rice, Steamed Okra with Tamarind Bagoong Dipping Sauce (I wonder why they didn't translate bagoong in english the way they did with bayabas and sampalok), Mangga Salad (this too), special dessert (fruit cocktail?) and Bottomless Iced Tea for 4.

Then there's buffet at Seasons Cafe, Manila Pavillon worth P749. The picture shows lechon and for me, that makes the deal really interesting.

At cashcashpinoy.com, you can get a voucher for Mongolian Buffet at Bear's Grill for only P279 (P499 for two). Bear's Grill can be found in Timog Ave., Quezon City.

I didn't see a new deal for a buffet at ensogo.com except for a Viking's Weekday Lunch Buffet for 6 worth P3,249.

But you can check out the Bilao Set Meals of Wan Chai Tea House. I think this is in the Binondo area but I don't know if they do delivery.

Most Reviewed Restaurant in Manila

Yesterday I posted about the Top 10 Fish Tacos in Manila according to spot.ph. Today I saw a post about the 10 Best and Most-Reviewed Restaurants In Manila. And guess what I  discovered. The top spot went to a restaurant I have just recently reviewed. I've also visited Number 3 but I've not posted my review yet.

Anyway, according to insights.looloo.com, Ramen Nagi is the Best and the Most Reviewed Restaurants in Manila. I posted my review about Rame Nagi just last month (click here to view).  According to insights.looloo.com, Ramen Nagi has been reviewed 307 times with an average rating of 4.42.

8 Cuts burger (number 3 on the list) on the other hand has been reviewed 136 times with an average rating of 4.11. The 8 Cuts branch posted in the report is SM Megamall. The one I've visited is at the Power Plant Mall in Makati City.