A few days from now, the one and only Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be offered in the country. Of course it will only be better if you're with the BIGGEST network with the widest coverage, Smart Communications Inc.
Our friends from Smart Communications will offer these Apple products starting on Friday, November 17, 2017. That's very near already and if you're like me who's REALLY excited about it, it's time to actually pre-order for it. The new generation iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. pre-order site starts this coming Friday, November 10, 2017 at the Smart Online Store (store.smart.com.ph) and your friendly neighborhood Smart Stores nationwide.
Stay tuned because as you may have seen during the reveal, this is the most exciting iPhone yet! We'll update this article as soon as we get the direct URL for the pre order site.
It was a nice afternoon for a great lunch so we headed our way to BEEFFALO by Hotrocks located at 135 Hoover Street in San Juan City. If my memory serves me right, I think I've already eaten in one of their defunct branches at Club 650' in Eastwood Libis which closed down because they stopped the lease and making that a community of condominiums. Now this place is off the beaten track, only a few restaurants exist in this place with the exception of the nearby Wilson Street area.
The restaurant was conceptualized by a husband and wife team - owners who adored grilling in their backyard in Marikina. Back then, their guests often comprise friends and family who absolutely adored their home cooking. The weekend parties became pretty frequent, even bigger and they kept on going back. The crowd became huge and later on found themselves spending a lot for food, then the husband thought about putting up a restaurant. His lovely wife thought he was crazy but decided to go through with it because he already paid for the space. The place in Marikina was barren land - where you would often see grass growing wildly, people often get lost as it was right in the middle of nowhere but people still flocked as a destination restaurant.
Today the whole street has been lined with shops, some commercial establishments jumped the opportunity to also open there. They decided it was time to open BEEFFALO so they could cater to more people in Manila, a place that would still have shades of HotRocks food people love, a chill spot for home cooked food, coffee and good desserts.
The Place
This place is quaint, a little rustic, got that shabby chic kind of decor with a touch of color here and there. During our time there, they were already preparing for Halloween and the General Manager Louie Abad told us how they take this occasion seriously. They really dress up and find it was good to entertain their customers too.
It could probably accommodate around 50 people in one go. Lines are a normal scene during lunch and dinner so they'd appreciate if you reserve ahead if you plan to have a meal here. Though if you're really in the mood, go here on weekdays and you'll probably have a better chance to dine.
I was actually excited to see they had the BEEF to put up decors like these cows in the mix. I felt right at home because you know, we're KUMAGCOW after all.
For small groups who plan to have intimate parties, might I suggest you get this section of the restaurant for more privacy. This would be fit for meetings as well.
Now all these nice things on the restaurant got me worked up. I think it's time to get to the more serious stuff and try out their food. Here's what you can expect from BEEFFALO.
The Food
Their dishes were pretty much a mix American comfort food, the ones that Filipinos love. The difference is the way they make it. I think it stems from the way their food is prepared because she (the wife) isn't formally trained, a proud home cook (a very talented one at that). You get to see the care and heart put in on every dish, which I absolutely love.
This is their Taco Barbecue Salad. It's a pretty hefty serving so
this would be best if shared by two people. It's got nachos, taco beef,
salsa, cheddar on a bed of roughly chopped lettuce. It's served with
drizzled ranch dressing and a bit of barbecue sauce. Filled me up
already, but there were more things on the menu.
They had a few soups on the menu but I chose this Roasted Pumpkin Soup. It's sweeter than the usual because they do roast the pumpkin before they blitz it. It was hearty, I felt warm and fuzzy already.
They do serve beer but prefer you have their hearty meals, if you want a bottle or two you can order these Nachos. They serve this with Salsa or Spinach Dip but we asked them to serve both because we're nice people. These are nice things to have before the main course, which we'll get to in a bit.
Might I interest you with this Biscuit Pizza of which they're very proud of because of it's super thin crust. This is their Margherita Pizza.
If you're a bit adventurous, go for the Garlic and Mushroom Pizza. Still with the thin crust, you get to taste more of the flavors of the toppings which they wanted when they made these pizzas. They also have it in Three Cheese and Pepperoni variants.
This is their Porterhouse Beeffalo Steak served with real mashed potatoes and vegetable slides. Now how do I put this, it wasn't as perfect as I wanted it to be because it's Tenderloin filet on the one side and the other is Strip Steak, which means it's more likely you get tougher piece of meat on one side and a softer one on the other. This was seasoned well but I suggest you eat this as soon as it lands on the table. It'll feel different if you let it rest too long on the table with airconditioning. Still, I love meat so I'd order this in a heartbeat.
I love this one, it's their Buttermilk Fried Chicken. This started as an experiment they had with a popular food magazine in the Philippines but they have now included this as a permanent item on the menu. It's served with mashed potato or garlic rice and a side salad. The creamy gravy MUST be there for obvious reasons. It's a good representation of comfort food.
Since we were that special, they served us something that's not on the menu. This is their Salmon Steak. It's been deboned, so you don't get pricked. This obviously is a HUGE serving so we asked them to perhaps have this toned down once it lands itself on the menu and they were very nice and accommodating with regards to feedback. I like that about them.
I would like to personally introduce to you my favorite item on their menu (aside from the next one though!) is these lovely, mouthwatering Beeffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip. It's perfectly fried wings saturated in their Original Spicy Buffalo Sauce and it's available in HOT or SWEET variants. You can also ask them to prepare both if you have friends who don't like it spicy, but I'd rather see you try it out yourselves. If my hunch is correct, they don't just use Tabasco here, but more of the Schezuan Pepper Corn which is known to be a bit hot. It's got a peppery profile so it permeates from the back of your mouth to your nose, I like this a lot I almost ate all of it LOL.
This brings it up a notch big time, this is their Baby Back Ribs. They do mean one and they use their own concocted spice rub which they say will remain a secret. As you may understand this is for sharing but if you're a big guy like me, please enjoy this on your cheat day. It's sweet and savory, not dry and you can taste how the meat must have been in the grill for hours as it also falls off the bone. If you have a special guest, please do not leave this place without ordering this.
BEEFFALO is but a wonderful place to get home cooked comfort food in San Juan. If you're near here or frequent this place, consider yourself lucky. It would be the best place to have a cup of coffee, dine with family and friends without minding too much on the budget. Best for groups too because most of their dishes are intended for sharing. Though I've seen quite a few pairs having lunch there, as it's cozy, not too fancy, very casual.
Please do visit them at 135 Hoover Street in San Juan City. I find that typing in the address on UBER or GRAB was easy than the actual name of the restaurant. I'll try and upload the photos on Google so you can find it, don't worry!
Bring around 1,000 for a date night and that could feed 2 people (if you're on a diet, much less than that). Trust me on the wings!
It was an awesome time to spend an afternoon with great friends... and twas time make new ones too.
An intimate luncheon was in session and I couldn't be more ecstatic to find out that it was going to happen at THE PENTHOUSE of Hotel Rembrandt. You see, this part of Quezon City is my hood. I've lived and breathed here all my life. Hotel Rembrandt used to be that sore thumb that naysayers said was crazy to actually been have put up in a residential district, but look at them now! Years after, they've been well received by the public, plus business travelers who want to be somewhere near the TV stations, fabulous restaurants of Tomas Morato and the multitude entertainment and businesses along Timog Avenue. This place held a lot of promise back then and in a way... they saw that coming. This place must have really smart owners.
Anyway, our business was to actually experience their Gin Bar which was located in the hotel's top floor hence the name of the place.
THE PENTHOUSE is first and foremost a real deal Gin Bar which means you'll get specialty mixes and concoctions made of that. Since we were in the mood for good drinks, we had them prepare everything on the bar menu. The gin concoctions were quite good, it was spiced right, had different flavors which they design perfect for the season. Aside from the signature ones on the menu, they always prepare a Drink of the Month so you've got something to look forward to if you're planning to frequent this place. I wouldn't be surprised if you do.
While waiting for everything to be prepared, we were served canisters of Cashew nuts. Judging from the way it looks, it ain't the usual ones that are roasted or mixed with Garlic. This is their Sambal Chili Cashew Nuts, it's got that zing you would expect from those Malay/Singaporean Sambal Chili dishes that I also love. That's pretty good, don't tell them I almost ate half of this container ah?!
My friends and I each had one glass, except for one because he doesn't drink (Hi Rodel! LOL). These glasses fell off of the table (or probably disappeared after a few minutes) because they used real spices, berries and even real cinnamon barks that further enhanced the notes of the drinks they concocted. If you're a little too tired to design your own drink (oh yes they can do that for Php 230), go for the Penthouse or the Manila (which were my favorites). I would love to have some more but that probably asks for another visit. We prepared ourselves for a sumptuous feast, a 13 course meal (15 if you count the three desserts we had! LOL) so let's see!
The Freshly Baked Rosemary Scones was unbelievable. Instead of the usual jam and butter combo, it was served with a small jar of honey which you can put on the nice biscuits with cinnamon sticks. I was trying so hard to actually not eat too much of it because I've seen the menu first hand, but the Rosemary scent in each bit proved to be weakening, my knees folded and I began pitying myself as I started seconds. I was preparing myself for the other dishes. Then they came!
This appetizer is called Deep Fried Anchovies. It's served with a couple pieces of green chili that's probably got a Scoville heat index of zero. It had that flavor, plus those salty anchovies fried to perfection like tempura. I could have sworn they used a lighter beer batter with it. They also dipped it with it in a garlic aioli, my mouth was watering just like you.
For starters, we had this bowl of hearty Cream Root Vegetable Soup. As the name suggests, they used root crops as the base for it. They added peanuts so it would have a different texture in every spoonful. Pretty good.
This is the Roasted Carrot Salad. To tell you the truth, this is one of my most hated vegetable right after bitter gourd but surprisingly I ate it all. It's got slivers of oranges, roasted carrots (it made it sweet) plus a puree underneath. They also used a citrus based dressing for this one to counteract with the sweetness of the carrots. They also added cheese so you get that little bits of saltiness from it. It's a miracle for me.
This is their Vannamei Shrimp Roll. It's sweet and toasty, but lovely and savory on the inside. This would be dreamy for those who love shrimps. It reminds me so much of Banh Mi sans the liver spread. The bread is special too as it is made of tapioca flour/potato flour. It's got it's own sweetness on the bread alone.
This is their Seafood Pasta. It's got the lovely clams, mussels, shrimps and all the goodness of the sea. The lemon crumbs on top provide a bit of citrus on the plate making it cut through that thick seafood sauce it's enveloped in. You get this fresh with miniature greens and cherry tomatoes, my Mom would love this for sure.
This is Braised Pork Cheek Gyoza. Now really, I thought this wouldn't work, but man I was wrong. It's like your lovely Japanese Gyozas but filled with your favorite Filipino Sisig sans the tons of onions. They laid on on a bed of pureed red cabbage and swirls of balsamic vinegar. It was not guilt free, but worth every bite.
I have to say I liked their Pan Seared Salmon. I don't often eat salmon but this was good. It's seared both sides, prolly put inside the oven and cooked further. They also laid it on a bed of cream risotto and a bit of micro greens. It was meaty, sweet from the light citrus sauce and a tad peppery from those small greens. I liked this and finished the plate in no time.
This is their Squid Heads. It's a good use of fresh seafood and
squid heads set on a squid ink sauce and a lot of heart warming gnocci
which was boiled and prolly cooked in butter. This is comfort food, the
kind that you fix in a bowl and curl up with a book while watching the
rain pitter patter on the window while the monsoon passes by. Okay my
mind floated there for a minute, but you get the gist right?
What you're seeing here is their Duck Duo Pan Seared Duck. This one was impressive as it wasn't gamey at all. I do shy away from the local ones because often times, they do not really raise them well. They actually use imported proteins in this hotel so that includes this one. You get what you pay for and for me, this was excellently prepared by the Chef. I think that's Spatzle if I'm not mistaken.
This is their 8 Hour Braised Lamb Shank. Again, they had this imported. The lovely mirepoix is a combination of staple vegetables from springtime in Europe. They do that and put a huge chunk of lamb on top, cooked that long to give you that super tender shank they prepared just for you. Quite good.
My friends and I were talking about the plating when each of the dishes arrived. This is the Leek Ashed Wagyu Strip Loin. Just mention anything Wagyu and I'm there LOL. Well it's not just the tender piece of meat who's the star here but the Roasted Beet Root too. It was sweet and so good that you wouldn't think it was that when you see it. They also had a beet root puree with it which functioned as part of the sauce while they had a separate gravy in another container. I like the fleur de sel which the Chef put on top of the steak slices. It was perfectly seared, medium, like heaven in my mouth. Oh wait! There's dessert!
For dessert, we had a trio of Tart Au Chocolate, Berry Pavlova and Caramelized Bananas. Nothing was overly sweet, I like that they had options with real fruits on desserts because I prefer it that way.
At the helm of Hotel Rembrandt's restaurants is Chef Chester Delos Reyes. He's donned various restaurants here and abroad including Michelin starred ones. He also trained and did further studies in Vancouver, Canada. We talked to the young Chef in the sidelines, he just got married and stayed in the Philippines because LOVE conquers all!
Listen in:
THE PENTHOUSE at Hotel Rembrandt can hold small parties and functions (could sit around 50), just call ahead of time. They also accept walk ins, they're open business hours so don't hesitate to do that as well for lunch or dinner. The place is cozy, would be perfect for short meetings, even dinner dates or afternoon breaks. Whoever said Gin bars of this stature are not accessible should definitely try and give them a visit. They're not overly pricey, the ambiance is good and the service is great. If you don't want that to happen to your day, you must be crazy. Plus, again, the good food.
For those who don't know, the hotel is under the Art Stream Hospitality Management Group. This is a company that also manages Vitalis Villas in La Union and the gorgeous Le Monet in Baguio and the majestic Hotel Luna in Vigan. So it looks like this chain of hotels are named after famous artists, doesn't that just make you want to stay in the hotels even more? That and the food of course. There's a lot of other things to discover while in Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, the discoveries doesn't end there!
If you like what you've seen in this article, do the right thing and pay them a visit at their official website www.hotelrembrandt.com.ph or call them at +6323733333 for reservations or inquiries. The hotel is located at Tomas Morato Extension in Quezon City (very near ABSCBN). Cheers!
.jpg)
