Banapple – Katipunan too (Blue Ridge)

Last Sunday, after hearing mass, my friend and I went to Banapple for lunch. It was our first time to dine at Banapple since the last few times we’ve been there, we ordered our cakes for carry out.

I made sure I brought along my camera. I knew I would be taking photos of the unique thematic interior of the restaurant. The soft-soothing tones of the walls and curtains give its customers a wonderful cozy feeling of home.   The decorations, porcelain figures, and colorful glass marbled tables are pleasant to the eyes and truly inviting.

Known for their cheesecakes and pies, Banapple also serves sandwiches, pasta, and rice meals. I already had in mind what to order… I’ve been craving for bbq ribs for the past few days. Nonetheless, we still asked the waitstaff for their best-sellers.

On the table:

Caesar Salad is one of our favorite salads and is a usual request when we dine out. Though there are a number of variations on preparing it, we like the simple, traditional way of making it. Banapple serves Super Caesar Salad (Php 120) and the menu described it as “an all time favorite salad made more scrumptious with pecan praline bits”. Quite intriguing. I haven’t tried Caesar salad with pecan. Well, it tasted good! It gave a sweet caramelized nutty taste to the dish. YUMMY!

One of the best-sellers for sandwiches is the Migs Gallabergher (Php 170) sandwich served with potato chips. Right in between those buns is a juicy and herby all beef patty with lettuce, onion rings, melted cheese, and a special sauce. The garlic-sour cream- barbecue sauce gives a sweet and tangy combination of flavors that somewhat overpowered the meat.

There’s just so many things going on in the mouth for every bite; a burst of flavors coming from the herb, meat, cheese and the sauce somewhat like a “complete chaos”.  The sauce was just too much for the palate.

A closer look at the patty. Herby and peppery taste. -not so happy about it.

I was excited to order the Hickory smoked barbecued country ribs (Php 185). Description on the menu says “extra tender country ribs grilled in hickory smoke, glazed with our hickory barbecue sauce”

There are about 3-4 big chunks of meat slathered with barbecue sauce on the platter which I was delighted about. What made me disappointed with this dish is that the barbecue sauce was too tangy. Barbecue sauce should be smoky, sweet, and tangy but not too tangy. I ate some salad in between and drank water to wash down my palate.

The first chunk I sliced was tender and easy to bite. Sad to say, some parts of the meat were tough. They gave my jaw muscles some exercise.

The Fudge Banana Smoothie (Php 105) is sweet and chocolatey. It’s good and a perfect match to wash down our palate from the tangy sauces of the meals we had.

This is the Cadbury Old Gold Oreo Cheesecake (P135). A cheesecake with thick Oreo crust, creamy filling, and  a layer of Cadbury chocolate is truly golden! Just like what a cheesecake should be, Banapple’s Cadbury old gold oreo cheesecake is mild-tasting and it has the  right amount of sweetness and creaminess. Each bite tickles the taste buds with its sweet chocolatey taste.

It may not be a perfect lunch but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a perfect dinner. Heheheh…

Overall, I give Banapple two claps… for the ambiance, cleanliness, and friendly staff who readily refilled our glasses with water, for the good food (salad and dessert) and size of servings. I have yet to try other items on the menu.  And I promise to give you a feedback on that. ‘Til next time!

Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes

Blue Ridge, 206 Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City +63 2 438 2675

225 Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City  +63 2 439 2675

2/L Il Terrazzo Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City 1103  +63 2 413 2675

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City  +64 2 756 2675

 47 Connecticut St., 2nd level, Northeast Square, Northeast Greenhills  +63 2 477 2675

Stackers Burger Cafe- Resorts World Manila

After a 3-hour prenup photo shoot in Paranaque, my friend and I headed to Newport Mall to grub on snacks at Stackers Burger Cafe. Both hungry and exhausted, we hiked to the 4^th floor, dropped our bags, and called in the wait staff to get our orders. It took some time for me to browse the menu and decide what to order as it was my first time to dine in Stackers.  Being a burger cafe, the menu offers a wide burger variation; it’s quite confusing for me which one to get. I want to try everything!!!

On the table:

Caesar Burger Bowl (Php 148) contains a quarter pound Australian burger patty, fresh lettuce, bacon, croutons, and Caesar dressing.

It’s quite interesting to have both burger and salad greens in one dish. To date, Stackers has the most succulent and flavorful burger patty I’ve tasted. The Caesar dressing is light and runny. It didn’t overpower the flavor of the patty. I enjoyed every bite of  this dish.

Stackers Fried Mozzarella Sticks (Php 125) consists of 5 pieces breaded mozzarella sticks deep fried to golden perfection served with a tangy tex mex ranchero dip.

This crunchy outside -gooey inside deep-fried cheese snack has a fantastic crunch and flavor. The tex mex ranchero dip compliments the chewiness of the melted mozzarella cheese.

Philly Cheese Burger (Php 155) is made up of a quarter pound beef patty topped with sautéed red and green bell peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese, and ranch dressing on a long bun.

It’s like the famous Philly Cheesesteak using burger patty instead of the traditional thinly sliced pieces of steak. This burger variation is so awesome, I wolfed it down in no time.

For an additional (Php65) on top of the burger price, you can get crispy chips and a drink.

Vanilla Milkshake (Php 90) is one of the many flavors of milkshakes on the menu. Milkshakes otherwise known as thickshakes are smooth, thick, and creamy beverages that are ice cream based and mixed with flavors for that refreshing milky goodness.

Sipping on this deliciously thick and creamy vanilla milkshake can absolutely bring a smile to one’s  face.

Overall, I give a clap, clap, clap to Stackers Burger Cafe! The Auss’m burgers, lipsmacking sides, and thick icy cold milkshakes are to die for… yes, I am coming back for more!

 

Stackers Burger Cafe

Address: 4th Floor, Newport Mall

Resorts World Manila,  Pasay City

Contact Number: (632) 659-8271 or (632) 659-8287

AC RUMPA- Angeles City, Pampanga

AC Rumpa, short for Angeles City Retired US Military Personnel Association, serves classic American- Spanish influenced food. It is by far my favorite restaurant in Pampanga. I remember it was my cousin Ate Maya who introduced to me Rumpa more than five years ago. I’m so glad she did. From then on, Rumpa has become part of the itinerary every time we go to Pampanga. Just like last February when we were in Angeles City for the Hot Air Balloon festival.

We went to Rumpa twice that day, one was for lunch and the other was for take-out dinner.  It was our last stop before heading home to Manila   🙂

Good Ol' wooden sign

Enter the Gates of Food Haven

The interior gives a cozy feel, with dimmed lights and a blend of natural colors of the wall and furniture.

Neutral colors...basic and bold

Ready to be filled up with hungry customers

yum!!!

On the table:

The House Salad priced less than Php150 is good for sharing. The huge plate consists of lettuce, strips of green bell pepper and carrots, onion slices, tomato, ham, egg and cheese. It comes with thousand island dressing and crackers on the side.

The crispiness of the fresh veggies makes it special. They could however improve on the dressing.

Caesar Salad with crackers on the side...

Next is the Spaghetti Bolognese which Baloogs and I shared. It is served with toasted bread with butter. The thick tomato sauce is loaded with meat. It didn’t leave any impression on how it tasted. What stuck on my mind was the generous serving and that grated cheddar cheese was used instead of parmesan.

Spaghetti Bolognese with bread toast

Rumpa’s BBQ Spareribs is one of their best-sellers. This keeps me coming back to Rumpa. Its tender, fall off the bone meat is heavenly delicious. With less than Php 200, you seriously can now have ribs that are as good if not better than all the famous rib places.

It’s coated with rich, thick barbecue sauce that’s absolutely lip smacking. We love eating it with the sweet, tangy barbecue sauce poured on hot rice. Yum!

It’s so good that we each ordered a plate of this.  🙂

House Specialty....BBQ Spare ribs

This is what I had for dinner, Rumpa’s Burrito. Two large burritos for less than Php150. It’s loaded with beef, refried beans, onion, and cheese. It’s actually a “wet burrito” or enchilada style burrito, as it is smothered with red chili sauce. I like how the sauce covered the entire burrito; really delicioso! I just added hot sauce from taco bell since I wanted it HOT. Burrito locos can get true value for money as this Rumpa specialty promises a satisfying meal.

My Burrito to go...

I give AC Rumpa a clap…clap…clap for the excellent food, quick service, and value for money.

AC RUMPA
Location: 1307 Surla St., Balibago/ Sto. Rosario St., Angeles City
Contact: (045) 892-6659 (Balibago) / 331-4805 (Sto. Rosario)

Di’ Mark’s Pizzeria- T. Morato, Q.C.

There’s no stopping  us when craving attacks. I admit I succumb to temptation sometimes;  like the smell of just-out-of-the-oven pizza is irresistible. The proof to that is when Baloogs  and I went to Tomas Morato one rainy afternoon and drove through the flooded streets just to chow down Di’ Mark’s famous Mad Scramble Pizza.

The cozy interiors made me forget it was raining outside. The nice acoustic music and the dimmed lights, plus the checkered table and the brick walls just gave a calming effect on me.

What makes this pizza place different from other restaurants is their home-style quality of food. They make their own dough from scratch. They only use homemade processed tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, oregano and authentic olive oil.

Here’s what was served on the table:

We had our usual drinks… iced tea and lemonade.

We had Caesar Salad (lettuce, bacon bits, croutons, parmesan cheese with homemade Caesar dressing). It looked plain and not that appealing. I wished they added more parmesan cheese and dressing. BTW, the homemade dressing tastes good.

Now, here’s the drool-worthy Mad Scramble. It’s an overload of toppings including :Italian sausage meat, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, garlic, black and green olives, chicken and tomatoes. YUMMEEEH!!!

The flavors exploded in my mouth in ecstasy…. i just love how the crunch of the thin crust and the tons of toppings filled my mouth. Be careful with adding hot sauce…it’s HOT… but it’s damn goooooood!

Experience pizza goodness at Di’ Marks’…it’s a clap clap clap.   🙂

Di’ Mark’s Pizzeria

Tomas Morato Branch: 181 Tomas Morato Ave., Q.C.- Contact #: 376-2828 / 376-5858

Manila Branch: 2646 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila – Contact #: 404-0683 / 525-5354

Commonwealth Branch: Royale Place Mall, Don Antonio Ave., Commonwealth, Q.C.- Contact #: 932-5888 / 932-7888

Mandaluyong Branch: 589 Wack-Wack Road, Mandaluyong- Contact #: 723-5008 / 723-6008

Makati Branch: 3/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati- Contact #: 757-2888 / 7573888

Web: http://www.dimarkspizza.com