Juana's Budbod Now Available in Espana Manila

Hailing from Rizal, Budbod refers to a dish of either fried or seasoned riced sprinkled with toppings that ranges from meat and vegetables or other viand you can think of.  I have tried this before when I visited some friends in Rizal but I was surprised that Budbod is not really known in Metro Manila and luckily Juana's Budbod is bringing this amazing feast in Manila and has opened a new branch along Espana! 

Their interior is very homey and simple - just like being in the country side. There are pictures that adorn the establishment of food that they offer and they all look so delicious. 

So there is actually a way to enjoy budbod which is shown on the picture above. The coolest thing about this is you have the options to enjoy budbod with your hands! I actually love this idea because it brings us back to simple times when people won't judge you by using your hands in eating - because that is how our ancestors did it. Don't worry if you are not comfortable using your bare hands since Juana's Budbod will actually provide you with disposable plastic gloves. 

You can choose from a variety of sets they offer but personally I would say go for the Kombi-Budbod which is a mix of 2 budbod with a side of salted egg, banana and a drink. 

I picked shawarma and adobo flakes and it was awesome! And to be honest their serving was enough for me to be full which I am surprised because I love rice meals and I was amazed how big their rice portions are. So definitely go with this if you are a big eater. 

But if that is not your thing, Try out their Adobo melt but which is adobo flakes with cheese. This is actually quite big and affordable for 60 php you will get filled up with this. 

This is definitely one of my favorites - Lumpiang shanghai! They have bite sized lumpiang shanghai that tastes so good I was actually deciding to buy one of their Shanghai bucket for only 100 php to take home but I don't think it will make it home. 

One of the highlights for me was their dessert which is their Leche-ube Llanera! This is typically served frozen so better order this by the time you finish your meal because it taste so delicious. Its like an ice cream flan with ube that for sure everybody will absolutely love. 

And last but not the least I would like you to try their Iced Barako coffee which is made by order so be patient when you order this because they really take their time in perfecting this drink. 

Sa totoo lang mas matapang pa tong kape na to kesa sa ex mong di ka pinaglaban.

And yes I said it. napapahugot ako sa kape nila so dapat subukan nyo sila. 

Overall Juana's is definitely something you guys try and enjoy one of the best food experience Rizal that fortunately is in Metro Manila!

Check out Juana's Budbod on their social media pages too!

Much Love!
xx Alice 

Samgyup sa Lahat is now open in Vitalez

You guys know I love Samgyupsal and I won't miss the opportunity to try new restaurants no matter how far they are.


Last Monday, September 30 2019 I was able to experience a new kind of samgyupsal at Samgyup Sa
Lahat in Vitalez, NAIA 1 Complex, Paranaque City.

This is actually just a stone throw away from NAIA Terminal one so getting here is very easy.

If you are coming from the North (i.e. Quezon City and its neighboring cities) Just take the bus route that says MIA or Mania International Airport and tell the conductor to drop you off at VItaliz or NAIA Complex one.

If you are from the South, try the route that goes through NAIA Terminal 1.

Samgyup Sa Lahat is actually a different concept compared to other restaurant that offers Samgyupsal because they have 4 types of marinated meats inspired from the 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Spring is marination in Oil, Salt, Pepper and Herbs. Summer is Spicy Gochujang, Autumn is Miso Sesame and Winter is Sweet Soy. Let me break down the taste for each marinate.

Spring is quite mellow but has a certain fluctuation in flavor compared to the other three. I actually like this because the taste is not overwhelming to the meat although if you prefer a more complex flavor experience this will fall a bit behind from the others. I still like this as a starter if you ask me.

Summer is Spicy Gochujang, by far is the most colorful out of the four marinates. Although intimidating to the eyes, the moment you cook the meat marinated in the Summer flavors its not that spicy for me. The taste is quite smokey and mouthwatering and I love  this.

Autumn is the Miso Sesame which has a deeper flavor classification for my tastebuds. This actually is the most plain  looking for me but the flavor makes up for the lack of color prior to cooking the meat.

Winter is Sweet Soy. I have never tried sweet soy before but this one is quite nice because it brings out a different side to the meat.

Out of the four marinates mentioned I would say my top two favorites is Autumn and Summer. I love the flavor of everything but I just like the complex tastes of the two.

If you don't prefer the marinated meat you can go with the traditional thinly sliced beef and pork but I am telling you that their marinated meat is amazing as well and its worth a try.

Another great thing about Samgyup sa Lahat is they also offer Chimaek which is Chicken and Beer for their happy hour special from 11 pm to 2am where you can get a bucket of beer for 288 pesos only and Chicken for 150 pesos. For the Chicken you can choose between Original, Sweet and Spicy.

They also offer unlimited ice cream for an additional 88 pesos on top of your samgyupsal which is definitely awesome because you can have all the ice cream after your samgyupsal.

They do have a 2 hr. time limit so enjoy your samgyupsal as much as you can and try as much as you want but don't be wasteful as they also have no leftover policy.

Overall what do I think of Samgyup Sa Lahat?

I LOVE IT! The only flaw I can say is they are too far from where I live and I hope they open one in QC because they have great selections and they are one of the most creative places that serve samgyupsal in experimenting on different flavors.

If you are near NAIA 1 I would definitely suggest this place to you guys.

For more information about Samgyup Sa Lahat check out their Facebook page here.

Much Love!
Alice

Going Crazy For Takoyaki at Crazy Tako

One thing I haven't told you guys is I grew up eating a lot of Japanese food because of my mom's work and I am so happy that one of my favorite Japanese snack is locally available and I think I have found the perfect place to get it from and the place I am talking about is Crazy Tako!

But before we go on to Crazy Tako let's define first what is Takoyaki.

Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack or appetizer made of wheat flout-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. Usually it is filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger and green onion.

And one of the best places I have tried takoyaki is at Crazy Tako in UP Town Center. To be honest, UP Town Center is quite far from where I live but I am willing to commute there or to any location to have this. 

The reason why is because their Takoyaki reminds me of the one I had as a child that was prepared to me by my second Oka san or mother Ayumi. The batter to octopus ratio is just right and it was cooked to perfection. As someone who has eaten authentic Japanese food from childhood I know that this was made from products from Japan o sadyang perfected ko lang tastebuds ko sa ganitong bagay.

 With Crazy Tako, most of the ingredients are imported from Japan, not including the octopus which is locally sourced. Another thing that makes me like Crazy Tako more is their special sauce that is also homemade which is quite hard to perfect. 

Aside from Takoyaki, Crazy Tako also serves octo fingers which are deep fried octopus tentacles and I will tell you even without the dipping sauce it is so good! this was actually the first thing that I first munched on was this and I honestly got addicted to it that I have actually went back a couple of times this week just for that. By the way you can try the octo fingers for only 99 pesos which is well worth every piece. 

And if you are also wondering Crazy Tako's Takoyaki is available in 4pc for 58 pesos and 8pc for 99 pesos so its definitely not something to break the bank.

For more info you can check out Crazy Tako's official Facebook account here for more information and also their locations (Which is 10 and counting!!) 

Much Love! 

xx Alice