A Touch of TORCH

Torch was introduced to us during a car-club meet. Ever since that event, we've been coming back here when we're within the Greenhills area.

It's located along Connecticut Street and can be a bit tricky to see because it's signage is covered by a tree branch.

The interior has a casual and comfortable feel.



Their menu is also quite interesting, it's like East meets West.

We were in the mood for a heavy lunch so we got quite a lot from their menu.

For starters, Volcano Roll (Php 369.95) and Buffalo Asian Wings (Php 324.95).

    

The Volcano Roll is a baked sushi with tempura, tamago, topped with spice-baked scallops and smothered with cheese and Japanese mayo. I love their presentation! Overflowing, lava-like cheese that makes this dish just delish!

For the Buffalo Asian Wings, we requested it to have less heat, they happily accommodated our request. :) The crispy wings were coated with a sweet glaze, followed by a subtle kick of spice that balances out the flavor. Perfect.

Next dish we tried was the Philly Cheesesteak Pizza (Php 369.95).



Simply put, it's your favorite philly cheesesteak sandwich turned into a pizza. You can never go wrong with this one.

For our main dishes, we got the Beef Short Plate (Php 249.95) and Salpicao Medallion (Php 449.95).



The Beef Short Plate (left) had hefty servings of tender beef belly with a generous amount of fat in it, served with garlic parsley rice with a side of beans and carrots. This was probably the best dish I had during our meal. The beef was just bursting with flavor and the fat, oh the fat, the words escape me.



The Salpicao Medallion is certified Angus Beef wrapped in bacon also served with garlic parsley rice with a side of sauteed French beans and carrots. We preferred it well-done. They serve this dish on a sizzling hot stone to prevent it from getting cold and greasy easily. The plating gives this dish a good first impression, but there was really nothing special with the steak.

Torch is a good place for simple, casual dates and budget friendly, feel-good food trips. We really enjoyed and were greatly satisfied with our lunch.

TORCH

Home Studio Building, 63 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City (02-4773771, 02-5020000)

Eat like a Mafia

I'm a huge fan of deal sites. I really do a lot of shopping here, specially for restaurant discounts.

I was lucky enough to find one for Goodfellas. :D

We frequent this place because of their excellent and budget friendly menu. The menu is quite interesting since it is named after famous Italian mafia bosses. Goodfellas is basically a house that was converted into a resto-bar. The interior design took its inspiration from the 50's, and depicted a somewhat manly atmosphere.

Now, on to the food. Since we were a group of four, we ordered the following: Grilled Bacon, Chicken Finger Mafia, Pat & Geno's Sandwich, Gambino, Jimmy Two Times and House Steak (Don). (Whew! That was a mouthful!)

The appetizers along with the sandwich were served first.

     

Grilled Bacon (Php 245). My only complaint about this is that there's too many burnt edges that affected the taste of the bacon.

Chicken Finger Mafia (Php 385). Five (5) huge chicken tenders served with fries. The chicken tenders were crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, however, the meat itself lacked seasoning. It came with gravy and hot sauce, which could compensate the underseasoned meat.

      

Pat & Geno's (Php 295 - Solo) is their version of a philly cheesesteak sandwich. This is by far my favorite! Liberal servings of angus beef strips and caramelized onions, drowned in their cheese sauce. (drooling right now...)

The Gambino (Php 425) was delightful ! Loaded with shrimps, mushrooms and garlic, soaked in olive oil with a hint of spice.

While we were munching on our starters, the main dishes were served.



Jimmy Two Times (Php 465) is their 2-way pork chop served with pilaf rice. I was taken aback when I saw how thin the cuts were. I remembered it being a lot thicker and meatier before. :( The grilled pork chop became just an ordinary dish, nothing special, unlike how I remembered it. The deep fried chop was a bit too oily and was also horribly underseasoned! I could only taste the breading and it was also tough and hard to chew. I also remembered that the fried chop should have a layer of melted cheese on top. A lot of things went wrong with this dish.



The House Steak (Php 495 - Don size) was Kyle's order. It was served with mashed potatoes and buttered corn and carrots. The steak was cooked well-done. It had just the right amount of seasoning with the meat still being tender.

Overall, my pre-birthday celebration was satisfactory. I just hope that they bring back how Jimmy Two Times should be served. For that price, customers should enjoy a more appealing dish.

GOODFELLAS

56 T Gener Corner, Kamuning, Quezon City

Dining at the BACKYARD

During our drive home from work, we stumbled upon a hidden gem along the lines of Sgt. Esguerra. We normally shy away from this street because parking is just really bad. Luckily there was an available street parking that seemed to be awaiting our arrival.

Backyard Burgers is a small quaint restaurant besides a car wash station.  It offers a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, sides and drinks. They also allow customers to use their creative juices and customize their own burgers with their wide array of add-ons.

For starters, we got the Onion Rings (Php 60) and Buffalo Wild Wings (Php 150).



I love that the Onion Rings are cut thin and with the right amount of breading. We requested for some ketchup and mayonnaise to be used as dip. The Buffalo Wild Wings was served with bleu cheese dip. It was a bit too spicy for my liking. Given that Kyle doesn't like and has a low tolerance with spicy food, he didn't give it a try.

For our main dish, we got their Truffle Burger (Php 215) and Beef Belly Cheesesteak (Php 150)

    

Both sandwiches were served on some kind of wax paper. This was actually a turn-off for me since the cheese stuck on the wax paper, which made it messy and quite hard to eat. I hope that they improve on how they serve their food.

Kyle's Truffle Burger had a 1/2 pound, mozzarella stuffed patty, and was loaded with shiitake mushrooms on top of the cheddar cheese. The burger patty was well seasoned and perfectly grilled preserving all of its juices. The mozzarella oozed out from Kyle's every bite.

My Beef Belly Cheesesteak was filled with beef strips (Yes, there's meat hiding underneath :p ) and loaded with mushrooms, bell pepper and onions with a generous amount of cheese sauce. The beef was just so tender with the right amount of fat, and the veggies and cheese gave out complementing flavors. This sandwich made my night.

Backyard Burgers offer affordable, quality and delicious food. It's really a bang for the buck!

You don't need to break your budget just to get good food, you just have to look for the hidden gems ;).

BACKYARD BURGERS

52 Sgt Esguerra Street, South Triangle, Quezon City (02-3844140)

A Second Visit: Kapitolyo Chronicles

For our second travel to Kapitolyo, we both had burger cravings. Luckily, Charlie’s Grind and Grill is just within the area.

We both love Charlie’s because they really know how to do their burgers! We chose to dine al fresco. The ordering station is just a normal counter, nothing fancy.



We got the Double Black Angus Cheeseburger and the Bacon Wagyu Cheeseburger upgraded with fries (add Php 45). I also ordered the Wagyu Cheese Steak, which is their version of a cheesesteak sandwich.

They have a wide array of condiments that you can use either as a dip or as a dressing to your burger.



Double Black Angus Cheeseburger (Php 330) is packed with two quarter pound patties with two slices of American cheese topped with a big slice of tomato and lettuce. Double quarter pounder goodness!



My Bacon Wagyu Cheeseburger (Php 245) had just a single patty with a big and thick strip of bacon. The bacon was a bit underdone for my liking, but it was still good.



The black angus, and wagyu patties had its own distinct flavors. I prefer the wagyu since it has a bolder flavor, while Kyle prefers the black angus because of its more familiar taste.

For the Wagyu Cheese Steak (Php 295), we loved how meaty and cheesy it was!



Charlie’s never fails to satisfy our burger cravings. My only wish is that they could open up a branch that is more accessible.

Mission Burger: Accomplished!

Charlie's Grind and Grill

Pasig Branch - 16 East Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Greenhills Branch - Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan City