Mati's Meat and Bread: Burger and Pasta

On the same day we ate at Feta Mediterranean, we also tried out Mati's. We also purchased an online discount voucher for this.



Salmon Pasta

There was a certain quality in the pasta that made us eat it even if we were still quite full. Maybe it was the garlic and the bell peppers. Pasta was al dente even though more pieces of salmon would have made it more awesome.


Burger

Since we were still full from our trip from Feta, we just tasted the burger a bit and had it for take out.  We ate the fries which had a smokey taste to it.

The location was really nice with a view overlooking the river park. It's nice to stroll around here after a satisfying meal.

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Backlog Post: The Burger Lab Part 2 - Formula For a Tasty Burger

A few months ago, we used our remaining Burger Lab online discount coupon that we bought.  Last time we ordered two of their specialties. For this visit, we tried a burger that was recently added to the menu. 

B + M = Burger

Indeed a delicious formula for burger. Bacon + Mushroom and cheese and a beef patty is an equation for a delectable burger. I think their patty improved  in terms of texture and taste compared to the last time we ate when they were still on their soft opening. 

Pesto w/ Chicken

Then we tried something non-burger from the menu. A generous serving of pesto pasta topped with grilled chicken was our second item.

Branch visited located at: Two E-com, Pasay City

The Burger Lab: From Double Patties to Smoky Servings

New restaurant time! Another restaurant recently opened in Two E-Com, just beside Up Rice - also a recently opened food place, that we tried a few weeks ago. And just like Up Rice, online discount vouchers were available too. So we tried out The Burger Lab.

There were some flasks and beakers on display to add to the lab theme. The highlight of the store is that you get to build your own burger and experiment with combinations of toppings and patties. But unfortunately, the discount vouchers we had were not valid for the build your own burger. Instead, we ordered two burgers with the chef's recommendation icon on the menu plus one order of fries.

The Cardiac Burger

Double decker patty of chuck, rib, and fats, plus cheese in between. Plus an onion ring and bacon on top. Plus potato chips on the side.

The patty had a beefy taste and some beefy oils but it had some tough parts. I prefer my burger to be well-ground and more tender. It was very filling. I wonder how full I would have gotten if I ordered a milkshake.

The Smoked Gun Burger

Described as a burger with smoking BBQ flavors, this burger was served smoking - literally. The burger and the potato chips was housed in a transparent dome clouded with smoke when it was served on our table. For a while I wondered what the dome was for since the other burger was served normally. Then, our server slowly removed the dome to release the smoke and reveal the burger and chips.

The texture of the patty itself was quite similar to the cardiac's patty with some chewy parts here and there. The difference is that everything tasted smoky - the burger, the bread, the coleslaw, and even the potato chips.

We wanted to try out their mushroom burger but it was not available...Hope to try it when we use our remaining discount voucher.

Branch visited located at: Two E-com, MOA Complex, Pasay City

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Backlog Post: Green Pastures

Off to the healthier side, we went for something organic and headed to Green Pastures at Shagri-la East wing.

Stracciatella Cheese was first on the food list. Being a cheese lover, I liked this immediately. It was made of buffalo milk and indeed tasted fresh. It was also served with arugula and toasted bread.

Their sliders set was a sampler of three burgers: 80/20 Burger, Blue Ribbon Burger, and Vegetarian Burger That Doesn’t Suck (yes, that is the name).

True to its name, the vegetarian burger really tasted good! The patty was made of organic vegetables. Too bad we only ordered a sampler with slider-sized patties. I wanted more.

As for the two meat burgers, I preferred the 80/20 Burger over the Blue Ribbon Burger perhaps because I am not much of a fan of blue cheese.

The 80/20 burger had 80% wagyu beef, and 20% pancetta, topped with stracciatella cheese (fan of this cheese now) while the blue ribbon burger was made of Wagyu shortrib, chuck, and brisket, topped with blue cheese.

The Miso Tapuy Glazed Lapu Lapu was a slab of tender fish on a bed of asparagus. Sweet-saltiness of miso glaze paired well with the seafood. And the seafood itself was of good quality, “hindi malansa”. Sauce was also served at the side for added flavor if desired. The buckwheat noodles provided carbohydrates and made the dish a complete meal.

I chose Milk Eggs Honey as dessert because I was curious at what honeycomb tastes like. I first tasted each component that provided distinct flavors. The lemon curd was generally sour with hints of sweet but it was not like some lemon sauces that just tasted like melted citrus candy. The greek yogurt was smooth and a good contrast to the texture of the honeycomb. The honeycomb tasted like sugar in a chewable form. I tried eating the honeycomb on its own, sipping out the sweetness, then what was left was something dried and tasteless. I then learned that it was better to chew the whole thing and not sip out the sugary goodness. When I ate the components together, along with the almond slivers toppings, it was a carnival of textures and flavors. Sweet, sour, smooth, something with a bite.

Branch visited located at: Edsa Shangri-la East Wing, Ortigas Center


*This is a backlog post. Actual food expedition was made a few months before publishing of this post.

Village Tavern: Celebrate with Burger, Pizza and Ribs

Have you tried a Black Pizza? And have some burger and ribs too.

Off to celebrate something special, we went to Village Tavern at Bonifacio High Street. This was a perfect time to use our 40% off coupon for any Bistro group restaurant (Italiannis, Fridays, etc) which includes Village Tavern.

We arrived before noon for an early lunch. One side of the wall, the one beside the couches, features a mural. The other side features wine display and the bar.

Cowboy burger and Black Pizza arrived first.

I’m intrigued at how the Black Pizza would taste like. It is a thin crust pizza with chewy edges and with squid ink infused in its dough. I did not taste the squid ink in the crust though. Or maybe I am just not familiar with it. The more dominant flavor is the cheese which I liked. Other toppings include onions, bell peppers, mushroom, pork, and pepperoni.

The Cowboy Burger has a thick patty with pure beef goodness. It is the cheese and sauce gives the cowboy burger a Mexican taste. The bacon added saltiness to the mix. This is what I liked best among the dishes we ordered.
We ordered this with sweet potato fries instead of ordinary potato fries. The sour taste of the dip went well with the natural sweetness of the fries.

The Pan Seared Lapu-lapu and Texas Ribs arrived next. It is seldom that I see a lapu-lapu dish in a restaurant’s seafood menu nowadays since the fish commonly used in fillet or other dishes is cream dory. A slice of lapu-lapu sat on a bed of potato wedges. Potato wedges serves as the carbohydrates of this dish. The saltiness of the sauce complements the fish and potatoes but is quite salty for me to eat on its own.

The Texas Ribs had a good amount of meat and a little fat on it. It has just the right amount of sweet BBQ flavor.



A Previous visit:

We visited this place some time last year and we had this dish with wonderful slices of tender pork and mushroom gravy.

While this one is the lime flavored dessert we had that time.

Branch visited located at: Bonifacio High Street, Taguig

8 Cuts Burger Blends

Their name came from the 8 cuts of beef from where their burger patties are made. You have the option to choose one of their “burger tributes” (ready made burger combinations) or make your own combination of burger, bread, toppings, and sauces.

Celebrating a fellow gastronomer’s birthday lunch, we chose a burger tribute, The Piggy, which was a beef bomb blend patty, with strips of bacon and bacon jam (can’t have enough bacon, yeah?), on a sesame bun and upgraded the patty to 1/3 pound instead of the standard 1/4. We availed the shake box upgrade where you add 225 pesos to get a 12oz great shake and skinny fries. We chose the Nuteloos milkshake, a combination of Nutella and Speculoos Cookie Butter.

The Piggy burger and fries arrived at the same time. We halved and shared our burger. Good thing there were two bacon strips so I just sliced between the two. I was thinking of whether I’d use the fork and knife to eat. But I just grabbed the burger with my hands and took a bite. Afterall, eating a burger that way feels more satisfying. You get to feel the “burger-ness” of the experience.

Real juicy beef, just the right doneness, the beef bomb blend patty had both. The bacon was crispy that we were able to take a bite unlike other bacon that is a bit rubbery. A pleasant bacon-y addition was the bacon jam – bits of bacon with a consistency of jam.

Crispy skinny fries have just the right seasoning of salt and pepper. We kind of wish we also upgraded the fries to the one with the subatomic bacon and cheese toppings. You know, for more bacon …

If nutella is a favorite, imagine it with speculoos cookie butter. Imagine it in a milkshake. Top it with whipped cream and cornflakes. Add a piece of graham. Now take a sip and taste that cookie butter goodness with that familiar hazelnut spread. That was our Nuteloos shake. It was not very thick but it served as a sweet ending to our meal. If you are a fan of those spreads, better try this.

If you are a fan of burgers, better try 8 cuts. We need to go back and taste the other patty blends.

Branch visited located at: 3rd flr, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Ortigas Center