Great steak plus more at Marcus

I don't know how long Marcus has been in operation but I discovered it just last month, thanks to one of my eating buddies at work. It's at Congressional Ave., very near its corner with Visayas Ave., where our office is. This place with a hip, simple and casual interiors is a restaurant at daytime but turns into a bar after dark, and a favorite, I read, among beer-drinking yuppies after a day's work. I was amazed at how many kinds of imported beer I saw at their fridge behind the counter (not that I drink, no, no!), but was delighted at the food - delish and coming in huge servings! 
To give you a hint at how I've come to love it at Marcus, I ate here three times in three weeks' time! My top favorite is the t-bone steak, which is huge, tender and delicious. It could come with rice (your choice of white or brown), or mashed potato, or both. There's also corn and carrots on the side, and all these for just P150 with rice, and P200 with rice plus mashed potato. Aside from their steak, I've also tried their burger, taco, burrito and the lone dessert on the menu, brownie ala mode. Thumbs up to these, except for the taco.

T-bone steak with rice, mashed potato and corn and carrots, P200. 

T-bone steak with brown rice and corn and carrots, P150.

Tacos, P120., two pieces

Burrito, P170.

 Quarter Pounder Cheese Burger, P120.

Potato Marble, P65.

Brownie ala mode, P95.

Lime basil juice, P65.

I noticed all their condiments are imported.

Menu

I love this Manny Pacquiao mural

Marcus at Congressional Ave. near the corner of Visayas Ave., Project 8, QC

I would have loved the taco,(which I had on my first visit) I promise, had it not been "different" I was expecting..well,  the usual taco with ground beef, but I was surprised that the meat came in huge chunks. Even the taste was "different" from all the tacos I've had. The chunks of meat tasted like "adobo" or even tocino! I expected to have the "usual" taco with the Mexican tang. How sad..the burst of colors from fresh veggies and grated cheese plus the hugeness of the tacos made we want to dig into them at once but alas...Anyway, on that first visit, I also got to taste my office friends' orders which was the T-bone steak and how I loved it! On my next visit with my daughter, I ordered this (we both did) . We also enjoyed the dessert - brownie ala mode - which was the lone sweet ending on the menu. My daughter also ordered a burrito which was big and yummy, for take out. I tasted it before asking the server to wrap it. Hehe..
On my third visit with another friend at work, it was the cheeseburger that I tried. It tasted good, yes, the beef patty was flavorful and juicy and the burger was really huge and filling. We loved the lime-basil juice, too - healthy and refreshing. It's the steak, though, that would keep me coming back. 
By the way, Marcus has quite an extensive menu. Aside from what I've mentioned, they also serve ribs, chicken, porkchops, fish, pasta and quesadilla. They also have many kinds of burgers from the simple to complicated to very complicated! Try and picture these: Italian, Greek, Monterey Jack, K58, Obama, Double Decker and Triple Goodness burgers. They even have Veg Burger for non-meat eaters. 
Try Marcus, folks, and stuff yourself silly..with a smile. Haha! Happy eating! 

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #9: Theo's Baked + Brewed

Last Friday being a holiday (Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadhan), presented to me a fine opportunity to go on yet another food trip down my favorite eat street - Maginhawa in Quezon City. I tagged along my daughter and went to one of the newer places there - Theo's Baked + Brewed. As it was a holiday, I thought it was a good day to find empty places and the best seats but alas, Maginhawa was teeming with students chilling with friends on a no-school day! Fortunately, we came at the right time and not had to wait long for a table at Theo's. Inside, it's a charming place that has a little bit of country and a little bit of modern, chic style. It is small, though (the ground level, at least, 'coz there's a second level which I didn't get to see), and be prepared to squeeze and huddle if you plan to go in a group. 

Anyway, we ordered: 

Chicken Pockets, P155. There's two pieces of fried drumsticks stuffed with ham and cheese and bathed in a creamy sauce. This was sooo good! Served with rice and
buttered corn and carrots 

Al Pesto, P130. Fettucini with pesto sauce. Served with half a piece of wheat bread. 
This was my daughter's order which she liked, too. I also loved the tang of real and fresh basil combined with the saltiness of parmesan cheese.

Cookie Shots, P65. Pour milk on the edible cup made with cookie
that's lined inside with chocolate. Drink the milk, eat the cup! Fun to try and yummy too!

Real berries, P110. This is a healthy smoothie made from mixed fresh berries. Delicious!.

Mocha Frappuccino, P115.  Coffee-based. Yummy too!

Blueberry Cheesecake. We didn't order this, though. I only took a shot of this at the counter while I ordered the Cookie Shots after our meal. 

Counter

Cage table charms. Maybe you could leave a note here for your friends or sweetie? 

A cozy nook.

Theo's Baked + Brewed at 106-C Maginhawa St., Diliman, Quezon City

We loved everything we had at Theo's, that's for sure, and was I happy for my new discovery! Nice place, good food, friendly service, affordable prices. What more could I want? Well, a bigger place, maybe, and a lengthier menu 'coz they only have quite a few choices.
Try Theo's Baked + Brewed, folks! Happy eating! 

Today's Word: 1 Peter 2:24

Sickness is inevitable, especially with the kind of weather that we have nowadays. It's so easy to catch a cold or flu after getting wet in the rain or going through a crowd. As a woman who's fast approaching 50s, I get aches and pains every now and then aside from the occasional colds and cough. Sometimes, I get worried, thinking about what could be ailing me. But God has been good, not only to me but also my children. He is our Jehovah Rapha, the great Healer! He has answered all of our prayers for healing. Sometimes, healing is instant, 

sometimes, it takes some time. 

Are you suffering from a disease today? Ask God for healing because He does restore good health. Remember that when He suffered and gave His life on the cross, Jesus not 

only gave us eternal life, He also gave us victory over sickness. 

By His stripes, we have been healed! All glory to Him! So fear no more, 

and trust in Jesus for better health and strength.

God bless you today. 

(Thank you, Crosscards for this picture)

KFC's 'Chizza' is one bright idea!

Fusion food. The best of both worlds. Hitting two birds with one stone. Whatever you'd want to call it, I just think KFC's "Chizza" is one bright idea. Doubles the yum, doubles the fun! Well, that is if you love fried chicken and are nuts for pizza, too! I don't know when KFC came up with Chizza but it got my attention only last week and I wasted no time trying it. Me and three of my kids had the perfect reason to eat out for lunch last Saturday - our "ulam" of "ginisang munggo" got spoiled. 
Haha! So off we went to the nearest KFC where I had this Chizza 
while the kids still went for fried chicken and rice plus the sidings.

Chizza. Ala cart is around P120. 

Original recipe fried chicken with rice 


Mashed potato and coleslaw 

Bucket of fries 

Mushroom soup

Pecan pie. Goes well with brewed coffee! 

Strawberry Lush Krushers

My family has always loved KFC for their delicious fried chicken and I thought Chizza, with the usual pizza toppings that we love - pepperoni, pineapple, bell pepper bits and cheese - added a brand new way to enjoy it. The creamed mushroom soup, by the way, has been my favorite, too at KFC and a must-order whenever I visit. I also got to try and like one of their new offers, the pecan pie. It's quite small but just right for me coz I don't want to be eating a lot of sweets. It was a perfect pairing for my brewed coffee, which I'm so glad to have become part of KFC's all-day menu. 

Well, thanks to KFC, I didn't fret over spoilt "ginisang munggo". Haha!. 

It's the 'champorado weather'!

How's the weather been treatin' you this week? The first two rainy days, to me, were a welcome respite from the long, hot summer days but eventually, I've gone a bit tired of the constant downpour 'coz I was worried about the laundry! Haha! Oh well, the kids love it, anyway, that they don't have classes. As for me, I had to find a way to make them warm and nourished with the food I prepared. For breakfast, we had, on one of the rainy days, champorado (chocolate porridge) 
paired with tuyo (dried fish). Our favorite breakfast combination! 

Well, the leftover was good for aftie merienda, too! 

What about you? What food warms you up on cold, rainy days?

Soup-and-bread brekkie

How was your "Egay" day yesterday? It was a wet and cold day that I thought of preparing chicken soup for breakfast today. But alas, it's already hot and sunny! Haha! Anyway, any day is good to warm the tummy with soup - yummy with lots of veggies plus a generous pouring of milk and some parmesan cheese on top. Perfect with buttered raisin bread, too,  

and a cold glass of lemongrass with pandan tea. 

I wish you a day of good and healthy eats!

God bless. 

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #8: The Baker's Table

It was last summer when I was able to try yet another foodie place on Maginhawa St., that well-known 'eat street' in Diliman, Quezon City. I was with Jackie, a family friend, who I gave a birthday treat to that hot, sunny day. When we got to The Baker's Table, however, we found out they didn't serve any other food but cakes and  breads plus drinks. It was a little past noontime and we were looking forward to having lunch. So out we went, bought pizza at the adjacent Bobo's Pizzeria, and returned to The Baker's Table. After eating pizza, it was, at last, time to taste The Baker's Table's famous cakes. If you're not yet familiar with this bakeshop, it's known for its cakes flavored with candies and chocolates that have been childhood favorites for many of us - Butterball, Flat Tops, Orange Swits, and Hany, just to name a few. Ever since I read about it, 
I've seriously longed to be at The Baker's Table. 
I was just too happy to have that opportunity.

And we had:

For me, Pochi cake

Choco Mallows cake for Jackie 

French press coffee for me 

Iced tea for Jackie

My picture-perfect coffee and cake 

Breads on shelves

Display of cakes 

Butter Ball Caramel Cake

Flat Tops Chocolate Cake 

Hany cake 

Haw Haw cake 

Inside The Baker's Table

 

 

The Baker's Table on 88-B Maginhawa St.

Truth to tell, I didn't like the Pochi cake because the strawberry top layer tasted like "medicine" and the texture was leathery. But I took a forkful of Jackie's cake, the dome-shaped Choco Mallows and I loved it with its thin chocolate top, thick mid-layer of marshmallow, chocolate strip with bits of mallows and again, marshmallow for the bottom layer. If you're nuts for marshmallows, this cake is for you because obviously, it has loads of it. It's not cloyingly sweet, though, just rightly dulcet. I liked that my coffee was done by French press. It was full bodied and strong.  

And before we left, I ordered for take-out a slice of the Butter Ball Caramel Cake 

for my co-worker, which she loved and raved about.

If you're craving for cake and want to have a taste, too, of childhood candy favorites, 

head to Maginhawa St., folks and try The Baker's Table. 

Happy eating!