Pitch-black burger and more at Eduardo's Peri-Peri Flame-Grilled Chicken

The past week had been a period of trial for me and my husband, what with two of our children getting sick. My 19-year-old daughter was confined in the hospital for six days due to dengue while the youngest had fever due to another viral illness and was also absent from school the whole week. 
I thank GOD for the healing of my kids and for seeing 

us through during this period. 

But if there was one good thing that happened during my daughter's hospital stay, it was me discovering a new, good and interesting foodie place. One afternoon while watching over my daughter, I went out and spent a few minutes walking around the UST area (the hospital where we stayed is nearby) to search for something good to eat. At a corner on Dapitan St., I was handed a flier for a restaurant - Eduardo's Peri-Peri Flame-Grilled Chicken. The pictures, especially that of a jet-black burger, got me so interested that I was actually inside the resto after two days. What a long wait it actually was for me. Haha! But alas, my first venture wasn't fruitful. I wanted to order the black burger but the woman at the counter told me it wasn't available yet as they were still on soft opening. On Saturday, after two days, I, together with my son, was back there after his check-up. You see, when it comes to food, I don't like wasting time. Hahaha! The same woman (she's Ms. Rayen - I hope I remember it right - one of the managers here) I met at the counter in my previous visit told me at once the black burger was already available. Happiness! 

Here it is plus our other orders:

All Black Beef Burger, P169, with drink and friesQuarter Peri-peri chicken solo, P129.
Cashew Cashew Nuts San Rival, P90.

                  Brewed coffee, P45. But if you order any dessert, just add P30 for your cup of joe.

Iced tea, large, P42. Just add P15. to the combo price to upgrade from soda to iced tea.

I say I congratulate myself for discovering Eduardo's and for finally eating a black burger which I have long coveted for its mystic beauty. Black and purple are my favorite colors since birth! And beauty isn't all there is to Eduardo's' black burger. It's delish! There's nothing different or unusual about the black bun's taste. But the beef patty is really good! - grilled to perfection, flavorful, juicy and tender without being soggy. The veggies  - slices of tomato and lettuce - plus cheese, ketchup and mustard made my black burger just perfect! It's the best burger I've had in quite some time and I'm not kidding!  
Meanwhile, my boy had his first bite of his peri-peri chicken and delightfully said, "Sarap!" to my relief. I wasn't up to any whining, you know, as I was happy and content with my own food and I didn't want a spoiler. I had some of his chicken and loved it, too. It was actually my first time eating a peri-peri chicken and loved how packed with flavor it was and also a little bit spicy. 
 Peri-peri (also piri-piri), according to Wikipedia, is a marinade of Portuguese origin made from crushed chillies, citrus peel, onion, pepper, salt, lemon juice, bay leaves, paprika, pimiento, basil, oregano, and tarragon used mainly for barbecue. It really is hot and spicy but at Eduardo's, they toned down the level of hotness so as to suit the Filipino taste. I was so happy my kid liked and actually ate it. Before we came to Eduardo's, he was requesting - almost demanding - that we ate at nearby Mang Inasal for his all-time favorite chicken barbecue and sinigang soup. Thank goodness for Eduardo's delicious peri-peri chicken, I heard no protest nor complaint from my little picky eater. For a sweet and happy ending, I came to the sans rival, which I liked as well. It wasn't too sweet, just right for my taste. It was perfect with my cup of brewed coffee, which, in another story, was also good. I was even offered some fresh milk to use instead of creamer.
Well, our meal would have been perfect had the fries been fried a little longer 'coz I like it a bit crisp, not soft as the ones that came with my burger. But all in all, I loved what we had at Eduardo's and I'm definitely coming back one day soon to try their paella and other desserts. I also would love to eat the peri-peri chicken with their yellow rice, which I didn't order 'coz my son only likes plain rice.  

The counter. 

                                                                       Eduardo's offers 

                                                                           Interiors

Quotable quotes on the wall

By the way, service here at Eduardo's is very friendly, with me being asked separately by two managers if there was anything else I needed. Ms. Rayen also graciously granted my somewhat quirky, if not odd request to transfer my burger and fries to another plate. This was because when these arrived at our table, I saw that these were on a black plate. Knowing that black food on a black plate would not make the former "shine" in my photos, I asked that the burger and fries be transferred to a white plate, which Ms. Rayen asked one of the crews to do. Awww..how nice of her...my black burger shots were quite good as a result. 
Oh, well, yummy food, efficient service, pocket-friendly prices, what's not to love at Eduardo's Peri-Peri Flame-Grilled Chicken? Do yourselves good, folks, and head over to Dapitan corner V. Concepcion St. at the back of UST. They also have branches at SMDC Light in Mandaluyong City, in San Mateo, Rizal, and on West Avenue in Quezon City. 

Happy eating! 

Older and wiser

I've just turned 47, and I thank GOD for all these years. I'm older, yes, wiser, yes, yes! Just three years ago, I wouldn't say I was wise enough as a woman, wife and mother. But after being born again in early 2013, I could say that because of the wisdom that GOD has given me, I have gained a lot more knowledge, not of wordly things, but of the more essential, "heavenly" things. GOD opened my eyes to what I'd been doing wrong, mostly with regard the role that I play as a wife. And by the LORD's grace, I'm changing, one step at a time, becoming better with each day as I surrender myself to Him. I'm still not perfect, never will I be while in this present life, but I'm thankful to GOD for my better self as a woman of faith and I'm excited about the even better life that He has in store for me. 

This, I know because the LORD is so good and He loves me, just as He loves you. 

Thank you, Father, for 47 years of a blessed life!

Me enjoying the perfect beauty of the sunset in Bolinao, Pangasinan

McDonald's' Shake Shake Fries is back!

Love flavored fries? I absolutely do! I'm not really fond of fries when it's plain and in fact I could eat only a few strands but when it comes in barbecue flavor, I could finish a large order! And boy, was I glad to see on TV that the Shake Shake Fries was back at McDonald's! I wasted no time and at once had it last Saturday for merienda before going to church. I learned there's a new flavor, the Cheesy-Tomato Pizza but I still went for my old favorite - barbecue. It went perfectly well with my Filet-o-Fish sandwich and a cup of cappuccino.

I guess I'll be visiting McDonald's more frequently these days. :)

Today's Word: Psalm 150:1

Do you worship God not just in prayer but also in songs? If you haven't tried it, I urge you to do it as part of your "quiet time", in addition to praying and reading the Bible. If you're having a bad day and are feeling low or discouraged, I strongly urge you to worship the Lord by singing to Him. You will feel instantly uplifted and your troubles will just slip away. It is said that 
God inhabits the praises of His people. 

Psalm 150:1 says: "Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens". Oh, He is worthy to be praised for all the good things He gives us everyday - food on our table, our family, His protection, everything that we have! Praise and thank the Lord! Feel the Spirit move you as you worship! Lift up your hands and sing a Christian song and feel  a well stirring up, filling you with a good, loving feeling. God loves His people praising Him and singing songs to Him. Feel Him bless you as you worship Him today.  

(Thank you, 700 Club for this photo)

Filling, satisfying lunches at Stoops Bagnet Ilocos

New restaurants opening up in my office neighborhood on Visayas Ave., Quezon City are always a refreshing "sight". ..Hmmm..new dishes to try and hopefully enjoy! On the last week of July, my wandering eyes caught three newbies and I've been to two of them. I'm most excited over the other one but its building, unfortunately, is still under construction. The other week's discovery was a really good one, though. In fact, I was there for lunch break with friends on two consecutive days. Haha! It's Stoops Bagnet Ilocos which is new only in Visayas Ave. but is actually operating in five other branches for six and a half years already. I'd never been to any Stoops branch and in fact it was entirely unknown to me before they opened a store on Visayas Ave.The owner, Joma Marquez, engaged my friend and I in a little chat as we waited for our orders and he told us it's the 

first branch ever in the whole of Quezon City. 
Anyway, these were my and my friends' orders:

Bagnet Meal with rice and side dish  of KBL (Kamatis, Bagoong, Lasuna), P105. 

Chicken Bagnet Meal with rice and side dish  of TBA (Talong, Bagoong Alamang), P125. 

Igado with rice, P85.  

Sinanglaw, P65.
Dinengdeng, P45. 

Ilocos Empanada, P45.

Banana Crunch con Vanilla, P40. 

Condiments on the table

Menu

The branch owner himself opening the door to diners

I had the Chicken Bagnet on my first visit and the Igado and Sinanglaw on the second. I loved everything! The owner, Mr. Marquez, coaxed me to try the Chicken Bagnet, saying the taste was close to Max's fried chicken. And it was true, only, the chicken bagnet is more crisply fried. It's flavorful with a crunch, which I really loved. I super enjoyed the Igado on my second visit, and it reminded me of the same dish that I ate in Ilocos Norte last year. This pork dish, I believe, is the Ilocanos' version of menudo - slices of pork meat and liver cooked with tomatoes. Delicious! The Sinanglaw is what is known to us Tagalogs as papaitan - a soupy, bitter dish made from innards - warm and comforting to the tummy. Well, I also tried the Ilocos empanada 

and enjoyed it with lots of vinegar.

What's another thing to love at Stoops? The sweet ending - Banana Crunch con Vanilla! Lots of restaurants offer turon ala mode for  dessert but this one's different because it's banana que ala mode. Banana que, for those not in the know, are skewered  sugared and fried cardava bananas (saba). Stoop's version of the banana que has lots of sugar coating and deep fried to a crunch. The slices of banana are served minus the barbecue stick and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This one's really good! Not to mention very guilt-inducing. Hehe.. 

Meanwhile, my friends' orders, they enjoyed, too. I tasted the Dinengdeng and although liked it, I believed it would have been better with a little more fish bagoong. Anyway, this Ilocano condiment is available on every table so if you agree with me, 
you can just add bagoong if you like. 
I strongly urge you, folks, to try Stoops Bagnet Ilocos and make it soon. 

Haha! Happy eating!

Today's Word: 1 Peter 1:3

Hope. What relief and joy such word brings to people going through troubles. In this life, this is just what we have to hold on to. Hope! 1 Peter 1:3 says we have a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. What a tremendous promise..that whatever we're going 

through, we have a real, living hope that in the end God will save us, not only from 

death due to our sins, but while we're here on earth, from the sea of troubles

 that threatens to drown us in despair. Let us hold fast 

to the hope that we have - only in Jesus. 

God bless you today.

(Thank you, Bible Study Tools for this photo)