Buddy's for your Quezon cuisine cravings

I first blogged about Buddy's five years ago, but my interest in it was rekindled by a visit to the branch on Timog Avenue in 2016, more than four years since the last. And since that July day, I've lost count of how many times I've gone back either with friends or family. Buddy's, to state the obvious, has become one of my favorite restaurants, primarily for the good food offered at pocket-friendly prices to beat.
Buddy's specializes in cuisine native to Lucban, Quezon. All roads lead to this town on the 15th of May each year when the colorful Pahiyas Festival is held, drawing huge crowds of local and foreign tourists. Buddy's first opened there in 1985, 
making this restaurant 32 years already!
Today, there are already 14 stores -- 4 in Quezon province and 10 in  Metro Manila -- proof that traditional dishes from Lucban are such a hit for people in the metropolis. Who could resist pancit habhab, hardenera and longganisang Lucban anyway? Certainly not me! These dishes are on top of my list of favorite foods firstly because I'm a native of Quezon and secondly because they taste really good and are indeed crave-worthy. 
Anyway, these have so far been what we've tried and loved at 
Buddy's Pancit Lucban and Longganisang Lucban:

Pancit Lucban, P209. (good for 2-3 persons)
Hands down, this is the winner at Buddy's. As you can see, there's lots of meat and veggies in there. Unlike in some restaurants, they don't hold back on "sahog" at Buddy's, giving diners maximum eating pleasure. Don't forget to pour in some vinegar onto your plate of pancit Lucban, which is also called pancit habhab in Quezon. This noodle dish is traditionally served on a small piece of banana leaf and one eats it "habhab" style, where he or she gets the food with the mouth.

Longsilog Lucban, P130.
My favorite all-day breakfast! These sausages from Lucban are savory, not sweet; a bit fatty but the yumminess is worth all the cholesterol! Don't worry, there's achara (pickled unripe papaya,) to balance everything out.

                                           

      Hardenera, S, P127.

Lucban's own version of meatloaf is the perfect "ulam" (viand) to go with rice. It's savory but with a  saccharine tinge. Every bit is bursting with flavor but the downside is that it could be cloying after a while so there's the tendency for one to not eat much of hardenera.

                                                 Bulalo, P163.

The food to comfort anyone anytime! Buddy's sure knows how to not only satisfy hunger but to also give rest to the weary and well, some happiness to the lonely, through its bulalo with its comforting hot soup and tender chunks of beef. This one's the perfect order when you're coming in tired and famished.

                                           Pork Sisig w/ rice, P163.

My kids' all-time favorite "ulam". And Buddy's makes it really mean! The smokey and just rightly salty flavor is present in every spoonful. Indulge if you aren't worried 
about blood cholesterol. Hahaha!

                                Sizzling Beef Steak with rice, P193.

Our family is used to the home-cooked Filipino "bistek" which has quite a lot of soy sauce that gives the dish a dark color. Buddy's beef steak, however, comes with a gravy-like sauce, so I would say it's a go-between the Pinoy and Western versions. This one's a great ulam too, with the beef thinly sliced and really tender.

                                        Chicken Barbecue, P165.

My youngest kid, a true blue chicken person, went for this and I wasn't a bit surprised. He liked the plump chicken and its sweet--smokey flavor.

                                          Pork Barbecue, 2 pcs, P170.

Pork barbecue is never wrong at mealtime. Up the enjoyment by pairing it with java rice at Buddy's. Polish the taste buds by eliminating the "sawa" 
factor with the achara on the side.

                                              Lumpiang Ubod, P87.

Lumpiang Sariwa is one of my favorite vegetable dishes and I'm glad it's served at Buddy's, which makes it perfectly. The veggie slices still come with a bit of crunch and served with the right amount of sweet-garlicky sauce.

                          Buddy Pizza with Longganisang Lucban and Kesong Puti, S, P145.

It's quite unlikely for a Filipino restaurant to include pizza on it's menu but there's something laudable at Buddy's​ - the diversity. This pizza is still very much Pinoy, however. And very Quezonian too, mind you, as it has longganisang Lucban as well as kesong puti as toppings.

Spaghetti, S, P70.; L, P95.
I got curious with the poster at the Fisher Mall store saying Buddy's spaghetti tops Spot.ph's list of the Top 10 in the metro so I ordered it one time for my daughter and for my youngest son on another visit. It was really good! It's Pinoy style so it's quite sweet. It's also saucy, meaty and packed with flavor, you won't stop eating till the last bit on your plate. I even also liked the crunchy toasted bread served with the spaghetti.

 Buddy Burger, P57.
My daughter had this with spaghetti. Nothing so special about the burger though she admitted the two went well with each other. The things young ones 
love to stuff themselves with!

 Palabok Special, P95.
This pancit variant is my favorite and on top of my perrenial crave list so I eagerly ordered it for merienda on one afternoon visit. Sadly, I was disappointed by it's dryness. I wasn't going to throw in the towel for my favorite pancit, however, and I ordered it again on one of my succeeding visits. I was glad that this time, there was enough sauce to cover all of my palabok. Talk about redemption!

Pork Barbecue Jr. P45.
I ordered this to go with my palabok. It was really tiny! Well, it only 
lived up to its name extension. Hehe...

Halo-Halo, P85.
My friend's sweet refreshment. Whether it's summer or not, Pinoys love halo-halo and Buddy's knows it very well and wouldn't go without​ it on its menu.

 Budin, P65.

Budin is how we call cassava cake in Quezon. At Buddy's, they serve delicious budin -- not too sweet and perfect for dessert and merienda.

Sago at gulaman, P40.

This is my kids' favorite drink here in Buddy's -- sweet and refreshing!

Buddy's at SM City Lucena

Buddy's at Fisher Mall in Quezon City

Buddy's in Lucban, Quezon Province

Buddy's-Timog Avenue

With all the good food that I keep coming back for at Buddy's, I find one thing missing, though -- my elixir -- brewed coffee! I hope they would serve it soon. They have coffee on the menu, yes, but it's 3-in-1, which I'm not a fan of because I don't put sugar in my cup of joe. 
Still, I highly recommend Buddy's Pancit Lucban and Longganisang Lucban to everyone. I suggest you visit soon so as not to miss out on delicious food, especially those that are originally from Quezon. Buddy's is a great family food  destination, as most items 
on the menu are good for sharing.
Here in Metro Manila, they have branches in Kakarong, Kalayaan, and The Link  in Makati City; in Market! Market! and McKinley Hill in BGC, Taguig City; Tycoon Centre in Ortigas Center, Pasig City; and at Fisher Mall, Timog Avenue and Eastwood in  Quezon City. 
In Quezon Province, there's a Buddy's in Lucban, Tayabas and at SM Mall 
and Pacific Mall, both in Lucena City. 
Happy eating!

Tim Hortons: Lovin' this newbie

          There's a newbie in the country's food scene and I'm already lovin' it! It's Tim Hortons - a cafe and bakeshop that was founded in Canada by hockey player Tim Horton in 1964. As of the end of 2016, it already had over 4,600 restaurants in nine countries. 

           Last February, the first Tim Hortons store in the Philippines opened at Uptown Mall in BGC. Shortly after, another one opened at UN Square along UN Avenue in Manila. Soon, branches will also open at Eastwood, One Central in Makati RCBC Tower, Venize Grand Canal, The Link Glorietta, Net Quad BGC, Insular Life -Ayala and Blue Bay.

            Fortunately for me, the UN Avenue store is almost just a stone throw away from our church on Taft Avenue, so I've visited it twice since it opened.

   These were my orders:

Italiano Grilled Bagel, P180.
Loved this one. Lots of meat and veggies in between halved grilled bagel. There's ham in there plus pepperoni, onions, and greens underneath. Everything makes this sandwich super! I just know I have a new favorite that's tasty and filling.

    Crispy Chicken Sandwich Ciabatta, P140.

This would have been good, too, if only the ciabatta bread was fresh that time. I suspected otherwise because the bun wasn't as soft as I expected. The fried chicken breast filling was delicious, however, -- perfectly seasoned and fried to a nice crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. Lettuce and tomato slices bring this 

healthy sandwich to completion.

  Vanilla Dip Donut, P40.

For the love of my diabetic self, I didn't eat this lovely thing but ordered it solely to be photographed. I gave it to my son back at home. Well, I did take one bite just to find out if it was good and it didn't disappoint. It was soft, chewy and delicious, only a bit

smaller than other donuts.

  Potato Wedges, P60.

Fries here at Tims are cut in wedges, making them more handy and delightful to bite and chew on. The potato slices are lightly salted and even herbed I think because I could see teeny weeny bits of greens sprinkled all over them. They tasted more natural than their counterpart in fast food chains, so I could say I like 

Tim Hortons fries better.

 Iced Original Blend Coffee (S), P70.

I've had so many glasses of iced coffee in as many coffee shops and I could honestly say this one at Tims is the best ever! I'm not sure what makes it stand out but I could taste a hint of malt giving it a unique and distinct character. And though this cup of joe is iced, the boldness of coffee is still present, enough to make me happy with my caffeine fix and needed afternoon jolt. My only regret? I should have 

upsized my iced coffee!

Cappuccino, (M), P105.
Love, love, love! Need I say more? Even just the aroma of this cup of joe was pure bliss and comfort. One of the best cups of 
cappuccino I've ever had.

Menu

Inside Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons at UN Square, UN Avenue corner San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila

I know it's a bit late but welcome to the Philippines, Tim Hortons. My arms (and well, mouth. Hehe...) are wide-open for you and I'm looking forward to many weekend afternoons at your UN Square store. 
Folks, come try the food and coffee here if you haven't and 
enjoy the goodness at prices lower than in most 
well-known coffee places in the metro. There's a variety of savory sandwiches to fill you up and saccharine pastries and donuts to satisfy your​ sweet tooth. To quench your thirst, there's smoothie, lemonade and tea, aside from coffee.
See you at Tim Hortons, guys! 
Happy eating!

Exciting eat-outs at Tokyo Bubble Tea

Very early this year, I saw on Facebook Tokyo Bubble Tea -- a  casual and informal restaurant serving Japanese and Korean food with a number of branches in and outside Metro Manila. The very yummy-looking food picture in that post got me drooling and so wanting to go! So on the first Saturday of 2017, after watching a Metro Manila Film Festival entry at SM North Edsa, I had late lunch at Tokyo Bubble Tea there at The Block and ordered what got me drooling on first sight - the Teriyaki Chicken Doria. It was sooo good it made me resolved to be back soon. Since then, I've made three visits -- once with a friend, at the Trinoma branch and twice solo at the SM North Edsa. 
How I wish they have a store at the Taft Ave. area in Manila 
so I could go too before or after going to church. 
So far, these are what I/we have ordered at Tokyo Bubble Tea:

 Teriyaki Chicken Doria, P255.
This casserole is pure bliss! Delicious grilled chicken teriyaki tops a bed of cheesy cream sauce with baked rice underneath. A spoonful of everything could send the taste buds an awesome myriad of flavors -- sweet-salty, tangy and smoky all at once. I remember the muffled "uhmmm" that I uttered with each of the first few spoonfuls! I tell you, this rice casserole isn't easy to forget and could send you daydreaming 
long after the last mouthful. 

Ebi Yakisoba, P289.

Yakisoba is Japan's counterpart to our very own "pancit". It's a noodle dish with meat and vegetables and is quite comparable to pancit canton. At Tokyo Bubble Tea, yakisoba is good - meaty and with lots of veggies. Meanwhile, there are two pieces of ebi (shrimp) tempura drizzled with sweet tonkatsu sauce. This dish is yummy but not guilt-free for me because of the sweetness.

Gyutendon, P325.

This was my friend's order. Rice is topped with tempura 
and slices of beef, and served on a hot stone bowl.

Bibimbop, P288.

Bibimbap (also, bi him bap or bibimbop), is a Korean dish that is one of my favorites. I'm glad it's served at Tokyo Bubble Tea! However, I got a bit sad when it was served, seeing it lacking in vibrant colors because there's too little veggies :(  
Good thing there's enough beef and a whole lot of flavors to still make 
me happy with my bowl of bibimbap. 😊

Matcha Cappuccino cake, P105/slice

My friend and I shared this dessert that provided a nice ending to our lunch. There's just a hint of sweetness to this moist and delicious baked goody, thankfully. Lip-smacking fillings of what tasted like mocha cream, actually the "cappuccino", are tucked in between layers of green tea-flavored cake. This was amazingly good!

Matcha Japanese Cheesecake Cream (M), P125.

This was such an awesome drink I fell in love with it on first sip! It's a milk drink with green tea topped with cheesecake cream that was just a little sweet but overly delicious. The cream reminded me of "taho" without the sugary syrup, only it's thinner and with a milky consistency. Black pearls are at the bottom, 
completing this lip-smacking drink.

Coffee Milk Tea with Jelly (L), P135.
 I loved this one, too even if I asked for 0% sugar. Truth is, 
I love all things coffee!

Strawberry Fruit-C (M), P115.
My friend's drink of choice. She loved it for it's sourness.

Brewed coffee, P85. 
My all-time elixir that I chose to have that particular time as we were having cake 
for dessert. Yup, perfect pairing, it was!

Inside Tokyo Bubble Tea in Trinoma

I just think Tokyo Bubble Tea is one great foodie find that is quite unique, modern and exciting. It offers good, healthier alternative to the usual pasta, pizza and burger that most restaurants offer, which are oftentimes the lazy, no-brainer choice when we decide to eat at the mall. However, there's a downside : prices are a bit steep and they charge for service so be prepared to spend more or less P400 each. I promise you one thing, though. Burning a hole in your pocket won't hurt so much this time with the quality of food and drinks that you're having. That said, expect me to jump at every chance to be back at Tokyo Bubble Tea. 
See you there, folks!
Happy eating!