Discovering Blackport

I have this strange (for some people but not for me!) passion for black food and have been on quite a long-running quest for it. Last month, I was happy to discover Blackport -- a travel-themed restaurant and bar that serves black pizza, burgers and pasta. Yay, was I thrilled! I wasted no time and went there, in the scout area in Quezon City with one of my kids, to find this quaint place. Alas, the black pizza was not available, much to my dismay. So I went a second time yesterday with another of my kids, to finally meet my black pizza and eat it, but of course. 

Our orders on two occasions:

Margherita Pizza, P349.

Thin-crusted and very cheesy. Love, love, love!

Blackport Carbonara, P249.

I loved the deep black color of the noodles in contrast with the whiteness of the creamy sauce. This pasta, aside from being a beauty in my eyes, was also a joy to my taste buds. It was delicious and lusciously creamy once I mixed up the noodles and the sauce, of which there was enough such that it wasn't dry nor soupy.

American Burger, P279.

This was my son's and he said he liked it.

Pita Rack, P159.

Lots of tasty beef chunks and veggies on top of pita bread. This is something 

that's quite unique and filling!

Mexican Nachos, P209.

My daughter and I shared this. I loved the colorful chips but cringed at the thought of ingesting the food additives. Good thing there were lots of chopped tomatoes and onions to provide us some needed nutrients. Haha!

Nutella Milkshake, P160.

Kids are crazy for Nutella and my boy is no exemption so it didn't come as a surprise that he ordered this. He enjoyed it, though it was too sweet for me.

Four seasons juice, P60.

My daughter's drink.

Passport-sized menu

In and around Blackport

Blackport at 51 Scout Rallos St., Diliman, Quezon City

Blackport is one nice place for your HOHOL (hang out, hang-out lang!) with the gang for hours of banter and laughter. I say this because there was a small group of three people seated outside and they looked to me like they were having a really nice time (except that they were drinking beer and smoking which are both a no-no to me). 

Well, even if I was with my kids and just enjoying the food as there was no coffee nor tea on the menu (the only drinks I order when eating out), I also did savor my time at Blackport as it's a casual, laidback place with no loud music, making conversation easy and comfortable. The free wifi also allowed me to do some thinking and writing. It's a plus that the lady server was very friendly and of course, 

the Eatigo discount was awesome!

Swing by Blackport when you happen to be in the Tomas Morato area, folks. 

Happy eating!

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #11: Fat Cousins' Diner

When I first read about this diner's name, I thought it was kinda funny. And then I tasted the food and found out there wasn't anything funny about Fat Cousins' Diner. In fact, I took this small restaurant very seriously that I ate there three times last December! Now isn't that proof I loved Fat Cousins' Diner? Food is good, prices are great and the deals are the best! What am I talking about? The unlimited drinks and unlimited rice that come with every meal! Now, what could be a greater deal? 

There isn't much on the menu - just four main entrees which I've all tried and loved. These are the Australian T-Bone Steak (P199.), Hungarian Sausage (P129.), Home Style Roast Beef (P149.) and 1/3 Pound Beef Burger (P99.). I can't tell you which one is my favorite because as I said, I loved them all!

Australian T-Bone Steak

This steak came in a huge serving. At its price, don't expect it to be a prime cut but hey, it's a lot better than you would expect. That day, the gravy was on the salty side, though. Still, this T-Bone steak is delicious and probably the best that your 200 bucks could buy. 

Hungarian Sausage

This was my friend's order on our second time here. She loved the sausage and let me taste it. It was spicy and just rightly salty. Good! I would love to have it more with toasted bread rather than with rice, though. I wish Fat Cousins would offer that as an option for all-day breakfast.

Home Style Roast Beef

I had this on my second visit. On my third when I brought with me one of my kids and two nephews, the kids ordered this one, too. Tender slices of beef poured over with gravy are the perfect accompaniment to rice, along with the mashed potato. Yummy!

1/3 Pound Beef Burger

At its price, I didn't have much expectations about the burger. Remember that at just P99, it comes with fries and unli drinks! Surprisingly, the burger was really good with the patty thick, juicy and rightly spiced. There's even veggies and yup, fries on the side. 
It's perfect for an afternoon snack.

Iced tea

Pepsi products for the soda

Inside Fat Cousins' Diner

 Fat Cousins' Diner at 114 Maginhawa St., Teachers' Village, Diliman, QC

So what's not to like at Fat Cousins' Diner? There is no dessert here and no coffee either. And the menu that you could see when you Google, it might as well be called a hoax! I looked up the menu before we first visited and had the resolve to order a banana split for dessert but once there, the crew lady that took our order looked surprised! I also ordered coffee but they didn't have it either, I was told. So why do they put those on their menu that is shared on the web? They might as well have a new menu published to avoid confusion and frustration on the part of their clients. 

Still, I love Fat Cousins' Diner and recommend it to anyone for the good food, 
efficient and polite service and pocket-friendly prices. 

Check it out, folks! Happy eating! 

Going solo at Big Daddy's

I rarely try out new restaurants without someone to share the fun with. Yesterday, though, I had the urge to eat for the first time at Big Daddy's in SM City Manila even by my lonesome after a medical check-up nearby. This restaurant offers mostly American comfort food like burgers, steaks and buffalo wings. But they also serve a few kinds of pasta 

as well as soup, taco and nachos. 

I ordered:

Angus Burger, P100.

Taco, P85.

Brewed coffee, P75.

                                            
                                                  Inside Big Daddy's at SM City Manila 

 

Is it obvious I was hungry? I demolished everything that was on the table. Haha! The grilled burger patty had a nice, smokey flavor. You might say it's a little bland but it's fine with me as I'd rather go low in salt. The mustard and some ketchup gave the burger more zing and I enjoyed eating my sandwich to the hilt. The taco was delicious! It was meaty, cheesy, full of Mexican flavors and with lots of chopped veggies. I enjoyed this one, too. And then, there was a cup of brewed coffee to end a satisfying lunch. Plus point for Big Daddy's

 for serving coffee! Well, not every restaurant does.

Try Big Daddy's, folks and enjoy great food at reasonable prices and served by friendly crew. They have branches at Ortigas Ave. in Pasig City, SM City Sucat, Kalayaan Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City, Tomas Morato also in Quezon City, and Metrowalk 
also in Pasig City, plus the one I visited 

at the 3rd floor of SM City Manila. 

Happy eating!

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!