Last month, I was invited to partake on the Grand Opening Celebration of Elements Hall at Rallos.  I was expecting it to be just another food park but happy to find it was not!


Although I visit food parks,  don't visit them during the day because of the heat and humidity of our summers. So I was happy to see that Elements Hall at Rallos is a building full of food joints. 


Think of it as an air-conditioned mall but purely for food!  The second floor has standalone restaurants like the Red Pineapple and Twa Pak To and a food court called Picnic Grounds.


Red Pineapple



The Red Pineapple serves dimsum treats at affordable price.  I highly recommend their Taipao.

Twa Pak To

Another Chinese food choice is Twa Pak To.  I will surely try it if I have a chance to pass by Elements again.

Picnic Grounds

Clucky's

Clucky's

Fun fact!  Coincidentally, I have encountered Clucky's 6 years before.  That was a long time ago when my sister used to have study medicine and work at Medical City as part of her curriculum.  Now, my sister is already a doctor.  We loved Clucky's so I'm so glad that Clucky's has made a comeback after all these years.

Kimchi Rice

Pair their chicken and Kimchi Rice and you'll surely enjoy it!


Gelato Lab
Yearning for gelato as a refreshing treat or post-meal dessert?  Gelato Lab is your next stop.

They have take out pints.


Or, in scoops.  


18 Days Coffee Roaster
Looking for quality coffee?  18 Day Coffee Roasters will exceed your expectations with their wide-range of locally-sourced coffee beans.


Bibi-Waf
Bibi-Waf has a creative take on its savory and dessert waffles.


Ground Floor

Nina's Sweet Delicacies
Coming all the way from Bulacan is Nina's Sweet Delicacies.  It is a sister-company of Eurobake.  According to the staffs, Nina's is actually the name of their daughter.


They offer free taste of their famous Inipit.

 Actually, the Inipit is a new discovery for me.  This is what Bulacan is famed for.  It's a light chiffon sandwich with a sweet and creamy custard in between.


Eurobake is also famous for their Malolos Ensaymada.  I have now marked this as a perfect potluck contribution.

There are more shops in store so check Elements Hall at Rallos soon.

Elements Hall 
No. 27 Scout Rallos, near corner Scout Tobias,
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Everything seems fast-paced except for the stressful heavy traffic.  In the busy business district of Makati, I found refuge for comfort at After All Bar & Grill.

My young apprentice has been having financial, family and health problems so  I thought I could bring him here to chill out a bit. 

He shared that it was his first time ever to stop by the City of Makati.  He has passed through Makati but never actually visited it. 

After All has a bar but...

that's not really what we went after.  My apprentice is a musician.  Even at his teenage years, he plays in a church band and earns a living as a guitar tutor.  After All lets guests play if they want to.  I tried to encourage my young trainee but he was too shy.

Food
So, we just got on with the food.

Mains

Filipino Fiesta

♥ Crunchy Pork Sisig (280 php)

We started off with their After All's best-seller: Crunchy Pork Sisig.  We loved this!  He even had extra rice just for this!


Tapas

♥ Romanian Deviled Squid (210 php)

I found the Romanian Deviled Squid really interesting.  And, it was cooked perfectly tender too!

♥ Glazed Balls of Fire (210 php)

My favorite for the night is actually and surprisingly the Glazed Balls of Fire.  The buffalo sauce complemented the tender and succulent meat balls well.

Beef Salpicao (330 php)

Now, steak lovers will surely be delighted with their Wagyu Beef Salpicao.

Crispy Shrimps (250 php)

The Crispy Shrimps is a superb beer match.

Calamares Fritos (240 php)

And, last but not the least of our order is the Filipino favorite Calamares Fritos.

Drinks


Rum

 

Calibre (150 php)

For drinks, we tried the Calibre which is Cuban libre infused with lime and sugar.  It was pretty smooth. 


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The pricing and food quality at After All Bar & Grill has exceeded my expectation.  Being located at SM Jazz which is a highly commercial and prominent area, I expected it to be more pricey.  I also loved the ambiance with great music.  The only thing that didn't satisfy me was the service.  Albeit having a few customers, we found it difficult to call the attention of the servers.  And when I told the server that the dish was a bit rare, he didn't say anything and just went away.

Having a heavy craving for meat that needs to be satisfied, I somehow ended up at Fat Daddy's Smokehouse in UP Town Center Katipunan.

It's been a long time since I've gone back to UP Town Center and it was so much different from my last visit.


I initially intended to explore more of it.  But, the menu at Fat Daddy's is so extensive that my dining experience was already more than satisfying.


Fat Daddy's occupied a huge portion of area space at UP Town Center.  It has a nice western vibe.


The displays are cute.  They also sell merchandise in case you're interested.

Food

Starters

♥ Hot Pork Poppers (175 php)

Before you proceed to the heavy course, Fat Daddy's recommends you to have some starters first.

♥ Crispy Fried Pickles (185 php)

I also recommend that you don't skip this part because their starters are really good and fun to munch with your companions while waiting.

♥ Fried Chitlins (185 php)

 I can't keep my hands of these Fried Chitlins!  It's so addictive you'll forget about guilt. =p

Set Meals

♥ Smoked Pork Ribs, ♥ Smoked Beef Brisket, Smoked Pulled Pork, Smoked Hotlinks and Smoked Chicken BBQ with coleslaw, pickles on the side an our choice of side: Mashed Potatoes

I think we got to  try every meat dish and sides on the menu.  My top picks are: Smoked Pork Ribs, Smoked Beef Brisket, Smoked Chicken BBQ and Mashed Potatoes.

Sides

♥ Hot Mess (170 php)

I really love the Hot Mess.  The texture of the mashed potato is comfortingly smooth and the savory flavor complements it well.
 

♥ Mac and Cheese (170 php)

The Mac and Cheese is also one of the best I've had!  

Desserts

♥ Pecan Pie (250 php)

I know it is a difficult thing to do but definitely save room for desserts!  This Pecan Pie is the best pecan pie ever!!!

Peach Cobbler (250 php)

The Peach Cobbler is a bit sweeter than the Pecan Pie.  

♥ Bacon Smore's Dip (250 php)

If you're with a group, a must order is the Bacon Smore's Dip.  It comes with a chocolate lava inside.

Drinks

♥ Lemonade (150 php)

To refresh and cleanse your palate, the Lemonade is a great choice.  Although if you're saving, I think you should just skip this because the price is not reasonable.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Overall, Fat Daddy's is the place to go to when you're craving for smokey and savory meat!  Better bring your food squad because its best to share so you can try all their variants and see which fits your liking like we did.  I think the only thing that will hinder students from frequently revisiting this place is the pricing.  It is a bit beyond a student's staple allowance.