"TAPASTEK"

'Tapastek'

Beef Tapa and Bistek Tagalog (or famously known as 'Bistek') are just two of my favorite food to eat.Traditionally, Beef Tapa is a Filipino breakfast best served with sunny side up eggs and garlic rice collectively known as "Tapsilog" But Filipinos, with their love for food, they can have this one breakfast dish any time of the day. Beef Tapa is almost similar to Beef Jerky. Thinly sliced beef cured with salt and dried directly in the sun, though most Filipinos don't do drying because it takes so much time. And then marinated with garlic and soy sauce and then fried to almost a crisp. Bistek on the other hand is beef steak with a Filipino twist. You can search it on google.

We had beef tapa in the fridge and i was craving for bistek. So, I thought, how about mixing them. Besides, bistek is only beef strips cooked in boiling soy sauce mixture with onions and garlic and pepper and brown sugar. And viola! You have Tapastek!

What I did was, since tapa is a little bit firm, I cooked the tapa in oil a little bit until brown on both sides or at least you see some crusts forming. And then I put some water and let it simmer to somehow make the beef tender. Keep adding water until you feel like the meat is tender. You can taste it just to make sure. Then when all the water evaporates, add some more water and then soy sauce and let it boil a little. When it starts boiling turn  the heat to low and add the garlic and the onions. Let it simmer. Add more water if you have to, just a little bit. You can also add a little bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. You can even add cream to make it creamy. But it's your choice. And finally, to make it sweet, add about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Brown sugar and not white sugar. 

Then you can now start plating. Enjoy!

Backyard Burgers

In a few days, I'll be leaving Davao (and won't be back for a long time) and relocate to Cebu to pursue my medical studies. My friend Ven, knew about me leaving so she insisted that we should see each other before I leave. I've been posting burger photos on my instagram lately and she's been asking me to bring some to her house.

So we planned to have dinner at my favorite burger joint in the city, Backyard Burgers. I, too, was craving for burgers and only Backyard Burgers can give me that quick fix to my cravings. I grew up with food (hence, my size) which makes me very particular with taste. I know a good burger when I taste one! Since then, I've never looked  at any other burger joints in the city!

 

Backyard Burgers, originally, was located near SM Davao. The original place was just a typical backyard (hence the name) with some tables and chairs, a grill and a counter. The place was open so it was really hot, especially during sunny days plus the heat from the grill. Fortunately for them, they branched out at the center of the city, so that more people can try their burgers especially those far from Ecoland area. And the original backyard burgers relocated to a new, more comfortable place with a very restaurant feel to it. The place is quaint and cozy. It doesn't look backyard-ish anymore, but I guess with Philippines being a tropical country, backyard dining is.... somehow, uncomfortable... for some!

Signature Burger

This is their Signature Burger. It's has 2 layers of home made 100% Aussie beef patties, 2 cheddar cheese per patty, heirloom tomatoes, curly lettuce, topped with onions, buttered garlic, mushrooms, slices of bacon, Yakniniku beef (I don't know what that is), and sweet ham, drizzled with a home made barbecue sauce in Black Sesame Burger Buns. Its like heart attack on a bun!

The first bite is always the best! You get that taste of pure 100% beef without the taste of those yucky extenders.  Again, I grew up with food and I have this sensitive taste buds. The flavors mix well inside your mouth. The patties are cooked to perfection. You can have it rare, medium rare, medium well, and well done. It's like steak in fancy restaurants. I like mine medium well, with its center to be a little pinkish and it just melts in your mouth.You would really get your money's worth here! At P280, its all worth it! The burger on the photo looks small but tell you, its not a rip off in actual. It's really big and after finishing one signature burger, you're done! It's like having a full meal!

Cheesy Bacon Burger

This next burger is their Cheesy Bacon Burger. This time, it has only one patty. Still 100% pure beef. It has heirloom tomato, lettuce, cheddar cheese, onions but with lots of bacon top, drizzled with their sauce. But honestly, my favorite is their Garshroom Bacon Burger. Unfortunately, they didn't have mushrooms that day, so I opted ordering this one. Its still good though but I really love the mushrooms on top.

They have other bestsellers like the BB Japanese Oishii Burger. I guess its the sauce and the toppings playing here. This one's a little bit spicy because of the wasabi-mayo sauce.

They have the BB Chikiting Trio Burgers. It 3 mini burgers. Fun to look at. Kids will enjoy these!

Last but definitely not the least! Dessert! They don't have that much dessert on their menu. As far as I know, I think this is the only dessert they have. Its their S'Mores Cheesecake. There's a funny here at how I was able to taste it. As we were waiting for our orders, the waitress came to me and offered if I'd like to taste their S'mores cheesecake. She said it like it was for free, so I said yes. I thought, "it's on the house, why would I say no it?" So when she handed me the cheesecake, I enjoyed it as if it was for free. That was what I was thinking. Its free. You love to enjoy something for free. It was good. It was really really good. The taste was really familiar as I'm a big fan of S'Mores, nonetheless, cheesecakes. It was a great combination. It wasn't too sweet. Just the right balance.

When we got our check, I was shocked because they charged us P70 pesos for it! I was like, "Miss akala ko on the house! May bayad pala?!" (Miss, I thought its on the house. I have to pay for it?!) Well, I had no choice. It was already down my esophagus and it was good so.. yeah! Might as well pay for good food.

Backyard Burgers offer a lot more other than their burgers. They have french fries and other fried goodies. For those with tight budgets, don't worry. Backyard Burgers have this yard sale thing going on every other day. Meaning, some items on their menu are on sale and if you're lucky you get discounts. Great deals! You can have your burger as low as P100 only.

Burgers for Kyle, Ven and Miko

Send off Burger Party with Miko (yellow) and Ven (Green). Im gonna miss these guys!

P.S. -- I'm sorry for the quality of the photos. They were taken using my camera phone, Samsung Galaxy Pocket

You can visit BB or call them (for reservations and orders) at:

Backyard Burgers

#88 Quimpo Blvd.

Ecoland Phase 1, Davao City

 (082)295-6935

Backyard Burgers

E. Quirino Avenue,

Ilustre, Davao City

(082)285-1377

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Visit their website: Backyard Burgers

Casa Verde

There were 2 things that first came to my mind when I arrived in Cebu last Sunday. It was to have my fix of Gelatissimo Ice Cream and have another taste of Casa Verde's famous baby back ribs.

The first time I was there was a few years ago, when my uncle brought us there to try the baby back ribs. Back then, I was really a fat boy and the sound of baby back ribs was music to my ears. What shocked me most was the serving size and the price. It was large, good for 2-3 people with large appetites and it is cheaper than it looks. And the taste, it never disappoints. The meat actually melts in your mouth and it tastes so good with its sweet sauce. So every time I'm in Cebu, I must have my dose of Brian's Ribs.

This time, I brought with me my best friend Al and our friend Tani. I've always wanted them to try Casa Verde. Its like, it'd be my honor bringing my friends from Davao to try one of my favorite restaurants in Cebu.

The original Casa Verde is located at Ramos, Cebu near Cebu Institute of Medicine (Velez). They already have branches in IT Park and Ayala Mall. Casa Verde is homegrown so its originally Cebuano. They don't have any other branches outside Cebu. They're monopolizing the restaurant.

Tani. Al. Kyle.

For starters, we had Karlamari. Al made me choose between nachos and calamari, but since i'm a squid guy, go figure. The calamari wasn't as good as expected. I've had calamari before which was way better than what we had in Casa Verde. There's still a lot of room for improvement in taste and in texture and of course the size. Their calamari was more batter than squid.

For main course, Tani had the pork steak, Al had the Dax as suggested by Tito Jacob and I had Brian's Ribs, but of course we shared everything. I've always wanted them to try the ribs, I can't finish it alone.

Brian's Ribs

It's Casa Verde's bestseller. This is the dish I always keep coming back for. Not only is it very affordable, the portion size is good for sharing. So, you really get the value of what you're paying.

The ribs are baked to perfection and is covered by a sweet and tangy sauce which perfectly blend in your taste buds. The meat is so soft, it melts in your mouth. You can't get enough. I can't get enough. Brian's ribs is served with rice (but I think you can choose mashed potato too. Depending on personal preference) and carrots and corn on the side.

The Dax

The Dax is a combination of USDA round steak drizzled with their brown sauce. Served with rice (or mashed potato) and deep fried tempura and veggies on the side. The steak was good but not really of high standards. I asked Al, how would he rate it and he said around 5-6 out of 10. We had the same rating. But nonetheless, it was a good dish. The meat was cooked perfectly (medium well). Its really soft to chew which made it easy to eat.

Pork Steak

A slab of pork chop seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper. I can do this at home. There's nothing really special about their pork steak, other than the portion size. Its large, good for about 1-2 people, depending on one's appetite. But if it was me, I'd order something else other than the pork steak. It is served with rice and veggies on the side.

Death By Chocolate

And finally, what is a meal without dessert? I actually just found out about this being their bestseller dessert on the internet a few days before I arrived in Cebu. I once had cookies and cream cheesecake back then, but I couldn't find it on their menu now so we settled with this. I was expecting ice cream coated cake, but it wasn't. It's ice cream all over. The taste reminded me of childhood = HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE SYRUP. It was really commercially chocolaty! It was too sweet for my taste but still good. But for sweet lovers and choco lovers, this is heaven for you. The top is hardened chocolate and center is rocky road ice cream drizzled with what I'm pretty sure about as Hershey's chocolate syrup.

So ladies and gentlemen, if you're in the city, may it be a visit or a stop over or even if you're a resident, put Casa Verde on your list. If you want to enjoy good food at a good place, Casa Verde is the place for you. You'll always get your money's worth. Just a reminder, if you'd visit IT Park and Ayala Branches, make sure you call them first for reservation. They're usually full, especially during weekends.

Here's a quick look at their menu.

You can visit Casa Verde at:

Casa Verde (Main)

#69 Lim Tian Teng St.
Ramos, Cebu City
+63 32 2536472

Casa Verde (IT Park)
A104 The Walk
Asiatown IT Park, Cebu City
+63 32 4123336

Casa Verde (Ayala)

Stall 304, 3rd Level, The Terraces
Ayala Center Cebu,
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City

+63 32 2338885 

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Learn more about them at Casa Verde