Taverna Verde, Ortigas Area

Living in the Greenhills/Corinthian/White Plains/Pasig area has changed quite a bit in the past few years. It seemed like people from these areas would often have to go to Makati just to chill at night. Of course there were places where guys could eat and drink, but because there were no pretty chicks AT ALL in any of these dumps, it always sucked. Now the landscape has changed. There's Metrowalk. There's Corinthian Hills. There's Ortigas Home Depot, City Golf and a few other spots where one can have good food and a few beers in a peaceful atmosphere.

Uncle Moes, Bugsy's, Barcino, Brooklyn, JayJ's, Ortigas Home Depot Strip (another post for another day!) and Yoohoo are just some of the places that I've had the pleasure of eating and drinking at on many different occasions. Quite recently, my friends and I have found a new place to hang out called Taverna. Here's the essential info:

Location: Meralco Avenue cor Julia Vargas. It's right at the curve so the best way to get there is from Julia Vargas (City Golf/Home Depot area) turn right at Meralco Avenue and turn right into the first gate.
Beer: P40 to P50. I think their San Miguel Premium is only P60, which is pretty damn cheap.
Food: Chicharon-like thing, which tastes GOOD (!) Small serving though at around P150 I think. Small pizzas at P200. Spinach dip is pretty good at P210 (?). Dishes like Salpicao, sausages, chicken wings...
Ambience: This is by far the best fucking place to hang out for P40 beers. The rooftop is an open-air area (one part is covered with a translucent roof thingy) that is very nicely arranged and perfect for relaxing. The lighting from the billboard on top isn't too bright and when it turns off at 11pm, it isn't too dark either. It's quiet enough, even if it is always full (any day of the week). You may notice I'm not too good at describing stuff, so just go there and see for yourself.
Other Pros: Any guy who's been there will also have noticed that something here is very easy on the eyes. Hehe.
Other Cons: Aside from the pretty mediocre food (again it really is good, but there's nothing that's really special, which is something that the 300-club looks for), parking is an absolute bitch later in the night. Make sure you get there early (8pm-ish) or you may have to double/triple-park or end up parking at Home Depot or Metrowalk.

I really don't have much else to say about this place, other than that it's a great place to hang out and drink a few beers. The food is good, but nothing great. If you wanna stay below 300, you'll probably have a few beers and split a dish between 2 or 3 people, which is usually what we do anyway. Since November, I think I've been here 5 times already with different groups of friends. Pretty much everyone says the same thing, it's simply a great place to chill. If you've already had dinner and just want to hang out, I honestly could not recommend a better place anywhere in Metro Manila.

VERDICT: ACCREDITED BY THE 300 CLUB

In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

The Taste of Persia and Shawarma

I was thinking of writing another article for this blog, and I was wondering which resto should be next for 300-Club accreditation.

UNCLE MOE'S SHAWARMA HUB on Julia Vargas?
SHAWARMA SNACK CENTER in Malate?
GRILLED TOMATO?
FARSI near Tomas Morato?
MISTER KABAB?

If you can't figure out what all these places have in common, please stop reading this immediately and have yourself checked for mental retardation. For those with IQ's above 50, I'm sure you've noticed that all of these are Persian or Shawarma restaurants. Filipinos seem to have a thing for Middle Eastern food, and I suspect all those OFW's flying there for "work" are in fact just gorging on gyros and kebabs, all the while making us believe that they are modern heroes. (For the morons out there, that's a joke. Didn't I already tell you to stop reading?). Seriously, I think it's because the meat, the sauce and the rice or pita bread typical of Persian cuisine are very conducive to what the 300-Club scientifically refers to as a LAMON-fest!

So which one of the above-mentioned restos should I write about? We've already written about Miraj and Food Channel. Do we really need another 5 articles on shawarma & kebab places? That would be okay, I guess. But being the absolute genius that I am, I came up with the greatest idea ever... TO HAVE ONE ARTICLE ON ALL THESE FUCKING PLACES!!! So here you go, bitchezzz!!! To be brief, we'll focus on only the most important and critical facts about each resto: Location, Price of Beer (!!!), Favorite Menu Items and a short description on the place in general.

UNCLE MOE'S SHAWARMA HUB
LOCATION: City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas (that's where Domino's, Brooklyn Pizza, Bugsy's, Barcino, Razon's and others hold shop). For those not familiar with the area, go find a map!

BEER PRICE: Around 35

FAVORITES:
-Chicken Shawarma (the best chicken shawarma we've tasted (so far))
-Chicken Kebabs (same chicken, on sticks this time)
-Kebab Platter (two beef kebabs, two chicken kebabs, tomato salsa, rice, yummy)
-Keema with Pita bread

Uncle Moe's is a favorite among those living in the Ortigas, Greenhills and Pasig areas. It's a nice clean place (except the back part, more on that later) and is almost always just almost full when we go there on a Friday or Saturday night. It's simply a great place to hang out, relax, eat and drink a few beers with a group of friends. One or two shawarmas will satisfy all your cravings for the whole night, and the beer is reasonably priced. The absolute favorite of most people who've mentioned Uncle Moe's would be the chicken shawarmas or kebabs. (The beef shawarma is good, but not great.)

What really stands out with Uncle Moe's is their garlic sauce. It's yogurt-based (tama ba, Pierre?) and is simply the best . Their sauce goes well with the shawarmas, kebabs, keema... hell it even goes well with just the pita bread! It's that good. If you're at the Ortigas area, Uncle Moe's is definitely a must-try. I have to warn you, though. Stay the fuck away from the outdoor tables at the back if you want to avoid nasty flying insects (no I'm not talking about mosquitoes. Clue for puzzle lovers: It's like Freddie Roach, but starts with a Cock!).

VERDICT: ACCREDITED BY THE 300 CLUB

SHAWARMA SNACK CENTER (SSC)

LOCATION: Salas Street, Malate (coming from Roxas Blvd, turn right at Pedro Gil. The first chance you get to turn left, TURN FUCKING LEFT! (2nd or 3rd intersection from Roxas), then turn left again at the first corner. Shawarma Snack Center will be at your left AND right! Seriously!)

BEER PRICE: uhh... shit there is no beer here!!!

FAVORITES:
-Beef Shawarma
-Beef Shawarma
-Beef Shawarma
-Goat Biryani (hehe, read below)
-Oh yeah, Beef Shawarma

Soon to be added to Favorite Menu Items:
-Beef Kebab
-Chicken Kebab

Shawarma Snack Center is by far the best authentic Middle Eastern restaurant in Manila. Screw Hossein's! SSC is far better and far far cheaper. No, I wasn't kidding a while ago, Shawarma Snack Center takes two sides of the road. The right side is the less formal section where the more regular fare is offered (note: cheaper), while the left side is where you can go for really seriously authentic Middle Eastern food. This post only focuses on the right side of SSC, because the left is not 300-Club accreditable (but is very sulit nonetheless).

To let you all know how I feel about their beef shawarma, here's a post I wrote after the first time I ate there:

"...Putangina. Ang sarap. Shit. Shit. Shit. Ang sarap talaga.

The beef is flavorful, juicy and tender. The garlic sauce is simple (which is good). The hot sauce... Holy shit... the hot sauce is perfect! It isn't too hot, which means you can smother your food with it, which I love to do. Aside from the hotness, it adds a lot of good flavor to the shawarma. I'm not sure but I think it's made of tomatoes with a good amount of spice added. Between each bite, I pour around a tablespoon of garlic sauce and a teaspoon of hot sauce on the shawarma. I hope the people around me don't notice that I'm fucking smiling while eating. I try not to smile because I don't want to look stupid. But I do. And I realize I don't give a shit. Ang sarap... Tangina. Shit."

The beef shawarma is definitely something special. Our favorite thing to do after a night of drinking is go to SSC for their promo after 2am: THREE REGULAR SHAWARMAS FOR ONE HUNDRED PESOS!!! Their shawarma rice is P95 and served with biryani rice (very good). Also try their GOAT BIRYANI (P250) which is good for 2 people. (Warning: Do not eat goat biryani all on your own. It's great if you share it, but if you have too much you will not want to eat it again for another few years.) When we were there just last Saturday, we saw some beef and chicken kebabs smoking on the grill. Holy shit. They were all moist and juicy and plump!!! Can't wait to try their kebabs next time!!! To all you SSC kebabs: Beware!!! I will eat you muthafuckas!!!

The downside of an authentic Middle Eastern place is that they don't serve beer or any alcohol. It's Malate, though. And it isn't that difficult to find some alcohol around the corner. There's another branch along Presidents Ave at Sucat, but it's kinda depressing. For a great eating experience, stick to the Malate branch!

VERDICT: ACCREDITED BY THE 300 CLUB

GRILLED TOMATO

LOCATION: I only know of their branches on Tomas Morato and Banawe (near POC)

BEER PRICE: P35

FAVORITES:
-Kebabs
-Ox Brain
-Roti (good stuff for dessert)

Grilled Tomato is more of a dining place than a drink-and-hang-out place, methinks. But maybe I'm wrong. After all, I've only eaten there twice at lunch time. I guess I haven't really hung out enough there so all I can say is I love their food. Their kebabs just goes perfectly with a dish of ox brain on the side. Yummy yum yum. After eating, a Nutella Roti is perfect to end a quality 300-Club style meal. I've eaten there twice, and twice I've walked out a better man because of it.

VERDICT: ACCREDITED BY THE 300 CLUB

FARSI

LOCATION: A side street by Tomas Morato (hehe not very helpful am I?)

BEER PRICE: Around 30

FAVORITES:
-Foot long kebab!!!
-Onion rings and other pica pica stuff

Farsi is run by a batchmate of ours from Xavier. We were introduced to it a few months back, and have been back there around 3 or 4 times since. We love it. It's a place where we can just hang out and feel at home. Seriously, when we're there we just eat and drink and talk and shout and surf the net on free WiFi (Attack of the Friendster and Facebook stalkers!!! Maria Ozawa here we come!!!). Personally, I wouldn't recommend their shawarma because it just has too much veggies and not enough meat. What I would definitely recommend is the Footlong Kebab with Rice. P120 for a HUGE kebab, tomato and flavored rice. Good good stuff. Absolutely perfect for a lamon-fest!!! They have a lot of other dishes, too and pretty much everything I've tasted is really good (except for the shawarma and cheese sticks, hehe). It's a great place that deserves a lot more attention, but the location is a bit hidden from the general public's view. My orders to all of you are to find it, eat, and spread the word!!!

VERDICT: ACCREDITED BY THE 300 CLUB

MISTER KABAB

LOCATION: West Avenue

BEER PRICE: Walang beer dito, pre!

PAST FAVORITES:
-Special Chelo Kabab
-Sizzling Keema
-Ox Brain

CURRENT FAVORITES:
-Uhh... NONE. hehe

A few years ago, Mister Kebab was THE place for an old-fashioned LAMON-fest after drinking. People coming from Makati or Ortigas would often drive all the way to Quezon Avenue (its previous location) just to have a taste of Mister Kabab. It had some sort of magic that no one could explain. There was something about being tipsy, going there, waiting for parking and waiting some more for a table, finally getting a seat and minutes later feasting on the special chelo kabab smothered with garlic sauce.

For me however, those days are no more and the magic is gone!!! Why then am I including it in this post?!? To tell the morons who haven't tried all these other awesome places to quit going to Mister Kabab and start trying other restos!!! Mister Kabab doesn't even serve beer! WTF?

VERDICT: REJECTED!!!

***

I'm sure there are a lot of other places in Manila for a great taste of Persia. Let us know if you know of any place that would trump the above-mentioned restos, and you can bet 300 pesos that we'll be there!!!

In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

FOOD CHANNEL: The best shawarma in the world

I discovered Food Channel back when V-Mall was still VIRRAMALL. People used to flock to Virra to buy books at National, chinese food delights at DEC, comics at Filbars or Comic Quest, weapons at Squadron Shop (hehe), computers, electronics and pirated CD's & DVD's at the 2nd floor, the gaming arcades at the 3rd floor, music at Radio City and a whole lot of other things. The old Virramall was definitely a 300 Club-worthy place! I have a lot of great memories of it, and not surprisingly, one of the best memories was the... (drum roll please)... SHAWARMA!!!

Since I used to spend every Sunday morning at Virra with my family, I pretty much had shawarma every week. There were two sources of this gift-from-the-heavens at Virra. One was named PICK ME (or something like that) and the other was FOOD CHANNEL. They were both equally great (not just good, but GREAT) and every week I'd go through the same ritual. Those days are long gone and PICK ME is gone too, but I'm very happy that a dozen years later, Food Channel is not only still alive, but has expanded and spread to many other locations. As far as I know, Food Channel has locations at Greenhills (outside of the Theater Mall), EDSA Central, at the grocery on Pioneer Street, somewhere in Eastwood, somewhere in Makati (I think) and Market Market.

FOOD CHANNEL STALLS

A Food Channel stall is definitely not a cool or hip "place to be". It is a simple, no-nonsense place to get the best snacks at low prices, which is why it is at the top of my list of 300 Club-accredited establishments. Actually, you could spend 100 bucks or less for a satisfying snack or light meal. Most Food Channel stalls offer a standard set of snacks:

Regular Shawarma - 60 pesos
plus cheese - add 5 or 10 bucks
All beef and fries (no onions and tomatoes) - around 80 pesos
All beef shawarma (A REAL TREAT!) - 90 pesos
Shawarma Rice with small gulaman (MY FAVORITE) - 80 pesos
Gulaman - P20 for a large one

THE BEST SHAWARMA IN THE WORLD

Okay, I haven't tried all the shawarmas in the world and I'm sure there might be something better somewhere in the Middle East. What I'm sure of is that Food Channel's shawarma can't possibly be too far below the best of 'em. Nothing in this world is perfect, but Food Channel's shawarma is definitely close to it. Their sauce is my gold standard to which I compare every other shawarma sauce I try. Their beef is tasty but not over-flavored. It's almost always cooked well-done, but what I love to do is request for extremely-burnt-and-toasted-crispy beef. "P're, gusto ko SUNOG ha, hindi lang tustado, SUNOG talaga". Hehe. The french fries go perfectly with the beef and sauce. As can be seen in the summarized menu above, there are a few choices on how you can have your shawarma. My favorite as far as sulit-ness goes is Shawarma Rice. 80 bucks for heaven and a satisfied stomach! As far as taste goes, nothing beats the All Beef or All Beef With Fries, where you really get a good taste of the extra portion of beef, with no distractions from the tomatoes and onions. Each bite is juicy and unadulterated goodness. God help me. I want one right now.

MORE THAN JUST A SNACK PLACE

Shawarma and Beer; man's ultimate creations meet at Food Channel EDSA Central. The beer is sold at around P25 per bottle, and the place is open all night to cater to the call center crowd closeby. There are a few tables where aside from the shawarma, you can enjoy the next best thing in the universe, San Miguel Beer. It is EDSA Central, though and even if they've cleaned up the place quite significantly, don't except anything that resembles classy ambience. And don't expect to spot hot babes, either. It's a good place to relax and enjoy some good food with friends, or to get a late-night snack before going home after a night of drinking. You can spend a whole night ordering 5 beers (around P150), getting yourself really full with a shawarma rice and a shawarma (80 + 60), and still spend less than 300. The 300 Club has spent quite a few nights gorging on food and beer there, and we've never felt any poorer afterwards.

TRY IT, DUDE

I've been eating Food Channel's shawarma every two weeks or so for over a dozen years and I still love it. I've introduced it to a lot of my friends, and not one of them was ever disappointed. I can write about it all day, but until you actually have a shawarma in your hand, smell the roasted beef, pour the sauce, bite into it and taste the perfection, you'll never know what I'm talking about. Try it once, and I'm pretty sure you'll be craving for it again sooner rather than later.












Xerxes: Gusto ko ng shawarmaaaaaaaaa!!!


In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

Pierre's KFC Combo

Kentucky Fried Chicken

The 300 club strikes again as Pierre Tan teaches me his version of a KFC combo meal! If we are vigilant enough to analyze the so called value meals that our fast food establishments offer the public, we will realize that we end up actually paying more or paying certain amount for less.

I met Pierre in Gateway mall in Araneta Cubao one Friday afternoon. We were suppose to meet greg that night to hang out but Greg couldnt get off work until later that evening so we decided to grab dinner in the mall. We went to the food court and viewed our choices until he had a sudden desire for KFC chicken. He told me that he would show me his COMBO meal! I was curious as to what he meant by that and later on as he explained to me, I understood his concept of combo meal.

As of this blog there is a KFC fully loaded meal. The meal has a one piece chicken with rice, mushroom soup, mash potato, brownie and softdrinks for 130 pesos(around 4USD). He said that a Fully loaded meal is nothing but side dishes. He told me to order a 1 piece chicken meal which included softdrinks and rice for 75 pesos and a chicken fillet with garlic sauce with rice for only 50 pesos which totalls to 125pesos. I ended up with 2 chickens 2 rice and a drink for less the price of a fully loaded meal. If you order the 2 piece chicken meal I think its almost the same price as Pierre’s combo meal but you only get one rice. So in the end Pierre’s combo meal trumps the Fully Loaded meal and the 2 pc.Chicken meal in terms of price and value for your money.

We’re sure that there are a lot of people doing the same thing that we are doing. Analyzing for the best deal for you or trying to get value for your money is a discipline. Do not accept that special offer at first glance. Dont let advertisements and pictures fool you when you order fast food. Make the choice to get value for your money. From this practice we will learn to analyze a business opportunity the same way.

**Transferred from a past blog**


In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

Miraj is the Real deal!

On the literal sense "Miraj" is a historic town in Southern India but I think that the guys who started this new restaurant was not really trying to convey that message.

The Marketing Man in me would suggest that the name of the restaurant refers to the word mirage which is an optical phenomenon. But unlike seeing an illusionary oasis in a middle of the desert, the Miraj Persian Grill in Aguirre Avenue BF Homes is the real deal.

They serve very delicious food at affordable prices.
And I have to say they keep a very tight shift. The place is very clean and the one thing that the 300 club is also looking for aside from good affordable food is clean bathrooms. Personally for me Clean Bathrooms represents how each restaurants approach to cleanliness. If they take the time to maintain clean bathrooms even on busy days it shows that they take pride in having a clean environment. That usually translates into the cleanliness inside the kitchen as well.

If you have not visited the restaurant better check out the times they are open. I think they are open for dinner until the early dawn (catering to those alcohol induced people craving for something to eat before going home). If you're lucky you might even get to meet one of the owners of the Miraj still there.

Suggestion: I don't know the area that well but I hear there might be good business in serving to the lunch crowd. Maybe the company could also invest in a delivery service... Just a thought.

My 300club Rating on the Miraj

1. Price - 4/5 Price is not that bad. It actually is very affordable and it is definitely value for money.

2. Quality of Food - 5/5 I'm not a Persian Food expert but Miraj definitely satisfied my taste.

3. Quality of Service- 4/5 It was relatively quick but we did eat there in the early morning. Have to try eating there at dinner time (rush Hour)

4. Environment- 4/5 The place is definitely clean. I think the place is simple, well lighted, definitely nice to hang out. Too little Parking Space (well you have the whole Aguirre Ave to park on anyways).

5. Recommend to a Friend? 5/5 Already recommended it to some of my friends who live in Tahanan Village and they positively loved the place.


Total Score : 4.4/5
the300club Ken

In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

The 300 Club Accreditation

The 300 club composed of Pierre, Gregory, and myself have decided to put a little purpose in our little club. We will be ranking different establishments that provides food/services that coincides with the thrust of the 300 club which is to have fun and enjoy the night with 300 pesos or less.

We will be judging the establishments that we go to base on the following categories…

1. Price - very important

2. Quality of food and/or service

3. Environment - overall style, look and feel of the place

4. Will we come back to the place or be proud to recommend it to our friends

We will be going around the metro in search for those establishments so watch out for us.

In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club

The 300 Club

The 300 club is a group forged by blood and sweat and tears and a lot of other stuff too. hahaha We wanted the group to sound cooler but in all honesty it is a very simple group and comprises of only 3 members. (Pierre, Greg, and myself)

A little history on the group… We have known each other since Grade school and it is great to know that even though years has passed we still go back to the company of old friends. The group started a few months after 2 of our friends, Hans and Douglas, left the country to pursue further studies abroad. Hans went to Rochester to pursue and MBA degree and Douglas is now in Quebec studying as well. Hanging out with the gang was never the same without those two. So the three of us decided that we would hang out more often and forged a pact that we would only spend 300 pesos per person every time we hang out.

If you’re living in the Manila like we are, 300 pesos is a small amount especially if you plan to be out all night. The 300 club’s objective is to go out, have fun, and stay within the 300 peso range.


Now little profile of the members…
Greg: Joseph Gregory How aka the RED SKULL ( i just call him that) graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines. He manages GLOBE CARE which is their family business.
Pierre: Pierre Francis Tan aka the Lover (he calls himself that hahaha) is a graduate of UST or the University of Sto. Tomas. He took up Food technolgy but ended up in sales for Unilever for the past few years. He is now working for SHELL.


Ken: Kenneth Reyes-Lao aka Ziggy ( they say because i look like the cartoon character) graduated from Ateneo de Manila University. Worked for Liwayway Marketing the makers of OISHI (snackfood) as a plant manager in china. Who recently decided to go back to school and stay in the philippines. I'm currently studying in the Asian Institute of Management

follow us in our misadventures hahahaha





In constant search for the affordable side to everything
-the300club