Great eats for the weekend

Weekday meals are “anything goes” for my husband Orange and I.  We have cereal for breakfast and to each his own for the rest of the day — carenderia food or whatever when I’m out on field, and sardines for my husband because he simply does not mind. Come dinner, I buy whatever I find convenient on my way home. That means a sandwich either from Starbucks or Almon Marina, or a Pinatubo and Cheezy Beef from Jamaican Pattie.

It shocks our friends that we get by with take-out food, five days in a week. Orange and I have simple palates, but weekends, that’s a different thing.

I look forward to weekends because we love trying out new restaurants. The past few days leading to this weekend, I’ve been asking my husband, “Where will we eat on Sunday?” I’m craving for pizza.

If you’re asking the same question today — where to eat — here are some of our tried-and-tested restaurants.

For buffets or “Eat-All-You-Can”:

Oops. The first on my list is so revealing of how much we go on a binge on weekends. If your family has a big appetite, like mine has, here some restaurants that my family loves dining in. 

1. Zensho Japanese Restaurant in Tomas Morato in Quezon City — It serves eat-all-you-can (or all-you-can-eat) food but they cook the food fresh for you, unlike other restaurants that the food is laid on buffet table. Nothing beats hot food. The price is very reasonable, but the quality is not compromised. The ebi tempura is more shrimp than batter, unlike the other restaurants! And I often order their sukiyaki and baked oysters, their sashimi is fresh. Last time I ordered salmon teppanyaki and I enjoyed it. I like their food so much that sometimes I go all by myself to have buffet. 

2. Sambokojin — I’ve outgrown some of the restaurants of Triple V, but the Japanese-Korean restaurant Sambokojin is a good try. Again, we want our food served hot so yakiniku is the way to go because you cook the meat yourself. There is a wide selection of marinated meats and different sauces to suit your palate. One downside, it can be crowded on weekends.

For Filipino food, especially if you have balikbayan visitors:

3. Mesa — You can start with squid in garlic as appetizer. For main course, their binagoongan is also good, and my family loves their kare-kare (you can choose between tail or tripe). They also have an inihaw sampler — grilled pork, chicken, fish, mussels and shrimp — that serves four persons or just good for two persons if you have an appetite like ours. My mama likes their laing. 

4. Bagoong Club — Already quite famous among celebrities and politicians, any of their bagoong dishes are worth trying (with green mangoes, of course). Personally, I love their munggo bulalo.

5. Abe — I grew up loving the crispy tadyang of Bistro Sa Remedios in Manila, and it’s good news that the LJC group of restaurants decided to include the crispy tadyang in the menu of Abe. My bestfriend swears by the squid rice of Abe, which I have yet to try. 

6. Via Mare — It’s my comfort-food restaurant. Anything you order in their menu is just delicious. When we can’t think of a place to eat, Via Mare is it. For merienda, there’s bibingka and puto bumbong plus their special lugaw! A personal favorite of mine is their spicy tuyo. 

For breakfasts:

7. Gram’s Diner — And it’s not only because they have a branch inside the ABS-CBN compound. Their beef tapa is the best that I’ve tried. I like mine deep-fried. Yummy and sinful! 

8.  Bizu — French-inspired, they make the extra effort in the presentation of their dishes. A simple dish like fried bangus is served in a light batter with tomato and pesto on the side. Also, it’s very thoughtful of the management to have healthy options in their menu (just egg whites or whole wheat), and kefir drinks and wheatgrass! If you’re fond of french toast, my husband says they have the best in town.

For steak cravings: 

9. Manor Hotel in Camp John Hay, Baguio City — It serves the best steak, according to my mama, a steak lover. From the meat, the sidings to their sauce — it’s unforgettable! Within Manila, it’s Santi’s steak for us.

10. Elbert’s Cheesesteak — I have not tried their steak place yet, but the cheesesteak restaurant in Rockwell is good, similar to the cheesesteaks abroad. For a cheaper alternative, the baked beef roll of S&R is also delightful

But I’m still craving for pizza. Thin crust.

I would also love to know the restaurants that you’d like to recommend for us to include in our list of must-trys.

Bon appetit! Have a great weekend!

(E-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter: @bernadette_ABS.)