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Staple and Perk: fit for a hungry geek

My first (but certainly not last) visit to Staple and Perk Bakery came courtesy of GeekFight! Trivia Night. After a successful trip to Ludo Boardgame Bar, I finally convinced my officemates Jem and MJ to join me for a night of even more hardcore geekery. My friend Kris told me that Staple and Perk served “the best bread in Metro Manila”. As I tend to believe what Kris says when it comes to food, I looked up their restaurant details on Facebook. The photos made me even more determined to make it to September GeekFight, despite Staple being in Pasong Tamo and us starting off in Diliman (*cries*).

staple and perk - busy

We lost Geekfight but Staple and Perk more than made up for it. First off, I love their ambiance. The high ceiling, bright lighting, and glass walls made the space look and feel bigger than its floor space. I really liked their counter design too (lots of pastries and breads on display!). And giraffe customer numbers! Although we did wonder why every giraffe had the number 1 pinned to them.

staple and perk - counter

But of course, the real star is Staple and Perk’s food. We split a tomato, pesto, ham, and kesong puti sandwich with chips and it was DELICIOUS. Seriously. I’m not the biggest fan of pesto but this sandwich mixed it just right. The kesong puti added slight saltiness to the sandwich too. Plus thick slices of ham! Most ham sandwiches have sad-looking thin slices. Not this one! I wanted to order another sandwich but huhu wedding diet.

staple and perk - pesto with ham and kesong puti

We also ordered their bacon and cheese fries. Finally, fries with legitimate bacon chopped into bits! None of those tiny sprinkles that come from a bottle. And the cheese was cheesy without being overwhelming.

staple and perk - french fries

Look at those apple squares. I don’t even know how I managed to resist them but I did.

staple and perk - apple squares

Rating: 9.5/10 (I look half a star off because the food’s on the expensive side. A visit to Staple and Perk will set you back at least Php 400 to 500, especially if you order drinks. The food is worth it of course, but if you’re on a budget, Staple and Perk is a place you’ll visit once a week at the most.)

Staple and Perk Bakery
Address: Ecoplaza Bldg., 2306 Pasong Tamo Extension, Pasay City
Tel: +6329251122

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Chubby Chicken is making me chubby!

Contrary to popular belief, delicious and satisfying eats can still be had along Katipunan Avenue for less than Php 100 to Php 150. And no, I’m not talking about McDonald’s or Jollibee. Whenever I’m too tired to even think about cooking rice and reheating leftovers or just because I want to, my go-to place for dinner is Chubby Chicken.

Chubby Chicken, as the name implies, primarily serves chicken. But those who want other meats and fish will still find something on their menu. My standard order is the chicken taco with fries because a) the one-piece taco is only Php 70+, and b) it’s so damn good. You cannot go wrong with their chicken tacos, I swear. I also always get the cheese on the side because IMHO the cheese tastes funny with their secret garlic mayo sauce but goes well with the fries.

chubby1_nowatermark

If you prefer bigger servings, their chicken strips are the way to go. You can get them in either sweet or spicy (I prefer the spicy) and they come with rice and garlic mayo sauce. The chicken strips are more expensive compared to their standard one-piece chicken meal but you get more chicken with the strips so it balances out.

chubby2

For dessert, their fried Oreos with vanilla ice cream are delicious. Perfect blend of hot and cold.

Chubby Chicken is pretty small, with only seven tables inside and another two outside. Combine good food, decent prices, and free Wi-Fi and you’ve got a place that gets crowded easily. It’s popular with students (for obvious reasons) so best to arrive a bit early if you want to have lunch here on a weekday. There are fewer people at night and on the weekends so there’s always an available table whenever I come in.

chubby3

Overall rating: 10/10

 

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Restaurant review: Daniele’s

Daniele's salmone alla griglia - grilled salmon with lemon

I’m a big fan of Bellini’s – an Italian restaurant run by an actual Italian located in Cubao X in Quezon City. The food’s great, the prices are reasonable, and the ambiance is very relaxed. Unfortunately, since I live in the South, it’s not as accessible as I’d like it to be. When I heard that the owner’s son Daniele opened a restaurant along Sucat Road, my first reaction was “Why didn’t anyone tell me earlier?!” All that delicious food just a short jeepney ride away! I finally got to eat there last Sunday with the family. The verdict? The food’s good but somehow not quite there yet.

You’d have trouble finding “Daniele’s” if not for the glaring sign in front. The restaurant has no parking slots of its own (it was Sunday night so we parked in front of the auto shops the next building over) and it has a lapida maker for a next-door neighbor. It looks much better on the inside though, with the same cozy and homey atmosphere as Bellini’s. The place seats 50 people. It was empty when we arrived so we had three waitresses hanging around our table and another waiter by the door, ready to spring into action. It was very disconcerting. LOL Continue reading “Restaurant review: Daniele’s”