Marian Rivera for FHM Philippines March 2014

After gracing FHM Philippine's 150th cover and the FHM Philippines Sexiest Plum, Marian Rivera again makes our month sizzle with another magazine spread!  You really can't get enough of this gal!

Here are the pictures of what to expect of her when you open FHM Philippines March issue.

 

 

Food Review: 8 Cuts Burger Blend

If you've been following my blogs by now it's quite apparent that I'm a BURGER lover!  Naturally, when I got a whiff of this new burger joint, I immediately informed my fellow carnivores and scheduled a product test.

 

We were originally scheduled to get our taste of 8Cuts Burger Blend during our lunch break last January 28.  It was their day 1 of operations at the third level of the newly opened Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall but the store's public opening was not due until 2pm so we had to cancel.  That day came last February 13.

First thing that you notice about the place is the open kitchen.  It's basically an aquarium where you can see how the staff prepares the food---a food factory line.  Kinda neat seeing that your food is not tainted by a mischevous kitchen crew, right? 

The ambiance is relaxing amidst its simplicity.   Not withstanding the sections of unpainted wall and bare ceiling, the place is cozy and refreshing.  I guess its rustic design is a welcome reprieve from the normal dining decor.  But what I especially liked about the place is their choice of music!  During our visit they were playing classic and punk rock reminiscent of my youth with Billy Idol, The Ramones, Queen, just to name a few.

 

 

Service was also exceptional.  The service crew were very engaging and accommodating to our requests (which reminds me of the customer relation of Starbucks).  But more importantly, our orders were served within commited delivery (10-15 minutes).

 

The food was served hot and freshly cooked.  I have had the pleasure of ordering the Cheese Burger and The Piggy in separate occasions and I must say that both were delectable treats!  The patty was thick, juicy, and flavorful and the vegetables were crisp to the bite the way I like them. 



 

Classic Cheese Burger @ Php 195.  Add Php 90

to complement it with skinny fries and soda.

 

 Yours to devour @ Php 285 ala carte.

 

 

 

The Php 90 add on can be with soda or

iced tea.

Draft Beer Battered Fish & Chips @ Php 190

 

While there is no doubt that 8 Cuts offers a variety of yummy gastronomical offerings I do have issues in terms of VALUE FOR MONEY.  Like any customer, I would like to get my money's worth; meaning, the offering should be both delicious and filling.  Personally, I think I was not able to get my money's worth at 8 Cuts.  With the proliferation of gourmet burger joints, competition will definitely be neck and neck.  Based on my previous dining experience at Zark's Burger, I was able to get one of their top of the line triple patty burger with fries and bottomless iced tea for only Php 270.   At 8 Cuts, The Piggy is priced at Php 285 ala carte.  See the difference? 

 

Another issue I had with 8 Cuts is the long wait for bill out.  I'm not sure why it took too long for them to  tender my order but it was at least a 15 minute wait and during this time the queue of customers waiting for a table is getting longer (I guess this is what happens when you get featured in Kris Aquino's morning show...really?).

 

Anyway...next stop---CALIBURGER!



Cobie Smulders for Esquire Magazine

With How I Met Your Mother in its last season this lady will surely be missed!

Phoemela Baranda Heats Up Valentine's Day

Phoemela Baranda adds heat to the otherwise cold weather this February with a sultry spread for FHM Philippines!

Christie Brinkley at 60---WOW!

Christie Brinkley was the Top Supermodel during my teens and I was one of the many pubescent boys swooning over her beauty and curvaceous lines! 

 

To see her again at 60 was like going back through those years when I was secretly browsing through Sports Illustrated Swimsuit which she graced for three consecutive years (1979-81).  The 1981 cover was my favorite!

With daughters Sailor and Alexa Ray

from her former husbands Peter Cook

and singer Billy Joel, respectively.  Good

genes, don't you say?

                             Sports Illustrated 1979                              Sports Illustrated 1980

Sports Illustrated 1981

The Lagro Food Wars: Breaking the Monopoly of the TriMoShawarma Co.

Bristol Street was a long boring lenght of street that cuts through North Fairview and Lagro subdivision.  In the early 80's the stretch of Bristol Street coming out of the Lagro entrance to Regalado Avenue was a vacant grassy  area and was known for being a favorite salvage dump site.  Such notoriety eventually faded as North Fairview started populating the area.  Gone were the tall grass and in its place are the various commercial establishments such as eateries, a couple of garages, an AMA university, gyms, and spas.  But before all these was the TriMoShawarma Co.

 

 I believe that it was the very first eatery along that stretch.  Located a couple of houses after entering the Lagro gate, the TriMoShawarma Co. was an instant hit!  The people of Lagro got introduced to the SHAWARMA---a Middle Eastern delicacy that comprises of a shredded beef, onion, cucumber, and tomato wrapped in a thick pita bread---and they fell in love with it!  Its popularity eventually went beyond Lagro and soon patrons from as far as Bulacan and the outskirts of Fairview were flocking to the rickety garage operation!   

For the longest time TriMo monopolized the food industry at Bristol Street.  But as time went by, rival businesses began to build along this strip.  There's now Greenjoy Pizza, Tata Tasyo Tapsilogan/Mr. Liempo, and a rival shawarma joint---Kebab House---along with three milk tea houses.

Well before we go on comparing TriMo with the rest of the gang, allow me to tell you why, in my opinion, it has dominated the food wars at Bristol Street. 

Food.  When I first had my first bite of Shawarma at this place it was like a breath of fresh air.  With my palate accustomed to burgers, fries and pizza, the exotic taste of this Middle-eastern delicacy was a welcome change.  The shredded beef blended well with the vegetables and the garlic sauce is to die for!  I have not tasted garlic sauce before this and it blew my mind.  The pita bread also provided for another foreign taste that struck my fancy.  The only food wrapper that I was used to was lumpia wrapper but unlike it the pita bread provided for a hefty bite. 

Service.  During their early years, an order of shawarma took time.  This is because of their food preparation process and lack of manpower planning.  They have since added more people to man their kitchen and shifted from shredding their beef to grounding them.  Now, you don't need to wait that long to get your bite of shawarma. 

Cleanliness and Condition.  OMG!  When TriMo started, it was just a garage set up.  They have the assembly table, the beef spit and a cooler to keep the softdrinks chilled.  Every now and then you could see cockroaches gallivanting around.  But the customers doesn't seem to care any less.  Being from the food industry I found this appalling and stopped my patronage of this establishment.  They did make improvements in this area and a bigger dining area too.  So far, I have had no chance encounters with any creepy crawlers.

Value for money.  I can't remember exactly when I first got a taste of shawarma at TriMo but it only cost Php 35 for the regular and Php 40 for all meat.  Now, it's Php 65.  I liked the original better with the shredded beef because it provided texture.  However, with the higher demand and the volume of transaction, they had to shift to grinding the beef to speed up production.  It also seemed that they changed to an inferior pita bread.  Other than these changes, their shawarma still lives up to the generous beef filling and their signature garlic sauce and provides for one satiating meal.

So how does these new players fare versus TriMo?

Kebab House.  A direct competitor given its food offering.  Since I only had the chance to taste their shawarma, let's stick to this product for comparison.

@ Php 65 Kebab House's shawarma can sure pack a punch!  Big chunks of shredded beef, veggies, wrapped in a thick pita bread.  The only thing I did not like was the taste.  I'm not sure if it is the original shawarma recipe but it tasted bland to me.  Either the Kebab owner did not scope the success factor of TriMo or its an audacious decision on their end to trust the product that they have.  That was Mcdonald's mistake when they entered the Philippine market.  They pushed the American taste to the Pinoy not knowing that we like our food flavorful. 

Kebab House does have their own customer base (which I assume are friends of the owner since he often times sits with them) but incomparable to the transaction count generated by Tri-Mo.

If you're dining there and you have asthma, I suggest you pick the table farthest from their kitchen since the place lack the exhaust power (meron nga ba?) to

Greenjoy Pizza.  In terms of taste, this place reminds me of Greenwich Pizza when it was just starting.  I order the Ham and Cheese thin crust pizza which is not all that bad at Php 180 (family size).  I also like their Double Cheeze Burger @ Php 35 with its generous serving of coleslaw.  If you're craving for burger and don't want to go to SM, I suggest you try this one.

Greenjoy have a big dining area but not much diners.  This maybe the reason why they are always clean.  Malamang mas malakas sila sa delivery; otherwise they should have closed shop by now.

Tata Tasyo Tapsilogan/Mr. Liempo.  Me and my wife had a craving for tapa one night and tried out this place.  In a nutshell---it was a disappointment in terms of value for money.  Very little serving.  Another disappointment is the wait time of 15 minutes only to be served with a cold product!  The only thing going for this place is that it is a new establishment with a clean dining area.

The VERDICT:  Trimo still win hands down. 

They just had a major facelift some time ago and no longer looks like the rickety garage operatings of old.  They now look very respectable.  They even have a party area for those who wants to celebrate with karaoke and shawarma!  Well, maybe, just maybe, Kris Aquino will take notice and feature them in her morning show!