Rackshack, Circuit Makati

Posted on April 17, 2019

We haven’t really been going out on weekends the way we used to. Ever since our son entered junior high in Pisay, he seems not to be running out of things to do for school even on weekends, so yeah, our family weekend schedule now depends on him.

We went to Circuit Makati for the first time on a Sunday, checked out the stores there, and had dinner at Rackshack. We had Loaded Fries, Shack Platter, Shack Slaw, and Brownie S’mores.

Loaded Fries, Php275

Loaded Fries are crunchy skinny fries filled with pulled pork, cheese, and jalapeños and sprinkled with sour cream. What a unique way to enjoy fries!

Shack Platter, Php840

We highly recommend their Shack Platter, which is good for 4 people. On the platter are 2 pieces of ribs, ½ crack fried chicken, and 4 cups of rice. We enjoyed their crack fried chicken to the hilt; it’s super crispy outside and moist and flavorful inside. The tender, succulent ribs were equally delightful, with five different signature sauces to choose from: Mother Sauce, Hoisin, Carolina Gold, Kansas Style, and Spicy Mother Sauce. If you were to ask us which of the two we like more, hands down, it would be the crack fried chicken. Try it to believe it!

Shack Slaw, Php70

Rackshack’s coleslaw a.k.a. Shack Slaw is finely chopped cabbage with creamy mustard dressing. This was fine, although I prefer coleslaw with a tinge of sweetness.

Brownie S’mores, Php195

We expected to see ice cream and toppings on this Brownie S’mores, but it didn’t have any. We realized too late that what we ordered was just the plain Brownie S’mores. Only when I checked the menu again after our dessert was already served did I notice that you have to pay extra for the ice cream scoops and toppings you want for your Brownie S’mores. And because we failed to see this important detail when we ordered, we didn’t get to enjoy this Brownie S’mores as much, which I also found to be a tad too sweet.

Everything we had at Rackshack was good, save for the blunder we made in not ordering ice cream and toppings for our Brownie S’mores. Next time we’ll be wiser.

Rackshack
Lower Ground Level
Ayala Malls Circuit Lane
Makati City

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Posted in American Cuisine, Circuit Makati, Rackshack, Western Cuisine

Mary Grace Café at Robinsons Galleria

Posted on March 27, 2019

Mary Grace Café is one of those places we go to if we’re looking for good food and great ambiance. Because we live near Robinsons Galleria, their branch at this mall is the one we frequently visit. We have recently had dinner there with our usual fare: soup, breakfast all-day meals and dessert.

Seafood Chowder, Php209

afé Mary Grace’s soup offerings are truly hearty, like they promised. We’ve tried their Seafood Chowder and Wild Mushroom Soup, and we loved them both! Made with seafood broth, this Seafood Chowder (photo above) has cream dory, clams, mussels and prawns. So healthy and yummy!

Wild Mushroom Soup, Php189

This Wild Mushroom Soup combines the meaty and smoky flavor of shiitake mushrooms, rich cream and milk. It’s smooth and flavorful and definitely one I’d love to have again on our next visit.

Sirloin Beef Tapa, Php438

All three of us ordered their Breakfast All Day meals for dinner. All breakfast meals are served with either eggs (scrambled or sunny-side up) or omelet (ham and cheese omelet or mushroom and cheese omelet). I chose to have scrambled eggs for my Sirloin Beef Tapa. The meat has a subtle sweetness to it and not salty, which I liked. It wasn’t as tender as I expected but manageable nonetheless.

Each breakfast meal order comes with these condiments, too: tomato and onion salsa, pickled mangoes, and spiced vinegar. My fave are the pickled mangoes.

Vigan Longganisa, Php420

Vigan Longganisa was the perfect choice for hubby who loves his longganisa garlicky, salty, tangy and spicy.

Pork Tocino, Php348

How was our son’s Pork Tocino? My son shuns pork fat, so I appreciate that Mary Grace Café offers fatless tocino, and they’re tender, too. He wasn’t able to finish all the meat, though, as he was busy gorging on his sunny-side up egg as well.

Mango Bene, Php228 per slice

If you love mangoes and cakes that are not overly sweet, then this Mango Bene would suit you best. Sandwiched between frozen layers of meringue with custard cream are fresh and sweet ripe mangoes that would give your hearty dinner that extra oomph.

It was a lovely dinner at Mary Grace Café, and we are looking forward to our next visit.

Mary Grace Café
3rd Level, Robinsons Galleria
Quezon City

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Posted in Mary Grace Café, Robinsons Galleria

Pound by Todd English at SM Megamall

Posted on March 5, 2019

The first thing that came to mind when hubby suggested we dined at Pound by Todd English at SM Megamall was that it’s expensive, what with its chic and elegant interiors that some might actually find intimidating. Upon checking their menu, however, I realized that their food offerings are not so pricey after all.

We tried their Chicken Winglets Sampler, Good Ol’ Fries, Backyard Cheeseburger and Sizzling Pound Moco.

Chicken Winglets Sampler (14 pcs.), Php280

Their Chicken Winglets Sampler makes for a nice starter. With three flavors in one platter (Sweet Chili, Garlic Parmesan, Classic Buffalo), I’m sure you’ll find one that will interest you. For me, it’s the Garlic Parmesan, followed by the Classic Buffalo.

Good Ol’ Fries, Php90

For someone who loves French fries in all shapes and sizes, these Good Ol’ Fries dipped in ketchup are already sufficient for our tween son. These and some Chicken Winglets, and his dinner is solved!

Backyard Cheeseburger, Php280

Hubby ordered this juicy and meaty Backyard Cheeseburger. It has house ground beef patty, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato and onions. The egg on top is just extra order because he wants his burger that way. Next time, I will.

Sizzling Pound Moco (Chicken), Php180

I settled for this Sizzling Pound Moco, which could be either beef or chicken, with garlic rice, peppercorn gravy and sunny-side up egg. Nothing extra special about this, just breaded chicken served on a sizzling plate. I actually wished I ordered beef, instead of chicken, so that I’d have a taste of their succulent beef patty.

After having dined at Pound by Todd English for the very first time, I came to the conclusion that while it’s a classy restaurant, it’s not really intimidating to get inside as soon as you realize that the prices of their menu items are quite reasonable. We’d love to drop in again soon.

Pound by Todd English
2/F Mega Fashion Hall
SM Megamall
Mdaluyong City

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Posted in American Cuisine, Pound by Todd English, SM Megamall