Chicken Saucer Power Meal @ Nutrilicious

Ortigas could be a very unforgiving place if you’re the type of person who loves to eat hearty and filling servings. After all, you’d have to spend a lot of cash at some restaurants just so you could get your stomach to stop grumbling. However, this place isn’t so bad when it comes to grabbing great eats – as long as you know where to look. There’s the office canteen, the hidden carinderias, the food court, the numerous stalls beside St. Francis Square, and there’s…

Nutrilicous.

Yes, that juice-making, nutrition-advocating, pulp-beating beverage has got its own restaurant in Ortigas. It’s located at the 1^st floor of St. Francis Square. And yes, if you know that area, that means one thing: cheap and extremely tasty food.

Like this:

It’s the Chicken Saucer Power Meal. Priced at 88 pesos flat, you’d get 8 chicken saucers, 2 cups of beta-carotene rice, 2 eggs over-easy, and your choice of red or green iced tea. Also, you could choose your meal’s sauce. They’ve got mushroom gravy, Szechuan, barbecue, and Chinese asado. And oh, did I tell you that you’d get one hell of a serving?

In any case, let me discuss this meal a bit further. First, don’t think that you’d get 8 pieces of McDo-like chicken nuggets, ‘coz they’re not; because these “saucers” are more similar to chicken burger patties. With regard to the beta-carotene rice, you really couldn’t tell the difference between it and regular rice – only that this type is a bit more “nutritious”. And the eggs – well – they’re eggs.

So here’s the verdict. Price wise: they’re cheap. Taste: I’d give them 7.5 out of 10. Will I be back? Of course. So all in all, this meal is something you could opt for. Enjoy!

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Dining in an ancestral home

Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina, Kapt. Moy Ancestral House, J. P. Rizal St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City

ChoppedToothpicks: Due to this writer’s incessant demand that we feature this restaurant despite our niche (that is limited only on Ortigas), we figured what the hell, she’s going to treat us here anyway.

If you like good food, antiques and some sense of history, then Cafe Kapitan is the place for you. Located at Sentrong Pangkultura in Markina City, Cafe Kapitan used to be a home for Kapitan Moy, the founder of the Philippine shoe industry. It’s amazing how they turn simple home food into something extraordinary. How about some tasty crunchy chopsuey vegetables? I know some of you have already overlooked this dish from the menu so many times. Or if you like to go extra special for the occasion, then go Spanish. My favorite is the classic paella. Fresh seafood meat could never taste as sweet as this. Or you can also try callos and lengua and have them served with oven fresh baked buns.

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Lunch @ Kaya

Alright, first of all, people might think that Kaya is such an expensive, fine-dining, Korean restaurant. And to tell the truth, it really is. The first time I went here I thought that I had to shell out 300 pesos or more for just a regular kimchi-based meal (I apologize for my ignorance on Korean cuisine), but I was surprised that they offered budget meals for those who want to eat Korean food on a budget.

*kimchi not included :p

I ordered what Koreans call Dweji Bulgogi (duh-woo-gee boohl-goh-gee) set meal. It’s basically a big bowl of rice topped with grilled spicy pork. However, you get a lot more than just a simple ulam-topped rice meal. If you look at the pic, this big bowl of dweji bulgogi also is topped with a variety of kimchi strips, micro shrimps, tamago rolls, glazed bean sprouts, and some spinach flakes. There’s also this sweet and savory sauce that you’d have to pour on your bulgogi. This sauce is so tasty, you’d mistake it for a soup too. :p

Some guy who's looking for the cheapest item on the menu

Not only that, this set meal comes with a soup that’s made out of chicken broth, diced scallions, and egg strips. There’s also a kidde-sized iced tea that comes when you order this. However, I suggest that you upgrade it (15 php) to a larger size since this iced tea is, well, kiddie-sized.

The Dweji Bulgogi is priced at 125 Pesos complete with a soup, a specialty sauce, and iced tea. Now you might ask: “Mabubusog ba ko jan?” Well, actually, the bowl is pretty big and the serving is really hefty and very tasty—so yeah—you’d get your money well spent. To put things straight, yes, even a big guy who’s used to eating 2 cups of rice and 2 pieces of fried chicken would be burping from this meal. And oh, this meal comes from Kaya’s budget meal set, so you could choose an assortment of other dishes that’s worth only 125 Pesos.

So there you have it. If you happen to pass by Megamall Building A, Kaya’s located at the 1^st floor near Powerbooks and Yoshinoya. Happy eating!

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Saan Tayo Kakain?

Ortigas Business Center

Is a common question among students and employees alike come lunchtime. And if you don’t have your baon ready, then chances are you and your buddies would have to enter a debate on where to eat. You’d then be persuading each other which restaurant offers the food that you like. Others might join in on the fray and suggest that you guys eat at a restaurant named Kahit Saan. And with that small committee hearing inevitably comes the price factor. So, then, you ask: “Saan ba masarap at mura?”

"Kahit Saan... Kung Pwede" We don't think they're talking about lunch.

And that, dear reader, is why we are here. We know that most students and employees can’t always bring their baon; and we also know that you can’t always eat at pricey restaurants. Hell, it’s hard to keep that balance between a tasty meal and a fat wallet on a regular basis. That’s why we are here to scour all Ortigas just to find out which areas have great food that wouldn’t suck out all of your lunch money. We know this place could be a bit expensive when it comes to dining, but hey, that’s why we’re here.

Though we’re not saying that you should be a cheap-ass lunch-money miser when it comes to food; but rather, we’re just saying that there are places in this call-center infested business center for great food at definitely great prices. You see, a cheapskate may be one thing, but a wise consumer who cares for what he eats is definitely another.

Believe it or not, you could get this at Emerald Ave.

And so we’ve made this blog because we felt like we should help each other out when it comes to having a great lunch (or dinner). After all, the makers of this blog are just like you. We ride the MRT to work, bring baon if we can, and we also burst out into tears whenever we have to spend 500 pesos on a meal that’s not even filling and tasty in the first place.

So keep that appetite ready, because we’re going explore a lot of tasty answers to the question:

“Saan tayo kakain?”

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