FOOD DIARY: Bar-B-King Grilled Angus Beef Belly at 150 Pesos!

Hey Coffeeholics! BREW OF THE DAY was invited to a FOOD Bloggers Event by BAR-B-KING & BibingKinitan! I knew already about Bibingkinitan because I've constantly seen their stalls at SM Malls but this would be the first time for me to try out Bar-B-King. When I found out it was a Fastfood Barbecue House - I got all the more excited! I love eating out at new places and especially when the prices are affordable.

Bar-B-King : Fast food Barbeque House

A different take on popular Filipino food fare – this is Bar-B-King. Real barbeque as good as it gets. Every cut of Bar-B-King’s seasoned meat plus a taste of grilled sea foods and veggies infuse a range of amazing flavors. Juicy, tender and smoky!

Bar-B-King Charcoal-Grilled Barbecues is a Quick Service Restaurant concept focusing on charcoal-grilled barbecues like pork, liempo, beef, steaks, pork chops, sea foods, veggies and more. The outdoor grilling or ihaw-ihaw ambiance makes a perfect balance to the cozy, cool and restaurant ambiance that drives more customers to enjoy the Bar-B-King experience.

Bar-B-King is 100% wholly owned and operated by FoodAsia Corp., the company behind the success of today’s known brands such as Bibingkinitan, The Bibingka Café, Tea Square and Fresh Foods. Established in 2010, it has now five (5) branches: SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM Rosario, SM Dasmariñas and SM Olongapo. Now, Bar-B-King is venturing itself to franchising.

*Angus Beef Belly – USDA certified, baked-then-grilled, so tender you can use your spoon to slice it! Served with the most delicious Au Jus Gravy.

We were invited to the SM Megamall branch. The space of the area is not that big so if you plan to eat there, better be there early! :) I bet they get jampacked full when its "rush hour." Our event was a bit early and they had set off an area just for us bloggers. Looking around, the tables and chairs were just right coz it suited their style of a "grill house" experience.

One of the reasons why we were invited to BAR-B-KING was to try out their latest dish which is The Ultimate GRILLED ANGUS BEEF BELLY which is being offered at the price of only Php 150! With this meal, you also get a 12 oz soda, RICE all-you-can, SOUP all-you-can, Corn & Carrots, and Gravy. Tagged with this guarantee -- "the baked-then-Grilled Certified Angus Beef Belly so tender you can use your spoon to slice it! Served with the most delicious Au Jus Gravy!" -- I couldn't wait to taste it myself and savor this meal.

Bar-B-King Grilled Angus Beef Belly  at Php 150!!!

So here's the star of the show, the ULTIMATE GRILLED ANGUS BEEF BELLY. And here's the verdict of the dish:

1. ANGUS BEEF BELLY - Gets all the PLUS points from me! Its JUICY and oh so TENDER that yes, you can eat it without using a knife! Your spoon and fork is enough to cut that tender delicious piece of meat. Once you put it in your mouth, you get the full flavor plus you can enjoy it to its fullest without worrying whether you can chew and swallow it because of its tender and delicious quality. It is succulent, moist, and even the kids will love this dish because it just glides. Haha. I'm not kidding here. Its one of the best angus beef belly that I've tasted that has been cooked perfectly well. I guess the fact that it was BAKED then GRILLED that helped the dish achieve this level of tenderness.

The management has also assured us that this beef is all USDA approved and imported here in the Philippines for our eating pleasure. The servings might not look all the same but rest assured that each piece of meat is weighed in equal portions so it will be fair for everyone. I also asked the manager how long would it take for this dish to get on my table once ordered and she said that it will be ready around 5 MINUTES! The gravy was a perfect complement but personally, I didn't use it that much coz I liked to eat the beef with its full flavor.

2. CARROTS & CORN - One of the things I liked about this dish was its veggie complement - yummy buttered carrots and corn. I've had my fair share of this veggie combo in all the grilled dishes that I've had but this carrots and corn get another PLUS points for me coz its fresh and not greasy! One bite of the veggies, you can taste its juiciness and freshness coz it still had its "bite" quality - in other words it wasn't soggy and soft. Perfect complement to the Bar-B-King's Angus Beef Belly!

3. SOUP-ALL-YOU-CAN. One of the perks of buying The Ultimate BAR-B-King Angus Beef Belly is that you can also avail of their unlimited Tinola Soup. I don't know about you but us Filipinos love to have soup with our meals. I for one like my rice drenched in the main dish's sauce and juices or if not, a side dish HOT soup will do the trick. Here at BAR-B-KING, they also serve UNLI SOUP! Just like in our favorite carienderias, hot soup is a staple for our meals. Their chicken tinola soup is definitely nutritious, as you can see with its Malunggay leaves. It is a bit salty for my taste but it seemed like a winner to one of my blogger friends as she finished two small bowls of soup while we were eating. :) So don't forget to ask for your unli soup!

4. RICE-ALL-YOU-CAN. I remember my students told me the other day that one of the things that they look for whenever they hang out as a barkada is to look for a "rice-all-you-can" restaurant to get the most out of their money. Well Bar-B-King now boasts that they offer RICE ALL YOU CAN in all their BAR-B-MEALS! So you can definitely get your money's worth.

5. SODA DRINKS. When you buy your Ultimate Grilled Angus Beef Belly Meal, you get a 12 oz drink of your choice. They only have PEPSI products in their menu so I chose PEPSI for my drink. It was so hot that day that I already gulped half of it before I remembered to take a photo. hehe. :)

So there you have a rundown of the food that I have during the event. I really enjoyed my experience there especially getting to know new friends and old in the blogger world!

with JEN and GENN!

Fun Bloggers at BAR-B-KING!
Photo credit - here

New and Old Blogger friends!
Photo credit - Bibingkinitan

So my dear coffeeholics, if you are looking for a place to eat at SM MEGAMALL, don't forget to drop by BAR-B-KING and try out the Ultimate Grilled Angus Beef Belly meal for only 150 Pesos! I think you really get the best out of your money with this dish. WORTH IT PROMISE!

Thank you Bar-B-King and Bibingkinitan for hosting this event for us. 

Thank you to Food Asia Corp for the invite!

So Coffeeholics, if you would like to franchise or get in the know of what's happening in Bar-B-King and Bibingkinitan, kindly check out their facebook or twitter for more details. Happy eating!

Location: LG/F Megamall B

Facebook: Bibingkinitan Mini-Bibingka

Twitter: @Bibingkinitanph

Check it out - The White Hat CUP CHALLENGE

HEY COFFEEHOLICS  ...well in this case.. YOGURTholics!

ANDI AND JESSICA CHALLENGES YOU!

The White Hat – Italian Frozen Yogurt, officially welcomes Ms. Andi Manzano and Ms. Jessica Mendoza as its official brand ambassadors.  To kick off the event, TWH is launching the TWH CUP CHALLENGE with this question – “How many yogurt cups can you carry?”. 

Here’s Andi & Jessica speaking about it:

Everyone is invited to participate and challenge Andi & Jessica by visiting any TWH store, make a video of themselves carrying as many cups as they can within 30 seconds and then emailing the video directly to Andi & Jessica thru –andiandjessicaTWHchallenge@gmail.com

The winner/s will be announced on June 30, 2012 and will get an eat-all-you-can yogurt party including five of his friends with Andi & Jessica.

How’s that for SUMMER FUN??

The White Hat is the country’s leading frozen yogurt chain store with more than 25 outlets nationwide.  Ms. Andi Manzano & Ms. Jessica Mendoza are celebrity DJs at Magic 89.9.

Branches:

Metro Manila:

·         Alabang Town Center

·         Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street

·         Gateway Mall

·         Glorietta 3

·         Landmark TriNoma

·         One Archers Place (DLSU Taft Manila)

·         Robinson’s Galleria

·         Robinson’s Place Manila Midtown

·         Rustan’s Supermarket (Poweplant Mall, Rockwell)

·         Shangri-La Plaza Mall

·         SM Fairview

·         SM Mall of Asia

·         SM Marikina

·         SM Megamall

·         SM North Edsa

·         TriNoma Mall

Provincial:

·         Abreeza Mall – Davao

·         Gaisano Mall – Davao

·         Marquee Mall – Angeles City, Pampanga

·         SM Baguio

·         SM Calamba

·         SM Cebu

·         SM Dasmarinas

·         SM Pampanga

·         SM Sta Rosa

·         Star Green Promenade – Dagupan City, Pangasinan

So, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS WAITING FOR? I think I might give this a try myself.. hehe. If I do this, I'm gonna post it here. Hahaha. Whose gonna do this? DO LET ME KNOW! And share share share! Hope you all have a happy and fun summer!

Kaisensei x Richkid Satchel Giveaway (CLOSED)

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Hey Coffeeholics! Just as promised in my previous post, I'm now holding my belated birthday giveaway! I will be choosing the winner using random numbers by random.org. I will be assigning random number "entries" to you so that each can have a "fair" chance of winning whether you join early or late in this giveway.

THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS ON MAY 13, SUNDAY, 11:59 PM.

Winner will be announced here, on twitter, and FB within the following week. 

Winner of this giveaway will also be informed via FB, twitter, and email. 

Failure of winner to reply within 48 hours will forfeit the prize.

MECHANICS:

1. Must be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) Follower

2. Like Royal Rich Kid on Facebook

3. Like Kaisensei's Facebook Fanpage
4. Post this on your Facebook Wall :

"Join RoyalKoffer x Kaisensei Summer Giveaway and win a fab "Mary Kate" Satchel Bag. Visit http://kaisensei.blogspot.com/2012/04/kaisensei-x-richkid-satchel-giveaway.html#axzz1sqdZ50XF  for more details." 

DON'T FORGET TO TAG RoyalKoffer and Kaisensei! :)

5. Follow me on Twitter (@kai_sensei)

   6. Follow Royal Rich Kid on Twitter

7. Tweet this giveaway:

 "Join @RoyalKoffer x @kai_sensei Summer Giveaway and win a fab "Mary Kate" Satchel Bag.Visit http://kaisensei.blogspot.com/2012/04/kaisensei-x-richkid-satchel-giveaway.html#axzz1sqdZ50XF  for more details."

To get additional entries, you can do the following:
1. Subscribe to my blog feed. Its the one at the side bar post to the left. (+1)
2. Click the Google plus button at the bottom of this post. (+1)
3. Click the FB LIKE button at the bottom of this post. (+1)
4. Comment below your favorite post from kaisensei's Brew of the Day. (+1)

Thanks for joining my giveaway and ABANGAN! There will be MORE to come. :)

Mwah mwah,

Personal Reflections and Goals on Turning 30

Believe it or not, I dreaded the number 30. No matter how optimistically I tried to face what I call the "BIG THREE OH", in my mind I couldn't erase the fact that I was turning 30. Another milestone in my life. The time where I had to say goodbye to my blissful twenty-something existence and face my brand new thirty-something chapters of my life. Yes oh how I dreaded my pending birthday last month! Honestly, Valentines day pa lang I was already dreading the small amount of time left on being 30. But I promised myself one thing--that I wouldn't be depressed on my birthday. Haha actually it became a fervent prayer. I told myself, that I am HAPPY and CONTENT. And I swore to myself that I will celebrate my birthday, enjoy my birthday, and be ecstatic about my birthday. I had so many things to be grateful for that I should focus on the positive things and not on the negative things!  So here's a short list of my reflections and realizations on turning 30.

1. I don't feel like 30. Or "look" like 30. Hahaha. Take a look at this "baby face" and I dare you to think that I look 30. 29 lang diba? ahaha. I attribute this to my wonderful genes from my parents, my various beauty regimen, the "young" company I hang out with (at work, church, and other bloggers of course!), and the positive resolve that I have. Because of this, turning 30 ain't that bad!

2. Birthday Blessings. Well believe it or not, I was very very surprised during my birthday, March 6. Besides my debut, this has got to be a birthday where I really felt loved and appreciated by my family, students, and friends. During the morning, my students surprised me by giving me a very pretty cake.

I really felt touched! As a teacher, to be appreciated to such an extent by my students really warmed my heart. I've been teaching for 8 years already and it has always been my goal that I will be the best teacher that I can be -- not just as a teacher who imparts knowledge to students but as a teacher who imparts lessons in life as well. Thank you "Batch of Awesomeness". I will truly miss you as I teach another set of students next school year!

Then that night, I had another grand surprise! My mom and dad gathered my friends from our church and surprised me with a birthday party. Haha. I was so shocked when I arrived because I didn't know that they had set it up more elaborately than what I had imagined. I knew I was going to celebrate my birthday with some friends but not as bonngga as this. Many thanks to my Mom, Dad, & Tita Zeny for cooking this up, thanks to Alpha for coming up with an impromptu program that made things more fun, thanks to my cousin Shopgirl JEN for being the "emcee".

Thanks Ate Jen.. talagang unforgettable ang speech mo! Natouch din ako! hihihi!

 Also thanks to everyone who went there and made the day more memorable! My sister even made a powerpoint presentation on my life so far based on photos from my FB. haha. Lav it! Thanks guys!

 Hearing those words of support, affirmation, and appreciation really made my day. It helped my resolve that day that I will rejoice and be happy on my birthday. You guys have no idea how truly touched I was.. and I thank God for the friendship. Thanks for making my birthday soooo grand!

Some of the gifts that I got during my Surprise Birthday Celebration.
Thank you so much dears! Mwahhhh!

3. Setting new goals and aiming to achieve them. One of the things that I resolved to myself was that I will set new goals for myself with this brand new chapter in my life. Setting goals for oneself is not bad but in fact it helps give you direction. With the right goals, you can even become more successful and have a sense of fulfillment in your life. I know this coz I have set goals for myself in the past decade and achieving those goals made me feel accomplished and gave me joy and fulfillment seeing its completion. So here are some of my goals that I would like to accomplish in this 30s stage of my life!

• Be more health conscious = meaning lose weight. hehehe. no explanation needed!
• Travel more! Not only in the Philippines but in Asia and abroad as well! Target = Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Canada, and USA! 
• Change of lovelife status. (Must I really elaborate here?)
• Successful Career - improvements as a Teacher and more success as a blogger and writer! (which would also translate to improved financial status!)

Honestly this year, I really had a goal for myself that I will get a new laptop, new camera, and a new cellphone. Last April 1 I was finally able to purchase a brand new laptop and I'm using it right now! Yay! Its my grand birthday gift to myself this year. :) My brother helped pick it out for me (coz I'm not really that good about the specs and stuff) and he recommended ASUS N1215B with the budget that I had in mind. Since I wanted a laptop/netbook that would mainly be used for blogging, internet surfing, work related stuff, he said that this would be perfect. I've been using my laptop, "Amethyst" (yes I did mention before I name inanimate objects that belong to me)  for more than 15 days  have no complaints! I love the fact that its lightweight, its 12.1 inches LED Screen, AMD dual core, and has Windows 7 Home Basic already. Yay! Now all I just need to buy is an external ODD and a good antivirus to protect my PC and I'm alllll good! Right now I'm using Avira Internet Security 2012 - its free 3 month net security that I got during the Blogapalooza last year. So that just means I need to save up again to buy me a good internet security in the next 3 months. Coffeeholics, what do you think I should get? Do you use free net security or paid? What do you have?

Another MUST that I need to get this year is a brand new camera. A good blogger must never be without a camera! Right now I really don't have my own cam coz I'm just borrowing it from my dad. BUT I have plans of also getting a brand new Canon Camera or Samsung Camera for myself this year. What do you think I should get? I've been checking out cams and Canon Powershot cams have caught my interest. And its even within my budget! What do you guys think?

Canon Powershot A2300 at Php 5,998.00

Canon Powershot A2400 IS at Php 6,998.00

Canon Digital IXUS 115 HS at Php 9.998.00
This is what I really want but its a bit above my budget!

And of course a new cellphone is on my wishlist this year. I really want to upgrade my current android phone. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy 5, one of the first few android phones that came out around 2010 that was a bit affordable more than Samsung Galaxy S. Now its out of circulation coz its using a super old version of android. And I really want a new one coz I can't install instagram on my current celphone. hehe. So I have my eyes set on the newer edition of Samsung Galaxy Ace or Samsung Galaxy Wonder. Haha. So yeah that's my wishlist or goals for this year. A girl can wish right?

Anyway, after saying all of that, I realize a lot to do if I want to achieve all these goals right? Haha. Of course blogging has really brought a new perspective in my life which I really am happy and grateful for. I'm definitely looking forward to a more exciting year in my blogging and freelance writing career many thanks to you all my lovely readers! Because of that, I owe you guys a giveaway! Abangan ang susunod na post! And if you read all of this, I really appreciate it! It makes me want to make my writing more vivid and interesting for you guys. So when you join my giveaway, mention my laptop's name and you get an additional entry. Keep that in mind ok? Hehe!

Anyway, Coffeeholics, don't forget if you have any recommendations on what antivirus or camera I should get, do share share share! Have a happy weekend! Mwah mwah!

Sale Alert - Marithe + Francois Girbaud at 50% Off

Girbaud offers 50% discount exclusive to Le Jean members!

Hey Coffeeholics! Check it out, another sale alert again especially for all Le Jean Members. While sales have become synonymous to long weekends, Marithe + Francois Girbaud shows that you don’t have to wait for the next long weekend just to get a great deal! Girbaud offers a 50% discount on its best-selling accessories and all basic jeans and knits for men and women, exclusive to the members of its loyalty program, Club Le Jean.

Make your Thursdays to Sundays count by visiting any Girbaud branch from April 19 to 22, and April 26 to 29, and simply present your Le Jean card and rewards booklet to avail of the discount.

Become a Club Le Jean member today and enjoy rewards on every purchase, moneyless shopping using your gift points and stamps, and the chance to swap your old pair of denims for a brand-new pair of M+FG jeans!

For more details, visit any Marithe + Francois Girbaud branch today. Girbaud is available in SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, Ali Mall, Duty Free Philippines Fiesta Mall, Festival Supermall, Gateway Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, NE Pacific Mall, Pavilion Mall, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, NAIA Terminal 3, and now in Robinsons Tacloban, KCC Mall General Santos, and Robinsons Calasiao.

So dear Coffeeholics, don't forget to check out Girbaud branches today! Or better yet, be a Club Le Jean member. Happy shopping!

Converse Asia Crown: Ready, Skate, Go!

Converse Asia Crown: Ready, Skate, Go!

Last March 31, I was privileged to attend the country's first and biggest skateboarding event, dubbed Converse Asia Crown at the Trinoma Mindanao open parking lot as it aimed to promote skateboarding as a thriving sports in the Philippines. 

Catering to the best skateboarders around the Metro, the Asia Crown gave Filipino skateboarders the chance to show off their dope moves on the board and compete with the best of the best skateboarders across the country to vie for the title of being the first official skateboarding ambassador of Converse Philippines who gets to compete internationally and is also set to compete in the upcoming skate event in China.

Top US-based pro skaters Kenny Anderson and Mike Anderson also graced the event and were set to show Filipino skaters how skateboarding is really done with their extremely polished skate tricks that seem effortless. 

US-based pro skaters Kenny Anderson and Mike Anderson
Photo credit here

Meanwhile, Rasheed Al Rasheed was crowned as the local Asia Crown champion and received a year's worth of Converse skateboarding goodies, P50,000 cold hard cash and plane tickets to all official Converse skateboarding events worldwide. Jeff Gonzales got 2nd place and Miguel Madronio with 3rd place and respectively won P25,000 and Converse Merchandise.

Rasheed Al Rasheed crowned as the local  Converse Asia Crown Champion

It was a whole day open skate, free of charge celebration of physical and creative recreation with activities such as the skate clinic, finger skateboarding competition, foam pit, and graffiti art-while also fusing music through electrifying performances of Paraluman, Gracenote, and 6 Cycle Mind.

Fashionable spectators, Converse Philippines will also feature a preview of their Spring Summer Collection, with their Spring Summer Collection, with an added shoe display, that embody Converse's mission of giving people the freedom to make a statement, by "continuing to adjust with time giving a great variety of styles, color, becoming more creative evolving to what they will become."

Perfect Converse slippers for summer!

Converse caps perfect for summer!

Awesome Converse Bags perfect as a laptop bag as well for students and professionals alike!

Cool Gorillaz design Converse shoes

Pretty Converse Sneakers for Summer

This one is on my wishlist! 

Checking out Jen Metra's awesome Silver Converse sneakers!

Blogger buddy for the day! - Shopgirl Jen

This celebration really reinforces the status of Converse as a key proponent of fashion and the global sport that is skateboarding. So yeah, I really had a wonderful time at this event and of course I'm looking forward to know more what's in store for Converse this year. For more updates and promos, kindly check out the Converse Philippines Facebook or the official Converse website for more details. 

So coffeeholics, have you chosen your favorite Converse gear already? Do share share share! Mwah!!