The Best Steaks in Town: Subic Meat Plus

Whenever I go to Subic, I always make it a point to dine at the Meat Plus Cafe. They serve the best steaks at the most affordable prices!

Directions:


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1. Head west past Puregold.
2. Turn left at Burgos St. right after the Subic Bay Yacht Club.
3. Turn right at the 2nd corner (Sampson Rd.) and then left again continuing to follow Sampson Rd. You will see the Meat Plus Cafe to your left.

The Meat Plus Cafe as seen from the street

Most probably you'll get to know of Meat Plus by referrals from friends or may be by searching thru the web . This place is not something that tourists are likely to stumble upon since as you can see when you get there it is a little out of the way. Away from the usual tourists spots and the hub of restaurants. I don't know about you but when I read "cafe", I don't usually think of lunch or dinner.

In any case, once you've been here and try out their food, you'll be sure to come back.

Very heavenly

You'll also be surprised at how many folks visit this place for their food. It may look secluded and the parking lot a bit deserted but wait until lunch time and it's full to the brim.

Be sure to arrive early, that waiting list gets quite long

Testimonials from diners

If you're new to the place and you're a meat lover, I would highly recommend their choice of steaks. Most especially the mouth-watering rib eye steak. Although a bit pricey, you're sure to get your money's worth. The layers of fat are just right on the steak so much so that it'll melt like butter in your mouth. I always have this medium-rare so that I get that juicy texture and get to enjoy the flavors of the beef. The slightly charred exterior also help add to the depth of the dish. The sides are also perfect and the gravy very savoury. Just thinking about it makes me want to go there again.

A view of the steak

Another view of the steak with the sinfully juicy layer of fat

How mouth-watering is that?

Seriously?

If you're a bit on the healthier side or may be it's holy week and you want fish. I would urge you to go for their salmon. Those who have tried it say it's really quite good and I've tasted it as well. It is very juicy inside despite how it might look on the outside. The salmon is perfectly cooked. Yum!

The grilled salmon

They also have other dishes like soups and sides. Also very American cakes and pies for desert. Be sure also to try those :-)

Clam Chowder

And here is their menu...

So there ya go, in case you're in Subic, be sure to try out Meat Plus Cafe!

I really love this place!

Hainanese chicken anyone?: The Chicken Rice Shop

The Chicken Rice Shop is one of those restaurants that piqued my interest one Sunday morning. I decided to drag my companions into it for us to get a chance to try something new. Well, it didn't disappoint.

Location: 1st level, Padre Faura wing, Robinsons Place Ermita
Website: The Chicken Rice Shop


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The restaurant actually has its roots in Malaysia and has branches in other countries as well (check out their website). Upon entering the place, you'll feel cozy and the atmosphere, at least every time I go there, is not hectic like in other neighboring fast food joints. May be this is due to the fact that people are naturally hesitant to stray from what they know already like Greenwich and Jollibee.

A view of the inside of their restaurant

A look at their menu.....

....and what's in it, it's very visual :-)

You'll also find that it has a warm atmosphere, may be partly due to the lighting. Now on to the food. For it's price, it's actually quite good. I recommend you start with their Nyon Pai Tee. This dish would remind you of the Taclings you see now in the malls. It's sort of like the chinese siomai but instead of the soft wrapping you'll get a crunchy taco-like wrap. Once you bite into it, you'll be greeted by the fresh taste of vegetables (forgot if it was beansprouts, but you get the geist). Put some of that sauce on top of it and you're good to go. I actually could not get enough of this appetizer and sometimes barter with whoever I'm with to trade this for some of my chicken later on. I would warn you though, that sauce is chili and it's quite hot.

Utterly scrumptious Nyon Pai Tee.
The perfect start to an amazing meal!

The beautiful chicken, this is where they serve you the
silverware and the tissues, nifty! :-)

I would recommend any of their rice dishes from Hainanese chicken rice to the roasted chicken rice. They won't disappoint. And they do mean chicken rice, the rice even tastes like chicken since they seem to be cooking it using chicken broth. Just wonderful!. Of course, I'd recommend it over the usual order of just plain rice, if like me you like extra rice. The soup that comes with the rice meals is also good and I recommend you try all the spices that they serve even with the extra rice. You'll definitely find a mix that you like.

The Hainanese Chicken Rice

The Roasted Chicken Rice

This is the actual chicken rice with all the condiments and free soup

That's it! Be sure to visit the Chicken Rice Shop. See you on the next post!