Bibingkinitan with Iced Barako

Hello, fellow foodies!

Sorry, I wasn't able to post for Weekend Eating last Monday because I was in La Union and I didn't bring my net book and I wasn't able to go to an Internet Cafe because we were busy preparing for my cousin's wedding. My apologies, too, for not commenting on the other week's posts - I will do that within this day.

Anyway... my weekend was a blah. With heat shooting up to 35 - 36 degrees C, it was just way too difficult to enjoy the day as I tend to get tired even if I am not doing anything. We planned to go out and beat the summer heat with a glass of Halo Halo yesterday, but mom attended some events, so I basically just stayed at home. Hopefully this coming week will be a much better week for me.

What I am about to share was something from last Thursday. Right after eating our meals at Bar-B-King (please see previous post), we were also given some food products from Bibingkinitan - a quaint little shop known for its mini bibingka. Well, the name of the store pretty much tell what their product is, and I assume they got the name from the Filipino word "Balingkinitan," meaning small or slender. Since their main product is the bibingka, I think they just coined the term to Bibingkinitan.

It wasn't a new store for me, as we already got to taste their Bibingka back then. It was my sister who introduced the product to me when she wanted to buy something to take home to mom.


Baked Mini Bibingka. When I first saw their store and saw how they prepare the bibingkas, I wasn't raving much about it because I grew up eating the kind one can buy on the streets - using charcoals to cook the bibingka. That time, too, I found their products a little pricey for 20 pesos each (as the street kind is slightly bigger at 35 - 50 pesos)... but when I finally got to taste it, all qualms and hesitations were erased. Even if it's baked, it still had the smokey banana leaf smell and flavor I loved in my bibingka, and that the taste and the quality make up for its price.

Tasting it again last Thursday renewed my love for this bibingka. The previous weekend, sister and I got to buy a big bibingka (maybe 2 to 3 times the size of these little babies) for 90 pesos at a restaurant in La Union... and now I appreciated Bibingkinitan's price - it was really cheaper because x2 of this would cost 40, x3 would be 60... still much cheaper than the 90-peso bibingka we had.

It may be small, but I guess that was another good thing about it... it doesn't overwhelm the one eating the product, and if one is enough, then you can have another one, right? Personally, I ate two bibingkas (one after the other) because it was just so good.

If you're wondering, these native bibingkas are made from rice flour batter with milk topped with slices of salted egg, cheese, and margarine.


Iced Barako Coffee. As with most native delicacies, a perfect pair would be a cup of hot coffee, but since it's summer, Bibingkinitan came up with the iced variety of the well-loved Filipino Kapeng Barako. I still haven't tasted the hot variety, but this iced one was one of the best iced coffee I have tasted. It had everything I wanted in coffee - strong, rich coffee flavor combined with creaminess and sweetness. My brother thought it was a little too sweet for his liking, which is slightly true, but I do love my coffee sweet, so I loved it instantly. As I was sipping my Iced Barako, I was telling my brother and co-blogger Aylin that I would try to sip as little as possible so the drink will last longer, but as the ice melts away, I noticed that it made the coffee flavor a little mild and the milky flavor was the one overpowering the drink. Lesson learned: drink it as quick as possible, and maybe take out the ice once it reaches your preferred temperature.

- * - * - * -

So... what did you have last weekend? If you're new to the Weekend Eating meme, you can read the rules and get the badge codes HERE. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined last last week.

Bar-B-King (SM Megamall)

Bar-B-King
Basement, Bldg. B - SM Megamall
EDSA corner J. Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City

I really love trying something new, so when I received an invitation to a Bloggers' Event at Bar-B-King, I didn't hesitate to say yes to it. Actually, I almost didn't get to attend this event because I was still in La Union and my aunt wanted me to stay a bit longer, but I told her I have "a date" (with my brother, that is). I traveled back to Manila on Wednesday night and arrived home morning of Thursday, so I was still able to rest before brother and I went to SM Megamall.


The invitation said "Basement - SM Megamall," and first question brother asked was, "Which building?" I just answered, "Let's just walk, we will see it." Well, it wasn't really difficult to locate, as the red facade caught our attention quickly.



Entering the restaurant, I immediately liked the look of the place - it was clean and it had a great view of the kitchen... ensuring the quality and ensuring the cleanliness of the food served to the diners.

Dishes served at this "Quick Serving Restaurant" obviously focuses on charcoal-grilled dishes, but the "king" of their menu (if I may call it like that) is their Grilled Angus Beef Belly. Just the sound of the dish already made my eyes go big as Angus Beef always tasted great for me, but the price was the one that really made me go "wow."

150 pesos for grilled Angus Beef Belly, carrots and corn sidings, 12oz. of soda, unlimited Bar-B-Rice, and unlimited soup. Just the sound of it is already a great value for money.

For the soda, they serve Pepsi products, so I went for Mountain Dew.


Tinola Soup. Our meal was served with this soup. It was tasty - it really tasted like Chicken Tinola we cook at home, though I have to say it was a bit salty for my taste. Other than that, this was a good soup to accompany the meal.


Grilled Angus Beef Belly Meal. The Bar-B-Rice isn't Java Rice, if you want to know. They didn't tell us what was in it, but we felt it was annatto. :) As for the beef, people behind Bar-B-King said it's USDA Certified Angus Beef that they imported then marinated in secret seasonings, baked then grilled. The beef was hot-off-the-grill so it was so fresh when we had it and it was indeed juicy, flavorful, and very tender. Their Au Jus Gravy was a little thicker than the regular gravy served at different food places and I really loved it.

The plate on the left was Aylin's (of BubblyFluffy), the one on the right was mine. Looking at it, it was quite obvious that the one on the left had more meat than the one on the right, but even if my plate didn't have much meat just by the look of it, it certainly made me feel full... and no, I didn't fully eat the fat, though yes, I tasted it (out of curiosity) and it was indeed good! I asked about it and they told us that even if plates had different cuts of beef, each cut was weighed and every plate had the same amount of beef by weight. I guess if you're not into fatty cuts of meat, you can just tell them beforehand that you prefer a cut with more meat.

In the end, I can truly say it was a good value for money and I sure want to eat it again and maybe try their other dishes.

In case you wanna know, these are their other dishes:

Bar-B-Meals

• Pork Bar-B-King
• Liempo King
• Honey Chicken Bar-B
• Bar-B Chops
• Bar-B Shrimps
• Inihaw na Pinaputok na Bangus (with Ensalada)
• 1/2 pound Angus Bar-B Burger

Noodles and Merienda

• Sweet Style Bar-B Spaghetti
• Pancit Bihon
• Pancit Canton
• Pancit Luglog

Soups and Sides

• Tinola
• Sitaw at Kalabasa
• Monggo
• Ensalada with Bagoong

They also offer Pork Bar-B-King for Take Out at 35 per stick, 330 for a box of 10 and 650 for a box of 20. For desserts, they have Sundae Twist.

Cheapest food on the menu were the vegetable sides (Sitaw at Kalabasa and Monggo) as well as the Sundae Twist at 29 pesos. Most expensive would be the 1/2 pound Angus Bar-B-Burger and 2 pieces Bar-B-Chops at 165 pesos. Even at the most expensive, it was still very affordable, especially that all Bar-B Meals come with a glass of soda and unlimited rice and soup.

Bar-B-King is at the Basement Level of SM Megamall - Bldg. B, near Worlds of Fun. You can check their website HERE and their Facebook Page HERE.

Bellissimo Bellevue!

There’s more to great Italian dining than pasta, pizza and panini! Let The Bellevue, the best 5-star hotel in the Southern Metro, take you closer to the sprawling wineries and quintessential cities of Italy for an authentic Italian dining at its main dining outlet Café d’Asie. Experience a soulful gastronomic journey around Italy and discover the cultural flavors of each of its 20 regions for an Italian Food Festival dubbed "I Love Italy" from April 26 to 30. The Bellevue’s Italian chef Tonino Ianocceli shall titillate your taste buds with a live cooking station and mouth-watering buffet of specialties.

Savor the richness of flavors from its northern region in Lombardy through its creamy risotto and the irresistible array of pizzas coming from its southern region as far as Sicilia. Indulge in a bed of succulent antipasti from prosciutto di parma, carpaccio, panacetta, to smoked salmon and cold seafoods. Take pleasure in a serving of insalata rich with fresh greens, herbs and dressings; a wide array of famous formaggio from the cheese capital of Piemonte. Get acquainted with its traditional meat dishes comprising of beef (bue), pork (miale), chicken (pollo), lamb (agnello), veal (vitello) as well as an array of pastas in a various shapes, colors, and blends. And surrender to sweet endings with heavenly dolce de frutta such as panna cotta, creambrulee, cioccolato, gelato, tiramisu.

For just P1, 390 nett, you can avail of this special lunch and dinner buffet that go along with a free glass of red wine. Bon appétit!

For inquiries, call 771-8181, 09178718181 or 09188718181.