Manila Reviews

Johnny Rockets

The Original Hamburger

That is the diner's tagline. I think each of us would have our own concept of what the original hamburger would be. Probably, for most of us, it would still be either Jollibee or McDonalds. But to help you understand the origins of the "hamburger", I will quote some facts from a page from Johnny Rocket's site:

- The hamburger originated with the Mongolian and Turkish tribes (known as Tartars) who began shredding beef to enhance the flavor.
- May is National Hamburger Month.
- The hamburger's original name was "Hamburg Steak."
- Johnny Rockets served its first hamburger on June 6, 1986. All Johnny Rockets' hamburgers are made with fresh, 100% beef patties and are hand-pressed and grilled to perfection.
- The Guinness Record for most hamburgers eaten within ten minutes was 21 burgers including the buns, each weighing 98 grams.

Check out more facts at http://www.johnnyrockets.com/themenu/hamburgerfacts.php

Johnny Rockets just opened its first outlet here in Manila, Philippines this third quarter 2009. It was built in the new Eastwood mall, ground level. The ambiance would give you the typical 'diner' atmosphere with the jukebox where people can play music.

For the menu, they of course serve hamburgers, which have 1/3 pound 100% pure ground beef, seasoned and grilled. Prices range from Php 285 for the Original to Php 595 for Smoke House Double. They also have starters, other types of sandwiches, like the Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich at Php 385. They also have mini trios (sliders, hotdogs and chili cheese dogs), salads and beverages (shakes, etc.).

I had the Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich. I liked the unique taste it had. It was a bit "pepper-y". The juice of the chicken would get squeezed out with every bite. I like how the chicken breast was grilled. It was not over cooked or under grilled. I had it with salad instead of fries (you are given the choice to match it with bottomless salad or fries).

The salad was not that exceptional. I had it with Honey Mustard sauce. The Fries were really 'potato like' and not very oily, although feedback from our family was that it was a bit bland. The onion rings were mostly flour -- almost just 1 onion layer thin within the batter -- but enjoyable crunchy and tasty. Ketchup was served differently. They would give you small containers with a happy face drawn using ketchup. This is the container that you would use to fill with ketchup from the pump container placed at your table already.

I would say that this is a good diner to go to when you are not on a tight budget since the burgers are pretty pricey. Also, the relaxed atmosphere and the non pretentious food makes this a good place to for a nice weekend dinner with the family.

details:
Ground Floor, Eastwood Mall
Across Il Pirata

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EchoStore

Sustainable Lifestyle

We should all be thinking about how we can help save the environment already. The past storms (I can hardly keep track already) have already been a wake up call for us to try and do good things already that would help save our country, our earth and each other.

I admire the makers of this one store in Serendra. The store is called EchoStore, which has the philisophy embracing a holistic philosophy of harmony with one's Self, the greater Community and the Environment. All the products that they sell are natural, organic, recyclable and earth friendly. ECHO is short for Environment and Community Hope Organization.

In the shelves are seen the three owners of this store and what their favorite products are. These three are Reena Francisco (Operations, Finance, Product Development), Jeannie E. Javelosa (Communications, Product Sourcing and Events) and Chit Juan (Marketing and Organizational Interface).

When you enter their store, you would notice that they have various products. Their store actually got me curious that's why we entered. I noticed that their products were local products, that made me and EJ love their store more. Upon reading their site when we got home, these products are environment friendly, sustain marginalized, indigenous and creative communities, support poverty alleviation programs, are created with fair labor practices, are animal-friendly, express Filipino design excellence.

It was a good feeling that we bought from that store. The first thing we bought was Coco Naturale. It's sugar extracted from coconut. We first saw this product when we had dinner at Via Mare with Bishop Bacani. He noticed the sugar substitute and he wanted to buy the product. We remembered him so we bought a box for him at the EchoStore. Obviously, this is a great place to get gifts for the person who has everything or doesn't want anything. :)

The other product we bought was Uncle Robert's Charcoal Char-Sorber. This is for taking out the odor from stuffy closets, refrigerators, shoes, cars, etc. EJ tried it in his shoe closet and it was pretty effective.

They also have GC's available that you can give as gifts. They also have packs that they suggest for gifts.

Even the bags that they use for the stuff that you buy are recycled.

They also have a cafe inside the store. They call it EchoCafe. They sell cold and hot drinks, juices, malunggay pan de sal sandwiches, sampler sets, snack sets, pizza crisps, melts and pastries.

I highly recommend this store when you buy your Christmas gifts. You will be helping a lot of people, plus you will be helping the environment.

Contact details:

EchoStore shares space with Kape Isla, Home of Philippine Coffee
G/F Serendra Piazza, McKinley Parkway
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Tel.: 901-3485
E-mail feedback on EchoStore to Jeannie Javelosa at jej.echolifestyle.store@gmail.com
E-mail inquiries about products to echolifestyle.store@gmail.com
Website: http://www.echostore.ph

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The Healthy Kitchen

"eat well, feel good"

We're back! During our trip, we actually thought of you, our readers. And yes, it was our honeymoon. That's how much we care for you!

Since we care for you, we will be reviewing a lot of healthy alternatives in each of the restaurants in the metropolis.

It's good to be back, but what I miss most about Italy is their pizza. Their pizza is baked in loads and loads of wood and they only use olive oil, and not butter. The cheese that they use for the really good pizza is buffalo cheese and their best seller is their Margherita Pizza, whose toppings are only basil leaves and fresh tomatoes. Their tomatoes are so juicy, that when you prick it with a fork, the juice spurts out.

I longed for it that why when we went to Serendra, we tried the Margarita Pizza in The Healthy Kitchen. Their version used tomato sauce, pesto sauce, fresh tomatoes and organic fresh mozzarella. It was also baked (in an oven though). I have to say, that it was pretty good, too! I loved that they places pesto sauce. The flavors blended well. The only thing that I noticed is that they serve the pizza sliced and when you remove a piece, the end part is a bit soggy so it droops. This is probably because the pizza is thin crust. They should thicken the crust (but just a little bit).

Pizza Margarita (Php 220.00)

We also ordered the Father oops Monsignor James Salad. By the way, cute name! The story, according to what was written on the menu, is that the friend priest of the owners combined two of the priest's favorite on the menu at Brown Bag in Guam, pesto chicken and the mango salad. The priest is now a monsignor, that's why they had to change the name. This dish is served with a house made berry vinaigrette. EJ loved the sauce.

Father oops Monsignor James Salad (Php 295.00)
Make it vegan with Pesto Tofu (Php 250.00)

I didn't actually read this story until now in my camera but in the restaurant, when I first tried to analyze the dish, I wondered how such different tasting ingredients could not compete in taste. When I had my first mouthful, I was surprised that the different tastes did not clash. You should definitely try this dish. I saw why it was Father oops Monsignor James favorite salad.

Contact details:
The Healthy Kitchen
C 141 Serendra Place, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City
Tel. Nos.: 9006514 / 9006780

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Congratulations EJ + Ginger!

Manilareviews has been awfully quiet lately mainly because the family was super busy having a grand time at the Carnival-themed wedding of Manilareviews' own, EJ and Ginger!