Most of us look forward to Friday. It’s the end of a busy week and, at the same time, the start of a well-deserved weekend for all those who hustle and bustle at school or at work. It’s the ultimate day for relaxation and enjoyment. But, guess what, we don’t really need to wait for Friday just to have fun. With T.G.I. Friday’s infectious energy and with their excellent food and customer service, everyone would feel like it’s Friday every single day of the week!

T.G.I. Friday’s Maxim: “In here, it’s always Friday.”

After more than 15 years since setting up their first in 1994, T.G.I. Friday’s opens a new branch in Eastwood City, Libis. This is their 13th and now considered as their new flagship branch since it’s the location where the brand has decided to implement major changes in architectural and interior design.

It is the first free-standing Friday’s branch. All of the other branches, as we all have known, are located in major shopping malls around the Metro.

Facade of T.G.I. Friday’s Eastwood City in Libis

From outside, the facade looks bright and very inviting. They have replaced the old canopies and awnings with movie theater-like sheds, giving the place a more modern feel.

Almost everyone who comes to Friday’s has their own camera, and surely they wouldn’t be able to resist having their pictures taken with these life-size models of Superman; the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley; and the iconic, Marilyn Monroe.

Superman, My cam-whore sis, Mhel, with Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley.

Friday’s is known for having an “artistic clutter” of memorabilia from decades as early as the ‘30s. Now they have decided to move forward in time by including pieces from later decades like the ‘80s, ‘90s, and even from the new millennium.

A good restaurant values its customers’ opinions and suggestions. A way of showcasing this is when a certain dish makes a re-appearance on the menu due to popular demand from their avid patrons. And this is exactly what Flapjacks is doing now, by re-introducing four (4) of their signature dishes with “Back…Better…Best!”

You can start your meal by experiencing a nice play of textures and flavors with a plate of Mango Exotica. It’s a light but quite filling meal with a delightful mix of Romaine lettuce, sweet bites of California raisins, croutons, succulent grilled chicken slices, with almond slivers for that extra crunch, all tossed in a tangy and sweet mango vinaigrette.

Mango Exotica Lunch Php 195   |   Dinner Php 325

We can’t help but admire how Kentucky Fried Chicken or simply KFC remains at the top of their game in the fast-food industry. One key strategy to their success is innovation. People from KFC Philippines are not afraid to experiment. Every now and then they come out with their latest creations which are quick to become huge knockouts to KFC-fans nationwide. Remember that only a few months ago, we all went gaga over the California Maki Twisters and their Double-Down Burgers (also released in other countries), and now comes another surprise – the KFC Tower Burger.

KFC Tower Burger: Php 110.00 (Ala carte) or Php 140.00 (with Fries and Drinks)

The KFC Tower Burger, proudly standing at 2 1/2 inches tall, is layer after layer of So Good – an Original Recipe chicken fillet, blanketed by a layer of premium cheese, topped of with a crispy hash brown, dressed with lettuce and mayo,  and sandwiched by two halves of a sesame seed bun!

I really had a hard time finishing the burger by myself in one sitting, so just imagine my shock when I was challenged to devour the whole thing in under two minutes! My inner competitive self took the best of me, so I gladly accepted the challenge. Bring it on!

Here’s a recording of my attempt to demolish the tower:

The challenge is to completely finish the KFC Tower Burger in 2 minutes or less to get a chance of winning a trip for two to Singapore and witness the 2011 Formula 1 Night Race.

So do you think you can beat my record time of 1 minute and 47 seconds OR even make it before the timer hits 2 minutes? If yes, then what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a KFC Tower Burger and start demolishing!

How to Join:

1. Buy one KFC Tower Burger.
2. Take a video of yourself eating the Tower Burger in 2 minutes or less. For video to be considered valid or qualified, it must show:
   • That 1 Tower Burger is completely consumed within 2 minutes.
   • The video is not edited, cut, or spliced together.
3. Upload video on YouTube.
4. After the successful upload, get the YouTube URL of your video and enter it into the KFC Demolish the Tower Facebook App, together with your name, mailing address, email address, and mobile number.

Note: Deadline of uploading of videos is on September 16, 2011 (12 midnight).

Good luck! For more info, check KFC’s Facebook Page.

Burger King, one of my favorite burger joints, is having a promo ‘til the end of May – you get a free Whopper Jr. when you buy a Whopper Jr. meal with medium fries and 16 oz. medium drink.

Since Burger King offers more affordable prices, I’m expecting longer queues of people wanting to take advantage of this promo. But, since this will be until May 30th, I’m hoping people will just take their time.

Update: 07/10/2011 – Banchetto now operates from Tuesdays to Saturdays in 3 different locations. Please check the bottom of this post for the schedules.

After attending Magnolia’s Summer Bloggers party, we (my friend Badeth and her photo booth guys, my bro and I) headed over to Banchetto in Emerald Ave. in Ortigas.

Banchetto started out as a very popular late night food strip in Ortigas. They recently opened 2 more venues in Libis, Quezon City and at Pioneer in Mandaluyong City (more info at the bottom of the post).

Badeth and Kenneth at Banchetto

I’ve been reading a lot of raves about Banchetto and so I was pretty excited to check out all the food I can enjoy there. Oh, trust me, Banchetto is definitely any foodie’s heaven. You’ve got a lot of food choices. You can enjoy a full meal or something lighter if you’re on a diet. We even saw a stall selling food for vegetarians.

Okay, let the photos speak for me. Wipe off the drool after. Everything’s really mouth-watering!

I wanted to try the isaw since I haven’t had them for a very long time. But, I was a bit full after the buffet at the event we came from. Next time, I’ll make sure to not skip this.

My bro and I are coffee and pastry lovers. So, when we saw Good Farm’s booth in Banchetto-Emerald, we were so eager to try their products. We ordered their Coffee Brownies with Vanilla ice cream, priced at Php 35.00. The lady in black was the one who baked the brownies.

The brownies were really moist and chewy, just the way I like it. We were disappointed though ‘cause we were expecting a li’l more kick of coffee flavor. I guess we should’ve tried their Arabica Coffee brownies (Php 25).

If you work in Ortigas, Banchetto-Emerald is definitely a place you’d be frequenting a lot. You can save on your meal expenses because there are many food choices at very affordable prices. There are even packed meals you can buy, as pictured below.

What I also would love to come back for are all these grilled food at Banchetto. When I saw these huge squids being grilled, I felt my tummy grumble even when I know I’m still full. These are perfect for a quick late night drink with friends.

A few months ago, my brother Kien and I went out to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at Robinson’s Place in Manila. When we bought our tickets, we were left with just about an hour to order food we could bring in while we enjoy the movie. So, we decided on just ordering burger and fries.

I was getting desperate quickly deciding where to order that I almost ended up dragging him to McDonald’s. Good thing we saw Kido Manga Burger Cafe just around the corner, near the cinemas. Kien wanted to try something new so I agreed.

When we saw Kido Manga, I was a bit skeptical because there were no people dining at their burger joint. But, the photos on their menu got me interested. I wasn’t feeling adventurous at that time so I only chose items on their menu that I’m familiar with.

Kien wanted to try their Takoyaki, but we just didn’t have enough time to wait and eat it before heading out to the cinema. It’ll be a mess if we bring it inside so I said we’ll just save it for next time. Besides, we don’t know yet if we’d be satisfied with the taste of Kido Manga’s burgers.