Foodie Manila

Admittedly, it was my first time to actually try this resto. I’ve been seeing it around especially in GH and I was kind of hesitant to try it out. I was hesitant because I really didn’t know what it was all about nor have I actually seen ads telling me what it was. So when Alvin called me to a trial run of a new Pepper Steak Branch at the Annex of SM North I didn’t hesitate to say NO.

I quickly invited Judd to tug along to blog about the food as well. It was both our first time to try Pepper Steak and since it comes from the same company that brought us Teriyaki Boy we knew it would be good. (We both are Teriyaki Boy fanbois.)

And GOOD it was! They had the same concept of Zensho where you are given an order slip and you are tasked to write down all your orders along with the sauce and everything else. And when you are ready to order you flip this sign and that is when the waiter/waitress comes over to take the slip. (This solves the problem of taking to long to order as well the awkwardness I feel when they tend to hover or look impatient at me ordering! Props for thinking up this idea!)

Service was awesome. Especially at this particular branch. Everyone was easy to talk to and quick to respond to our queries. (especially for us noobs who didn’t know what we were ordering!) If I’m going to have Sizzling Pepper Steak again, it would definitely be at this branch. The team leader was quick to assist his fellow servers especially in refilling the iced tea (bottomless!) and clearing the plates off our table.

The price is pretty decent. It would run about the same as dining at Teriyaki Boy. It wasn’t fastfood per se, but the food indeed came out fast! It was a nice sit down meal.

Now unto the best part the food:

For starters, Judd ordered the Egg Drop Soup with Caesar’s Salad.

I on the other hand started with a basket of Calamares:

The Caesar’s salad was good. The only bad thing I can say about it was that there was TOO MUCH! Now that isn’t such a bad thing is it? (too much croutons, the chicken, so good!)

The Calamares were one of the best I’ve ever tasted. They were still warm when they came out. The squid was perfectly tender. (Meaning they were not overcooked or undercooked because they didn’t come out tough!)

We quickly gobbled up the appetizers so we could actually move on to the main course!

We quickly took note of our main course orders. I remained safe while Judd decided to take a stroll done the wild side.

Here were our orders:

ME:
Beef Pepper Steak Rice
Teppanyaki Steak

Judd:
Beef Pepper Steak Curry Rice w/ Diablo Sauce
Kebab with Diablo Sauce

And when we mean Diablo sauce you know it is already implied that its going to be HOT!

We barely finished our conversation about the entree, when the main course came out. I really like how they put these paper thing around the sizzling plate. It keeps from having bits and pieces splattering all over the table (which makes the table greasy!) as well as your clothes!

Judd was more adventurous. He went for it. He decided to train up for our Singapore trip. He ordered the Diablo sauce. Suffice to say it was hot. He kept saying how hot it was and how his mouth was on fire. But despite that, he kept putting it on his rice and kebab just because it was soo good. (According to him!) The beef was soft and well cooked. It was well seasoned as well. The taste was good. I enjoyed every bite of that meal. Given that the taste was already good coupled with awesome, awesome service I was one happy foodie.

It was a good meal! I really enjoyed. I’m happy to say I will be coming back soon! I am now a certified convert! I guess this whole experience just reminded me that trying out new things will lead to new experiences. Some may not be as big as going camping or on a road trip, but trying new restos certainly broadens one’s horizons.

We ate at Sizzling Pepper Steak at the 3rd floor SM North Annex.