Big Better Burgers

I do not know much about this shop apart from the fact that I’ve heard that it’s a local burger shop. I was piqued by the decor of the restaurant as it looks very red inside so I invited my sister to try out the food they’re serving here.

    
AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

For a restaurant, I felt that the space was too small but the cleanliness of the store made up for this shortcoming. The interior, I should say, is quite modern with a lot of areas painted in red and though it’s far from fancy, it was at least decent and cozy.

The lights flooding through the walls give the place a bar-like appearance and I guess this kind of lighting would look good at night. Too bad, we went there on a very hot afternoon. 

There were pictures of their menu items posted on the wall and at the time we went there, they were playing Guy Sebastian’s live performance of “Angels Brought Me Here”. I felt the need to say that as I think the choice of music they are playing in the restaurant was very good (at least for me).

FOOD AND DRINKS

Overall, the food was fairly satisfactory. At first, I ordered a BBB 1/3 pounder and my sister had the Mushroom Loco which, at that time, comes with free iced tea and chips as they have this “Freebie Storm” promo for some premium burgers. Then, because we were still hungry, we ordered some fries and dips and a plate of pesto.

BBB One-Third Pounder with Cheese (P 125.00)

This burger is slightly bigger than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder (Duh! That’s why it’s called one-third pounder, silly). What’s really good is that it comes in a fairly affordable price but it definitely is more delicious than any of the fast-food burgers I’ve tasted.

The meat was definitely the best part of the burger. It was juicy and it has a distinct flavor that is quite close to Burger King’s burgers but is a lot better by miles. The vegetables were also fresh and the dressing they used was just right for the burger. Plus, the bread was so soft, I wanted to buy a whole pack of buns!

Mushroom Loco (P 152.00)

Because of the “Freebie Storm” promo, some premium burgers such as the Mushroom Loco come with a serving of chips and a small glass of iced tea.

What I’ve noticed is that there was no slice of cheese in the burger and it was instead substituted by what they call “quezoloco”, which, to me, is like a processed cheese spread. Nevertheless, it was so good, I wanted to come back to the store again the next day just to grab another one of these. It was so delicious.

The chips tasted like potato ridges but it’s a hotter and fresher version of it. I didn’t expect much from it anyway as it comes for free. I just felt though that the chips tasted a little too salty for me.

Iced Tea (P 35.00)

I’ve always thought that the affordability of the food in a certain restaurant is always directly proportional to the price of their iced tea. Hence, I think the price range of the food here in Big Better Burgers is probably average since the Iced Tea costs P 35.00 as opposed to other restaurants, which are charging P 60.00 for a glass. The iced tea though was very ordinary.

Skin On Fries (P 50.00)

These fries weren’t cheap. Although this side dish looked much like the potato wedges from Burgoo with the skin on and everything, this one’s more expensive by a peso. For the price, I think Burgoo’s wedges are a lot better than this one. What’s good though is that it was served so fresh and hot, it burned my tongue.

Dips (P 20.00)

You can buy dips for your fries for P 20 each and I and my sister chose to have their salsa and the quezoloco (obviously because we enjoyed the quezoloco on the Mushroom Loco burger).

However, the salsa was a disappointment. It was so bland and generic and if it gets combined with the quezoloco, I think it would taste much like cheese pimiento. I have tasted better salsa from other restaurants like Bigby’s in Megamall. I almost didn’t touch this one.

I guess the quezoloco is better when it’s mixed with the burger and not served as a dip for the fries. This one’s too salty for me and cheez whiz was a lot better imho. I didn’t enjoy this much but it tasted better than the salsa.

BBB Meatballs in Pesto Sauce Pasta (P 99.00)

This is a very affordable pesto dish with two meatballs (same as the ones they use in their burgers). It was good and all but I felt as if the pasta was too dry. They could’ve added some more sauce or olive oil to make the dish more appetizing. Nonetheless, the meatballs saved this entire dish.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

I was pretty satisfied with the service we received from Big Better Burgers. I didn’t have to line up to order as they took the order ala carte (which is far from my expectations). However, I thought that the food got served a little slower than expected.

What’s really funny is that one of the waiters was so clumsy, he accidentally spilled the chips onto the table. I had to take a photo of that! Anyway, after that event, he cleaned the table up quickly and replaced the chips with new ones so I did not really complain about it. Overall, I was still pretty happy with the service.

VALUE FOR MONEY

I guess the price of the food was really reasonable. The only expensive food here is the fries but other than that, I guess it’s even cheaper to eat here than in Wendy’s considering the size and flavor of the burgers here. 

My sister and I had to only shell out around P 500 for everything we ordered, which is a lot cheaper than eating in Burgoo’s.

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 3/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 3.75/5


Big Better Burgers 
(02) 709-3021
SM Cubao, Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Metro Manila


UPDATE: This branch is already closed. =(

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Abe: Where Good Friends dine

Abe is a part of the LJC chain of restaurants and, according to the company website of LJC, this place primarily serves traditional Filipino food, which is mainly Kapampangan in origin (I’m not too sure though).

 

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

I did like Abe’s interiors, except for some minor things, which I think are not really going to drag down the overall appeal of the place.



What’s noticeable is that the design of the restaurant is very modern although it still has some details that are uniquely Filipino. From how I saw it, the tables are made of hardwood (probably Narra or Yakal) and the chairs had backrests made of woven Banig.



I adore the chandeliers too! They’re really unique and they give the whole place an elegant air. Also, the windows and sliding doors are made of tinted Capiz framed in varnished wood, giving the place a uniquely Filipino look.



Anyway, one of the things I didn’t like about the restaurant is that it can get too crowded inside, especially during the peak hours. I went to Abe with a friend. The place was almost empty when we got there. However, as soon as the clock ticked 6:00 PM, people started flocking inside the restaurant and I thought that, since then, the place had become extremely noisy.

FOOD AND DRINKS

The food in Abe restaurant is probably one of its stronger points. They serve various Filipino dishes, which I find appetizing, and the food is served hot and fresh.



Calamares in su Tinta (P 210.00)

For the appetizer, we opted to try out the Calameres in su Tinta. It was supposed to be like the Adobong Pusit with the dark (almost black) sauce from the ink bags of the squid but we preferred to have them deep-fried instead with a crispy coating like how it’s done in the streets of Morayta, Manila (aka Hepa Lane).

This was a really delicious treat, which was served hot, but I think there’s nothing special about it. The sweet and sour sauce was nice too but definitely pales in comparison with the vinegar-based sauce the sidewalk vendors usually pour over the Calamares sold on the streets.



Pastel de Lengua (P 330.00)

Lengua (ox tongue) is a popular dish in the Philippines but I have never really tasted Pastel de Lengua before. I have only tried several other variants of Lengua, which do not have the baked crust on top, so I really was excited to try this out.

 

I should say that this dish was quite satisfactory and was well put together.The Lengua was so tender and well-cooked and there wasn’t even a tinge of offensive flavor in the meat.

Overall, it was a satisfactory dish but I think the serving was too small to be shared by two or three people. If I were to dine in Abe and order just this and a cup of rice, I’d probably end up still hungry after the meal. .



Lechon Cubano (P 420.00)

This one’s the star of the night. The meat of the pork was very juicy and so tender it slips right off the bone. The skin was perfectly roasted and had that distinct crispiness I always look for whenever I eat Lechon. The sauce though was too ordinary for such a wonderful dish but the flavor of the Lechon made up for the blandness of the sauce.

A piece of advice though: finish it as soon as it is served as, after a few minutes, the skin can become too rubbery and the meat cold and chewy.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

I would say that the service in Abe was not really that satisfactory. When we ate here, there were plenty of people dining and there were only a few waiters, who were mostly preoccupied with other customers. We often felt ignored, especially during those times when we asked for water or a refill of our rice (plain rice is refillable, by the way).



On a lighter note, the food was served on time. The waiters were also very polite and attentive to our orders. In fact, one of the waiters even suggested that our Calamares be converted to the fried version, which made us really happy as we didn’t want to try out the one with the squid’s ink on it.

VALUE FOR MONEY

I think the food in Abe is just a bit too expensive considering the serving size. Most of the food here are also ordinary and are somewhat not commensurate with the price they charge for them. There are plenty of other Filipino restaurants out there that serve more delicious food for a cheaper cost.

FINAL SCORES


Ambiance - 4/5 

Food - 4/5

Service - 3/5 

Value - 3/5

TOTAL - 3.5/5






Abe Restaurant
(02) 901-5692
3/F Trinoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Ave.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

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