#issaeats; Bullchef: The Bulalo Chef @ Kapitolyo

It's been a month since I blogged oh wow! I'm sorry, I'm just such a lazy bum during the holidays.

I hope you guys had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, by the way! How'd you spend it? I had the best time with my family (and my gifts tihi) and am currently carrying a food baby as we speak.

This 2015, I've loads of things and places to visit added to my bucket list, and my new year's resolution is to not only have a loving and healthy relationship (with my accounting book!), but also to actually start moving and exploring what Metro Manila's got to offer. Funny that this has been my hometown since... forever, but I never really got the chance (or motivation) to actually get out of my comfort zone and try new things.

So after a meetup in Cubao (goodbye to my trusty 'ol Nikon D40 by the way!) and a good run in the gym (need to keep my other new year's resolutions, too!), my dad, sister and I decided to look for a great place to eat for dinner. We drove around Kapitolyo for half an hour before we discovered Bullchef.

Issa's "I'M SO RELAXED RN BUT VERY HAPPY; MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY FRICKIN NEW YEAR" face while enjoyin' a cuppa!

Half an hour of driving and groaning about where to eat was really worth it! Bullchef isn't easy to find, but was packed with people when we went in. That being said, I can describe it as a small place with a "homey" ambiance (aka it isn't decorated like a posh restaurant but it isn't as hot or messy like your local carninderia). Luckily, they've got more tables upstairs.

Apparently, a lot of actors, athletes and the like have already beaten us to it! I spied photos and signatures by Alex Gonzaga, Enrique Gil, along with Gretchen Ho!

The design of the walls are just too cute. It reminded me of my old bedroom wall, where my sister and I (along with our friends!) vandalized our walls with markers and crayons. But instead of silly sayings, Bullchef's walls are filled with praises, reviews and photos of previous customers. It gave an "indie-hipster" type of vibe.









Upon checking the menu, we ended up laughing over their dishes' names, more so than actually deciding what to eat. I almost never see menus with tapas called "Tapa Don't Preach", or "Talong And Winding Road". As someone who's in a love-hate relationship with puns, Bullchef definitely has a plus one for their menu alone.

Sorry for the low quality, filter-induced photos. I might be camera-deprived for a week!

If you're planning to go here, prepare to wait for at least 15 minutes for your order. And also be prepared to make yummy noises when the food arrives. I ordered the "Burger, Habang May Gulay" (99 PHP), my sister the "Pork-a-bull" (165 PHP) plus iced tea (25 PHP), and my dad the "TAPAng TAPAngan" (139 PHP). We also ordered "SISIG na, may NACHO pa!" (165 PHP) (I'm still laughing over this why). In fairness, what they've got to offer is pretty affordable! Most of their meals don't exceed over 150 PHP, while some range from 160-190 PHP.

Before they served our food, they gave us bulalo soup which came with our meals. I'm not a fan of bulalo and rarely eat (or drink?) it, so I'm not exactly sure what it should taste like. In my opinion, it tasted fine. Makes me want to try their bulalo next time!

Odd that I didn't take a photo of what I ordered (Though I remembered I did hmm...). But anyway, the veggie burgers tasted great with the Caesar dressing. Tastes almost like what my grandma makes, but equally delicious! But it's a bit soggy, while my grandma's is a bit more crunchy but still "soft". Or it's supposed to be like that? Not sure, but still filling and tastes great!

My sister's pork tenderloin seemed filling and delicious, though I only got like half a bite (we will never share food!). It was well cooked and tasted great! The red iced tea was similar to Tokyo Tokyo's, so not much wow factor there.

Papa's tapa tasted fine, though I feel like it just tasted like... regular tapa. It isn't something spectacular or different, but still pretty good all the same.

I have never heard of nachos mixed with sisig. If you've never heard of it either, I beg you to acquaint yourself with it in Bullchef. Mixed with sisig, cheese, onions, lettuce, carrots (CARROTS!) and ranch dressing, these nachos are just. so. yum. It's big enough for three people and taste delicious! And this is coming from someone who doesn't really like the taste of nachos (I would rather get a taco if I was planning on getting nachos). Definitely ordering this again the next time I visit.







Verdict:
Place: 8/10! It isn't your typical posh restaurant, but the design was cute. A bit cramped, though.
Food: 8.5/10! But this is just coming from the four dishes we tasted. Maybe a few more visits and I can make a final verdict... Price and size wise, I'd give it a 9.
Service: 9/10! They were very nice even if we seemed a bit annoying laughing over the menu, with my sister dropping things and us calling them twice (we were upstairs, mind you).
All in all: 8.5/10! I'm definitely going back here again, and this time ordering the bulalo!

The Bullchef: The Bulalo Chef
Address: Kapitolyo #4 East Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bullchefthebulalochef

And that's the first of my 2015 explorations. Very much excited to see what's in store this week (or the next!). Planning to get a cork board to fill up all my goals/bucket list/new year's resolutions and all that, just to keep up! See you next week! Stay tuned. ;-)