F&B 911: Big Garden Resto's Bulgogi

This restaurant appears majestic from outside, giving away an idea that it is a spacious restaurant.

When you enter the restaurant, you will have a sudden feeling that you are inside a Chinese restaurant, but it's not Chinese, it's a Korean Restaurant. You know, with those sturdy furniture, old-fashioned fixtures and utensils.

One good thing that saved this restaurant for us, of course, was the food and the drinks! Boy, draft beer for only $3 per mug?! Yes, cold, frozen mug. Plastic though. Still, the draft beer is the best!

Order a bulgogi and you'll be surprised with the vegetable appetizers or accompaniments the wait staff will bring you. For us, it was like seven small bowls of appetizers that included kimchi (which I detest), dried small fish, bean sprouts, corn kernels, lettuce, etc.

Next the wait staff brought us a stove with an iron cast where she cooked the bulgogi right in front of us. I was wondering if I ordered right. All these lavishness cost me $9 for the bulgogi. I thought I ordered the platter but I did not. Now I wonder what the platter would be.

We ordered Mandu dumplings also and the wait staff brought at least 10 pieces of the dumplings for $9 too. It was a feast for two people. Bulgogi wrapped with the lettuce was the best. I didn't need rice with it. It was "delish and yammo" as Rachel Ray would say.

Piece of advice though, don't look up when you start devouring those luscious food. You'll lose your appetite with those old warped ceiling inside the restaurant. It makes the restaurant really look old and unkempt. Also, keep focused on the food. Don't look around. Just savor that gastronomic moments with the Korean food.

The restaurant, by the way, is located along Middle Road near the intersection in San Jose where Payless Shoesource is also located.

Photo and text: The Reveler

F&B 911: Hard Rock's Happy Hour

Yup. We've come up with food and beverage review just to let every one know, the fancy and not-so-fancy places where we can dine our hearts out though we are limited or very conscious of our spendings.

Our first stop is the Hard Rock Cafe in Garapan. It may sound exorbitant since we've known that Hard Rock Cafe anywhere in the world would cost so much. But we just recently discovered its Happy Hour from 4pm to 8pm daily.

Did you know that at least 10 of their cocktail drinks only cost $2.50 each glass during Happy Hour? The drinks included are:

Screw Driver
Pink Lemonade
Cape Cod
Tom Collins
John Collins
Salty Dog
Hawaiian Screw
Cuba Libre
Kamikaze
Red Eye

These drinks are superb and it's in a big glass too. Who wouldn't be awed by that?! Their food/appetizer is also discounted, but not half its regular price. We would suggest that you order their Tupelo Tenders regular price is around $13 per serving, but during Happy Hour it's only for $9.50 per serving. Big chicken tenders, eight pieces, and served with honey mustard and barbecue sauce. It's a feast for two people plus your $2.50 cocktail drink.

If you dine in on a Friday, acoustic singer Jerry Alcantara serenades diners. It was fun to see this local artist jamming with Japanese tourists. His Japanese is almost flawless.


Photo and Text: The Reveler