The Snack Shack

There's this burger place at UP Diliman that I've been hearing about. So, when we stopped at UP for some merienda and fishballs, we decided to look for this burger place called SNACK SHACK.

It's just at the back of the UP Shopping Center, across the old tennis courts (which is now an overgrown grass field). They have 2 benches which seats a total of about 6 people, which mostly serves as a waiting area. Technically, it's a backyard business that's getting good feedback via word of mouth.

View from across the road

Up Close

The menu is pretty simple, you get a choice of a quarter pounder with cheese (P70) or a half-pounder with double cheese (P135). They offer a few add-ons ranging from P15 tp P20. Your burgers are grilled only upon ordering, so you're assured that your food is hot on the go.

Menu Board

I just ordered the quarter pounder, and boy was it good! :D  The basic order comes with tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard already. The meat was well seasoned and the bread was soft to the bite, but not soggy. It was definitely one good burger. 

Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Perfect way to cap off our UP food binge! Highly recommend that you try it out :)

The Burger Project

Was craving for burgers and found ourselves at The Burger Project along Maginhawa St. at UP Village. This is a create-your-own burger haven -- you choose your bread, patty, cheese, toppings, and sauce. If you're at a loss though, they do have suggested combos you can easily choose from, such as Western Bacon Melt, Bleu Buffalo, Italian Stallion, etc.

Burger Combos

Sauce & Ingredients

Interiors are quite interesting and the place has a laid-back atmosphere :)

Each person gets a burger checklist, where you tick off your choices. 

You have a choice of Angus Beef (P125), 100% Beef or Chori (P99), Chicken (P95), or Tofu (75). 

Bun options are Sesame Seed (free), Potato/ Oatmeal (P15) or Brioche (P20).

Then there's cheese: Bleu, Mozzarella, Gruyere, Cheddar, Garlic Cream Cheese, or Cheese Sauce (P35 each). 

Basic toppings are P20 each, Premium toppings are P25, and Sauce are P15 each.

Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Pickles go for free :)

Burger Checklist

I got a Chicken burger on Sesame bun, with Mozarella, Mushrooms, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. Rob got a basic Chicken on Sesame bun, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomoato, pickles, with Wasabi-Mayo sauce. Plus Onion Rings on the side and Pino Iced Tea.

These are real large onion rings for P65.

Mine! This costs about P180.

Rob's Burger costs P145.

The burgers were very good :)  And what I like about this place is that you can control your budget. For as low as P125, you get yourself a basic Angus Beef Burger on a Sesame Seed bun, with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, and basice Catsup, Mustard, and Mayo. That's not a bad deal at all!

Hash Brown Burger

I finally gave in and tried Jollibee's Hash Brown Burger. I've been hearing good feedback from friends and decided to give it a try. Main selling point of this new innov from Jollibee is that the hash browns are baked - definitely a big come on for healthy eaters. Let's just hope it really is baked :)

When you open the box, you see a cute (read: relatively small) burger. I didn't think I'd have any problems finishing it off. However, decided to split it with my husband. And good thing I did, since the burger was a bit dry - maybe a bit more ketchup and mustard could have done the trick.

Generally though, Jollibee pulls off this new innovation quite nicely. And if you have any doubts, I suggest you give it a try :)

Price is P64 a la carte or P80 with a regular drink :)

KFC Tower Burger

The "tallest burger" commercial got my attention. Plus, it didn't hurt that two of my fave things to eat - chicken & potatoes - are found in one burger! And so, we had the new KFC's Tower Burger delivered when we had the chance :)

The box was indeed huge, and the burger size didn't disappoint when you actually opened the box. The Tower Burger seems to be the tallest burger among the fast food chain burgers - a thick slab of chicken fillet, generous lettuce, cheese, mayo, and a hash brown. I had to press the burger so I could take a big bite and taste all the flavors. Being the chicken and potato aficionado that I am, I was instantly hooked :) It's like McDonald's McChicken with hash brown! If there was anything that could be improved, it would be to lessen the mayo a bit. However.. you'll definitely get your chicken burger fix with KFC's Tower Burger :)

Crave Burger

There's a new burger joint in town! When you pass by White Plains, you can easily spot the store signage of Crave Burger. I had been seeing the sign ever since the restaurant was being constructed, and finally on a Saturday night, I got to try out the retaurant.

Barely 3 months old, Crave Burger is another on-the-go burger restaurant, with TAKE OUTs as their main leverage point. However, several tables are set up outside and inside the restaurant to cater to the dine-in market.

Brightly lit both inside and outside, the restaurant offers the perfect laid back ambiance, suited for those who just want to grab a bite to eat at a nearby joint.

Food offerings are limited to Burgers (as of now). Crave Burger starts at P110, with the standard tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickles. If its Crave Burger with Cheese, its P130, Double Crave, P145; and Crave Burger Ultimate is P165 (2 patties, 2 cheese).

Of course, burger lovers are also given add-ons, or additional 'toppings for the Crave Burger, ranging from P20 to P35. Choices include Caramelized Onions, Fried Egg, Shitake Mushroom, Blue Cheese, Maple Bacon, etc. And who wouldnt want Fries or Onion Rings with that? To complete the menu, Wedges, Twister & Skinny Fries, and Onion Rings are also offered (P75 to P90).

American meals are never just about Burger and Fries, though. Milkshakes are also a must! Strawberry, Choco, and Vanilla Shakes at P90.

For my visit though, I tried the plain Crave Burger...I just wanted to first taste the regular patty with nothing on it before I made a verdict. I had their Regular Combo Meal (P165), which included a Crave Burger, Skinny Fries, and Blue Lemonade.

The first thing I noticed: serving size was a bit small and the Skinny fries wasn't skinny. The Blue Lemonade was OK, slightly too sour for my taste. The Burger wasn't well done, which I would have preferred. I didn't ask for it particularly though, so I'd know how they typically serve their meat. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything spectacular about how the burger tasted; in fact, it was kinda plain for my tast. Fries was also just OK.

Unfortunately also, their menu is a bit limited, and since I didn't think the burger was that great, there was no real incentive for me to order something else.

My say? In the end, Crave Burger was worth a try, but I don't think I've found anything that would match my craving for either a Hot Shots or a Wham Burger. Maybe another time.

ArmyNavy

I seldom eat at Yellow Cab when in Tagaytay, since the pizza place is available in Metro Manila anyway. But during our last Tagaytay trip, we chanced upon this interesting Burger + Burrito joint right beside Yellow Cab, named ARMYNAVY.

Everything is self service; food offering is limited to the following: burgers (P135 to P225), burritos (P135 to P155), tacos, and fried chicken. Of course, fries, onion rings, and milkshakes are also available, very American food choices. The order counter covering is made of ribbed galvanized steel which they call Quonset (pre-fabricated lightweight material used in building shelters during WWII).

True to its name, the place is certainly army-/navy-ish, with strictly wooden army tables, large open spaces, huge metal trash cans, and even a wood-enclosed sink. A lavatory in such orientation would have definitely completed the army ambiance :)

Our food came after about 15 minutes. We ordered the Breakfast Burrito, a regular Burger, and LiberTea. Since I'm really not fond of rice-filled burritos, we chose the Breakfast style one, packed with longganisa, hash brown, and egg -- definitely an oily, but super tasty treat! Just be careful on packing in those calories! :)

The regular Burger already comes with lettuce, tomatoes, condiments; but additional toppings may be ordered for P15 each (Cheese, Bacon, Sauteed Onions). Despite our plain order, the burger was already delectable, definitely a good choice for us too. We topped our food with LiberTea, supposedly home made iced tea, which tasted great also. :)

We definitely had a very sumptuous meal to keep us up and running for the drive back to Manila.

Food Tray

LiberTea, P55

regular Burger, P135



Breakfast Burrito, P135

ArmyNavy is certainly a different dining experience, worth a try on your next Tagaytay visit :)