My Top 5 Fave Budget Places to Eat At

One of the perks of living in the Metro is that there are plenty of options when it comes to food places. Om a budget? Fast food. Want to have snacks while chilling with friends? Go to a cafe. Feel like splurging? Dine at a restaurant. 

But presented with so many choices can also be a challenge. How do you decide where to eat? As a person who doesn't have an adventurous palate, I often have my go-to places where to order food from especially when I'm on a budget! 

Here are my top 5 faves: 

1. Jollibee

But of course right? Jollibee is very panlasang Pinoy. I've been eating at Jollibee since I was a kid. I even remember my parents buying me all the merchandise sold by Jollibee from the toys to the lunch box. It's a budget meal that always satisfies. To this day, my ultimate favorite meal from Jollibee is Champ. I will always eat this burger. Diet be damned!  

2. KFC 

Finger lickin' good KFC! When it comes to juicy chicken on a budget, I always go for KFC. This fast food joint has also been a go-to place since childhood when my parents would take me to the mall. There've been quite a few changes to their menu over the years like no more bread rolls! Still, I think their chicken remains the same in terms of taste and so it's often something I order for the family. 

3. Chowking

When it comes to budget Chinese food, my go-to is Chowking. Unlike KFC and Jollibee, I only got around to liking this place back in College. My introduction to this fast food joint was not a choice of mine. It just so happens that it was the only nearby fast food place in the area that was still open late that time when my Collegemates and I needed to eat. 

My first ever favorite thing on Chowking’s menu offering was Braised Beef. But that was phased out. Then came Yangchow Rice which I’ve loved pairing with their Stir Fry Kangkong. Unfortunately, Chowking has also phased out both. Why, Chowking? Why? I deserve a reasonable explanation. LOL! 

For those who've been missing Chowking's Braised Beef, check this video out on how to recreate this fave dish. 

4.  McDonald’s 

I didn’t like McDonald’s for the longest time. Mainly because I once ordered a Big Mac from them, my first time to try it, and I didn’t like it. I thought it was bland. It was nothing like the ad I saw which looked, well, delicious. But at a kiddie birthday party once, I was able to try their spaghetti and fries and the rest was history. 

To this day, those two are still my fave dishes to offer from McDonald’s. Though they’ve expanded their menu offerings and I’ve discovered a couple more dishes I like. Hello, McChicken Sandwich – one of my favorite comfort foods and chicken ala king. 

5. Burger King

Last, but not the least, on my list of fave budget places to eat at, Burger King. This quickly became a favorite of mine in high school. I had a friend who would always order a meal from Burger King to take to the movies with him and he was the one who introduced this fast food joint to me. During those days, I, too, would order from Burger King, a meal I can take to the movies with me. 

For the longest time, the only thing I eat at Burger King is their Mushroom Swiss Burger. Oh how I love its juicy patty, the melted cheese and the mushrooms! Their fries are a must order to go along with burger meals. I love the thick cut potatoes. 

What’s on the Menu?

While I’m always comforted by my favorite meals, there are times that even I feel like switching things up. Sometimes, that means exploring a new restaurant or simply a new dish from one of my go-to food joints. Of course, in order to decide, the question is always “What’s on the menu?”

Pre-days of Google, I recall we collected menu leaflets that are stacked on our fridge door with the delivery number of the restaurant. These days of course, everything’s a search away on the World Wide Web. Thinking of ordering from a new and unfamiliar restaurant? Google it for reviews! And then search again for the full menu since reviews only highlight the best sellers or specialty usually.

Speaking of finding a menu list online, check this source out. It has a list of fast food brands and smaller food companies that are available in the Philippines with their menu and price information. 

Whether you’re ordering for yourself or for a group of people, you can easily see what might appeal to your taste buds and your budget. 

Korean Cultural Center and Burgers Day

Just before the rainy season was officially declared, I was able to squeeze in a little adventure in the city. Since I recently learned about Korean Cultural Center, I invited my cousin to visit the place. She's got Korea on her travel bucket list so I knew she'd appreciate the place. 

Entrance to Korean Cultural Center 's new home is free (for now). We went on a weekday, just as it opened since we wanted to avoid the crowd. 

KCC is located at Bayani Road, Taguig. For those who have a car, yes, there's parking in the place but only a handful of vehicles can be accommodated and there is no other nearby parking.  We took a Grab to get there. Convenient. 

 

The wall art outside KCC is definitely an eye catcher. Definitely worth taking a photo of.  

About Korean Cultural Center

KCC is the official cultural arm of the Korean Embassy. If you're a fan of K-Pop or you binge watch K-drama series, you'll definitely appreciate the rich culture of Korea more by visiting KCC. It has a mini museum, a dance studio, classrooms to learn short courses at and a library.  

Activities to Do at KCC

Since it's still on its soft opening, there were only two floors open. The ground floor is the mini museum. This is really where you'll learn more about Korea's culture from food, language, clothes and so much more. 

Virtual Tryout of Hanbok 

The hanbok is the traditional Korean clothing. At KCC, you can try out various hanbok virtually. 

I actually had a hanbok made a few years ago when I attended our company Christmas party which had a United Nations theme. It was a beautiful costume but sadly, I didn't win best in costume then. Anyway... so these are our virtual looks. We look cute I may so! 

And you can save your virtual looks on your phone simply by scanning the QR code. 

Wrote Our Names in Hangul

Hangul or the Korean alphabet is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. 

And on the fifth floor, we checked out the Punghwa (Light of ASEAN) exhibit. 

We were able to get a clean shot because we were the only ones in there.😀

According to the brochure, this exhibit aimed to show the similarities of of Korea and the Philippines, one of which is both our fondness for the light culture, a symbol of hope and a practice of wishing into the shining light in the dark sky.

Speaking of wishing, after checking out Punghwa, don't forget to write your own wish on the postcards provided outside the exhibit area and drop it in the dropbox. Who knows? Your wish might just come true!   

This article is a helpful read on learning more about Korean Cultural Center.

In a Mood for Burgers 

  

After our visit to KCC, we went to BGC because my cousin wanted to try Shake Shack burgers. 

I tried out Shake Shack a few years ago when it had just opened in the same branch, BGC High Street with some friends. The place was packed then! I find Shake Shack expensive in all honesty. It's a good burger but not the kind I'd crave for. 

We also went to Makati after and ended up having dinner at 8Cuts in Greenbelt. Yes, burgers again!😆

Now this burger is my fave! It's juicy and at around Php300 more or less, I've already got a drink and fries. Even when I'm not craving for a burger, the mention of 8cuts is enough to get my mouth watering. 

Anyway, so that was one of my recent adventures in the city. Isn't it wonderful to know that there's always something to do in the Metro? 

Lakbay Museo: The Philippines' Culture Presented in an Instagrammable Way

Lakbay Museo opened at S Maison, Conrad Manila, Pasay a few months before the pandemic hit and we all had to go on lockdown and start quarantining. I've seen it a few times then when I pass by S Maison and have always wanted to visit. Finally, I found a willing companion to come with me, my cousin, Ricca. 

The photo above shows us by the entrance of Lakbay Museo. As explained to us, though not shown in the photo, there are three ways to enter the museum: through the jeepney, the airplane or the boat. Currently, the airplane which is the middle entrance, isn't available. But these three entrances are meant to represent the three ways one can explore the Philippines: by land, by sea and by air. 

We picked the jeepney over the boat. And how fitting of me as a traveler since I prefer land travels over airplane rides and boats. 

Lakbay Museo is an interactive museum where you can learn about the Philippines' culture while letting you touch and play with items in the museum and take your photo with them as well. 

Inside Lakbay Museo

Inihaw street food is popular among us Filipinos 

Baskets of dried fish. Considering the Philippiens is surrounded by bodies of water, it's no surprise fish is a highly consumed meal in the country. 

And of course, we've got the different meats sold in the market from pigs, beef and chicken. I personally love eating beef and dearly miss eating Nilagang Baka. Because of high prices of meat in the market, mom usually cooks Nilagang Baboy instead.  

Carinderia is also part of the Filipino culture. Although the photo is really more like a small grocery. Carinderia after all is defined as a small roadside restaurant that serves Filipino dishes that are lutong-bahay.

Another Filipino culture? The sari-sari store. Like the carinderia, it's also usually found in every street where you can buy various items from candies to chips, to soft drinks, noodles and canned goods. Some even sell stuff like plastic balloons and paper dolls. 

We've got a carinderia and a sari-sari store. Though when I was a kid, I remember going to another sari-sari store just a few houses away from where I live. They sold plastic balloons which I loved blowing up. 

A couple of Filipino indigenous people 

Bahay Kubo 

 And because the Philippines is dubbed as the Pearl of the Orient Sea, we also have canned sardines 

                

                 

                       

Various Filipino Foods

Something I love about the Filipino culture is the many delectable foods we have in the different regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. I think if you're a foodie, the experience of tasting the different Filipino dishes is heavenly idea.  

Camote cue and banana cue. Personally, I enjoy eating banana cue as a snack. It's ripe banana cooked with brown sugar. 

Lechon is also a much loved dish in the Philippines. Traditional Filipino celebrations often have lechon served during their gatherings such as weddings, Christmas, New Year and birthdays. I remember my birthday parties always had this. 

                

Various Filipino kakanin and various pansit. Some of my fave kakanin are sumang malagkit, maja and puto bungbong which usually can be bought around Ber months when Christmas is nearing. As for pancit, well, I've always loved pancit bihon and pancit lucban which we usually order from Buddy's.  

Final Thoughts

We definitely had a great time bonding at Lakbay Museo. I think this interactive museum is worth visiting for both kids and adults alike. And whether you're Filipino or you've got a foreign friend you'd like to introduce the Philippines to, this is a great place to start! There's so much you can learn just by exploring the place. 

If you want to visit Lakbay Museo, there's a great deal on Klook that's not to be missed: Lakbuy 1, Get 1 Free Ticket!   

BTS Themed Neighborhood Coffee Shop: Rkive Cafe

Boybands... A singing and dancing group act that makes all the girls swoon and scream in delight as they also willingly hand in their money to watch concerts and buy various merchandise in support and love for their favorite boys. I'm only too familiar with this as I was once a fan girl when American boyband, Backstreet Boys, were all the craze. Fast forward to today and the boyband is still taking the world by storm with BTS on the helm. Unless you're living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard of them and their songs. 

BTS is a K-Pop group from South Korea and the name is an acronym for the Korean phrase Bangtan Sonyeodan (Bullet Proof Boyscouts). They're a global phenomenon with fans from all over the globe referred to as Army or Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. According to what I read, the fandom name basically means they'll always be together with BTS. 

Meet my cousin, Mae. She's an ARMY. 

 

BTS Themed Coffee Shop 

The BTS fandom is so great that not only has so much merchandise been created on these cute Korean guys, it's even inspired coffee shops. One such coffee shop is Rkive Cafe, located in Bangkal, Makati. 

I first spotted this place because of its balcony and instantly got an inkling that it was either a restaurant or a coffee shop. Later on, when I shared this discovery with my cousin, Mae, she told me it was a coffee shop called Rkive. And not just another coffee shop! But a BTS themed one! 

I love checking out coffee shops. And because she's an Army, I knew my cousin was the right person to take with me to check out the place. 

It's a small place but it's popular among BTS Army. A reservation is required for those who want to dine in. If you want to visit this place, keep an eye out when they post about their reservation registration announcement on Rkive's Facebook page.    

A Look Inside Rkive Cafe 

As soon as you go inside the cafe, you'll be greeted by life size standees of BTS. 

For fans of these boys, it's a must to take a photo beside their favorite K-Pop group. I know my cousin couldn't get enough of having her photo taken beside them. 

Every corner you turn at Rkive is filled with BTS decor from artworks to photos of the boys to Tiny Tans. It's like looking at a fan girl's room actually! Reminds me of the days I used to have a room full of magazines, posters and photos of Backstreet Boys. 

 

You can even buy small BTS merch at Rkive. 

BTS Recommended Reads  

You know what's interesting about this BTS phenomenon? They've even made it to the booklovers community! Their leader, Namjoon, likes to read. So at Rkive, there are also a bunch of books on display available for your reading pleasure. 

Mae told me The Midnight Library in particular is a BTS recommended read. That book's in my to-be-read list too.

Don't feel like reading? And honestly why would you read when you'd most likely be busy fangirling over the decor? You can also skim through the BTS coffee table books available in the cafe. 

The Food at Rkive 

We visited in the afternoon so snacks were in order aside from drinks. 

We ordered cheese mandu (Php165) and potato pizza waffle (Php125). For drinks I had the white chocolate latte (Php110) while Mae had the Borahae (Php95).  

While both snacks taste good, we couldn't finish the cheese (pork) mandu. Umay after a while.  The potato pizza waffle, on the other hand, oh yummy! It's definitely my favorite of the two snacks we ordered. 

 

The Borahae drink is a butterfly pea tea based with passionfruit juice and jam. Mae enjoyed this sweet drink. 

Overall, it was a nice experience at Rkive Cafe. My cousin, an ARMY, definitely enjoyed it more with all the photos she took of her "bebes" as she lovingly calls these boys. Drop by Rkive Cafe and indulge your Army self. 

Rkive Cafe

Lucban Street

Bangkal, Makati City 

Open 12NN - 9PM (except Tuesday and Wednesday)