Who: It’s run by the Standard Hospitality Group of Yabu and Ippudo fame
What: An American BBQ restaurant, franchised from New York (same name)
When: Mall Hours (all day long) from 10 am to 10 pm
Where: 3rd Floor SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City
How: You make orders at the counter, where your food will be prepared in front of you. You pay at the register and then you go find a table. Service is excellent. Staff are knowledgeable about the food and are ready to make suggestions if you need them. Most of the time, they even offer to help bring your food to the table.
Most interesting dishes I liked:
Brontosaurus Ribs – They only sell limited servings a day (I think the number is 14) and once you see the size you will understand why. Each “single” serving is actually one and half full links of beef short rib, so tender that they literally pull the bone out without resistance. Nice smoke flavor too. For those that love beef above all other meats, this is the beefiest in flavor. Enjoy this and you will come to understand that Fred Flintstone was a genius.
Brisket – This is definitely what the place is most known for. Slow smoked for over 14 hours, it’s tender and super juicy and you can literally cut the meat with just a fork. Ask for it unadorned, so you can control the amount of sauce you put on it and ask for a sprinkle of sea salt. It comes with coleslaw and pickles and all of them are great complements that can cut through the richness of the meat. It’s served with either rice or roll too.
Burnt Ends Baked Beans – I need good sides when I have barbecue and these beans are great. The addition of burnt ends and other trimmings from the brisket give the beans anice meaty flavor. Beans are not overcooked and not too sweet. Other sides are awesome too. Potato Salad and the Brocolli come to mind.
Bread Pudding – Listen, by the end of the meal, it’d be hard to make room for dessert, but I make room for this one. Just the right cook on the bread, sweet but flavorful, it was worth the calories which I will not exercise off because, well, I hardly exercise.
Why: It’s a great slow-smoked American style BBQ in a mall setting so that’s already a plus. Meats are all done well and the sides are great too. Service is friendly and efficient and place is always clean. Going in groups of 3 or 4 will allow you to try more things and believe me, you’ll want to try more things!
Deets: I visited the place 4 separate times, once during the pre open stress test (where I did not pay for the food), twice alone where I paid for everything. I also visited the place to do a feature for my upcoming web show, so I got to try some items for free. I am also friends with one of the managing partners.
