When in Eastwood, Thou Shall Try Bone and Barrel

When Janese sent me a message in Facebook asking me if I wanted to hangout in Eastwood and try out Bone and Barrel I was quite hesitant at first because of (1) the unmerciful evil traffic and (2) it’s EASTWOOD and I’m from Valenzuela... Hello?! But because I have been so stressed with work, with my personal life (Hahahaha! Shit, may ganun?); I guess I needed this.

YES, let’s go!

I, still, will not deny the fact that Eastwood is such a drag to visit; but I do love the place and I wish I can move somewhere near it. When I arrived at Bone and Barrel (It’s not a hard place to find, don’t worry. It’s just in Eastwood walk or called something like that) I was the earliest bird of them all. Thanks to Jude and Chef Neil Manuel (one of the coolest chefs I’ve met who, finally, knows MY PART OF VALENZUELA. Normal urbanites don’t usually know my part of Valenzuela) for keeping me company while I wait for my fellow bloggers. I started with an iced tea while smoking downstairs and then Jude offered me to try their Frozen Margarita; and if you know me, I prefer my Margarita frozen!

Frozen Margaritas for us! :)

With a date or with friends? 

A good view at the 2nd floor Al Fresco area

When Janese arrived, we were lead to the 2^nd floor (still al fresco area) of Bone and Barrel, which is less freezing (yeah, you know how cold it is these past few weeks) and more quiet. So if you smoke and you have a date, go to the 2^nd floor Al Fresco part of Bone and Barrel and it’s perfect. Chef Neil oriented us with what we can expect from their dishes and, I must say, I’m impressed with how they planned everything. I mean, you go to Eastwood to drink... Yes? But before that, you need to fill in your tummy with food. It’s pretty stupid to go drinking with an empty stomach. So, go and grab dinner at Bone and Barrel. Afterwards, off to the alcohol! Ooops, no need to leave because aside from the local beers and common cocktails, they also have flavoured beers, which are totally awesome if you’re not into the whole “I love my beer bitter” movement. My favourite of them all is the Salted Caramel Beer (yes, and I recommend you go give it a try!). It’s not as sweet as the others but it has the right amount of flavour to kill the overly bitter taste of your beer but it still has a bit of a beer kick in it. Hard to explain, but you’ll thank me for recommending it. And once you’re a bit drunk, no need to look for a place to get your hot soup or bulalo because, man, they have different varieties of bulalo in this place. Crazy, I know; an all in one place.

Now let me tell you what I think of the food:

Mignon Skewers

Buffalo Wings

For the appetizers, we got to try the Mignon Skewers (one of my favourites!) and the Buffalo Wings. These two dishes were supposed to be spicy because (1) the Mignon Skewers has Jalapeno (yikes!) and (2) the Buffalo Wings are SUPPOSED TO BE SPICY! But I don’t eat spicy foods although there is a certain level I can tolerate that’s just enough to stimulate my appetite and, I must say, this is definitely it. In all honesty, this is the first Buffalo Wings dish I loved.

Roast Beef with Garlic Rice

Roast Beef with Kimchi Rice

Then, Chef Neil served us the Roast Beef dish where you can choose which rice you’d want to pair it with. You may go with the plain rice, garlic rice, Kimchy rice, bulalo rice or, even, mashed potato if you prefer that. And, again, we all know that Kimchy is supposed to be spicy but this one is more focused on the flavour and it perfectly fits the roast beef dish! So, next time I’m going here, I’m definitely ordering the Kimchi rice of all the other options.

The flavored Beers

Crispy Ulo

We were also served with beers! Again, the Salted Caramel Beer is my favourite but I forgot to take a picture. Sorry! The cucumber might be my second and it’s the green one in the picture. Other flavours are: Elder Flower Beer, Wildberry Beer, Raspberry Beer, Pomegranate Beer, Green Apple Beer, Strawberry Beer, Kiwi Beer and Watermelon Beer.

And what’s a beer without the traditional “pulutan?” You may go with the CRISPY ULO! OMG! High blood alert! High blood alert! But since my blood pressure’s pretty fine and during weekends I opt for the healthier foods, this will be fine! Beer and crispy ulo... What a treat, no?

After the beers, off to tasting their bulalo. They served us the Kansi Bulalo (Kansi is more known as an Ilocano dish); but next time I go there, I will go order the House Bulalo or their best seller, Carlito’s Sizzling Bulalo. The Bulalo Pho is interesting as well, which is more for those who likes it Vietnamese style.

With a happy tummy and some good chikahan moments with my fellow bloggers, my Friday night was, indeed, awesome! I’m definitely coming back to Bone & Barrel (thinking if with friends or with a date. Hahaha!) And if you haven’t been there, go give it a try and, again, try the Salted Caramel Beer ah!

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