Thanks to the endorsement of my KTG Dad, Richie, I had another opportunity to guest on a national TV show, meet interesting people, and gain new experiences that I might not have otherwise had. We filmed a “food crawl” episode of Pop Talk last month in three restaurants that are within walking distance of one another along Lilac Street in the second district in Marikina. It will be airing this Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 8:00PM on GMA News TV so please mark your calendar and watch it. 😀
Hosted by Kuya Tonipet Gaba, “Pop Talk” features different trending restaurants, travel destinations, and innovative gadgets to audiences weekly. At the end of program, host and guests in the show decide and conclude whether the restaurant/destination/item reviewed is a “pop” or a “flop.”
Pop Talk GMA News TV Guesting: Lilac Street, Marikina Food Crawl
When food crawling, pacing is an absolute key and walking in between is always good. Adapting the two-bite strategy sounds most ideal, but when faced with food that look so good, it’s tempting to opt in and eat more to make the most out of the dining experience. 💡
Together with Kuya Tonipet (TV Host, GMA Network), Chef Mark E. Bernardino (CEO, Center for Asian Culinary Studies-Subic Bay and Owner of Organico Gourmet), and Ashley Ortega (Artist, GMA Network), I embarked upon the journey of adventurous eating where we sampled a total of 20+ dishes from three of the hottest restaurants now in Lilac Street.
People working behind the scenes were amazing. I saw how a team of program writer, researcher, camera men, make-up artist, host and guests collaborated and worked to make the show happen—rain or shine.
First stop: Miguel & Maria
Freshly modeled and boasting a stylish modern interior, Miguel and Maria has just joined the pioneering old restaurant favorites in Marikina last February 16, 2015 to create a much more vibrant food culture in the neighborhood. Dishing out an inspired mix of ultimate comfort food, this joint served us with hearty European cooking executed with precision and well-sourced ingredients.
with Ash and Miguel
Did their food specialties successfully appeal to our palates? With a price point of PhP 180-PhP 300 per dish, does this restaurant deserve a return visit soon?
Location Address: 89 Lilac Corner Panaroma Street, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City
Contact Numbers: (02) 4232624, +639989722456
Opening Hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 11AM to 2PM, 5PM to 10PM, Fri-Sat 11AM to 2PM, 5PM to 12MN
Second stop: Brad and Pit’s Ribshack
A sweet addition to the row of restaurants left and right along Lilac Street, this charming rib shack offers a delicious Latin American menu written on the wall behind the counter. Focusing on ribs, wings, sandwiches and inventive drinks, Brad and Pit’s Ribshack is festooned with design elements that preached immense impression of a funky and casual vibe.
Will this restaurant be able to inspire first-timers to become regulars? With food prices ranging from PhP 149 to PhP 335, is dining here deceivingly expensive or reasonable?
with Brad
with Chef Pit
Location Address: 116 Lilac Street, SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City
Contact Number: (02) 503 1656
Opening Hours: Mon-Thu 10AM-10PM, Fri-Sun 10AM-11PM
Third stop: Burrito Brothers
For four years now, Burrito Brothers has been churning out Mexican fare including tacos, burritos, flauta, quesadilla, nachos and wraps in Lilac Street. While filling food and tasty sides keep customers queuing at this al fresco setting, did we all agree that it’s an impressive place that’s worth checking out?
Burrito Brothers owner
Can Burrito Brothers possibly be at the forefront of the “burrito revolution”?
Location Address: 69 Lilac Street, SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City
Contact Number: (02) 5009637
Opening Hours: 11AM-11PM daily
Wrap Up: The Verdict
The dynamics of guesting as food/restaurant reviewers in Pop Talk included not just stuffing ourselves with enticing food and discovering what’s recommended and what’s not but also judging and describing them critically while in the spirit of a day-long binge on camera.
To deliver our verdict in terms of food tastes and quality, restaurant ambiance, and price for value after the Marikina food trip, we moved to Breakfast Brothers to reveal and explain our “POP or FLOP” votes individually. Which of the restaurants are a hit and which of them are a miss? My lips are sealed for now. 😛
UPDATE: Here’s the video uploaded on YouTube. 🙂
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
IDOL!!! Can you please do a fan sign for me.. something like “HI MR. JENG!” Haha!!! I will definitely try to watch your episode 😀 😀 😀 Cheers dear and have an awesome day
Hahaha! Thanks for your usual support, Jeng! Your comments never fail to make me smile. 🙂
How exciting would this experience be? You look so natural photographed! The food looks like fun and love how you highlighted is it deceivingly expensive or reasonable! I love the pop or flop philosophy and looks to be a place I’d like to dine too!
I thought it was just like any other food event I go to. Take a pic of the food, eat, and take mental notes. But then another extra step had to be injected. Describing food tastes in real time was a bit more pressuring! 🙂 Thanks, Joanne! 😉
Hi! Can’t wait for the verdict! Hope to see again soon! I’ll post this on our page, if you don’t mind. 🙂
-Brad, Brad and Pit’s Ribshack
Hi Brad! Sure, you may share this post. 🙂 See you next time. Thanks!
I love that show! Congratulations on being guested in that one. I personally like the ribshack. Truly, food does not lie; only people do. And the two-bite mentality is good, but I will have to ask for take-outs.
Thanks, Maurene! I love the quotes written on their chalkboard-wall. Brad, one of the owners, said that it’s inspired from a cocktail book. Oh yes, takeouts are great and you can also share the food with family back at home if you’re not with them during the food crawl. 🙂
The rib shack really intrigued me. Pretty curious to see how it fares to the ones I’ve tried in the past, here and abroad. 🙂 Thanks for the heads up on this, Roch!
You have to watch the show to know how makes their specialty different from other restaurants serving ribs! You’re welcome. 🙂
Let’s solve the case on Saturday in an hour so we can watch this one. I’m so proud of you for being such a celebrity now. You deserve it and I know you really work on your craft and gain credibility. These are also really good places to eat to.
Haha we can take our time on Saturday and just enjoy the game while we’re on it together. I asked my sister to record the show for me, so no worries. 😛 Thanks, Franc! See you!
That’s great Roch. So proud of you that your efforts are recognized with TV appearances now.
Thanks! 🙂 Woohoo!
I hope you also get to share the clip in the future for us to watch.
Wow this would be so beyond exciting! That show is really awesome too, how fun! If anyone deserves it – its for you sure! How cool. Brad and Pit’s is a fabulous name too – sounds like an awesome place to eat too, yum! That food looks incredible!
Thanks so much, Jeanine! The name of their restaurant truly rings a bell and it’s interesting that the owners are named Brad and Pit. I thought their friendship is meant to be! 🙂
That is truly unreal that you got so much exposure! Congrats on that. It sounds like you did a great job and it was well deserved.
Thanks, Dina. It was quite a challenge to speak in Filipino when describing food since I’m more used to using English to express how I feel. Haha. Swallowing the food fast so I could talk was also what I did for the most part. 😛
Oh wow, you will be on TV! What a wonderful experience it must have been. The three restaurants sound like great places to eat and all the food you featured looked delicious. I would love to try them all.
Yup, watch the episode this Saturday and you’ll know more about the food the restaurants offer and also how we rated them. 🙂 Enjoy!
I love doing restaurant hopping! All of this food looks amazing, and what an experience! Being on tv can be very hard to do and you look like a natural in all of these photos!
Thanks, Vera! I thought I didn’t look my “natural self” when I faced the mirror right after the makeup was done. I’m glad that it turned out nice and great for the camera and lighting. I’m excited to see how the scenes will go on the actual screen. 🙂
Great food and good times all while getting some well-deserved exposure? Sounds like you hit the jackpot! Congrats on the airtime and I can’t wait to see what you get up to next. Enjoy the grub and love!
Thanks for your usual support, Jaime Nicole! 🙂 I just got lucky and so blessed to have this golden opportunity. I took a vacation leave from work that day and it’s all worth it. It was a great experience that I’d cherish and remember for sure.
Wow! So happy for you girl! Maybe I should sell my soul to Richie so he would recommend me too hahahaha… Kidding! I’m going to watch it. Congrats, and also, you look so pretty! I will save my comment about the resto after I’ve seen this episode.
HAHAHA thanks for the support, Marge! 🙂
How fun is that, that, you will be on time! Yay for exposure! As always it looks like you had a great time surrounded by amazing food and friends!
Yeah, it seems like I’m best friends with good food, and this reminds me that I have to hit the gym and workout more regularly to maintain my figure haha. 🙂
I love watching their food crawl episodes! Can’t wait to know who got the Pop or Flop votes! ^_^
Yay! 🙂 It will be a great fun for the whole family to watch as you get to discover more new places to eat. 🙂
Wow going on a food crawl would be amazing, this is very cool! Looks like there were many delicious foods on the crawl, just looking at all that food is making me feel full!
Yeah, it was my first time in a long time to continuously go restaurant-hopping and try dishes and enjoy culinary samplings in different cuisines. 🙂
Waaa you’re so lucky! I always wanted to guest on Pop Talk since forever (hint hint lol)!!!! The food crawl looked so much fun
Hi Kaycee! I was so honored to be a guest on the show. I hope I looked comfortable and at ease, haha! Yup, maybe you’ll be invited one day, too. 🙂
Wow! celebrity na ang friend. Autograph naman. how did it feel to face the cam for the first time.
Haha it wasn’t my first time to face the camera but my first time to guest in Pop Talk. 🙂 I felt only a bit conscious about how I would talk when my mouth was full.
That’s good. Manhanap nga ang replay ng episode na ito.
Ipopost ko siguro later on. 🙂
Omg, you are blogger goals! <3 Can't wait to watch your episode. 😀
Thanks, Melissa! I’m excited to watch it, too. 🙂
Awww this is so cool! You definitely look great too in the pictures! I’m super shy and nervous around cameras so i don’t know if i’d ever do this (i turned down most requests for me to model a live demo/speak in events >.< so i don't think i would have to confidence to be filmed), but so proud of you! Do you eat only one bite of everything in food shows? I imagine you'd be super stuffed otherwise?
Thanks, Mindy! Haha nope, we ate more than a bite of those food. I felt so bloated that day and thought of going to the gym to burn all the calories immediately the next day. 😛 We were so stuffed.
Hey July 11 that is today already! I am not really Kapuso, but I will try to catch this. I probably won’t be able to try these restos though since Marikina is far from our place.
Yeah, that’s today! Learn about the restaurants and their offerings later and you might just come across Marikina one day and try those food yourself. 🙂
Can’t wait to watch it tonight. Wuhoo!
I hope you don’t mind if we post this in our wall.
Best Regards,
Miguel
Sure, thanks for sharing! 😀 See you next time!
Oohh!!! I hope I don’t miss the show!! Looks like all the food is so yummy!!!
Hope you can catch the replay if ever if you missed it this time. 😛
yup yummy foods, she really rocks. Congratulations girl…
Thanks, Buddy! 🙂
Sis, sorry I haven’t watch it, but I’m hoping for a replay about the show.
Need to hear your thoughts, etc about the food and the restaurants you’ve visited.
You are so blessed and more power. FBW is so proud of your success. Keep on blogging!
Thanks, Pal Raine! 🙂 I’ll share the video sometime later.
So proud of you, my friend. You have definitely come a long way. Is Hollywood next?
I wish I could have videobombed this episode. =p
Haha thanks, Aldous. This next story could be in the theme of “From Chinatown to Hollywood.” Who knows? 😛
aww ive missed the episode, they upload their episodes sa YT din dba, will wait for that na lang 🙂
Yeah, I’ll share it once uploaded. 🙂
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