SM City Masinag Food Court First Ever Food Crawl

It is the weekend again and most of us if not at home is outside enjoying the day with friends and family. Of course having a food trip is not so far off the agenda. But how can you enjoy a big tasty meal if your budget is quite limited? Well that is why mall foodcourts are made for. But wait, I know what you are thinking. Foodcourts? Those small boring food stalls that don't offer varieties to choose from? Well that's kinda true... before.  But now worry no more, because Malls are starting to shake things up on their foodcourt lineups. With the sudden boom of food parks, Malls are acknowledging the challenge to offer variety of tasty food merchants. A week ago, we are given a chance to visit SM City Masinag to check out their latest lineup of food merchants. And boy they are really good to say the least.


Tropa-res
fb/twitter: @TroPares
ig: @troparesofficial

A food park veteran, Tropa-res opened their very first Mall stall in SM City Masinag. Tropa-res offers a variation of the all time favorite Pares. I'm not a big fan of the actual Pares because for me the serving is not enough to make me full. That is why before when I was eating Pares from Jonas, I always partnered it with Spring rolls and their signature wantons/siomai. But surprisingly, Tropa-res' Pares dishes are really good that I don't need any side dishes. The beef is tender and the rice is awesome. Though I still think the serving is too small for a big guy like me hahaha. Maybe I just need to order another serving or two.

Other than the signature Pares dish, they also have other dishes in the menu. For Tapsilog fanatics, they have a Tapsilog inspired variation of Pares. They used the same beef and rice but this time a fried egg compliments the whole order. Now if you want something a little bit upscale and elevated, they also serve a Pork Rib dish partnered with the same rice from the Pares. Love this Pork Rib, so soft and easily separates from the bone. Definitely heaven sent. And last but not the least, a very unexpected dish from a Pares place, a seafood Kare-kare. What's so special with this Kate-kare? Well for starters they didn't use peanut butter. They use fresh peanuts to make this delicious Kare-kare. Also you hardly need a bagoong to augment the taste. The dish is already tasty in itself.

Tropa-res, reignited my Love for Pares since we hardly have any good Pares stalls here in immediate vicinity. Thanks to them, I can enjoy it once again.

Chica's Chicharronia
fb: @Chicas-Chicharronia-151427341991130

This next food merchant is pretty straight forward. They want to kill you with happiness because their menu consists of some really good dishes, that is if you have the strong heart for it hahaha. Chika's serves one of the crispiest and savory Meat Dishes in town from Crispy Pata, Bagnet, Sisig, Chicharong Bulaklak and more. But hey, they have an option for those who don't eat meat. They also have crispy tokwa and fish variants.

If you love Crispy food, drop by Chika's and they will be more than happy to serve you.

InasaLaing
fb: @inasalaingofficial
ig: @inasalaing_official/

InasaLaing is basically serving Visayan dishes. But just like what is implied in the name, their frontliners are Chicken Inasal and Laing. This Inasal is quite closer to the Inasal I use to eat even before Mang Inasal's fame. Though I haven't taste authentic Inasal from Bacolod, I can say that InasaLaing's Chicken Inasal is decent enough to go head on with current famous Inasal Brands (Mang Inasal and Chiclen Deli). The Laing on the otherhand  is unique in my taste. I have tasted different recipes of Laing and this is definitely new. Definitely worth trying.

There are other dishes on their menu. If you are a Visayan dish lover, you can visit InasaLaing for more of their ginataan and spicy dishes.

Rye and Deans
www.ryeanddeans.com
fb: ryeanddeans
twitter: @ryeanddeans
instagram: @ryeanddeans

Who doesn't like Hotdogs and Gourmet sandwiches? Then you should try our next stop. Rye and Deans is a Hotdog and Sandwich food place inspired by the owners travels to New York. Rye and Deans serves gourmet quality sandwiches, hotdog buns, burgers, corndogs and baked goodies.

Menu may look simple at first glance but they assure their customer that they do their very best to serve high quality snacks. Don't worry, the food may taste authentically New York but the prices are so affordable and you won't be disappointed.  Corndogs are a knock out. They are not cheap, made in flour corndogs but real corndogs fried using a coating made of corn meal. Corndogs are also available on a smaller size they call Cornpuppies.

Chin's and Inihaw Express

This tandem is considered as the Veteran one among all the stands in this foodcourt. Known for serving chinese inspired menu and Pinoy Favorites respecrively, Chin's and Inihaw Express has stood the test of time and continous to serve their loyal customers everywhere.

From Grilled goodies such as Catfish and squid to heavy chao fan bowls  and noodles, Inihaw Express and Chin's will definitely continue to stand among newcomers in the business.

Mr. Kimbob
www.mrkimbob.com
fb/ig/twitter: @mrkimbobph

I first saw Mr. Kimbob in SM City Taytay but never got the chance to try it. Good thing Mr. Kimbob is also available now in SM City Masinag. I'm a Bibimbob virgin so I can't really say if it taste authentic. But one thing is for sure, it is an awesome experience. For somebody like me who likes recycling leftover rice at home and adding whatever is in the kitchen to make a fried rice, Bibimbob is not entirely far from what I always enjoy to eat -- flavored rice.

Bibimbob is basically the same. It is a mixed rice with vegies ang meat. But the difference is, it is essential that before the mixing, Bibimbob ingredients should be arranged on a certain artistic manner before you actually mix them. You start by adding a special sauce around the ingredients, then you burst the fried egg's yolk and then you finally mix everything. At first I thought the process is too daunting for hungry people like me but I'm surprised that it can really get a little therapeutic and fun mixing your Bibimbob. And the magic starts when you finally dig in the rice mixture. Definitely heaven!

Potato Corner
www.potatocorner.com
fb: @PotatoCorner/
ig/twitter: @potatocornerph

And to end that gastronomic marathon is to enjoy some carb overload with probably one of the simplest snack ever invented in the planet. Westerns and the rest of the world knows it as french fries but our English friends from United Kingdom and neighboring countries call them chips (not really sure why), but regardless of name, fries has been everybody's to-go snack because it is easy to prepare, compact or easy to carry. So you can enjoy munching regardless of what activity you are doing.

Potato Corner is known as one of those who successfully exploited the magic of fried potatoes as everybody's favorite snack. In fact it is slowly replacing popcorns in movie theaters. Who would not? I for one would prefer fries over popcorn anytime of the day.

And that folks is a glimpse of what SM City Masinag can offer for food warriors out there. So be sure to check them out next time you visit. For more infos about mall offerings, please like SM City Masinag in Facebook, or in twitter and instagram. Also follow my food adventures on Facebook and twitter. Thanks for dropping by my humble blog,, this is Joriben signing off, happy eating.