Ever recall that table full of glistening, golden breakfast goodies in one of those American shows you watched on TV or online? Pancakes stacked a mile high or steaming eggs and bacon smiling up from a plate? Or maybe you’ve come by an episode where the protagonist is gorging down on an authentic slow-cooked beef burrito, or a crunchy taco shell where juicy pork, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos are tumbling free.
Whatever food you see on TV may not all be realistic, but Hollywood has done well in portraying Western cuisine as a mix of traditional European influences set ablaze by South American spices. Like the US itself, its cuisine is a steaming hotpot of culture.Festival Mall’s new Expansion Wing and River Park has become a prime food destination to cater to all your Western food cravings. Here are six restaurants that should satisfy hunger US or Mexican food. Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa, is a Filinvest Lifemall, where the city’s heart beats.
Fiery Style Southwestern Flaming Grill is for the casual diners who crave hot Mexican food, represented by a wide selection such as tacos, nachos and burritos. Tacos and Chimichangas may come with marinated shrimps, jalapenos grilled to perfection, lime chicken with a clean zing that cuts through the meat, juicy pulled pork or barbecued beef brisket. Tortillas and fajitas are fantastic for a quick snack. Go to the upper ground floor of the Expansion Wing for a muy caliente food experience at Fiery Style.
NY Avenue Café. It’s time to kick back, pull out a magazine from NY Avenue Café’s shelf and order your favorite coffee drink for a quick pick-me-up or heavy snack when you get the munchies after your lunch break. Classic New York is brought to life before you with their special recipe American style burger and crispy hot fries, spaghetti with meatballs, or pizzas that come as a meat lover’s dream, green for those trying to cut down on carbs, or white for those interested in a new twist. NY Avenue Café sits at the lower ground floor of the new expansion wing.
The Morning After offers breakfast from all over the world, topped by the big American breakfast — proteins in the form of bacon and eggs, carbohydrates in pancakes and waffles— but the magic that elevates a standard American breakfast into a fine dish is the creativity that goes with its preparation.
At The Morning After, a restaurant marketed as the go-to comfort place after a rough night out, breakfast comes in the form of Uncle Joe’s Big Breakfast. It’s a whopper dish with a 250-gram T-bone steak, served with bacon rashers, country sausage, rösti potatoes, two pancakes, and an egg cooked to your liking. If that doesn’t get rid of that hangover, we don’t know what will. The Morning After is at the upper ground floor of the new Expansion Wing.
The Pancake House (since 1974) caters to the sugary taste of Filipinos while at the same time staying traditional. Pancakes can go classic or with walnuts, cheesy or drizzled with caramel or chocolate sauce. Their signature Bacon Waffle contains caramelized bits of crunchy bacon with each bite. Healthier options also come with fruits such as banana or blueberry pancakes. The Pancake House is located at the Water Garden area of the new expansion wing.
Yellow Cab Pizza Co. People are no stranger to the delight that Yellow Cab Pizza Co. delivers right to your door. New York’s Finest, a toss-up of meats and veggies, is for the family just as the rest of the pizzas in the menu are, and Manhattan Meatlovers will be thrilled from the assortment of pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage and ground beef. #4 Cheese will make you spout the cheesiest lines while you chew, while the Garden Special is reserved for those vegetarians who still enjoy eating pizza. Yellow Cab is the Water Garden area.
Gringo. Settle in with your amigos and amigas or your familia in this cozy, almost nostalgic Latin American food place called Gringo, a restaurant that captures the essence of Hispanic cuisine thriving within a Euro-influenced America. It caters to big order sizes and hefty meals perfectly attuned to the South-American palate.
Chili con carne fries or a cheesy nacho grande starts you off the food ride and heats your body up for the big guns. Your mouth will then water once you see their Gringo original chicken, with its steaming caramelized exterior and moist, tender meat, or their famous baby back ribs, golden brown and packed with smoky flavor. Once you’ve had your fill with those (along with the many sides they come in such as corn, three varieties of rice, mashed potatoes, among others), you can cleanse your palate with their queso sorbets (cheese ice cream) or mango cream sticky rice. Gringo is located at the 2nd floor of the new expansion wing of Festival Mall.
Festival Mall is a premier development in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. It is the only mall with five anchor stores: Shopwise Supercenter, SaveMore, Robinsons Department Store, Ace Hardware and Handyman. It has over 700 shops, almost 4,000 parking slots, various food outlets, and indoor amusement rides. The community’s needs and passions find balance at Filinvest Lifemalls, where the city’s heart beats.