There are quite a lot of food blogs coming out nowadays. I myself read them to know about new places I could try out during the weekends, confirm how I feel about a certain restaurant or sometimes just to let time pass in an entertaining way. Food blogs usually speak of how awesome restaurants are, how certain dishes of this place are far better than their competition’s or how they would raise their “two thumbs” for this and that new discovery.

What I don’t like about such food blogs though is that they usually only talk about how gastronomically delightful restaurants’ dishes are. Are those blogs realistic? I doubt it. Are there really that many "good-blog-review" worthy restaurants here? It’s practically common knowledge that many (if not most) bloggers are getting paid in cash or in coupons to deliver good reviews for eateries. That’s terrible! Why are these bloggers even blogging!

Bloggers like these should instead try landing jobs in ad agencies where they can gain materially from their writing. Blogging shouldn’t be a business; it’s a medium through which people can respect and share opinions, not a way to get free meals for your friends and family.

I offer my blog as an alternative. Obviously, it’s not for money-making. No one would actually pay not to be on my blog, and besides, they wouldn't know who I am. I’ve chosen to keep this blog anonymous mainly because I think the harassment I’ll attract for writing negative stuff about certain restaurants won’t be worth it. So why write a blog like this at all?

One, I LOVE to eat! Over the years, I think I’ve developed a palate capable of distinguishing good food from bad. Two, I love to try new places. I like the fact that restaurant concepts from abroad are making their way here be it through international franchises or similar-themed eateries opening at the Fort, Greenbelt or wherever. Three, I hate it when restaurants serve subpar food at par prices, which is better known to me as a “highway robbery”. It really sucks to see profit-driven fake restaurateurs who are easily blinded by the fame and fortune of the business and forget the true key factors to opening a good restaurant: food, environment, service and cost.

Everyone in the food business should know that a good bang for their customer’s buck means more return customers, which in turn means more profit. Entrepreneurs who do not believe in this are, ironically, now my primary source of strength for writing this blog. Because of them, I’m now excited not only to be awed by a restaurant but also to be disappointed by it.

So I present to you Not Worth Eat: A guide on which restaurants NOT to try. Happy reading, and prepare to be de-appetized! Don't tell me I didn't warn you…

Friday, November 23, 2012

An Impostor of the Other: An NWE Special

Sizzlin' Pepper Steak and Pepper Lunch, here in Manila, have almost entirely the same restaurant concept. It’s not hard to assume that these two are just sides of the same coin, just like I did. But after getting to try both, I was convinced otherwise. I really enjoyed only one of these two. And the other? Not Worth Eat. Which one of them? Read to find out. 

I present to you my thoughts on these two restaurants and which of the two, I believe, is Not Worth Eat in my very first
NWE Versus Feature... Enjoy!




 
I had Sizzlin' Pepper Steak (SPS) at the Greenhills Promenade and Pepper Lunch (PL) in their Express branch at Robinson's Magnolia. I made it a point to eat at both restaurants’ fast food locations thinking that it was, for this feature, the truest test of their quality.
I ordered the most basic dish, which also happens to be my favorite, among a wide selection from both restaurants, the Beef Pepper Rice. 


Food
Just from the looks of the dishes, it seemed to me that SPS used very old meat compared to PL's which looked to be really fresh. I found SPS's version too salty and sour at the same time, and greatly lacked that beefy taste. Actually, they could have put any kind of meat there and I wouldn't have noticed. Though a guilty pleasure, I enjoy having a bit of fat on my meat and PL's had just the right amount that I wanted, while SPS's was too lean for flavor. PL’s version also had that good taste of the beef, which, with the right amount of their sauces, mixed together with  corn, spring onions, pepper and margarine, was just right on the money. For SPS, their sauce just made the dish even more unapalatable.

One point for Pepper Lunch! And cause you can't subtract a point from Sizzlin Pepper Steak's 0 score due to a poor performace, another point for Pepper Lunch!

Price
SPS's Beef Pepper Rice is worth Php215 with a generous amount of beef. PL sells it at Php 195 with the same amount of meat. Need I say more?

Another point for Pepper Lunch!




Service
It took me quite a while lining up at PL since quite a number were also having their orders taken, while in SPS, I didn’t have to wait since I was the only one in line. I'm not too sure though if that’s a good thing.

It’s also worth noting that the staff at SPS were ultra friendly, maybe because I was just the only one there, but I got to chat with all three of their staff around. With PL on the other hand, the cashier guy Ejhay, whom I saw use the same hand to get change and refill the straws in the container, was… uh… bitchy.

Sizzling Pepper Steak finally scores a point!
The Verdict
Already the pricier one, Sizzlin' Pepper Steak's Beef Pepper Rice even turns out to be the impostor of the more superior dish over at Pepper Lunch. Strangely, the combination of the same ingredients turned out to be a masterpiece for Pepper Lunch and a mere mockery for Sizzlin' Pepper Steak. 


So how NWE is Sizzlin' Pepper Steak? See below.
My Ratings:






Food:                            - It's weird to have a sour and salty taste in your beef; obviously it wasn't fresh anymore. 
                                                                              anymore.
Service:                                                      - Their crew were very nice.

 Ambiance:         -                                                 - No comment since I ate in their fast food outlet.

 Price:                              - Too pricey for the quality of their food.

 Overall:         -With Pepper Lunch almost everywhere, I will never eat at
                                                                              Sizzlin' Pepper Steak again!

Don't tell me I didn't warn you!


 
 
 
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14 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 26, 2012 at 12:51 AM

    Hello there! I also did eat at both places recently! I do agree that I prefer pepper lunch just because it is tastier! I heard they put a special kind of butter that makes the dish irresistible. #badfotheheart though! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Notworth EatNovember 26, 2012 at 8:43 PM

      The quality of Pepper Lunch is a whole lot better that Sizzlin' Pepper Steak's. To think, SPS is a bit more expensive than PL. I hope they improve, sayang naman because the concept is nice. And oh yeah, i love the margarine! makes it taste a lot better!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 26, 2012 at 3:27 AM

    Totally agree with you! SPS should close down their stores, no one eats there anyway...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Notworth EatNovember 26, 2012 at 8:45 PM

      I agree, never have i seen SPS at leat half full, well, maybe during they're opening. But they are no contest to PL! Have a nice day!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 26, 2012 at 9:27 PM

    The rice used is also a huge differentiator between the two. SPS was nice before, around when it started. Tokyo Cafe might even be better than SPS (comparing teppan style tabemono).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Notworth EatNovember 26, 2012 at 10:10 PM

      Yes, I agree. I think I have too much people on my side this entry around. :) Completely unrelated but a good reason why I love dining at Yabu is because, aside from the quality of the meat, the rice they use is top of the line. I just admire those kinds decisions management make.

      Delete
  4. Arlet VillanuevaNovember 27, 2012 at 5:43 AM

    I like Pepper lunch but idk since I've never tried SPS. I guess your warning made me want to try SPS more. Thanks for the heads up though!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 7, 2012 at 12:18 AM

    Bro, I think what you don't realize is that the same person/ company owns both branches. What the company did was that they brought in Pepper Lunch as a franchise from Japan, trained their crew there, then to avoid continually paying royalties, put up sizzling pepper steak.

    That being said, the quality of their food, being run by the same people, with obviously the same supplier, should be identical. Your bad experience with one, I think can be attributed more to circumstantial timing than actual difference in food quality.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 7, 2012 at 7:59 AM

      The Pancake House group runs Sizzlin' Pepper Steak, Jeroen Van Straten runs Pepper Lunch. Google it, sayang explanation mo, bro. Nagmamarunong pa e, mali naman pala pinagsasabi.

      Delete
    2. Notworth EatDecember 7, 2012 at 9:06 AM

      This is pretty funny.

      Delete
    3. UnknownDecember 12, 2012 at 6:51 AM

      And they Sy family owns both groups. Don't trust everything you read online (although this comment in itself would be hypocritical in that aspect).

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2013 at 8:57 PM

    Sizzling Pepper Steak Experience: I ordered Fish N Chips. Dori fish really tasted old and NOT WORTH IT!

    HIGHLIGHT: They served me a glass with dirt (parang natuyong lumot) underneath it. Okay lang kung sa labas lang ng glass (STILL NBOT RIGHT) pero worst and dumi sa loob ng glass which I only realized when I'm almost done sa coke na iniinom ko. I had LBM and vomit in their washroom then I was rushed to the hospital (Medical City) and was diagnosed with Acute Gastroentiritis. Their sanitary sucks at di na ko uulit dun. =(

    Evelyn

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mobile App DevelopersAugust 27, 2015 at 10:19 PM

    Blogging is the new poetry. I find it wonderful and amazing in many ways.

    ReplyDelete

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