Delivery Snippets: North Park x The Ugly Pizza x House of Birria

NORTH PARK

With decades of experience in making Chinese food accessible to Filipinos, it’s no surprise that a lot of us have sought comfort from some of its signature classi dishes. A personal favorite is the indulgent Lechon Macau over Fried Rice; while the rest of my family still gets excited over its Toast Special Noodles, even after having it for dozens of times.

FRESH PRAWN DUMPLINGS ON HONGKONG NOODLES (P338) + CHRYSANTHEMUM JUICE (P65)

Usually, we pair our Toast Special Noodles with a side order of their Fried Prawn Dumplings. I love how each piece consistently comes with sizeable pieces of prawn that you can bite into; and always comes perfectly fried. Honestly, we never experienced a bad batch of these!

Thus, while browsing though its menu for one office lunch, it was a pleasant surprise to see that they actually pair their prawn dumplings with noodles. I opted for the steamed version (to be a little healthier) and paired it with some Hongkong noodles (Flat Shanghai noodles is another noodle option). A little chili garlic is all you need to complete this delicious bowl of noodles. I do love how they still thoughtfully served it with a complimentary bowl of clear soup, even if was via Grabfood delivery! Balance off the umami flavor with a glass of its refreshingly sweet chrysanthemum juice!

North Park

Date of Delivery: July 1, 2021 via Grabfood

THE UGLY PIZZA

I’ve been finding an excuse to try out The Ugly Pizza for some time already. The tricky part was that since it’s situated in Rizal – it just delivers within Rizal and to Pasig City, so having it delivered to my office in Pasig City + sending it over home in Quezon City will definitely force me to reheat the pizza upon arrival - as I wanted to taste it in its freshest possible state, this was definitely cause for some hesitation.

CINQUE FORMAGGI + THE UGLY PEPPE (P599)

Ever since I’ve heard of its regular BOGO bundle (where all pizzas will entitle you to a free pizza of your choice: Bianca Basilico, Ugly Peppe, or Margherita), and the fact that it’s a brick oven pizzeria that doesn’t skimp on toppings, I simply couldn’t get it off my mind. (Massive thanks for the recommendation, Lej!)

SPINACH BACON FORMAGGIO + THE UGLY PEPPE (P599)

Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself when our company hit a sales milestone last June; thus, I quickly proposed to hold a pizza party to celebrate this!

HONEY ALL MEAT + THE UGLY PEPPE (P599)

In the end, I decided to order the Cinque Formaggi, the Spinach Bacon Formaggio and the Honey All Meat. For our ‘get-one’ pizzas, I opted to get The Ugly Peppe (The Ugly Pizza’s take on pepperoni). Even if I had the liberty of getting multiple pizzas, it was still difficult narrowing down my choices. There were simply too many interesting flavors to choose from!

THE UGLY PEPPE

All pizzas were served with the pizzeria’s chili honey; which was almost perfect to pair with our choices but unfortunately, it was desperately lacking in the heat department. I treated myself to three slices – The Ugly Peppe, the Cinque Formaggi and the Spinach Bacon Formaggio -all came branded with their beautifully ugly charred crusts.

The Ugly Peppe made an already value-for-money BOGO bundle even more worth it as it easily beats out pepperoni pizzas offered by most famous chains in the Metro! It’s may not be as ‘loaded’ as others’ pepperoni pizzas but the quality and combination of ingredients used would easily win anyone over. The Cinque Formaggi was a gift from the heavens as each bite led to a delightfully creamy experience – don’t forget to layer some chili honey on this to elevate your dining experience! I expected the Spinach Bacon Formaggio to be as cheesy as that of Angel Kitchen’s but leveled up with bacon; but it felt more similar to a light pesto pizza fattened up with bacon! A little goes a long way as the relatively spare use of cheese allowed the diner to appreciate the smokiness of both the bacon and the crust!

It was definitely a delight going through all those pizzas, and I really do hope it expands to more areas! P300 for a box of BRICK OVEN PIZZA is an insane deal to pass up on!

The Ugly Pizza

Date of Delivery: July 1, 2021 via https://www.theuglypizza151.com/

HOUSE OF BIRRIA

My lack of Mexican content on my blog is a testament to my lack of fondness for the said cuisine; but I was curious to try the House of Birria after a couple of my cousins (Achi Kathy and Klarisse) recommended it. Honestly, it was a pitch that was difficult to say no to: It was maybe 5 minutes away from my house + I trust their taste in food.

PREMIUM BEEF BIRRIA (SMALL – P520), ARROZ DE BIRRIA (SMALL – P250) and BONE MARROW (P100)

The menu of House of Birria is incredibly straightforward – either you want the traditional hand-held birria, or if you want it as a rice topping. Bone Marrow is available as an add-on if you’re looking to making it a killer combination (pun intended).

The Arroz de Birria comes in two sizes and features their succulent beef strips atop flavored rice. Salsa, lemon and a cilantro cream dip make for interesting elements to further spruce up the dish; ultimately, making it a delicious alternative to the traditional shawarma rice. Unfortunately, eating it together with the Premium Beef Birria gives it an unfair disadvantage as the latter doesn’t only deliver on visuals, but also a whole lot of flavor. Apart from being generously stuffed with deliciously tender beef and crunchy vegetables, the birria delivers a gastronomically messy experience once you dip it into the consommé. Finish off each bite with a squeeze of lemon, a spoonful of salsa and a tiny morsel of bone marrow for a divinely tasty experience! The bone marrow is of course optional especially if we want to spare future heart attacks from happening, the birrias are delicious enough without it!

House of Birria

Devour Food Hub, 1112 E Rodriguez Sr Ave, New Manila, Quezon City

Date of Pick-Up: July 3, 2021 (but you may order for delivery via third party courier – message @houseofbirriaph on IG but it's also available on Grabfood!