PEPPER LUNCH in the Philippines!

Opening at the Rockwell Power Plant Mall
Concourse Food Court in April 2008!!!

This great scoop is from Cecile Zamora's CHUVANESS,
one of the Philippines' hippest fashion blogs;

Cecile was one of my three favorite columnists
from the late, lamented DAILY GLOBE newspaper.
(the other two were Jessica Zafra and Rep. TeddyBoy Locsin)

Now, she and her husband Jeroen have secured the
Philippine PEPPER LUNCH Territory Franchise
from the Suntory Group (the whiskey distillers?) of Japan.

CARNIVORES, rejoice!

I had my first taste of Pepper Lunch
just a month ago,
and it was love at first bite.

How can one not love the best quality RAW MEAT,
served on a platter heated to 500 degrees farenheit,
a method that allows you to have your steak your way,
RARE, MEDIUM, or WELL DONE?

Above,
SHIMOFURI,
or marbled steak,
seasoned with coarse-ground black peppercorns,
and for added decadence,
a swirl of herbed butter.

Below,
BEEF PEPPER,
carpaccio-thin & tender beef,
served alongside a bed of fluffy rice
topped with yellow corn kernels.

The Pepper Lunch steaks are spectacular,
but the real fun is in the cooking,
for grown-up meat lovers,
and specially for the kids!

The secret lies in the electromagnetic cooker,
one of those cool Japanese gadgets
that's a cross between a sizzling plate
and a George Foreman Grill.

The platters are served
with paper trimming to protect diners
from the sizzle and the splatter,

and these serve a second purpose,
labeled with helpful tips and reminders
on how best to cook your beef, chicken, or salmon:

PEPPER LUNCH was founded in 1994,
and now has 160 restaurants
in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan,
Singapore, Australia, and the U.S.A.

Caveat Emptor:
Quality doesn't come Cheap.

Here are some sample menu prices from Chuvaness;
multiply the Singapore Dollar prices by 30
to get an idea of how much your Pepper Lunch
will cost in Philippine Pesos...

but don't worry; believe this meatlover,
these meals will be worth your every centavo!

p.s.

Fine writers like Cecile Zamora
seem to have an affinity for fine fast food;


Pepper Lunch
was introduced to me by two of the finest writers I know,
Palanca Award winner Noelle Quintos De Jesus-Chua
and her husband Tanny, who used to forge my excuse letters
back when were juvenile delinquents at the Ateneo HS.

As we were having our pepper lunch a month ago,
the couple mentioned that they were thinking of bringing
the franchise to the Philippines,
but Cecile and Jeroen beat them to it.


So in the meantime,
I'll enjoy another kind of fast food from Noelle & Tanny: