First Bite: Roadster Roasters ~ Simple Delicious Food Recipes

Several restaurants open every day making it impossible for me to visit them all. But when a new restaurant gets nothing but praises from foodies, I find myself rushing to the place hoping to have my taste buds delighted as well. Though there were several instances when I was more disappointed than impressed, there are also pleasant experiences where I could say "worth the drive/getting stuck in traffic for". And last weekend, I was happy to say that the new restaurant along Sheridan was worth the trip.

Hello, Roadster Roasters.

It may be a bit challenging to find this restaurant on the ground floor of TV5 Launchpad as it's not that visible from the road. There's also a tree blocking its facade making it more hidden. Thankfully, I'm familiar with the area and I easily found the home of 12-hour brisket.

We dropped by around 2 p.m. and the place only had two other tables occupied.

For this visit we sampled Roadster Nachos (PHP180), Chicken Nuggets with Honey Dijon Mustard (PHP230), Smoked Carbonara (PHP210), Texas Style Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket (PHP350, 150g | PHP590, 300g | PHP980, 500g | PHP1,920, 1.5kg), Roast Pork Belly (PHP340, single with one side | PHP280, half with two sides | PHP580, whole with two sides), and Barbecue Pork Ribs (PHP320, 180g with one side | PHP580, 360g with two sides | PHP760, half rack | PHP1,480, full rack). For sides, we went with Hand-cut Fries (PHP65), Buttered Vegetables (PHP65), Asian Slaw (PHP65) and Smoked Corn (PHP90).

Service was quick as our orders were served one after another while we were still trying to take photos of the adorable interiors.

First served was the Roadster Nachos which was bang for the buck given its generous serving size. The bowl of homemade tortilla chips topped with onions, chives, jalapeño, ground beef and cheese is a great option when with friends.

The Smoked Carbonara had, just as its name suggests, a nice smokey flavor. The cream-based pasta was torched giving it a different taste that might be a bit unusual for some who prefer straightforward pasta. (Note: Make sure to mix the pasta well as the torched part might be too smokey for anyone's liking.)

I go crazy whenever I see chicken nuggets. As a person who never outgrew the delectable snack, I always find myself buying some from any fast food chain that offers it. And when I spotted it on Roadster's menu, I just have to try it! And it was pretty good!

It didn't taste like the ones you'd get from the usual culprits. In short, it had that made with love taste. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King when it comes to nuggets. But this one reminded me of home which made me like it. Crisp and light coating enveloping the juicy and well seasoned chicken breast with sweet honey dijon on the side, what's not to love? Well, perhaps the price as I find it expensive given it serving size.

Now for the meats Roadster is starting to get known for--Roasted Pork Belly, Braised Beef Bisket and Barbecue Pork Ribs.

The Roasted Pork Belly was heavenly! It was flavorful on its own thanks to the herbs it was roasted with. Each bite was packed with sweet, salty and smokey flavors that I totally ignored its mango chutney sauce.

I was very excited to try the 12-hour slow-cooked beef brisket as everyone I know who've been to Roadster raved about it. And it was indeed pretty good. But for some reason, it was not as stellar as I thought it would be. I'm not sure if I expected too much from it but I had better beef brisket elsewhere. Nonetheless, the tender and flavorful meat would delight anyone craving for something beefy.

The plate of pork ribs was my favorite among the meats we had that afternoon. It was effortless to get the soft meat off the ribs and each bite reminded me why I'm not a vegetarian. Its sweet and mild spice made my taste buds go crazy! It's no wonder why this is Roadster Roasters' bestselling dish.

Its sides were awesome as well. The fries were well seasoned and the buttered vegetables had that delectable sweet yet salty taste.

The elote though had a tough texture which I didn't like. And our Asian Slaw turned into Sweet Mashed Potato. But we were having too much fun that we didn't bother to have it changed.