Pepper Lunch. Launched.
Filipinos who have been to Japan and Singapore have eagerly awaited the coming of Pepper Lunch in the Philippines. Recently, this DIY fast food steakhouse has found a home in Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. In just a matter of weeks, it’s become the “it” restaurant to try with an actual line at the entrance to prove it. But the question remains, is it worth the hype?
Using first-class beef from Australia and New Zealand, Norwegian salmon, selected chicken thigh meat and finely sliced leg of lamb, Pepper Lunch serves the meals piping hot on a specially designed electromagnetic hot plate. This unique offering allows them to serve their meats raw, so you can cook it just the way you like. The plates are trimmed with paper to warn people of the heat and serve as barrier from spitting sizzles.
Being a certified cheapskate and a discerning foodie, I tried out the cheapest thing on the menu- Beef Pepper for around P198. It’s a carpaccio-thin beef,?served around fluffy rice base with bits of yellow corn kernels.?My friends ordered the same and they were more than happy with their choice, but that’s after they poured in a cup of the special honey brown sauce. I was a little disappointed. But then, maybe that first hot bite seared my tongue and the intense smell of grilling meat all around me was too distracting.
Let’s just put it this way, I wouldn’t mind trying it again. Maybe, when the lines subside I’ll come back to dine on something pricey like, and the P570 Shimofuri Pepper Steak. Some things on their menu that have also caught my eye are the Hitokuchi Cut Steak, Hamburger Steak with fried egg, and Curry Beef Pepper Steak. Yes, it’s hungry carnivore haven best reserved for those days when you want to binge and blow out.