I was introduced to Handlebar on Polaris Street by my biker friend Ibba a couple of years ago. Just a stone's throw away from Beers Paradise (yeah, Chimay!!), I don't know why I been skipping this bar considering they have these huge meals - huge steaks - for less than P1000.
Don't get me wrong, the steaks are not fantastic. Blame it on Elbert, purveyor of US certified prime beef, and Jay (of Tsukiji), purveyor of wagyu for having set such high standards for steak appreciation. Now Handlebar's Australian angus, which would otherwise be okay, is now sub-par, just okay. Truth be told, the times I tried the steaks I did not leave unhappy - they were quite tasty - although they were a little tough to chew. At one visit, my friend Marti, who absolutely loooves steak, cried that he hardly saw any fat on these babies. They were huge, though, and so were very filling.
I appreciated the Fish N Chips much better. I think this dish is perfect to have with friends on a Friday night over a couple of beers. I love that they've just sliced it into chunks for everyone to just dive in and dunk them fishies into the accompanying mayo dip.
Another dish I appreciated - it's beginning to dawn on me why I've gained twenty pounds in the past six months! - was the Bangers and Mash. It was my sister's brilliant idea to order this because she missed Canada's (where she used to based) "pub grub" (although, as she pointed out, the term 'banger' is Brit/European - in America it has a different meaning altogether, hehe!). The sausage here was really juicy and I love their larger than life servings of potatoes.
As you can see with these chili fries. There was a weird smell that came with this order though. At first I thought it was the cheese, thinking the stinkier, the better, but upon closer inspection it seemed to be the beans. Yech. But I ate the parts with cheese anyway, hehe.All in all, I really liked the vibe of Handlebar and would like to share this watering hole with friends. Playing country (yeah, Dixie!) and rock (reminiscent of Kalye days) and Motown (Dancing in the Street is one of my faves), I think it's a great place for that not so frou frou reunion come Christmastime. Plus, they have Guinness beer. Canned, but it's still Guinness!
Handlebar.31 Polaris St. 898-1976. (From Makati Ave facing JP Rizal, turn right on Jupiter, left on the first corner which is Polaris, it's at the end.)
4 comments:
My wife and I tried Handlebar. Enjoyed the feel of the place more than the food.
But I guess if you just want a steak fix, it's ok.
Still for me if you are just going to eat a steak you might as well spend on the good stuff.
I still like Gulliver's though. and it not too far from Handlebar.
Service tends to be iffy, we kept getting told "sorry the sandwich/steak/soup is not available" about 30 minutes after we had ordered it.
true that (on the service), mila! on an afternoon visit we had to wait quite a while because - get this - our waiter was playing billiards with some white dude =P boo!
franco ... ah the steak connoisseur! ;-) yes, gullivers not too far away. good choice!
Honestly, I'm not. My wife is the steak lover. :)
I love a good steak once in a while but I think that a steak isn't big enough a challenge for a kitchen to cook.
as for the service(I forgot this), we got up from our table and got our own steaks from the grill. :)
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