My Share for #BeautifulSunday initiated by @ace108
A food park that just opened June 30 that has been causing a buzz around our area. My friends and office mates has been talking about it for days. Word has been spreading around social media about this new hang out place. Live band music, a lot of food options, cool ambiance and a good place to spend with the family. Come with me today as I share with you the newest hang out place in our town.
The Yard Food Park
It was raining a bit but we still wanted to to push thru our visit to the food park. I was confident that the place would have a way to keep their customers dry. We have been yearning to visit since it opened to see what the fuzz was all about. On our way I didn't really know yet what to eat. I was expecting something different aside from the usual burgers, grilled barbecues and local dishes.
Since we took public transportation we encountered a bit of heavy traffic since it was the usual route of the buses here. Having your own vehicle is ideal since there are a lot of alternate routes going to this place. As we reached the venue we could already see the place lit up like a fair. Bright lights which is very inviting the moment you see it. Vehicles were parked all over the place and looks like it covers the whole block.
The main entrance had a big green neon sign and people were crowding at the entrance. Taking photos and selfies at the big sign of The Yard to remind them of their experience with this place. As for us we wanted to go in right away as we were starving.
The Yard has several branches in the Philippines but this is the first time we have heard about it. We really had to check it out due to the proximity.
We went inside and the place was all lighted up with food stalls lined up. I still did not know what to eat and looks like there are so many options to choose from. I felt another challenge for us is getting a table as the place was fully loaded.
In the center of the yard they have set up a tent to keep the customers dry from the drizzle of the rain.
The place was so alive and the band was already playing. Music from the 80's and early 90's it gave that retro vibe yet it sounded fresh. Easy listening which is a break from the millennial tunes that we hear everyday. I listen to all sorts of music but the music this night has set the mood for everyone.
I went up the second floor and wanted to scan each stall before deciding what to eat. Different aromas filled the place and each one invites you to have a taste of what they have to offer.
There was a stall called the Black Sails that offered sea foods. I liked the theme that they had going, in the form of a hull of a ship. Looks like a good spot and not crowded but didn't have any craving for seafood tonight. Also it was away from the stage of the live music.
Now every other table had some chicken wings from this stall called Chick List. I would say it is quite popular as there were a lot of people lined up. We tried to order but we were told that it would take more than 30 minutes as still had to get more chicken. We wanted to taste their chicken but didn't want to wait so we had to move along and check another stall. Maybe next time we will try their wings.
Lighting and presentation does attract customers. This stall called Flame and Ramen had flames burning up in front of it. They offered Japanese food and ramen sandwiches. A ramen bun with options of pork, pulled pork, burger and you could even have add ons of cheese or egg.
On the menu we ended up with chicken Karaage for my son. That is the only thing that we ordered here as we wanted to taste the food from the other stalls.
I loved how they decorated their stall with firewood gives it some sort of a rustic feel.
As we strolled along we saw a cloud coming from this location. A place called Ice Cream Lab that offered nitrogen infused treats. Three tanks of liquid nitrogen and the cloud attracted more people. This is something different and the kids including me was so curious about it. We ended up ordering our dessert first.
I think it is not a good idea to sit near the tanks. Everytime someone orders you would get a blast of a cold cloud from the liquid nitrogen. We I guess they wanted to sit there.
A great way to attract customers is to make the cloud as big as possible. Well I guess it works as people were lining up to get a frozen cold treat. I still would not want to sit there though.
On the menu they had their ice cream creations and the frozen treats.
We were told that the only dessert they had infused with the liquid nitrogen was Dragons Ball which are frozen cheese balls and Dragons Breath which is a frozen chiffon cake. My son wanted to go for the Dragon's Breath and we couldn't wait to taste it.
The guy came over to our table with the Dragon's Breath. Poured the liquid nitrogen on the dessert and mist covered our table. Before leaving he told us not to leave the treat on our tongues too long as it may tend to stick. I've seen videos of liquid nitrogen freezing stuff and having it shattered like glass or porcelain. I think it also has an effect to break even metal. Well is it safe? I guess they would not be serving it if it wasn't.
The question is who will be trying it first?
The kids didn't think twice and wanted to try it right away.
Aside from that we also ordered an ice cream called Smores. Made up of three scoops of vanilla ice cream, graham, whipped cream, toasted marshmallows and a syringe with caramel.
The chiffon cake was hard like a popsicle but dry. You could bite into it and you could feel it stick a little bit in your mouth. It's pretty cold and mist comes out of your nose and mouth once you eat it. We really enjoyed this treat and I feel we would come back again to try it once more.
With so many options it was very hard to choose what to eat. They had Malaysian, Korean, Mexican, Japanese and it would really be a great idea to order a little something from the ones that catches your craving. Would have ordered more but we were on a tight budget. If we had some funds I would go crazy ordering a lot and have it showcased. Well for now just to have a taste and experience will do.
I saw some pork belly being grilled on some of the tables and found the stall called Yeonin where it came from. They offered Korean food and we ordered the Samgyupsal which is good for 2-3 people. Including lettuce, rice, ssamjang and kimchi. It cost 345 pesos or around $6.45 which I think is not bad.
The menu some I have never heard of as I am not that familiar with Korean food.
Another food that caught my eye is the fried squid on sticks. I also noticed them on a few of the tables and looked for the stall where it was sold. We found it and it was called Abandon Ship with a logo of a kraken attacking a pirate ship.
We bought the smallest one costing 189 pesos or $3.53 but the Colossal one costs 499 pesos or $9.33. I love how they have it presented as it attracted me to buy one. Pretty effective marketing strategy if I may say.
We wanted more desserts and this stall was an eye candy.
All sorts of sweets, cakes, muffins that could satisfy your sweet tooth.
The price was 100 pesos or $1.87 for any three of the treats.
Now it was time to get back on our seat. This glowing cube is the marker from the squid stall to easily locate their customers and it changes colors too.
The chicken karaage arrived and the kids didn't like the taste. So I ended up eating it so it won't go to waste. Well there was some sort of weird after taste and could have been made better. Maybe we should have gone for the ramen bun instead.
The grill and the pork belly arrived from the Korean stall. I wanted the kids do all the cooking and I would just sit back and relax.
My wife ordered some Gimbap which is seaweed and rice roll. I would not know the difference with the Japanese maki roll. Looks the same to me but my wife loves it and I think she finished it all.
Here are the ingredients.
The pork belly
Lettuce
Kimchi
Korean eggplant
Turnip
Some sort of vinegar with onions
As my wife told me the process is wrapping up all the ingredients along with lettuce. It was interesting and I should try more Korean food in the future.
Cooking the pork belly with sesame seeds already sprinkled on the meat.
The kids were enjoying themselves and kept on arguing which ones were already cooked. Well I just left it with them to deal with.
Our ship has arrived and along with it is our fried squid.
It came with soy sauce and vinegar in separate cups.
The squid was cooked right as the meat was tender. Over cooking squid tends to give it a rubbery texture and hard to eat.
As we dined the night away the band continued to serenade us thru the night. Changing the mood now with Maroon 5 singing a cover of She will be loved. I really love eating out and listening to live bands. Just a relaxing atmosphere with nothing too heavy just easy listening. But don't get me wrong I rock preferably from the grunge era. These days some how I feel age is catching up with me and got a little mellow but deep inside it is still there.
I guess this is it for now. I hope you enjoyed our little visit to The Yard. There are so many restaurants and food stalls all over some of them doesn't last long, some are underrated but something I learned from this place. Banding together creates an amazing attraction that give attention and a chance for success for everyone.
Thanks for joining me and have a good rainy evening here from the Philippines.
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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://watersnake101.vornix.blog/2018/07/15/the-yard-food-park-beautiful-sunday/