Comfort food are things we take refuge to when we’re carving for hearty meals that can relieve the stress that we encounter on the daily basis or for when we want to have a little taste of home. They usually evoke some nostalgic feeling and a little warmth to our hearts and tummies. It’s the food we eat without the guilt and tell people to step off because you deserve this.
I’ve never been to the States, but I have Filipino, Filipino-American and American friends who say that the best comfort food you can find is in the South. Most of them agree on one thing, that Southern U.S. food brings comfort like nothing else on earth. The cuisine of the Southern United States developed in the traditionally defined American South, influenced by African, English, Scottish, Irish, French, Spanish, and Native American cuisines. But then again Southern American cuisine crosses all regional boundaries.
There aren’t many restaurants in and around Metro Manila who serve such cuisine and thanks to Josh Versoza (who came from the family who’s famed for their Josiah’s Catering business) for aiming for that “crossing all regional boundaries” when he and his siblings conceptualized Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse. Filipinos have their own version of comfort food, but being a colony of the US for some time, we are quite familiar with their food yes, but not as diverse as we could. Thus Fat Daddy’s is a nice way to acquaint the Filipinos with Southern U.S. food and way of cooking; all credited to Jasper Versoza's trip to the U.S. southern states that inspired him to bring home this kind of soul food.
Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse is a carnivores’ paradise. The Versoza’s first built the flagship store in Marikina and later on closed that one down and moved to a bigger place in U.P. Town Center in Katipunan QC. The store is a no frills place, no super fancy interior just long tables and some wall decors here and there as it serves its purpose as a place to get together with friends and family to eat, and eat well.
When I went there with my friends, I wasn’t as full from the breakfast that I had earlier that day because I know I will be eating heaps. But man, I wasn’t expecting that I was going to be full beyond reprieve. I’m pretty sure, you’ve heard that phrase “Americans eat big” or that “American dishes are way too big.” Yep, not only that Fat Daddy’s took on the South American flavors and cooking methods, they also took how much latter serve it big. We had the following dishes and by the end of it all, I was like, I can’t move an inch due to fullness. I was in deep food coma state and no can revive me.
Jera's Ultimate Pulled Pork And Bacon Nachos (Half) - this serving is only half, so imagine how huge the whole pan of this! This is one Fat Daddy’s best sellers which contains heap loads of nacho chips, pulled pork barbecue, smoked bacon pieces, salsa, sliced jalapenos, rich cheese sauce and Alabama barbecue sauce. What makes it different from other nachos you’ve tried before in your life, is that every layer is topped with all those ingredients so the bottom nachos aren’t bare. Truly addicting to eat.
Chef Pat's Ultimate Cheese Dip - one of my faves from Fat Daddy’s, not because I’m biased when it comes to cheese, but this is just so good. This has Mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese, chili beef, cheese sauce, onions, cilantro, bacon pieces and BBQ sauce paired with tortilla and small slices of toasted baguettes. Even without the tortilla and bread, I can eat it alone. I can put spoonfuls of this in my mouth until I finish the entire thing.
Hot Mess - ahhh, the Hot Mess, it’s mashed potatoes on steroids (not literally of course). While most mashed potatoes only come with gravy, this small skillet filled with mashed potatoes is topped with gravy, pulled-pork and bacon. It’s the perfect pair for the meats you will devour at Fat Daddy’s.
Chiquito's Grilled Corn - this dish contains corn kernels with mayo and cheese and it greatly reminds me of the Tex-Mex side dish Elotes or or the off-the-cob version of it, the Esquites. It’s smoky, tangy and creamy and I wasn’t able to get enough of it. I have this long time love affair with corn, it’s something that I love but don’t eat on a regular basis but if it’s grilled, mixed with cheese, well you don’t have to convince me to eat it, I’m already sold on the get go.
Chicken Wings - We tried four variants of Fat Daddy’s chicken wings: honey BBQ, honey mustard, salted egg and honey Sriracha. Chicken wings are staple comfort food not only in the south U.S. but they are in present in every table especially when there's Super Bowl as it is the perfect pair for beer. Some do it the classic buffalo way and some does it like how the south cooks their fried chicken. Among the 4 my favorite was the salted egg and the honey BBQ.
Hot Pork Poppers - thinly sliced pork belly strips, spiced rubbed and then deep fried. Think about these as coated crispiest bacons that you’ve ever tried. They are crunchy and down-right addicting! Eat it as it is or dip it in vinegar or BBQ sauce and I don’t think you’ll ever go wrong. If you ask me though, I would definitely pair them with hot steamy rice hahaha!
Smoked Pork Ribs (Whole) - ribs, nothing says Southern U.S. than ribs right? It's the holy grail of anything smoked in the south. Fat Daddy's cook theirs for hours making the meat so tender and they really fall off the bones. They are very time consuming to prep and cook but hey it's all worth it as evidenced by everyone loving them instantly. I can't remember how much I ate from the pan of ribs that they served, all I know is that I ate like a whole lot!
Smoked Beef Brisket - beef primal cuts that are smoked for 16 hours rendering the most tender meat one can possibly bite on to. This is actually my top 1 among all the dishes that we got to try at Fat Daddy’s. It’s filled with amazing smoky flavor that totally knocked my socks off.
Caramel Drizzled Banana Pudding - a sweet bread-based dessert with banana slices topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup. Every time I come across any pudding, I can’t help but feel nostalgic and remember the pudding my grandma used to make when she was still in the Philippines. This bread pudding is total comfort food especially that it is combined with banana, ice cream and caramel. The bread has a little tough consistency though but not all pudding is alike and maybe this is how they make their pudding, either way, this works for me.
Bacon and S'mores Dip - a s'more is a traditional nighttime campfire treat popular in the Northern America, consisting of a marshmallow and a layer of chocolate placed between two pieces of graham cracker. Fat Daddy’s created their own spin on this dessert snack by adding bacon to the chocolate-marshmallow dip. Thus giving us a play of sweet-salty flavor rather than just the overly sweet one that we’re all so used to.
You may or may not have been to the US but you can experience an epicurean bliss for Southern U.S. comfort food only at Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse. More than that, at Fat Daddy’s, you can also champion your carnivore cravings with their meat offerings, especially the beef brisket… definitely that one!
I’ve never been to the States, but I have Filipino, Filipino-American and American friends who say that the best comfort food you can find is in the South. Most of them agree on one thing, that Southern U.S. food brings comfort like nothing else on earth. The cuisine of the Southern United States developed in the traditionally defined American South, influenced by African, English, Scottish, Irish, French, Spanish, and Native American cuisines. But then again Southern American cuisine crosses all regional boundaries.
Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse is a carnivores’ paradise. The Versoza’s first built the flagship store in Marikina and later on closed that one down and moved to a bigger place in U.P. Town Center in Katipunan QC. The store is a no frills place, no super fancy interior just long tables and some wall decors here and there as it serves its purpose as a place to get together with friends and family to eat, and eat well.
When I went there with my friends, I wasn’t as full from the breakfast that I had earlier that day because I know I will be eating heaps. But man, I wasn’t expecting that I was going to be full beyond reprieve. I’m pretty sure, you’ve heard that phrase “Americans eat big” or that “American dishes are way too big.” Yep, not only that Fat Daddy’s took on the South American flavors and cooking methods, they also took how much latter serve it big. We had the following dishes and by the end of it all, I was like, I can’t move an inch due to fullness. I was in deep food coma state and no can revive me.
Jera's Ultimate Pulled Pork And Bacon Nachos (Half) - this serving is only half, so imagine how huge the whole pan of this! This is one Fat Daddy’s best sellers which contains heap loads of nacho chips, pulled pork barbecue, smoked bacon pieces, salsa, sliced jalapenos, rich cheese sauce and Alabama barbecue sauce. What makes it different from other nachos you’ve tried before in your life, is that every layer is topped with all those ingredients so the bottom nachos aren’t bare. Truly addicting to eat.
Hot Mess - ahhh, the Hot Mess, it’s mashed potatoes on steroids (not literally of course). While most mashed potatoes only come with gravy, this small skillet filled with mashed potatoes is topped with gravy, pulled-pork and bacon. It’s the perfect pair for the meats you will devour at Fat Daddy’s.
Chiquito's Grilled Corn - this dish contains corn kernels with mayo and cheese and it greatly reminds me of the Tex-Mex side dish Elotes or or the off-the-cob version of it, the Esquites. It’s smoky, tangy and creamy and I wasn’t able to get enough of it. I have this long time love affair with corn, it’s something that I love but don’t eat on a regular basis but if it’s grilled, mixed with cheese, well you don’t have to convince me to eat it, I’m already sold on the get go.
Smoked Pork Ribs (Whole) - ribs, nothing says Southern U.S. than ribs right? It's the holy grail of anything smoked in the south. Fat Daddy's cook theirs for hours making the meat so tender and they really fall off the bones. They are very time consuming to prep and cook but hey it's all worth it as evidenced by everyone loving them instantly. I can't remember how much I ate from the pan of ribs that they served, all I know is that I ate like a whole lot!
Smoked Beef Brisket - beef primal cuts that are smoked for 16 hours rendering the most tender meat one can possibly bite on to. This is actually my top 1 among all the dishes that we got to try at Fat Daddy’s. It’s filled with amazing smoky flavor that totally knocked my socks off.
Bacon and S'mores Dip - a s'more is a traditional nighttime campfire treat popular in the Northern America, consisting of a marshmallow and a layer of chocolate placed between two pieces of graham cracker. Fat Daddy’s created their own spin on this dessert snack by adding bacon to the chocolate-marshmallow dip. Thus giving us a play of sweet-salty flavor rather than just the overly sweet one that we’re all so used to.
You may or may not have been to the US but you can experience an epicurean bliss for Southern U.S. comfort food only at Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse. More than that, at Fat Daddy’s, you can also champion your carnivore cravings with their meat offerings, especially the beef brisket… definitely that one!
FAT DADDY’S SMOKEHOUSE
Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Ave,
Diliman, Quezon City
Contact Nos: 0915 562 7447 / 02 7174482
Facebook: facebook.com/fatdaddyssmokehouse
Instagram: instagram.com/fatdaddyssmokehouse
For more information, complete menu and restaurant reviews, check out their Zomato profile:
No comments:
Post a Comment