Charbroiled Burgers

One of my favorite dinner standbys in BF is Charbroiled Burgers.

To the uninitiated, Charbroiled is a chain of burger joints inside (and outside) BF. There are three branches: one in Phase 3 along Aguirre Avenue, across the large fortress-like 310 restaurant, another branch near Tirona along Aguirre, and a third along Buencamino Road, technically still in BF the subdivision but accessed from Alabang Zapote Road (it's on the street with the Las Paellas and the building with Shakeys at the corner).Charbroiled is a very unassuming place. More than the name, people tend to remember the big yellow signs with the image of a burger that proclaims "Gourmet's Palate" and underneath "Burgers Tacos Steak". In fact, my sister, who often eats there with me, keeps forgetting what the name is, and she'll call me to say things like, "Let's eat at Chargrilled or whatever its name is. Basta the burger place in BF."

Don't be misled by the "Gourmet's Palate" and think that Charbroiled serves gourmet food. They serve big (not so big recently--or maybe I'm just more matakaw now) burgers of the Brothers Burger variety. They also serve a mind boggling array of food including sizzlers, tacos, shawarma, burritos, pasta, tapsilog, and rice bowls, which they lump together in their menu under the heading "Takaw".

I was there the other night with Nick and I had a Samurai, their wasabi-laced burger.


Yum. And only 69 bucks! This one was pretty matapang and the wasabi kept going up my nose.

Nick ordered spaghetti, which I don't think I've ever tried there before. It was a small serving (I'd probably have two if I wanted to fill up) at 42 bucks. It actually tasted like the spaghetti they serve at Pancake House (darker, more toyo-ey sauce).


Here's a rundown of other details:

Parking. Urgh. Not very easy, particularly for the one in Buencamino. The one in Phase 3 has parking, but it's usually full, so you have to park in the street, which is rather difficult at night ever since the bar with no name outside 310 (The Palmier now) opened. The one near Tirona has no parking but at night you can park at the Yamaha shop next door.

Price. One thing I like about Charbroiled is the wide range of food they serve, so if you're with a big group, some people can choose to get steak (P105) and the cheapskates can content themselves with shawarma (P40). The burgers and the rice bowls go for about 70 bucks.

Smoking. The branch near Tirona has outdoor seating. At one time we actually headed for this branch even though the Buencamino branch was closer because we had a die hard (no preachy pun intended) smoker with us. The other two branches are both indoors; given the tight space, you will come out smelling like CASAA (non UP people, that just means smelling like food), so that's already enough smoke to deal with.

Rest Rooms. All branches have their own (tiny!) bathrooms. The Phase 3 branch has the best bathroom in my opinion.

Is it just me or have I also seen a branch somewhere in Las Piñas? Or might have been Better Living. I would certainly not mind if they opened one somewhere along the Friendship Route.

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Welcome to The TIC Blog!

Welcome to The TIC Blog!

This is the South. Are you a resident? A frequent visitor? A weekend warrior who treks further South to visit the beaches and regularly makes a pit stop at the mall-like service stations along SLEX? A laid back type who enjoys spending relaxing Sundays hanging out at the neighborhood café? A student, an office worker, an executive, an expat, a housewife or a househusband, a thoroughly born and bred example of the fine Southern line?

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Ever find yourself stuck at home on a weekend wishing there was something new to do? Ever been inclined to go explore but too tired, too broke, or too time-pressed to get out of the house? Ever passed by a new restaurant on your way home from work and wondered about it, but didn’t want to make the extra effort to check it out yourself?

Then we’re here for you.

The TIC Blog is a regularly updated grassroots source to the best kept secrets in the South. We trawl the neighborhoods in Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Las Piñas to find new and exciting places, or to find reasons to love the old standbys. We’d like to think of our community as a reliable go-to for ideas on what to do during your leisure time, much like you might ask a friend where to go on a romantic date or where to buy nice, cheap shoes.

But that’s not the end of it. We know we can’t cover all the spots and discover all the secrets—so we want to get you in on the action! Had a good experience on your date at the neighborhood bar? Share it with us! Found an excellent, reliable source of steaming hot pandesal that delivers straight to your home? Let other people know! It’s good for business, it’s good for consumers, it’s good for the community, and it’s good for us.

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