Ristras Mexican Grill, Greenhills

Well done! :)

I'm a huge fan of Mexican food, I love the freshness and all the different textures and contrasting flavors. It makes a rather exciting symphony. Truth be told, there aren't many places in Manila that actually serve commendable Mexican food. It's likely to lack the freshness and zing. 

Quite packed ey?

When Ristras initially opened, it was always packed- definitely a good sign. That was well over a year ago. These days, it's probably one of my favorite places to go for some superb honest food. 

Meats and beans!

During my particular visit few days ago, it wasn't as packed as it used to be but still, I can tell that nothing has particularly changed. The place still delivered the same vibe that it used to. Oh, come to think of it now, the concept of Ristras is vastly similar to that of Chipotle Grill in America.

Filling in the burrito

Grilled Chicken Burrito FTW

I went for my usual grilled chicken burrito with chorizo brown rice which my mum split with me. I always choose the brown chorizo rice over the lime rice since it delivers more flavor. The beans were creamy but there was not at all the sense of mushiness. The chicken was juicy and tender, the lemon and lime marinade it was sitting in definitely steeped in. Check plus, plus!

And now it was quesadilla time

Quesadilla with Carnitas

My dad and my sisters split two orders of quesadillas. The thing that anyone would adore when it comes to quesadillas would be the fact that it was saddled down with mounds of cheese. In addition there was tender flaked pork, peppers, and that crunchy crust. The rust had the brown bubbly things that were downright crunchy and it illuminated the whole dish.

Nachos

When it came to the nachos, there wasn't anything fancy about it. It was just a pile of chips with some salsa and melted cheese as dips. I reckon the Ball Park Nachos would've been a totally better bet. But my sisters like to keep it plain and simple, so there it was! But I wonder, what ever happened to the purple corn nachos? It has been replaced by some magenta and green ones that are totally unappetizing. It's food coloring at it's worst.

As for drinks, whatever happened to all the Bundaberg Sarsaparillas? I've noticed that the beer selection has also diminished, possibly by half. What's even worse was the old Corona bottles that hosted different sauces that were placed on the table were absent! Such a shame since I loved the garlicky sour cream one.

I would say that I used to enjoy it more cause it had a few more perks but it's still undeniably good Mexican food for Manila, still my top pick.  

Wall of Fame

Oh yeah, they do have this Man vs. Burrito challenge now wherein you've gotta scarf down a 2.5kg burrito in 90 minutes! You get a shirt and bragging rights, of course, the burrito is free of charge as well. Lose and you pay up 1000 pesos! Another challenge that they have is the Fastest Burrito Challenge. Fastest time to finish an 800g burrito! As long as your name is still on the wall, the burritos are free of charge!

dried chilis as decor

Ristras Mexican Grill

J. Abad Santos corner Lopez Jaena, San Juan

(From Wilson Street in Greenhills, turn right at Alex III)

Marrickville Organic Farmer's Market

Marrickville Farmer's Market

This was definitely one of those unexpected trips for me. Me and my friends headed to Marrickville to visit Reverse Garbage. It's basically a huge warehouse where you could find all sorts of weird and neat stuff! Some of the things are defective and some are second hand. We went there so that we could gather materials for the next spiffy project in design studio.

As we entered the complex of Reverse Garbage, apparently there was a market going on. Markets get me so excited- MORE THAN ANYTHING! So anyway, to make the story short, after we bought materials for the project, we wandered around the farmer's market. There was Gozleme, Mexican Wraps, fruit and veg vendors, a Chai Tent, a coffee stall, an olive stall, and plenty others! And then we bought food and beverages then spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting on the curb talking and munching away.

Mexican Wraps for the late lunch!

My lunch- Mexican Veg Wrap with a Chili Cola

I reckon this could possibly be the best mex food I've had in Sydney! There just aren't any epic authentic places- SADLY. The wrap really packed a punch. It was refreshing cause of the fresh veggies, mainly tomato and lettuce. The veggie sort of stew I would call it was packed with flavor, the whole thing was oozing out the wrap, I'm not kidding! TWO THUMBS UP!:) The chlli cola on the other hand was outrageously different! I never liked chili in the past, but these days, I'm just becoming more and more of a chili freak. The cola had that hint and tang of caramel- it's lovely! The chili factor comes in after you've gulped the drink, the heat races down your throat. After a whole bottle, the chili was racing up my nose- not a good thing, sniff.

Cute cupcakes that my friend baked

As for desert, my friend baked some cupcakes and she was generous enough to share them! It's a chocolate chunk cupcake with strawberry icing!:)

Lemon Pepper Macadamia Nuts

I have come to like my nuts- don't take that the wrong way. Walking through more of the stalls in the market, I came across one that was selling nuts and dried fruit! There was heaps and heaps to choose from, probably around 5 varieties for macadamia alone! I'm too much of a sucker to let it pass, I just had to have some! I really liked these. They were acidic and peppery which cut the butteriness of the macadamia really well! I wish I bought more, I really do.

And that pretty much sums up my Sunday afternoon!:) Oh, pardon the bad photography, I used my phone to take the pictures!:)