Not Just Meat is a new restaurant in Antipolo City (Rizal Province) which I happen to visit for my Antipolo Food Trip Blog Series. Located near Transfiguration of Christ Chapel and Maia Alta Subdivision, Not Just Meat is an addition to few restaurants located at the upper part of town as most are located at either Antipolo town proper or along Sumulong Highway also known as the overlooking part of Antipolo City.
When I first heard of its name, I was under the impression that they specializes in different dishes with emphasis on vegetables - because well, the name is a statement in itself - not just meat. Turns out, they do have a different story.
Not Just Meat used to be just a meat shop before they branched out into a dine in restaurant / snack bar. Given the area they occupy, patrons who buys meat products from them would always ask if they serve cooked food aside from their frozen meat products. After a while, the owners decided to expand their meat shop and serve meals using their products. Hence the name - Not Just Meat.
The place is decent enough to accommodate roughly 10 to 15 person at a time, by my estimate. The ambiance somehow reminds me of a burger place in Quezon City but way smaller.
Upon entering you will immediately notice chest and freezers that houses the meat products they are selling. Some of the meat brands are familiar to me like Frabel, while the others are not. Nonetheless, they promise high quality of meat which their patron swears by. I bought some meat package one time and I must say the price wasn't bad at all considering the quality.
The interior design of the store I find noteworthy. I particularly like their wall designs that serves as clear indication how they love their products. Meat lovers such as myself could relate to some of the statement posters plastered on the wall.
Since they just started operating as a restaurant recently, the menu is kept simple and straight forward. There isn't even a menu hand out since everything is written on the chalk board. Contrary to what I previously thought, none of the items on the menu spells vegetarian. In fact, majority are burgers which I do not have a problem with since I love burgers.
It was my sister who brought me to Not Just Meat since she is a burger lover herself. I have my preferences when it comes to burger as I stated in my blog post about the best burger place I have tried in Antipolo. But being a food blogger, I am always open for different possibilities.
During our visit, my nephew opted for the one of the rice meals on the menu, the Burger Steak (Php115). The burger based on its appearance was undoubtedly fried. I am not a big fan of fried burger patties but the fact that it's flavor was superb, I am not complaining. The portion was enough to keep my 6 years old nephew satiated. If it were mine, I would probably wished for more. The mushroom sauce was good, not mind blowing but it did great as a combination with the beefy patty.
My sister on the other hand had their Quarter Pounder Burger (Php85.00) which she polished off in no time. We are it was the same burger patty they used for the rice meal because it tasted and somehow looked the same in terms of size. It comes with the usual lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and a slice of cheddar cheese with potato chips on the side.
I am not a big fan of their buns as it tends to crumble easily, but the saving grace of this is the beef itself. Not bad for its price, I must say.
Upon seeing on the menu that it comes with premium bacon, I immediately opted for their Alexander Burger (Php115) and I regret nothing. It is basically the same as the Quarder Pounder Burger only this one has bacon which flavor made it the star of the dish alongside the beef.
Again, I am not a big fan of the bun they used that I even remember ditching the one side of it before finishing everything. The combination of the flavorful bacon and the juicy beef patty however made this burger a winner for me. However, I am thinking it'll be way better if they add more mayo into the mix.
I was thinking of having the frozen brazo de mercedez for our dessert but we were given this amazing Fudgy Brownie (Php25/pc, Php110/box of 6) as a complimentary. Fudgy and moist is the only way for me when it comes to brownies, so Not Just Meat's version of it made me really really happy.
We also got this big Chocolate Chop Cookies (Php20/small Php30/big) which my nephew enjoyed to the last bit. It's a tad thin compare to the usual cookies that it can be mistaken for a cookie crisp. It wasn't moist nor chewy the way I like my cookies but the flavor was impressive enough.
Now this rarely happens, but I must really rave about Not Just Meat's Signature Iced Tea (Php40) because it's really good. One of the best iced tea I have ever tried by far. I adore restaurants that does not rely on store brought iced teas (those which you can make your own at the comfort of your own kitchen by just adding water and opening a sachet) and Not Just Meat is one of them.
I have to admit that I was not blown away by the burgers at Not Just Meat the way I was blown away by the ones they do serve at Texas Embassy, but I must say that Not Just Meat's burgers are also good. The serving size is proportion to the price you are going to pay so I am not complaining. The premium bacon, I love the most - I hope they could come up with bacon sandwich for that matter.
I am however interested to try their Hungarian Sausage Sandwich, so I will definitely do that on my next visit. I was informed that the owners are related to the owners of Marison's Restaurant so I am not surprised that they Not Just Meat also serve good food.
Another thing that I love about Not Just Meat is their band of accommodating and friendly food attendant. I threw several questions about the restaurants and their products and all of them are very knowledgeable about everything. I just hope that they can add more items on the menu, perhaps more sandwiches and burger options, rice meals, pasta, and even coffee and shakes.
There are plenty of other restaurants in Antipolo City which I have to try in continuing my Antipolo Food Trip Blog Series, but I will definitely be back at Not Just Meat one of these days.
Not Just Meat
Unit A
M.L. Quezon Extension
Antipolo City
(Landmarks: Near Transfiguration of Christ Chapel, Mission Hills/Havila, and Maia Alta Subd.)
Facebook: /notjustmeatofficial
Unit A
M.L. Quezon Extension
Antipolo City
(Landmarks: Near Transfiguration of Christ Chapel, Mission Hills/Havila, and Maia Alta Subd.)
Facebook: /notjustmeatofficial
