Foodie Goodie | Pepper Lunch.

33 days to go 'til Christmas, and I've crossed out almost all of the items on my Christmas shopping list. Thanks to our Binondo/Divisoria shopping trip last week, I was able to accomplish almost 80% of this Herculean task within the span of ten hours. Crazy, I know!

My friends and I arrived at Lucky Chinatown Mall a few minutes after its doors opened, and from there we spent an entire day walking, haggling, and shopping along the streets of Binondo and at the 168 and 999 Mall. The only time we took a break from all that walking and shopping was when we had lunch at Pepper Lunch Express, located at the 4th floor of Lucky Chinatown Mall. I fell in love with their Beef Pepper Rice the first time I tried it (that was around four years ago, if my memory serves me right), and I've been a fan of their food ever since.

Founded in 1994 with its first establishment in Tokyo, Japan, Pepper Lunch now has over 200 restaurants all over Asia, including South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Its founder, Chef Kunio Ichinose had this business model in mind when he was conceptualizing the restaurant - provide tasty steak in fast food style at a reasonable price. And from there, the idea of 'sizzling it your way' (aka cooking your own food) was born.

At Pepper Lunch, meals are served on sizzling plates, which are actually electromagnetic cookers. They heat up to 260 degrees Celsius, which allows you to cook your raw meat within minutes.

Beef Pepper Rice, Php 198.

No worries about the meat being undercooked as they're sliced very thin, like bacon. When the meat is ready, mix it with amakuchi (honey brown sauce) or karakuchi (garlic soy sauce), or a combination of both.

Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with Egg, Php 235.

Some dishes are served with an egg, like the Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice which my friend ordered. You mix the egg and the beef together, but before you do, make sure both of them are cooked all the way through. Then you mix in the teriyaki sauce.

Aside from beef, Pepper Lunch also serves fish and chicken. These dishes are served with vegetables on the hot plate, with the rice in a separate bowl. You can put the rice into the plate after you've cooked the meat, or you can just take spoonfuls from the bowl as you eat.

Teriyaki Double Salmon, Php 325.

Teriyaki Pepper Chicken, Php 325. 

Also on the menu are salads, soups, and desserts. My friend ordered a Kani Salad, which was served in a cup. Apparently, they're called 'Shake Shake Salad', which you have to shake (to mix the dressing and veggies together) before you eat it.

Kani Salad, Php 99.

If you're dining at Pepper Lunch for the first time, here are some tips:
1) Keep your hands off the electromagnetic cooker. They're extremely hot.
2) Cook your raw meat at once to maximize the heat of the electromagnetic plate. If you must take a photo of your raw food, do it within seconds. Or you can save the picture-taking for later, once the meat is cooked. :)
3) Season your meat with sauce. You can season them while turning the meat over, or after the meat is cooked. 

Pepper Lunch is love!

There are about ten Pepper Lunch restaurants in the Philippines, and six Pepper Lunch Express branches. They do takeaways and deliveries, and they accept group bookings and party reservations, too.

Pepper Lunch Express
4F Lucky Chinatown Mall
Binondo, Manila