The rain has been pouring down non-stop for the past 48 hours or so. And while these rains have demobilized many Filipinos, they haven't stopped me from hitting a new burger joint along Katipunan extension. The joint's name is Food Camp, and it turned into my family's HQ amid the crazy weather.
Quite frankly, Food Camp was great. First of all, it was a small and simple restaurant, big enough to fit maybe 14-16 people. At first I had pegged it as a barkada/ hangout type of place, but it proved to be very family friendly. There's a flat screen TV on the wall for entertainment and even coloring materials for kids to use to keep them busy (perfect since I was there with my entire family including two young kids). And what the restaurant lacked in venue size, it made up in burger size. This brings us to our next and most important concern: the menu.
I was very impressed with the menu. Not only did Food Camp serve beef burgers with different toppings, but they also had Wagyu Australian beef burgers, sandwiches, sides, shakes and bottomless drinks.
Burgers. The menu was very creative with the burger names, like the Alpha burger (classic w/ cheese, P99) or the Bravo Burger (w/ cheese, bacon, mushrooms and potato wedges, P155), staying true to its boot camp/ military theme. And their burgers packed a lot of beef. The default beef patty was 1/3 of a pound. All burgers could come with a single patty or double patties (roughly P50 more for the double patty) and were served in home-made burger buns. I ordered the Wagyu Australian beef burger (P199) and the meat was top-notch. The quality and flavor of the Wagyu beef was much better than that of the Alpha, Bravo, or Charlie burgers. Best part: quality for your money. Bad part: too messy. Too much mustard and ketchup made the burger sloppy and difficult to eat.
Sandwiches. The menu also provided some interesting choices that may suit the more health conscious. There were very affordable choices like the Tuna sandwich (P55) and the Chunky Chicken (P70), both served in a bread roll. My wife ordered the Philly Cheese Steak, which is one of the best-sellers. The size (around 6"-7" long) and flavor were good, a tad bit sweet. It was meaty and oozing with cheese whiz but it lacked one major ingredient: caramelized onions. Best part: really affordable and hefty sandwiches. Bad part: the Philly Cheese Steak bun had a mold on it, but the waiters replaced the sandwich at once.
Sides. The sides were another thing I loved. Their Mozzarella Bombs (P99) were thick and tasty. The Onion rings (regular-P75, large P155) and Jalapeno sticks (50) are also must-tries. Best part: variety. Bad part: Only the Bravo burger comes with potato wedges, the other burgers don't come with sides.
Drinks: Like most burger joints, Food Camp's drinks were slightly overpriced. One up side though is that they didn't just sell soft drinks but also Zola Iced Tea and they also had bottomless iced tea (P60). Warning though, you might find the bottomless iced tea to taste kind of funky at first, it's because it's mango-flavored. It's a good twist but if you're not into the fruity flavored, don't get the bottomless iced tea.
In general, I'm very satisfied with my food camp experience. The service was great and the place was clean. They also don't wrap their dine-in burgers in foil, showing their environmental zeal. The only downside is that the kitchen isn't entirely closed off from the dining area, allowing smoke from the grill to seep into the dining area. But aside from that, no major complaints. On the whole, Food Camp outdoes other burger joints in it's menu variety and overall dining experience. So whether you're with your friends or your family, on a sunny day or a monsoon day, be sure to boot up and man up for the burgers at Food Camp.
