Master BBQ & Grill - Belleville, NJ

It was another lazy Sunday night for us and we couldn't decide on what to have for dinner. We didn't feel like going out, so the only other option was to order in (yesssss, I'm too lazy to cook on weekends :P). After going through our stash of countless take out/delivery menus, I found the menu for Master BBQ & Grill. We actually picked that menu up from our apartment lobby quite some time back and have been meaning to check that place out but we never got around to doing so. It's been a while since we last had Portuguese BBQ (I know, it's hard to believe...considering the fact that we live in the Portuguese /Colombian BBQ mecca of NJ!), so Portuguese BBQ for dinner it is!
From our past experiences of ordering delivery with other Portuguese BBQ places, we were all ready for a long 'conversation' on the phone. Usually, when they find out that we don't speak Spanish, our call would be passed from one person to another. THEN, after finally getting to somebody who speaks English, he would most probably mess up our order or misunderstand we were are trying to say. Same goes for Chinese delivery places. However, none of that happened here. They spoke English and we managed to place our order without any problems. Yay! Another thing that surprised us was how fast the food arrived. I swear, it took them less than half an hour to get the food to our doorstep! Two huge party trays of piping hot food! Don't ask me why there was only ONE bun, we actually didn't even know that we are going to get a free bun :P
Before I say anything else, I must tell you guys that the amount of food that we got for the price we paid was crazy! There was just soooooooo much food! We ordered the Master BBQ Combo ($26) and that came with half a chicken, six huge pork ribs, four pieces of steak and slices Portuguese sausages. Look at the amount of food! It was enough for feed at least 6-8 people! All that for only $26! Not only was it affordable, it tasted awesome too! I dare say that this is the best Portuguese BBQ that I have had, to date! Since we live in Newark, there are a lot of Portuguese BBQ places here and trust me, we have gone through quite a lot of them. The BBQ from Masters definitely stood out. All the meat was marinated to perfection, really really delicious. They were also cooked just right, cos we all know, nothing is more sucky than overcooked or under cooked BBQ!
We also got a huge party tray of yellow rice and fries. We also had the option to swap either the rice or fries for black beans. Look at the amount of rice and fries! It's like enough to feed a small village in Asia! :P The fries wasn't soggy but really, there was nothing much to shout about. The rice on the other hand was simply awesome. There is this smoky taste to it, very very yummy! Overall, we had an awesome dinner! Good service, fast delivery, affordable prices, big portions and most importantly, uber yummy food. What more could a person ask for? We will definitely be ordering more food from Master BBQ & Grill in the very near future!

Master BBQ & Grill - Belleville, NJ
198 Union Ave
Belleville NJ 07109
Tel: (973)759 9200
Web: http://www.masterbbqgrill.com/

Fernandes Steakhouse II - Newark, NJ

Kevin came home earlier than usual to take me out for dinner on my birthday. He said that he knew of this really nice Spanish/Portuguese churrascaria cum steakhouse in the Ironbound district and that we should totally go check it out. So, off we went to Ironbound for dinner!

Fernandes Steakhouse is not exactly smacked right in the heart of the Ironbound district. It is actually located in the outskirts, so if you don't have the address or a gps, you might just miss it. As we all know, the Ironbound is famous for it's Portuguese churrascaria and Fernandes is said to be one of the best around. Parking is also a breeze. There is a huge parking lot with valet service beside the restaurant.

From the moment we stepped into Fernandes, it felt like we left Newark for a bit and were transported to a Spanish winery in the countryside. With low lighting, exposed brick walls and really rustic decor, I felt that they did a good job with the decor. A perfect place to celebrate a special occasion. Also, there is a mariachi band that plays there during the weekends (too bad we missed out on that).

They have a pretty extensive ala carte menu but we knew that they were famous for their rodizio. So, we both went for the rodizio ($28.75 per person). For those of you who are not familiar with rodizio service churrascarias, this is how it works. You would pay a fixed price and the passadores (meat waiters) would come to your table with different types meat skewers and knives. It's a eat all you can and they would continue coming until you tell them that you had enough. We started off our dinner with a trip to the salad bar (which is also part of the rodizio). The salad bar wasn't all that big but it really doesn't matter. We were saving our stomachs for all the 'carne' that was coming!!! Oh and as usual, there were some pretty amazing bread served too.

After we were done with our salads, they cleared up our plates and started to set the table for our main course. They also brought out some complimentary sides and again, it is free flow. You can get them to top up the plates if you need more. We had a huge bowl of black beans, fries, rice, fried banana (they were good!), some sort of salsa and tapioca powder.

Ahhh at last. The passodores started bring out the meat on skewers and boy, did they bring out the meats! There were so many different kinds of meat and it was coming out non stop! Filet Mignon and turkey chunks wrapped in bacon, sirloin steak, prime rib, chorizo (some sort of spicy Iberian pork sausage), chicken wings and drumsticks, pork tenderloin, roast beef, short ribs, ham, cheese steak, garlic steak, chicken hearts, flank steak, beef kebabs....there were so many different types of meat, I can't really remember everything that they brought out!

Check out some of the meats that were part of the rodizio. The BBQ chefs were kind enough to allow me to step into their kitchen to take a picture of all the meats. Boy, they smelled so good and were soooo yummmy!

We initially ordered Iced Tea (which is actually Snapple - $3.75 each) to go with our dinner. However, mid way through our dinner, we noticed that almost every table had a pitcher of sangria. We thought that it was a good idea, since it goes really well with all that meat. So, we ordered a small pitcher ($15.50) too. Guess what? The sangria tasted amazing!!! Seriously, I have never tasted sangria that good before. I later found out that Fernandes is really famous for their sangria too! The two things that they are well known for is their rodizio and sangria. Looks like we hit a home run there :D

After we were done all the meats and told the passadores to stop, the captain came over and asked if we would like some dessert. We said no thanks, we were too full to eat anything else. He then said that we HAVE to try their grilled pineapples. It's part of the rodizio and truthfully, he has never eaten pineapples that sweet before. We have to try it. Well, if it's really that good, okay I guess. So, they brought out some pineapples on a skewer and yeah, they were good! I think they must have rubbed on some cinnamon on the outside of the pineapple before grilling. Also, the grilling really brought out the sweetness of the pineapple. It was juicy, super sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. Very good!

Overall, we had a great rodizio experience. The ambiance was really nice, the passadores were friendly and the food as well as the drinks were just awesome! Definitely a perfect place to go to when you are celebrating a special occasion. Judging from the almost empty pitcher of sangria and the goofy big smile plastered across my face, I must say that I did have a very happy birthday indeed! :P

Fernandes Steakhouse II - Newark, NJ
152-170 Fleming Avenue,
Newark, NJ 07105
Tel: (973) 465 4533/589 4066/589 4099 (reservations)
Fax: (973) 589 6312
Web: http://www.fernandessteakhouse.com/

Campino Mercado - Ironbound District

This is a really backdated restaurant review. We went to celebrate our anniversary there more than a month ago but since we were really busy trying to get things organized before we left for Malaysia then, I didn't have time to blog about it. I was deliberating if I should even blog about this (since it was so long ago) and came to the conclusion that I should. Why? Wellllll, cos it's a very nice restaurant and the food is just amazing! =D

Campino Mercado is a Portuguese restaurant located in Newark's Ironbound District. For those of you who don't know, the Ironbound District is also sometimes known as "Little Portugal" due to it's large Portuguese community. Naturally, you can find many amazing Portugese restaurants in this area. Campino Mercado is one of the more popular ones due to it's uber yummy food and ambiance. It doesn't look like much on the outside (looks somewhat like somebodys house) but you get transported to a whole new country the moment you step inside. One side of the restaurant reminds me of some marketplace in Europe while the other side looks like you have walked into a Portuguese house. With the low lighting and rustic decor, I would gave them a 10 for ambiance!

It was a pretty huge restaurant but there were only 3 tables (including us) that night. With the other two tables finishing when we were seated, it felt as though we booked the whole restaurant for ourselves! With all the servers old enough to be our grandfathers (seriously, I would say they were no less than 75!), it further adds to the charm of the restaurant. Don't let the age fool you, they were still great at their job and really friendly. After we placed our orders, they brought out some really good freshly baked buns, olives and some olive oil. I enjoyed the buns and olive oil so much, they were so gooood! Kevin on the other hand loved the olives, boy, he polished the whole dish of olives off by himself!!

To start off our meal, we shared the Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese & Crab ($9.50). I would definitely recommend this to everyone. The cream cheese and crab combo was out of this world! Not only that, but the broth that it came with was sooo thick and sweet (probably from all the crab). It was so good, we would have been happy just to dip the buns in it and make it our meal! :P

For our mains, Kevin ordered the Sirloin Steak with Collard Greens ($16). It came with a side of Potato Wedges. The steak was really well marinated and cooked to perfection. He didn't really like the Collard Greens though, but I like it. I like how they stir fried it with croutons. Overall, a yummy dish.

I ordered the Duck Breast with Oyster Mushrooms ($18). It came with a side of Mash Potatoes and some Grilled Vegetable Medley. What can I say about this dish? I took one bite and there was a taste explosion in my mouth! It was so flavorful, with a myriad of different taste, coming from all directions. Yes, it was THAT good! Everything on that plate was good, from the duck to the mash potatoes. Boy, I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life and still not get bored of it.

Overall, it was an awesome meal. With really good food, great ambiance and super friendly servers, it was definitely an anniversary celebration to remember. Oh and by the way, our drinks were on the house! I don't know why, maybe it was an anniversary gift or maybe they were just being nice. Either ways, thanks guys! :D

Campino Mercado - Ironbound District
70 Jebez Street,
Newark, NJ 07105
Tel: (973) 589 4004
Fax: (973) 589 8820