The WISIWYG Blog

It had been quite a long time since I last celebrated my birthday in Naga City.  The last time was probably when I was still in college.  Last January 6, though, I had the chance to experience that again, and I found the experience relaxing and satisfying for a couple of reasons. 

First, it was relaxing because I’m not at the office; far from work and even farther from the cries of “LIBRE” from my officemates.  My friends and acquaintances in Naga have also gone back to Manila for their respective works, so I am free from the same wails they might have shouted.  And finally, there was the satisfaction of having my birthday dinner at a Bicolano restaurant, with a choice of provisions that I have grown to miss.

So during my 26th birthday, I and half of my family (my brother and mama) had a dinner at Bigg’s Diner.  I could have celebrated it on any of the other restaurants at the city’s Centro.  I could have enjoyed either way because I missed all of the foods that the city’s restaurants have to offer.  But I think I missed the taste of Bigg’s so much that I opted to dine at the restaurant for my birthday, even if it was already the second time in a week that I would be eating at the place.

A Bicolano Fast-food

Before divulging my eating adventures at Bigg’s during my birthday, let me first give you to a brief history of the Bicolano fast-food chain.

Bigg’s started as a burger stand in 1983, when it was still called Mang Donald’s back then.  It had a funny name, but it probably helped make the stand a hit.  I can still remember their store located near the now defunct Advent Cinema (and current location of one of their outlets).  We even ordered a burger there a couple of times, and I loved the taste even though it doesn’t have much in it compared to the high-priced burgers we have now.  It was just pure burger goodness.

After the burger stand became a hit, they started to target a different set of audiences when they opened Nalds shortly after.  If Mang Donalds catered for the foreign-food-loving locals, Nalds was specially built for the Filipino-at-heart goto lovers.  Actually, Nalds has been in business until a few years back.  And back then, I would really visit the place whenever I can just to sample their delicious goto.  Of course, one can still take a taste of the same flavor in the current line of Bigg’s Diner outlets.

Then, in the 1990’s, Carl’s Diner was born.  The American-themed dining place is actually the direct ancestor of the current Bigg’s Diner.  In fact, the current restaurant is themed basically the same, and the set of main food choices are practically the same although a dozen or more food choices has already been added to the menu.

For years, the establishment has been known to us as Carl’s, until some problems with the foreign brand Carl’s Jr. has probably forced the owners to replace the name with Bigg’s.  But only the name has changed, because the quality of the food remained the same.

Bigg’s Today

Currently, there are three Bigg’s outlets in Naga City.  One is located along Panganiban Drive, in front of St. John Hospital.  Another is located at the ground floor of the old Advent Theater, and their newest branch is located at Jacob St., in front of the Plaza Quince Martires, between McDonalds and Cabby’s Cabana.  Aside from their Naga outlet, they also have restaurants in other parts of Bicol, some still bearing the name of Nalds to emphasize that they still cater goto for their customers.

My Bigg’s Birthday

So I celebrated my birthday at Bigg’s.  Quite significant, because I was born on the same year when the first version of the fast-food chain was established.  We had our dinner at the Advent Theater branch because the new outlet is often filled with their patrons at night.  And the food on our table?  Pork cordon bleu for me, pork kebabs for my younger brother, and the Bigg’s budget meat (fried chicken + barbeque) for my mom.

Now, you may wonder why we had individual meals on the table and not a set meal for three or more persons.  The reason: they simply don’t have meal sets for multiple persons.  The restaurant setting is similar to a fast-food restaurant, except for the comfy dining atmosphere.  You would have to queue up to order your food from the counter, pay there and wait for it to be served at your table.  But while the setting is similar to fast-food restos, the taste of the food is quite comparable to the high-end restaurants here in Metro Manila.

Whenever I eat at Bigg’s, my usual order would be their pork tenderloin tips.  I just love the meat, which, as I have noticed from our last visit, tastes just like a very expensive steak that we tried at some high-end outback restaurant at the SM Mall of Asia.  And that’s minus the very high cost!  But since we had just sampled their tenderloin tips when we had lunch at their other outlet the previous Sunday, I opted for something I haven’t tried yet.

So during my birthday, I sampled their pork cordon bleu.  The taste is quite different from the cordon bleu I was accustomed to, which is quite sweet because of the bread crumbs.  Theirs has none of that sweetness, but the meat tastes really good, as if made to impress meat lovers.

My mom and younger brother opted for the safer option—something which they have already sampled during the many times they dined at Bigg’s.  The pork kebab is basically a barbeque, and I wonder why they have to rename it as such.  But their barbeque has always been a bestseller, so you really can’t complain much about the food palatability as it really tastes good.  The same thing is true with the fried chicken (which comes in generous proportions, may I add) that comes with the budget meal.  When I was in grade school, the budget meal is my usual request whenever my parents would bring us to Bigg’s.

The End

So that’s my Bigg’s birthday story, which turned out to be some sort of promotional job for Bigg’s Diner.  Hehe.  But with a food that great at an affordable price (compared to similar restaurants here in Manila), I wouldn’t mind promoting their business here in my blog site.  After all, theirs is a restaurant every Bicolano can be proud of.

Image credit: Facebook | Bigg's Diner