In this fast-paced environment we are currently living in, we tend to focus on what needs to be done that we forget what matters most. Taking a breather seems impossible, and even a simple search for a quick and healthy bite seems daunting.
Ilonggo Food Company takes you on a gastronomic adventure to the Central Philippines as they let you taste what the Ilonggo cuisine has to offer. Combined with specialties from the other different regions in the country, their menu promises its customers the best of Filipino food.
The spacious and cozy restaurant, perfect for gatherings as huge as family reunions or as small as an intimate dinner with a special someone, is conveniently located at the ground floor of the Commercenter in BGC.
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| Tuna Kinilaw P280 |
Tuna kinilaw is a very common appetizer in the Filipino dining scene. It’s raw tuna cubes in vinegar and onions, black beans, and spices. It's not something I usually order, but it's one that helps stir up the appetite.
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| Sinuglaw P290 |
Sinuglaw is also a type of kinilaw, except that it had grilled liempo bits to go with the tuna. If I were to be asked, I would prefer to order the sinuglaw over the kinilaw just because I liked alternating the pork and the tuna. It sort of works as a palate cleanser for me.
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| Linagpang na Manok P375 |
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| Linagpang na Manok P375 |
It took us so many tries before we finally got to say the name of this dish right. It’s the first time we encountered it, and I didn’t think I’d like it with the way it was described to us. One thing you should know about the linagpang na manok is it’s charred before cooked in the soup, which gives the soup its smokey and bitter flavor. I was expecting it to be really bitter, like burnt bitter, but I was surprised that it did not taste like that at all. It was delicious and really unique - like nothing I’ve had before.
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| Batchoy P240 |
We are no stranger to the famous Ilonggo batchoy - a noodle soup with beef, pork, liver, and chicharon bits. It’s perfect for the rainy weather we’re having!
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| Kansi P385 |
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| Kansi P385 |
The kansi was described to us as the combination of nilaga and sinigang. But what makes their kansi different is the fact that it gets its sour flavor from the batuan fruit, not the tamarind fruit we usually use. I also loved its insanely tender braised beef! Hats off to the chef!
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| Porbidang Kangkong P195 |
The porbidang kangkong is just kangkong cooked in a mildly spicy coconut milk sauce. It's got a bit of a kick and crunch. It's not really that unique but it's still something you'll want on the table.
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| Ginamos nga Manok P295 |
Ginamos is a fermented shrimp paste popular in the Ilonggo cuisine that's similar to what we know as bagoong. The ginamos nga manok is half a chicken marinated in this fermented shrimp paste and other spices and cooked in a charcoal oven. Being familiar with what bagoong tastes like, I was a bit skeptic about how this dish would turn out (I was assuming it would be salty), but in the end it's one of the dishes I really came to appreciate as it was unexpectedly great! It's really moist chicken with super thin skin, and the flavor of the ginamos was just incomparable to the bagoong I grew up knowing. Where has this ginamos been all my life?!
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| Chicken Inasal P295 |
A specialty from Bacolod that us here in Metro Manila have come to love, the chicken inasal is chicken marinated in vinegar, garlic, and other spices, grilled and served with atsara. Sorry, but they don't have chicken oil in here (that I know of)! But from the taste of the chicken they served, I didn't think it was necessary (that or I’m just not really into chicken oil ✌🏻)
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| Pompano |
I don't have the price for the pompano because it's a new dish they're looking to offer in September, but just to give a short description about it, it's a not-so-cheap fish wrapped in lemongrass before grilled, so you can really get the flavor of the tanglad in there. It's best to eat with soy sauce and calamansi as a dip.
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| Chicharon Rice P210 |
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| Sisig Rice P220 |
For the rice, we had both the chicharon and sisig rice. While the two did not have much of a difference in taste, I prefer the sisig rice because I felt like it complemented the mains very well. It added flavors to the mains without overpowering them.
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| Mais Con Hielo P165 |
I used to love mais con hielo, until there came a time when I'd gladly pick corn on the cob over it. It's actually been awhile since I had one, but I kinda forgot why I hated the dessert after having some on my visit. The sweet corn didn't feel like something so bad with milk after all.
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| Halo-Halo P199 |
I was really looking forward to the halo-halo, but sadly, it didn't make much of an impact. I wish it was sweeter than it was. More sugar or milk could've made it better.
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| Leche Flan P90 |
If the halo-halo lacked sweetness, the lechen flan, on the other hand, kind of made up for it. It was sweet, but it did me a favor since I am a sweet tooth (so probably not good for those who are not). I also loved that it was not airy at all. It was so dense and thick to a point that it sort of sticks on your teeth, a consistency I really liked.
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| Tsoknut Frost P150 |
If you feel like reminiscing your childhood, then the tsoknut frost would be a good choice. You can definitely identify based on its taste that it's made of chocnut, even without knowing what it was. It's pure chocnut, and perhaps a little more chocolate that made it really really sweet. Just make sure you drink it alternately with water, as it can make your throat sore a bit (from all the sweetness).
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| Fruit Shakes |
Of course, it's not Filipino food without fruit shakes. They also have a sugarcane juice I am hoping to try next time.
My Scores:
Pricing - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 4/5
Taste - 4/5
Hungry for more,
Address: G/F Commercenter Bldg., 4th Ave corner 31st St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Operating Hours: 11am to 10pm (Mon-Sat) 11am to 9pm (Sun)
Contact: (63) 917 827 4264
Facebook: @ilonggofoodco
(Date of Visit: August 24, 2019)
After its successful opening at S Maison in Conrad Manila late last year, Hard Rock Café is back in Makati so guests can relive those rockin’ good times. Yes, watch out for its opening in Glorietta 3 on the 2nd week of September.
Looking for pet-friendly cafes in Metro Manila can be a bit tough. Most restaurants only allow pets in the outdoor area, but we found this cafe that caters not just to pet lovers, but to pets!
Templo is a Chinese restaurant located in Quezon City. They offered a wide array of Szechuan food, until they revamped their menu just recently to include their unli crabs, shrimps, and of course, favorite Szechuan dishes.
My visit to this restaurant last Sunday has brought me to a very simple yet meaningful realization ~ the messier you eat, the more enjoyable your meal will be!
Buy One Dish, Get One at 50% Off at Tres
Zomato invited us for a foodie meet up at Okada's newest Chinese restaurant ~ Catch by the Bay. Basing solely on its name, I prepared myself for an evening of expensive but fresh seafood with a majestic view of the bay.
Tres cuisine is the latest culinary project of Chef Ed Quimzon. The restaurant offers no-fail Filipino dishes, both classic and revamped to include a bit of a twist. It has two branches, but the one I've been to is conveniently located in the middle of the bustling city of Makati.
Days before my birthday, I learned about Butcher and Sons’ unlimited steak and lobster promo. What made this promo even better was that we were given the chance to experience it first hand as the restaurant partnered with Zomato for a contest on social media. The winner gets gift certificates for 2 to experience their newest deal.
By now you must have already realized why I am writing about Butcher and Sons’ unlimited steak and lobsters promo, but I’m going to go ahead and say it anyway: I was fortunate enough to have won that contest! And so I did not waste precious time and immediately visited this restaurant with my beau to celebrate my birthday.
What is this promo all about? It’s an offer for unlimited servings of surf and turf (tenderloin steak topped with lobster tail), along with other premium dishes that make this promo a greater value for money than it already is. Everything is yours to enjoy for a time limit of 2 hours. Check out the menu for the full offer!
Aside from the unli menu, the restaurant has a buffet table where you can help yourselves with all the salads, soups (seafood chowder, and pumpkin), and sides you want. I personally loved their truffled mashed potatoes and cheesy potato bake. Their pumpkin was also good!
We were also given a basket of bread with eggplant pate and liver pate on the side.
Our goal was to try each item on the menu, which proved to be difficult given the huge portions of each of the items we tried:
FROM THE SEA
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| Grilled Prawns |
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| Grilled Prawns |
The grilled prawns were served in a skewer, with 3 prawns per serving. They were fresh and so perfectly cooked that removing the shells did not become such a challenge. And I honestly did not expect them to be huge!
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| Imported Japanese Scallops |
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| Mud Crab Thermidor |
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| Mud Crab Thermidor |
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| Grilled Salmon Marinated with Grainy Mustard |
I know you’re tired of reading how much I loved the seafood here, but the salmon was another no-fail dish to order. The salmon alone, without the other components, was delicious. You probably think it’s impossible to mess up a simple grilled salmon, but the reality is it’s also hard to get it done right, and Butcher and Sons successfully served us one.
THE BUTCHER’S CHOICE
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| Grilled Iberico Spanish Pork Secreto Cut |
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| Surf and Turf |
The surf and turf is a serving of the Brazilian tenderloin (about the size of my fist) topped with a rock lobster tail.
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| Ribeye bone-in steak 100% Angus |
The ribeye, on the other hand, is served as is, but with the size as big as 2 of my palms.
We were served with sauces to go with our steaks, one of which had truffle, and the other one I forgot to list down, but those don’t really matter now, do they? Bottom line is I’m happy with the steaks served to us, whatever the sauce may be. In fact, we were so happy with the steaks that we were able to finish 3 servings of the surf and turf and 2 servings of the ribeye!
The unlimited steak and lobsters are available at Butcher and Sons EVERYDAY for only P1,988+ per person. The terms may also seem confusing, but to those who are asking, YES, the offer is available for 2 persons dining together (as opposed to the minimum of 4 in the terms and conditions). In our case, we were told to order a maximum of 3 kinds of dishes at a time.
I know what you’ve been dying to know ~ is it worth it? My answer to that is HELL YEAH! For the variety of choices they offer, not to mention the quality service they deliver, this promo from Butcher and Sons is such a steal!
My Scores:
Pricing - 4/5
Service - 5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 4/5
Taste - 4/5
Hungry for more,
Address: G/F Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari Road Almanza Dos, Las Piñas City
Operating Hours: 11am to 10pm (Sun - Thu) and 11am to 11pm (Fri - Sat)
Contact: (02) 851 4274
Contact: (02) 851 4274
Budget: from P1,988 per person for the unli steak and lobster
Instagram: @thebutcherandsonssteakhouse
Facebook: @butcherandsons
(Date of Visit: July 25, 2019)
