Put your eyebrows down, fans and patrons of abovementioned restaurants. This isn't going to be a hate post - well, actually, it might possibly have a teeny weeny probability of sounding like one but...okay, fine! This is not exactly an 'OMG!-super-duper-worship-the-chef-creator-owner-of-this-food-joint' kind of blog post.
A case of bad timing or poor food choices or assumed modus operandi or whatnot. Hey! We can't always have the goods one, can we?
A case of bad timing or poor food choices or assumed modus operandi or whatnot. Hey! We can't always have the goods one, can we?
Salo - The Fort Strip
| I've read really good stuff about Salo prior to our visit and I must say that I was extremely underwhelmed when we finally ate here last August. The pork binagoongan (P225) was weirdly soupy, ergo bland. The pork sisig (P195) could use a little bit of mayonnaise (or pork brain). And the gatang sitaw at kalabasa (P126) was...uhm, deserving of a massive eye roll and preferably tons of seasoning and more gata. But at least the adobo rice (P195) was decent enough to be eaten. Yes, the working class of BGC is in dire need of affordable food other than McDonald's and Dell's but no, we don't want to pay for something as unsavory as Salo's food. |
I actually kind of felt insulted that Salo thought we only deserved this...this thing *sob* We still want to get some value for our money, folks! So maybe we just ordered the 'wrong food' but I must say that Salo was pretty consistent with the 'wrongness' because three out of four dishes we ordered were really bad!
Better alternative: Kanteen
Better alternative: Kanteen
SuZhou Eastern chinese cuisine - Crossroads Bldg
| Average food, confusing menu, and poor customer service. Tapsilog (P175) was OK. Nothing fancy or anything. Steamed beef in garlic (P330) was tasty albeit a bit dry and spicier than what I would have wanted (I specifically requested the chili to be served separately). It would have been an okay visit if not for the poor service of the staff. Toto and I were only wearing casual clothes and even though we were the first visitors, the staff showered 99% of their attention on the family who arrived later than us (maybe they thought we were students = less $$). To cut the story short, I felt totally disregarded by the staff. *sob* Yes, i'm taking this personally! </3 LOL. |
Worse, their menu was really confusing. The prices I mean. Toto and I were given 2 menus with entirely different prices. Like the mango shake in my copy of the menu was P80/glass. In my Toto's copy, it was P100!
Iced tea was P55 vs P85. Steamed beef in garlic was P300 vs P330. I mean, c'mon!! Doesn't that scream 'modus operandi' or what?
Better alternative: Balkan Yugoslavian Home Cooking (not Chinese but just next door!)
Iced tea was P55 vs P85. Steamed beef in garlic was P300 vs P330. I mean, c'mon!! Doesn't that scream 'modus operandi' or what?
Better alternative: Balkan Yugoslavian Home Cooking (not Chinese but just next door!)
Agave Mexican Cantina - Bonifacio high Street
| I've always wanted to try Agave because a lot of people seem to really like this place. I mean, it's always jam-packed and bustling with patrons even on a lazy weeknight. To cut the story short, we had a 'barely OK' lunch here. Our expectation was up here (one foot higher than my head) but food quality was down there (mid-section level). Taste was average and serving size was on the smallest side. We ordered grilled chicken burrito (solo, P235), yucatan skewers (P495), and chips & salsa (P100 single order). |
So that left us thinking that maybe people don't really go there for the food - they go for the bottomless house margarita (P295) and unlimited chips (P295)!
Better alternative: Wild West Roadhouse Grill
Better alternative: Wild West Roadhouse Grill
Lorenzo's Way - High Street Central
| Lorenzo's Way is, uhm, forgettable. It's part of the LJC group of restaurants (Abe's, Cafe Adriatico, Cafe Havana, etc.). I actually don't know why they have a lot of restaurants under their belt when they all just seem very similar to each other - same Filipino menu with a bit of Western dishes here and there. The difference is all too blurry to me, to be honest. Anyway! I digress. We ordered inihaw na liempo (P285) - bland and slightly rubbery; hickory spare ribs (P295) - a little too sweet for my liking; and sotanghon, which surpassed my maximum tolerance level for fishiness. Maybe we should've ordered the crispy pata?? |
Better alternative: Kuse Restaurant
Do you share the same sentiments?