Bob's

Bob's is the most famous restaurant of Bacolod. I think you haven't been to Bacolod if you haven't eaten here.

My college friends and I were supposed to eat at Bar21 but we were intimidated by the looks of it. So we headed to Bob's which is the safest choice we all could make.

At Bob's, we read the menu even if we know what we would have - Baby Back Ribs.

It took less than 15 minutes for the food to arrive but we were all hungry and 15 minutes meant forever. As soon as our plates touched our table and as soon as we said our prayers, we gobbled on our food. I even almost forgot to take pictures. Haha.

The ribs at Bob's was soft and juicy and delicious. But I still think that those in Bourbon Street is the best. You certainly can't forget your first, can you?

The onion rings on the side was all flour. But I forgot about it because there were steamed veggies I so enjoy having.

The waiters in Bob's are attentive. We even interviewed one of them and gathered that some of them were with Bob's since it started in 1965.

Bob's never fail to please me.

A proof of pleasure

Menu. Click the images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

 











Bob's
BS Aquino Drive, Bacolod City
With branches at SM and Makati
http://bobsbacolod.com/

Salvi's

We were supposed to eat at Giardino but circumstances didn't allow it because Giardino is closed on Sundays. We headed to Salvi's anyway which is about 10 steps away from Giardino.

Salvi's has a limited array of food and is priced high. But given no choice, my friends and I selected what we perceived to be the best and ordered ribs, Lechon Kawali and Pork Binagoongan.

It took a long while for the food to arrive. About 40 minutes in fact. Good thing we had our books and notes to keep us busy.  But on an empty stomach, you couldn't do anything but grumble about the slow service.

After a while, our food arrived. I was greeted with a small slab of ribs which was not appealing at all. The sauce was dark and looked like shit and my ribs didn't smell enticing at all. I took a bite anyway and was more disappointed. In fact, the first word I blurted after I chewed once was, "Maot!" literally meaning ugly but could also mean not delicious. It was tough, dry and not delicious! And this for 135!

I tasted the Lechon Kawali in the hopes of being satisfied but seeing it alone crushes all my hopes of a good dinner. It was fatty with bits of meat scattered here and there. It would have been fine if it was cooked like chicharon where the fat is made edible but it isn't and it's appearance alone screams, "Yuck!"

I tasted it anyway and found it to be tough, dry and not tasty. Same as that rib dish. The only good thing about my dinner was the crispy skin. And there was only a few of that.

The Pork Binagoongan, the waiter said, was good for 3 persons but it seemed to be good for only 1. There were a few slices of meat and plenty of onions and pepper. It didn't even taste like Binagoongan at all.

I was never satisfied with my dinner and even thought of eating again.

I will never eat again at Salvi's.

Menu. Click the images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

 











Salvi's
Jalandoni St, Iloilo City
Open for lunch until about 12MN
Salvi's on Facebook

Dinagyang Siopao and Nang Pat's Siopao

I was hesitant to go to Villa for a field trip. But what kept me going was the siopao in Villa that I have never tried and wanted to try. :)

I sat for an hour listening to the head of the institution we went to. After he said, "Thank you", my friends and I rushed out to search for one of the most famous siopao in Iloilo.

I thought it was just a block away from the plaza so we walked. After about three blocks, we didn't see any sign of it so we asked a tricycle driver. He pointed that it was further up ahead the road. So we continued to walk. After a block or two, we finally arrived.

We were faced with a dilemma. On what to eat first since we were presented with two options - Dinagyang siopao and Nang Pat's. My friends and I decided to buy at Dinagyang and then at Nang Pat's so that we can also sit at the tables provided at the latter.

At Dinagyang, the man who tended the store told us that their siopao was not hot. We settled for it though because we traveled quite a long way for the siopao. :)

I had chicken siopao at PhP22. The pork one was priced at PhP17.

At Nang Pat's, I had a pork siopao which was priced the same as that in Dinagyang. Only that it was fresh off the steam and was very hot. :) I ate the Chicken siopao first to let the Pork one cool down. It was good and stuffed with chicken. The only downside is that it wasn't hot at all.

After I ate the siopao we bought at Dinagyang, I ate the steamed pork buns I bought at Nang Pat's. Some of my friends didn't eat their purchases because they were already full from that Dinagyang siopao.

The siopao at Nang Pat's was big - very big. But the stuffing was small and tasted weird. Maybe their chicken siopao was good but I had the pork one and it sucked.

I preferred the dough at Dinagyang too. And so, all in all, I choose Dinagyang over Nang Pat's. I should have the hot one next time though.

Hmmm... Would I return? Not really. I mean, I wouldn't travel a long way for this. I'd settle at Roberto's instead. But if I were in the vicinity, I would definitely buy one considering that it is half the price of that in Roberto's plus it has a good dough, has plenty of stuffings and is large. :)

Dinagyang Siopao
Nang Pat's Siopaoan sa Villa
Bonifacio St, Iloilo City

The Grand Tower

One Monday ago, when all the food stalls inside the school were closed, we had no choice but to go somewhere to eat. As usual, my friends let me call the shots.

I suggested Grand Tower and they all agreed without any hesitations. I chose to eat at Grand Tower because I have heard good remarks about it. And, the food is cheap.

So off we went to Grand Tower.

At Grand Tower, we were greeted by very courteous people who were willing to attend to our every need.

We had a hard time selecting what to eat because there were lots of good things to eat! I finally chose my all-time favorite sisig and a chopsuey dish. After I paid for my food, a waiter carried my tray to where he was to seat us. I thanked him then got a glass of water. Along the way, I snooped inside the soup pot to see what was in it. A waitress saw me and instructed another waiter to serve soup to me and my friends. Talk about attentiveness. :)

I finally sat down and ate. The sisig was heavenly and spicy. All of my friends agreed that it was good and very well paired with rice. The chopsuey was also good. The vegetables weren't soggy and were crispy and crunchy. My friends were equally enjoying their meals that they ordered more servings of rice.

This is some place I would return to.

The Grand Tower
Montinola cor Iznart Street
Iloilo City

Mango Tree

I have always wanted to eat at Mango Tree and have even planned to eat there countless times. However, it always ends up as a failed attempt.

Nevertheless, one Thursday morning, my friends and I finally had the time to head to DOH to get some stuff for school. We only spent a few minutes there but by the time we finished, it was lunch time. Naturally, I suggested for us to have lunch at Mango Tree. My ever-supportive friends instantly agreed.

It was like going to someone's house for lunch. It never looked like a restaurant and no one was outside to usher us in. So we let ourselves in. Once inside, one waiter was by the counter and a dog was wagging his tail near the counter. This may be a minus in the hygiene department for some or a plus for appeal for some.

I headed to the tables while my friends played with the dog. I scanned the menu and then ordered with my friends. We had Pork Steak and Pork Binagoongan and chatted for 20 minutes before the food arrived.

The first thing I ate was the Pork Steak. It was tasty like Grilled or Barbecued Pork, which is my favorite food in the whole wide world. :D The Pork Steak was tender and was not really special since it tasted like what it should be. But it was really very delicious. Too bad, it came in thin slabs.

The Pork Binagoongan, on the other hand, was rich and tasty... very tasty, in fact, that we ordered second helpings of rice which was overpriced at PhP20. The meat was tender too and came with many tomatoes. Nom nom nom. I was expecting small servings but was very surprised that they exceeded my expectations. Very much worth it. :)

I was very satisfied with my Mango Tree experience that I can't wait for my next visit.

I'm definitely coming back!
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Because my friend arrived, we just had to dine somewhere to celebrate that special occasion. We all thought that Mango Tree is the place.

Two of my friends and I ordered Lengua and Beef Salpicao but when our orders arrived, we were so disappointed at the very small servings. I alone could eat all of it. So we decided to add Pork Sisig - the only thing we could decide on from their limited menu.

The Beef Salpicao was not amazing. It was composed of bite-size beef cuts swimming or rather wading in its own sauce and topped with garlic. I wish the beef was more tender, and I would have appreciated if there were more sauce and if it were more tasty. I still believe that the best salpicao can be found in Dive Road, where it is sizzling and spicy.

The Lengua was already cold when we ate it. It was the most so-so of all so-so things. It was composed of 6 or so slices of tongue baste in mushroom sauce and topped or rather sprinkled with grated cheese. The taste was fine but there was only a few of it which made me not really enjoy it. Among all the dishes that day, this disappointed me the most.

The Sisig tasted like one I ate a couple of weeks back in a carenderia near where I live. No offense but that is what it really tasted like. There was nothing special and there was too much fat in it. I still think the best sisig is that in Omp's in Miagao where you can even request for it to be almost burnt so that you get a somehow crunchy sisig. :)

My friends ordered Pork and Tofu and Spicy Korean Pork.

The Tofu was good but the Pork in it was just underfried Pork Fats, which I think should be crispy like chicharon or even just like Lechon Kawali. There was only a few pieces of tiny slices of pork too. It was just like minced pork. :-|

The Spicy Korean Pork was good. I like the spiciness and the hotness of the dish. I think I'll order this next time.

The Mango Crepe we ordered for dessert was the winner. I wonder how they make their crepe. But I like the slices of mango and banana inside the rolled crepe. There was also a generous drizzling of chocolate syrup and mango syrup as well.

On my first visit, I thought Mango Tree is one restaurant which is consistent. This was proved wrong on my second visit. I just hope they could redeem themselves on my future visit/s. Right now, I'm still thinking if I should retain them on my Favorite Restaurants list or cross their name out.

Updated menu (in addition to the menu below). Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

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Menu. Click the images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Mango Tree
Guzman St., Mandurriao, Iloilo City
(033)5007877
Open daily from 11AM-10PM

Mango Tree on Facebook

Casa Verde

After I had lunch at Bigby's, I went to Casa Verde to have dessert. What else to order but their Death by Chocolate.

When it arrived, it was smaller than it once was. I looked around at the other tables and observed that even the ribs are smaller now than it was before. :(

I ate my dessert anyway and enjoyed tasting the chocolate syrup and sugar toppings and then cracking the chocolate coat around the chocolate icecream. Yummmmmm! Life is beautiful. :)
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We were supposed to have lunch at Gerry's Grill but the friend of my friend does not like it there so we headed to the safest choice - Casa Verde.

I wanted to have steak but my friend has never eaten their ribs. And you have never really eaten at Casa Verde without trying their ribs. So I offered to share the large meal with her even if I could consume it alone. :D

We also had half of a soup and half of a salad. We had the Potato Soup which was thick, creamy and cheesy, which made me, the non-soup believer, enjoy it.

The salad was so-so. There was no chicken in it contrary to what the menu says.

The ribs were large but I still think they were larger (and cheaper) way back. It was still delicious and succulent and heavenly... The only thing I can ask for is more! :)

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Menu. Click images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Casa Verde
Ayala Terraces,Ayala, Cebu
(032)2338885

Open daily from 11AM -10PM

Other branches at:
69 Lim Tian Teng St. (formerly V. Ranudo), Cebu City
(032)2536472

IT Park
(032)4123336

Casa Verde on Facebook

Bigby's

A couple of days ago, I met up with some friends at Ayala Terraces for lunch. We were supposed to have Casa Verde's ribs but they were closed at 10AM. So we went to Bigby's instead. I have tried their Rodeo Chops and it was such a treat! This time though, I had their ribs which I've heard was good. And so I ordered one...One rack of it. :)

 

When my ribs arrived, it was no different from the half rack my friend ordered. It was of the same size... So stupid. I should have ordered the half rack instead.

Anyway, I cut off my ribs and tasted them. They were tough and bland. Definitely the worst ribs I have ever tasted. But maybe that was because we were the first customers and they haven't half cooked our food and they were in a hurry to cook it so that they could serve it to us. Bah... I wasted my time and my money at Bigby's.

Definitely no more Bigby's ribs for me.

Menu. Click the images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Bigby's
Ayala Terraces
Ayala, Cebu
Open daily from 10AM-10PM 
Bigby's on Facebook
Bigby's Website