By: Rai Brian Peliño
Food is undeniably one of the strongest ties that bonds Filipinos together. From our cultural inheritance, superstitious and religious beliefs, occasions and celebrations to our simple day to day life, food always plays a big part in our lives.
For this reason, various restaurants were established from all over the Philippines because of the Filipino’s love for food. Each restaurant promises different menus, recipes, and ambiance and price worthy to be paid. In this article, ten restaurants from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be featured for people to see.
BERGBLICK RESTAURANT Burayog, Paguddpud, Ilocos Norte
Established by a German and his Filipina wife, the Bergblick Restaurant stood with a refreshing mountain view of the Cordillera Mountains around its area, giving the restaurant its name. With its German owner as the head chef and with the help of his wife, food offered are German and Filipino delicacies with prices very affordable for the customers’ to have.
Included in the menu are variations of Filipino dishes like uniquely cooked bagnet in lemon pepper or chili garlic. Unique desserts are also served like the Crème Brulee which is a twist of the infamous leche flan and the Butterscotch Cake with apple sauce.
AMANO RESTO-BAR Tomas Morato, Quezon City
Filipino restaurants often times stick to the traditional look and style especially in the aspect of their place’ ambiance to achieve Filipino style but, the Amano Resto-bar took steps in bringing traditional Southern Luzon dishes in a modern ambiance setting of their restaurant. Filipino food from southern Luzon like the Cavite Mongo Soup which is a bowl of mongo soup with chicharon, fried shrimp and tinapa as side condiments are served in there.
The restaurant also has a bar inside which serves cocktail drinks to the customers. This just adds to the cosmopolitan style of the resto-bar combined to the southern Luzon delicacies that they offer in a low price.
KALUI RESTAURANT Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
KaLui is one of the most famous restaurants found in the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Greeting its customer with no-shoes-inside policy and ask people to leave their footwear’s in a mini-locker, the place welcomes with a unique ambiance people would appreciate while having their meal. Starting from its shiny polished wooden floor, low rise tables and paintings, KaLui enhances the customers’ appetite with their interior designs.
But of course, the main asset of the restaurant is the food that they serve. In KaLui, seafood and vegetable delicacies are their specialties. They serve fresh shrimps, sinigang soup, seafood sisig and many more.
GREEN MANGO FAST FOOD RESTAURANT Iloilo City
All over the city of Iloilo, a fast food is competing with other popular brands which are known nationally or globally. The Green Mango fast food restaurant offers a menu of various kinds of food which are all free from artificial preservatives. Starting its first branch at the Valeria Street, Iloilo, it now has several branches within the city.
Chicken and pork barbecue, lechong kawali, fried chicken and pork longganisa are only a few of their food lists. Some even has an unlimited rice promo at a cheaper price. They also serve pancit palabok, canton guisado and bam-I for merienda and desserts like mais con yelo, halo-halo and leche flan.
HUKAD SA GOLDEN COWRIE Cebu City
Hukad sa Golden Cowrie is a native restaurant in Cebu which serves authentic Filipino and Cebuano dishes. Taking its name from the act of transferring rice from the pot to the plate, the restaurant successfully served Filipino and Cebuano dishes to the people including to foreign visitors.
Hukad sa Golden Cowrie serves Filipino delicacies like the infamous pork sinigang and chicken tinola from their menu. They also serve unlimited rice for their customers with the aid of their staffs who roams around the dining area for those who would ask for more rice.
A special kind of rice is also served in the restaurant which is called “puso”. It is rice cooked inside a wrapper made up of fresh coconut leaves and formed into a diamond-shaped close container. The uncooked rice is placed inside it before cooking for the flavor of the leaves to stick on to the rice as it cooks.
DOS MESTIZOS Boracay, Aklan
Because of the bonds existing between Filipino and Spanish culture, combination of the two in many delicacies in our country is not surprising anymore. In the Dos Mestizos restaurant situated in Boracay, Aklan, the fusion of the two cultures is highlighted in the food they serve in an impressive classy style.
Spanish specialties like the Paella are served with background music playing from live bands. Plus, the soothing Mediterranean ambiance of the area adds to the appetite of the customers. Dos Mestizos also conducts buffet nights such as the tapa buffet every Saturday night.
Strategically located near hotels in Boracay, the Dos Mestizos restaurant gained its popularity from the volume of tourists present in the area. But of course, their great tasting food is their best asset that attracts people.
LACHI’S SAND RIVAL Marfori Heights, Davao City
Uniqueness and strange twists in recipes is one of the significant factors why a restaurant gains popularity. In Davao city, a restaurant which is treated as one of the dining landmarks of the city achieved its success through its unusual dishes which are mostly combinations of various foods in one plate.
One of its strange recipes is the Laing Pasta with Lechon Kawali. It is a pasta dish with Laing sauce and Lechon Kawali toppings; three totally different food combined in a single unbelievably delicious dish! But that’s only one of the unique items in their totally bizarre list of dishes in their menu.
But, shouted out by its name is the restaurant’s specialty which is the Lachi’s Classic Sand Rival. A popular dessert mastered by the restaurant even twisting it with durian and coffee flavors. New York Cheesecakes can also be ordered and the menu also offers a cheesecake with both strawberry and blueberry on top aside from its various desserts.
WAIT FOR IT TUNA GRILL General Santos City
Proudly standing as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, various seafood restaurants were scattered all over the city of General Santos. One of these restaurants is the “Wait for It Tuna Grill” in Osmeña, General Santos.
With a list of seafood dishes in its menu, the Wait for It Tuna Grill serves various dishes from Lato seaweeds, bihod or fish eggs, and shrimps to the delicious tuna parts; the jaw, the belly and the tail. With its menu, the Tuna Grill promises a hearty dinner for its customer to enjoy and at the same time, appreciate the tuna culture of the city.
MISSY BON BON BREADHOUSE Cagayan De Oro City
In the so called city of Golden Friendship Cagayan De Oro City, a Filipino-American restaurant can be found. The Missy Bon Bon Breadhouse serves breakfast goodies all throughout the day. Items in its menu include Filipino and American dishes which are commonly food for breakfast.
Common but very delicious Filipino food like tapa, bangus, tocino and corned beef can be ordered here. Smoke house longganisa is also available and American goodies like pancakes. Not only limited to what its name say, the Missy Bon Bon Breadhouse offers meals for dining especially breakfast delicacies for morning, lunch, supper and for the whole day.
MANO MANO NA GREENFIELDS Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Del Sur
With walls made up of bamboo and roof made of nipa, Mano-mano Na Greenfields brings native Filipino ambiance to their customers. Adding to this, they also have an open-area for people to have a cool air breeze while having their meals.
Filipino delicacies are the content of their menu with mostly seafood dishes. Mano-mano Na Greenfields offers food like authentic grilled squid, vegetable salad and sizzling tanigue; all Filipino specialties that can be enjoyed in a place with native Filipino ambiance.
The idea of letting the customers feel the cool fresh air while having their dinner in a place which matches the dishes they’re eating is an excellent combination to be experienced.
These are just few of the good restaurants all over the Philippines which offers a wide variety of delicacies for the people; both from inside or outside the country. More dining places have their own share of menus and recipes that can be tried by many for them to experience different taste, style and even different cultures.