7 Wonders of... Longganisa

I’ve heard of this longganisa place for quite a while now. I never tried to visit the place though even though it was just near where I worked and work now (no, I do not have separation issues with locations). But one Facebook announcement finally convinced me to visit this restaurant.

I visited Sonsi around 8PM and it was pretty dark around Madison Square. Armed with my thermos to protect myself (hey, it’s better to be paranoid than… well, unconscious), I asked the guard for help since I am practically blind at night. I was led to the left side of Madison (if you are coming from Pioneer St., you have to go down a bit to reach the place). No wonder it was a bit hard to find.

The restaurant was not scary at all as it was well-lit. The menu though was quite limited. Specialties were, you guessed it; different varieties of longganisa—Alaminos, Lucban, Vigan, Tuguegarao, Cebu, Calumpit, and Cabanatuan. It is like traveling without leaving your seat, plate, or spoon and fork. There were also a handful of other Filipino dishes such as Sinigang na Baboy, Sinigang na Bangus Belly, and Sizzling Bangus Belly (perhaps the one also allocated for the sinigang).

Of all the different longganisa dishes, Calumpit seemed to be the least popular. But my friend who sat beside me said it was good. Curious George moment!

Since I am the type who loves to order more than one dish, I decided to order squid balls (PHP100) and Calumpit longganisa (all longganisa dishes are priced at PHP135 and served with rice, egg, and iced tea). 

See those dark little balls? Say hi to Calumpit!

The Calumpit longganisa arrived first (since the squid balls was ordered a few minutes after) and it looked pretty sad. It was like small muddy pebbles beside the egg and rice. To be honest, it seemed to be too few for PHP135 (good thing I ordered squid balls… or so I thought).

The Calumpit was a bit dry and garlicky. Yet, it went really well with the egg and rice. I think the egg saved it. If only they added a few more Calumpit, this dish would have made me smile.

Looks exotic!

As for the late appetizer (my fault!)… 

It tasted weird. Squid balls usually have this gummy chewy texture but this one tasted wrong. It was dry and just wrong. Yet, I managed to eat one-fourth of it with the help of its sweet and chili sauce.

Luckily, a latecomer ordered something that made me curious too… Chorizo, or as Sonsi calls it, Chori Pizza (PHP155).

When it arrived it didn’t seem special to me. It looked like a thin crust cheese pizza and true enough, it tasted like one. Yet, I think kids would like this. Then again, if you are looking for a filling dish, I recommend that you stick with the rice meals.

Now that I have tried Sonsi, it might take me a while to go back. Perhaps if I crave for Cebu longganisa. But this time, I will definitely skip the squid balls and order sisig instead. Yes, sisig for appetizer!

Sonsi is located at Madison Square, 4 Pioneer St. cor. Sheridan St. Mandaluyong City