Love at First Bite: Locavore

I seriously love my area. Crowd favorites such as Silantro, Poco Deli, Rub Ribs, Calderon and Mad Marks can all be found in Kapitolyo. My new favorites Avi, Haru, Open Kitchen, Gostoso, and Tomahawk are all in the area too. And last Friday, I discovered a new favorite, Locavore.

I've heard of Locavore from my friend F who randomly messaged me if I have tried eating there. Curious, I made my research and upon seeing the photo of the Sizzling Sinigang, I was convinced that I have to dine there soon.

However, I failed on my first try. Locavore was packed and waiting time could be half an hour to over an hour. My mom and sister were already hungry then so we went to Pearl Drive instead for some chi-mek (chicken and beer).

I was informed that the best way to secure seats is to make a reservation. It’s not really my habit to do so unless I feel that the place is awesome and always packed. I could still count how frequent I made reservations. I recall I did with Your Local, Haru, Bistecca, House of Wagyu, and Nav.

When we arrived, the place was still spacious with only a few tables occupied. However, we did notice that almost all tables were tagged “reserved”.

Since I already have a copy of the menu, I already “planned” on what to order. I got Sizzling Sinigang (PHP530), Lechon and Oyster Sisig (PHP400), Crispy Tilapia (PHP280), Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (PHP240) and Calamanjito (PHP280 for two glasses during Happy Hour).

First served was the Lechon and Oyster Sisig and it was so fragrant that it was hard to resist drooling over it while taking photos of it.

I loved the crispiness of the lechon and the soft texture of the oysters. It had a strong flavor for it to be an appetizer. It could serve as a main course. (With rice, lots and lots of rice.)

The Sizzling Sinigang was aweeeeesooooome. It reminded me of the sizzling bulalo I ordered before in Sarsa. I also enjoyed the crunchy string beans. It was a great contrast to the soft and well-cooked short ribs.

While taking photos, they served my Calamanjito which I did not notice and I ended up spilling the whole glass on myself, my other phone and all over the table. The servers were very quick though to clean the mess I made and even replaced my drink.

The fried chicken wasn’t your usual fried chicken. It somehow reminded me of Bon Chon’s or Kyochon’s fried chicken (or even Wingstop’s as it was boneless). It was a tad spicy so my sister had a hard time eating it. But she can’t resist as it was good. It was sweet and spicy. The trick to kill the spiciness is to put some of its sauce on it.

The crispy tilapia was your fish version of kwek kwek. They made use of kwek kwek batter to give the tilapia an added crunch. The fish was nicely salted; though compared to the other three dishes, this one was my least favorite. But this is a safe order for kids.

The calamanjito was very refreshing and I loved the tanginess of the calamansi. It tasted like I was just drinking calamansi juice. But my mom and sister thought otherwise.

I will definitely visit again!

Trivia: Locavore means a person who is interested in eating food that is sourced locally. It’s a play of words between local and herbivore/omnivore/carnivore.

Locavore is located at 10 Brixton St., Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City. It is right across the warehouse of Hallmark, Urban Ashram Brixton and Edgy Veggy. It is also behind Pioneer Center Supermarket. For reservations, please call 632-9600.