First Bite: Pablo’s

Working in Fort Bonifacio could sure dent your wallet if you’re not smart with your money. Temptation is very strong, especially on payday, as we are surrounded by restaurants and retail stores. There are even a few malls to choose from. And being stranded could also be costly. Believe me. As a person who brings homemade food to work, I make sure that I spend less than PHP100 a day, even less on most days. But when rain pours, sometimes, so does money.

Hey, Pablo’s!

Rain was crazy a few weeks ago. I was stranded for almost 3 hours for two days! And since I had no plans to brave the rain, I decided to join my officemates for dinner at Pablo’s.

It has Happy Hour until 8 p.m. but since I have some drinks at home, I focused on the real food. On my first night, I opted to get the Sirloin Beef Tapa with 2 Eggs (PHP245) and an order of Pablo’s Potato Chips (PHP170). On my second visit, I went for Basil Chicken (PHP245).

The potato chips confused me. Those were definitely not “paper thin” as what the menu claimed. It was fat potato cuts. At least it was crispy.

But it was smothered with spicy red powder making it difficult for me to enjoy.

My officemates kept saying that Pablo’s tapa is deeeelish so I had my palate ready for something awesome.

When it was served, first thing that came to mind was, “serving size is okay, it’s fragrant too, but is it better than my mom’s tapa?” Yes, I have never tasted better tapa than my mom’s. My mom’s tapa has this sweet and tangy taste that I love and so far, I have not tasted anything better.

It was okay. The tapa was tender and it was juicy. It was a nice mix of sweet and salty taste. I didn’t taste the tanginess that I want from tapa though. But it was pretty good for its price. And I loved that the rice was not your usual plain rice. It was mixed with tapa sauce and bits of marinated sirloin.

Fast forward to second night, the basil chicken was said to be spicy so I asked the server to make mine mild as my tolerance for spicy food is low.

And alas, it was still too spicy. But it was the spicy yet addicting type of dish. I enjoyed the ground chicken thai on sweet and spicy sauce. I just put the red pepper bits on the side.

Both nights were supposed to end on a good note till I got my receipt on the second night. The basil chicken was noted as PHP280 (gross of VAT and service charge). I told the server that the price was wrong and he just said that he’ll have his supervisor check it. And after a long while, he came back with the corrected bill. It just made me remember how important it is to check the receipt before paying. Sometimes the server put in either the wrong dishes or wrong amounts. And if you’re not sober enough, you wouldn’t know the difference.

Overall, it was still a pleasant dining experience. I just have to always remember to check my bill before paying.

Pablo’s is located at 2^nd Floor, The Forum, Federacion Drive corner 7^th Avenue, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.