First Bite: Gabe's Homegrown Dishes

I have known Gabe’s Homegrown Dishes for quite some time now as it has been active in tagging me on Instagram. It sure was an effective marketing tactic as it made me curious and I ended up checking food apps to read reviews about the humble Filipino restaurant. After a few tags and likes, Dan of Gabe’s got in touch with me and invited me to visit his restaurant to sample some of their dishes. 

Hello, Gabe’s Homegrown Dishes.

It is quite easy to miss this restaurant if you are not so familiar with how its signage look like. Located at the second floor of YDG building along Katipunan Avenue, it is on the same side of Sandwicheese and at the opposite side of the biggest Banappple branch. 

The space is quite small and could accommodate around 20 customers maximum at a time. I love though how family friendly the place is with its comfortable couch for sleepy toddlers and a bunch of board games and cards to entertain kids and kids-at-heart. 

Dan arrived with his family a couple of minutes after we arrived. And while waiting for the dishes which were being cooked by his lovely wife, we had a chat with Dan and he told us that most of the dishes are based on family recipes with Kapampangan influence. As for the restaurant’s name, it was named after the couple’s firstborn, Gabe. 

After a few minutes of chatting, our order of Lemonade (PHP65 per glass) was served and it was well-loved. It was tangy and sweet at the same time; making it a great thirst quenching drink. 

It took a while for the first dishes to be served as the restaurant was understaffed the night we visited. It took a bit over 30 minutes for the first dishes to be served. 

Lengua (PHP250) was first to come out of the kitchen and it was an instant kids’ favorite. The tender lengua could be easily mistaken as your usual well-cooked meat. We all enjoyed the thick, creamy and slightly salty gravy that complemented the beef’s tongue.

Next served was the bang for the buck Pancit Malabon (PHP100, single serving | PHP300, good for 6-9 pax | PHP600, good for 10-16 pax | PHP950, good for 20-25 pax).

Kapitolyo Food Stop: Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina

Kapitolyo sure is a foodie destination with so many restaurants appearing left and right. And since it was a holiday last October 6, the Foodie Trio of UA&P (which I now baptize as F3) decided to explore Kapitolyo once again. Our first stop is none other than Silantro.

Hello, Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina!

This wasn’t my first time to visit this place as I got to try it a few months ago with W. However, we didn’t order food and I just had their unlimited mojito (for only PHP250!!!). And the mojito was not bad at all.

We arrived a bit past 11 a.m. and the place was already packed! It was a good thing though that K’s friends, the Triple J (as they all have J in their names), arrived early and managed to get a table inside.

After a quick look at the menu, I decided to go for the Completo (PHP110) where I could choose three kinds of meat for my soft shell taco (I chose lamb, oxtail and beef), Silantro Quesadillas (PHP160) and a glass of Mojito (PHP90).

First served was the mojito but I did not dare take a sip as I skipped breakfast for the food trip. After the first 10 minutes, I started to become restless and at the 15 minute mark, I started to be irritable.

Twenty minutes later, the server approached us to inform me that they were out of oxtail. I snapped! They could have told me that way before! Why wait for 20 minutes???

Anyway, I told the server to give me lengua instead and make sure that he serves my order in 5 minutes or less. And it did. However, we had to wait for a few more minutes for our utensils and sauce. *sigh*

Restaurant Discovery: Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

I just adore my foodie friends N and J. They are so much fun to be with. Friends who chew together get fat together! L-O-V-E. This started the wonderful friendship of T3—The Takaw (gluttonous) Trio.

 

One weekend last month, my foodie friends and I decided to explore Katipunan to discover new food treasures. Our first stop was Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza.

 

J and I almost got lost but we managed as N told us to look for a building with a huge Mercury Drugstore at the ground floor. It was quite easy to spot the building with that as the landmark.

 

We headed to the second floor where Gino’s is located and managed to get seats right away. The waiter quickly gave us menus but we patiently waited for N before ordering. While waiting, we noticed that there’s an opening between Cello’s and Gino’s. I wonder if they are siblings or something.