julie D.
Google
You know how I know the guy working the front of the house means what he says?
He told me the same thing during this second visit, the same thing he told me 2 years ago when I visited with 2 friends for the first time. And that’s that he loves my tattoos. It was literally the first thing he said after he said hi. He was pleasant then and he was just that this time around. Consistency is key. We even ended up ordering things he recommended. Also, I didn’t notice it then, but he’s trilingual. I heard him effortlessly switch from English to French to Tagalog like a boss.
The food here is amazing. I stay amazed at the innovation and creativity. Cabbage in kare kare is certainly a take. I tore that up. My personal favorite are the wings. That crunch is a legend in itself. You can enjoy it as it OR chow down on that rice. Such pretty presentation.
Another favorite this time around was the bicol express. The spice level was just right for my sister who doesn’t dig spice. Personally, I was hoping it would be way spicier.
We had zero issues 2 years ago. This time around, me and my sister were trippin a little. The same guy waited on us and he was amazing. He took such great care of us and even gave us tips on getting around safely in the city with all the scammers and pickpockets littered throughout.
There was a woman working the front, dropping off food and greeting folks who walked in. She looked like she didn’t want to be there that night. We incorrectly thought a dish that was dropped off our table wasn’t ours so we didn’t touch it until we got confirmation. She happened to be close by so we called her over. She didn’t even give us a verbal response. She gave us a mmmhmm then walked away. Me and my sister looked at each other confused. I was like did we piss her off? She wasn’t very nice to us. Whenever she dropped a dish off, I would say thank you in different languages. She never once acknowledged the 3 times I said it — in Tagalog, French and English. Yet, she was so friendly to everyone else. I overheard her tell her whole life story to other tables. Takeaway that off moment with the service, I’d probably come back the next time I’m in the city for them wings alone.