I'll be honest: it wasn't our first choice of eats.
But our first choice had too long of a wait, and our hAngerism was relentless.
So, we kinda settled, one might say...
... which ended up not being bad at all! And I'm glad for it.
They, too, were popular because almost all the tables were occupied. We had a party of ten, and at first we were okay with being on separate (not very close to each other) tables, but staff somehow worked their magic (if we could just wait a measly two minutes) and managed to seat us all together.
We didn't come off to a good start: the first three things I was interested in were not available. I was irked, for sure, and hangry as I was, I'll admit to sorta giving off an attitude... but then realized it isn't our server's fault. So after a short discussion with Big Bro and Hubbers, we collectively decided to get a few things to share with everyone (vs individual plates.)
HAWAIIAN PIZZA: As most pizzas I've experienced in the Philippines, this place, too, need to work on their soggy crust. The toppings were aplenty and commensurate to each other. The overall flavor was great as well, but if they can only crisp the crust just a tad bit more, it would have been closer to perfection.
SPICY WINGS: Hubbers' starter. Can't really comment on this because he said I can't have any due to the heat. (He knows my limits!) But he liked it. He enjoyed them so much, they were all gone by the end of our run.
PORK BINAGOONGAN: Pork was great. Salt level of binagoongan was great. Veggies (eggplant, okra, green chili) were seasoned and prepped well. But what did me in is that one extra and unfamiliar sliced vegetable they added. (If someone can tell me what it is based on the picture, I'd appreciate it!) It added flavor and a slight crunch! It made a difference in taste and texture. I really liked this dish!
GARLIC FRIED RICE: Paired really well with the binagoongan. Garlic wasn't overpowering, salted well. Rice was fluffy. Thumbs up.
CREAMY ALIGUE PASTA: Soooo... I make this at home but was curious to try their version hoping I might learn something new or different to enhance how I make it. Theirs only had a slight difference, although the main essence was there. What made it better, if anything, was the toasted bread! A good sidekick to the pasta. Everyone I shared it with liked it as well!
CREAMY PESTO: I wasn't sure what the cherry tomato was for (aesthetics, maybe?) but I didn't feel like it belonged there. (No one touched it, so of course, that was a waste.) The pasta was great, though! Pesto sauce was not bad at all, and pasta was cooked one level up al dente. Toast bread was once again a good sidekick. Like the aligue pasta, this plate was empty in no time.
FOOD: 4.
SERVICE: 5. Our server was incredibly patient and handled my hAngerism like a pro (I'll admit I was a bit unreasonable at first... kudos to him, I made sure he was tipped well for his patience!)
VALUE: 3.5. A teenee but in the pricey side, but still better than average.
PARKING: Located inside SM Urdaneta. Parking structure and lots available. It gets busy - plan accordingly.
OVERALL: 4.
Really glad our first choice for eats was too busy for us, otherwise, we wouldn't have had the chance to experience this place! Would recommend! read more