Antojos

Elham Mo

4.0

When it comes to exploring food places, I gravitate more towards those that offer foreign cuisines, particularly Japanese. However, if a restaurant is recommended by a trusted website friend, then I would do my best to try it even if it serves Filipino food. Don't get me wrong, I love our local dishes, but because they're easily accessible, I am in no rush to try every good restaurant that serves Filipino food. Anyway, since I was scheduled for oral surgery last May 25, my boyfriend (Leo) and I decided to visit Antojos Manila the day before, as recommended by our friend Kuya Hubert. Antojos was originally located in San Juan, but due to some complex matters, they decided to relocate along Banawe. Upon seeing their very classy wooden sign, we were already impressed. They have really beautiful interiors! The place is like a mix of old school and modern, simple yet elegant, classy but not intimidating (well, not so much haha). It is spacious yet does not lack furniture or fixtures. I also like their placemats, which go well with food shots! :DAnd speaking of food, we had a little difficulty in choosing because many of the dishes seem so appetizing! By the way, they have a high-tech menu as we were given a Kindle or a similar device to browse. :) Anyhow, we decided to try the Jalapeño balls (or crunch) first. Oh my goodness! They were so good! Leo and I agreed that it is the best chili-cheese snack we've tried so far! The balls had a very generous amount of CREAM CHEESE with the right kick of jalapeño. The breading wasn't too thick, so we really had our fill of cheesy and spicy goodness! We suggest that they add another ball, though, because we believe that at P290 per order of 4 pieces, it's a bit expensive. :pFor our main meals, we ordered garlic rice, cheesy beef kaldereta, and seafood curry pasta. The rice was already good for 2-3 people, and I believe P120 is a good price for it. It was really good, too! It wasn't "fake" garlic rice in which the garlic is only sprinkled on top of the rice. Fragrant and soft, you'll definitely want to eat a lot! :pKaldereta is one of my favorite Filipino beef dishes, and being cheesy is a huge factor for me to like it. Antojos' version is a deconstructed one as the potatoes and carrots weren't sliced into cubes; rather, they came in strips. These vegetable strips are not initially seen because they serve as the cushion of the very soft beef and cheesy tomato sauce! The whole ensemble was such a delight to the eyes (or my camera's shutter haha), and it went so well with the garlic rice! I just wish that the vegetables were cooked a little more. :D They are simply blanched pala, according to Kuya Hubert.Pasta is one of the easiest dishes to cook even at home, but that doesn't mean I don't order it at restaurants. Antojos has a variety of pastas, and we chose their best seller, the seafood curry pasta. Upon my initial taste, I told Leo I didn't like it. I found the taste weird and I thought I wouldn't be able to eat more. However, I tried it again, and gradually, my taste buds adjusted to the taste. I think the curry flavor "slapped" my taste buds first, and it is quite unusual to have curry-flavored pasta. This curry pasta came with thin slices of grilled eggplant and a tiny serving of bagoong, which made it even weirder! Haha! But yeah, it was actually good enough to be tasted once; I will eat it again, but not anytime soon. My favorite pasta is still puttanesca. :)But wait, there's more! Kuya Hubert wanted us to try the chocolate binagoongan. What?! Yes! Chocolate and bagoong mixed together to add a twist to a classic Filipino dish! Man, just writing about it makes me want to go back to Antojos right now and order it for myself! :D It's really good! The bagoong is still more dominant than the sweet chocolate flavor, but they are a good match, especially when paired with garlic rice! Hay nako, my mouth is watering right now. Hahaha! Eating good food in a beautiful place is always welcome, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your dining experience at Antojos! :)

Jamie Punzalan

5.0

A filipino restaurant located in banawe area which is predominantly populated by chinese eateries and resturants is really a breather; it is conveniently located at 238 Banawe plus get this, an ample parking space to boot (located at the back of the building)! Be sure to to try their different appetizers. The pork sisig aligue, it's literally to die for. It's sisig, everybody's favorite bar chow with (a little extra) aligue or crab fat. You just can't go wrong with that, I promise you. Another favorite is Jalapeño Crunch; its their version of dynamite in a totally different packaging. Hats off to the chef for creativity. For soups, I like the sinigang and I like the tinolang manok sa pakwan. Did I mention I like their sinigang? This should be the standard of how sinigang should be prepared. The chef is going to put Datu Puti to shame with this recipe. For main, uhm... I don't actually know where to start... maybe I will just leave a list for other diner to try. The Cheesy Beef Caldereta is the chef's specialty so I suggest go with that. Other dishes worth trying are Lengua Estofado, Strawberry Beef Tapa (yes, you've read it right, strawberry!) Adobong Hito sa Gata, Creamy Pinakbet Pisto with Bangus Belly, and since I am a carnivore person every item on their Pork menu is a must try, my personal favorite though is the Chocolate Pork Binagoongan (who would've thought that chocolate would blend well with bagoong?), Green Mango Fried Chicken for me belongs up there in the "to order list" too. Let's talk about pasta, the Seafood Curry Pasta and Tuyonesca are among my favorite, just right for the discriminating taste. Not that I have impeccable taste, actually according to my nephew I have an old man's toungue (not fond of salty and sweet) but I am sure it sure will satisfy you. Try their fried halo-halo and choconut turon for dessert it's a new twist to an old favorite. They also have this feature wall that show celebrities hobnobbing with the young chef that I find quaint, the place is well lit and exudes post colonial era. All in all, my experience with Antojos is truly unforgettable. I will be back for more.

Cihan Tekin

1.0

Service was a fail. Called early to reserve, only to arrive at the venue and was informed that only the buffet was available. The food in the buffet were not the ones we wanted to try and was very disappointing as the food were not presented nicely. The food already looked disgusting. The champorado already looks like a mess and the other food in the buffet looked like left overs. The receptionist should have informed us earlier if that was the case.