PINOnterya

Saturday night brought us to Pino, a new Filipino restaurant along Jupiter St. The place gave me a vibe similar to that of Café Romulo, one of my favorite "new" Filipino restaurants around. 

I had the luxury of trying out a number of items on Pino's menu since I was with a big group. Some of the dishes were okay, but none were exceptional. In fact, two dishes, an entree and a dessert, were terribly Not Worth Eat(it).

                                                             Laing Stuffed Crispy Pata, Php495

Rating:

This dish caught my attention because I thought that the delicate flavor of Laing and the crispiness and saltiness of Crispy Pata would go well together. Guess not! The Laing was so bitter that it reminded me of some type of medicine I was forced to take as a kid. Actually, whether with the Crispy Pata or eaten alone, the Laing was just terrible! The Crispy Pata, on the other hand, had so much fat and skin that searching for the meat was like a cruel game of sorts. And the little meat that we managed to find was terribly tough. Maybe there is a good way of combining Crispy Pata and Laing, but this restaurant did not know how to do it. All they’ve been able to come up with is a tough pata resting on a bed of dark, bitter, sad-looking Laing. Not stuffed, as the name suggests.

Chocolate Tablea Cheesecake, Php 160
Rating:

Have you ever tried salty chocolate cake? Pino gave me a taste of it, and, on my first bite, I thought that the dish was a worthy contribution to the salty-sweet dessert trend we have these days (think Rock Salt and Cheese in Milk Tea, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, etc.). Unfortunately, a few moments after that bite, I felt that the salty taste overpower the cake.

We told the staff about this, and at first, they were hesitant to admit anything to us, but later on, they confessed that the chef had mistaken the salt for sugar. Naman!

Yes, in the end, they took the item off of our bill, but the gastronomic damage had been done. 

We tried out Pino because Mangetsu, the restaurant next door, was full. We should have endured the wait and gone there instead.

My Ratings:
Food:                                            -Either it's nothing special or not good at all.
Ambiance:                                                        - Very nice place, gives a very homey feel.
Service:                                                           - Very attentive and respectful. Seems  though they don't
                                                                                   really know what they're doing.
Price Level:                                   - A bit too expensive for food with this quality.

Overall:                                          -I'm not gonna be back but I hope they improve.

Alternatives:

Mangetsu:                                                 -Patience is indeed a virtue. :)
 
Café Romulo:                                            - You can't go wrong ordering anything from the menu.

Café Juanita:                                            - Tip: they have Sunday lunch buffets serving only the favorites
                                                                                      at an affordable rate!



Don't tell me I didn't warn you!

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