Crisostomo's

Crisostomo was our second choice to have lunch since another restaurant who said it exist in the same building was actually not yet open. It was hard to find somewhere to eat at such a quick few seconds. Ambiance It was not just Crisostomo’s location near the entrance but the inviting façade and interiors that made our office group go inside. The place look like the interiors of an old Spanish house dining area. This was different though in the sense that one tree was “dress up” for Christmas with festive decorations. The unique lighting is a crowd drawer too. I cannot help looking around twice before I seat down. Service We were given the menu and helpfully served with cold water. Although some of us ordered for warm water maybe because we were eating mostly pork. Food As expected, since this is a fine dining restaurant, the orders were served a bit later than the usual dining restaurant but, the wait was worth it. Tinapa and Salted Egg- P265 Bagumbayan Lechon – P295 ; this comes with chips, lechon sauce and vinaigrette for those who might not like something heavy Adobo Damaso- P345, this was twice cooked chicken and pork adobo flakes with kesong puti(cottage cheese) and Baguio heirloom tomatoes Tarsilo Squid Al Jillo- P310, succulent baby squid cooked in olive oil served with chili and garlic Don Rafael Crispy pata P735, this is deep fried pork leg; really crispy and served with atchara and soy vinegar We also ordered these, but I think our group did an overkill in ordering food that has mostly pork. Pilosopong Pinakbet- P295, standard native vegetables served with lechon kawali chips P325 Overall, we had a good and tummy satisfying lunch even if it’s a bit cholesterol laden food. By the way this was a late upload since we dine at Crisostomo in December.

This place takes on Filipino dishes back to it’s roots. Their menu are familiar dishes but done the traditional way. Their food were well prepared, so it means you have to spare a few minutes to better prepare your meal. The price was also good. Nice serving size for each dish. Price was also good. We had brunch on a Sunday morning, for a group of six, 2,500.00 pesos is not so bad. Definitely recommended for a big family. And if you have some foreign guests staying, this is a go to place to introduce the to Filipino dishes.

Out of all the restaurants we’ve tried who occasionally give celebration surprises, I’m grateful that these guys were considerate enough to tell the other customers about their intended activity. Because they WILL surprise everyone with a loud bang (of their drum, kawali, or whatever it was. They were behind me so I didn’t get to see… unfortunately LOL and warm greetings! Anyway, this isn’t the first time we’ve tried Crisostomo. We’ve been to the Fairview Terraces branch, and I’d say this branch looks way classy design wise. I still find their menu very creative as most were named after the characters and events from Noli and El Fili. Sounds geeky but truly creative! As this visit was chosen, and therefore, a treat by our balikbayan cousins, we slightly stepped back from choosing what dishes to order. Well, if one just came back from a foreign country and been away from the Philippines for a few years, one would surely miss the rich Filipino Cuisine. And Crisostomo is just one of the right places to be apart from home! Regardless, we just have to order a plate of Kinilaw. Fortunately, it’s one of the dishes our cousin was pining for. And so our list began: 1. Kinilaw Kinilaw is probably the only raw meat dish I can truly enjoy. Technically, not so raw since it’s been soaked (and cooked in the vinegar for hours or even days. But yeah, you just can’t go wrong with Kinilaw in every Filipino Cuisine Restaurant. Moreover, the Grilled Liempo on top made it… what more can I say but YUM, and SULIT that I’d even ask for a second round! 2. Crispy Pata I’ve never been a fan of Crispy Pata but I’d say this was one of those times I tried, and did enjoy the crispiness of its skin. It looked really mouthwatering upon serving so I indulged myself with a few bites with the hope of understanding what’s all the fuss about this dish. I’d say I did look for a Mang Tomas to go with it but soy sauce with chopped onions (and a chili on the side, in case we want to spice it up a bit isn’t so bad to wash away even a bit of its greasiness. 3. Grilled Liempo If the Grilled Liempo on top of the Kinilaw isn’t enough yet, then you can always order a separate plate of it. Served with Atchara, and steamed Okra w/ Bagoong. I don’t particularly find this sulit especially with our list of orders, and there’s only a few slices on it. It’s good for about 2 3 persons only, but any more persons to share it with, especially when you’re a meat eater, then you might need to ask for another round. 4. Batchoy I’ve been curious about the taste of Batchoy since I’ve only ever tasted it as a noodle flavor. And just like a Batchoy flavored instant noodles, it’s salty but less salty than the instant noodles, oily, BUT with a lot more real ingredients than just plain thin noodles. It even has bits of liver (probably chicken liver? but nope, I’ll just go with the broth! Not my kind of soup but it’s good as a meal starter to warm the stomach.

Great place for any meal. Around ₱400 per head pero super busog ka na nun. Service is okay din plus food is super sarap. Ambiance is nice. Definitely our go-to place for filipino food

My new standards and to go place when craving for Crispy Pata, it is succulent with flavourful tender meat and soft crunch which made it easy to eat. It perfectly matched their Bagoong fried rice and Aligue fried rice and Ice cold Tamarind juice. Servings are good for sharing (3-4 persons).