TONY ROMA'S!

         For our 2nd Year Anniversary celebration, Rina & I decided to spend the night at Hotel Dusit. We just really wanted to shut off our cellphones off and keep ourselves away from the outside world, even just for a day, and since I had a free room (and free breakfast buffet), we made the most of it. During the afternoon, we decided to take a leisurely walk around Glorietta for awhile. Not to mention the fact that since we were both starving. We were thinking of a place to eat, and since it was a special occasion, we agreed it should be a place where we had never eaten yet together. Given the fact that we've been on so many hunger quests together, we actually drew a blank.

                         Then, as we entered the doors of Glorietta, a promo girl handed me a coupon for a 20% discount at Tony Roma's. And just like that, it was as if the gates of heaven opened, and the trumpets of the angels blared into the pristine azure sky. All of a sudden, I knew what I wanted in life. Some god dang good Ribs!!!

       Hey don't laugh. I'm not a cheapskate! A 20% Discount is nothing to scoff at!  My bill, which easily could've been around P2,300 for 2 people, actually come out to around P1,900 without dessert. (Say what you want, but 400 bucks is still 400 bucks. I may not be a cheapskate, but i'm not Mr. Moneybags either hehe)

  

THE ATMOSPHERE

We got seats in a booth on the ground floor, and I actually loved the ambience. It was kind of off hours (around 2pm), so it was relatively quiet, apart from the TV playing a soccer game above us. The service was good, with the waitress very eloquent and attentive. Maybe i should go during lunch or dinner time to actually see if service is this good all the time. 

STARTERS

I rearranged the bread and butter bowls in another way, but I ended up getting a smack upside the head from Rina hehe..

           I don't know about you, but I love bread. When i say I love bread, I mean I LOVE bread. And I love restaurants that serve fresh bread before a meal (especially when it's free). My problem with places that serve bread is that I end up eating so much, by the time my food comes, i'm already feeling kind of bloated. Tony Roma's serves save really good rolls, and they give you regular (but very creamy) butter and herb butter on the side. Either way you can't go wrong.

Don't stare at it too long.. you will get sleepy.. verryyy sleeepyy...

                 The Pumpkin Soup (P150-ish) was really thick, and it formed almost like a "sauce", but the texture was still good. The taste had the right amount of sweetness which was complimented by the lightly drizzled sour cream swirl. I had no use for the crackers.. especially when I still had some left over bread hehe.. All in all, a pretty awesome soup.

Potatoes loaded with Bacon and Cheese? it's like it was created by the lord almighty, especially for me

              

 It gets Rina's approval

                  As you will find out from future episodes of this blog, two of my (many) food weaknesses are Bacon, and potatoes. So when you add them together into Loaded Potato Skins (P275), you can do no wrong. As much as I loved potatoes, i'm not really a fan of it being Baked. But this one was so good, because as crunch as the skins were, the "meat" part of the potatoes were crunchy as well! It also didn't hurt that it was filled with tasty cheddar cheese! The saltiness of the bacon bits helped neutralize the richness of the cheese, and when dipped into the sour cream.. It was kick ass.

Rina's Pork Chop.. And NO, I don't mean me...

                When I first saw Rina's Pork Chops (P495), I couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment. If you saw it as well, you'd understand. The order consisted two center cut pieces, however, the meat of each chop were incredibly thin - it actually reminded me of something you'd get out of Sizzling Plate at the food court.. Not at a world renowned international ribs franchise. But biting into it, makes you realize that this is not your run-of-the-mill pork chop. There's a tangy sweetness to it (courtesy of its own BBQ sauce) that'll get you hooked after your first bite. Soon you'll learn that you shouldn't let the thin slices fool you. It's a really filling meal that goes well with the corned rice pilaf bed that it goes with. And with the sides? (Rina chose the Coleslaw and the Baked Beans) she could barely breathe afterwards. I really (more than Rina did) liked the Cinnamon apples that it came with. I don't know if its supposed to be eaten together (i did) but it went together really well. 

And on the 8th Day, The Good Lord Created The Ribs and Fish Combo Platter

I didn't realize it was going to be this big! (That's what she said)

                           

               If you're like me, and love Ribs but also have a soft spot for crispy Fish Fillet, the Ribs and Fish Combo Platter (900-ish) is just what the doctor ordered. The Carolina Ribs, which is basically a mixture of Honey and Molasses, was excellent and the meat practically fell off the bone. The Fish Fillet and a nice crunch to it, but had a soft creaminess in the meat that makes you think you could order this next time solo. My favorite Fish & Chips here is Fish & Co., but this comes very very very close. The tartar sauce it came with was also quite good. Mixed with the Corned Rice and the Shredded Corn (it is obvious I like corn?), it really makes a very filling meal. Is it worth the price? No comment.. but I don't think i'll ordering that very often hehe.. 

             What I loved about Tony Roma's is its unpretentious. I hate restaurants that fill up practically half the plate with useless garnishes like tomatoes, cucumbers, and all those other junk that I'll eat up putting in another plate. It's not the prettiest assembled plate, but a big thumbs up on the taste, and for making use of the space for food I'd actually eat. 

            Budget constraints prohibited us from ordering dessert, but i've tried the Cookie skillet, and had I had a few more bucks, i might have ordered it. 

            

          The only drawback was when we asked for the bill. After a great service of excellent food, it inexplicably (it was off peak hours so the restaurant wasn't full) took them twenty minutes to give us our bill, tarnishing what otherwise would have been a really enjoyable experience.

I'd go back, but definitely not order something that pricey. At least, not without another coupon hehe..

* Pix are from Rina's IPHONE so you're going to have to forgive the quality.. 


*Tony Roma's is located at Glorietta 4, Makati City