Last Sunday is Father's Day. My grandmother and I went to SM San Lazaro for a trip to the Supermarket. It was already almost 2PM when we got there and were surprised that almost every restaurant located at the upper ground floor of the mall was packed. And I mean really packed. From Starbucks, to Krispy Kreme, to KFC, to Greenwich, all the way down to Chowking. We were left with no other options but to look for somewhere with lesser customers. I have always wanted to try Congo Grille. A friend of mine told me years before that the food there is good, although quite pricey. Since Congo Grille is just nearby, and I can see a number of free tables inside, I decided to try it there for the first time. But first, I went to the menu displayed beside the entrance, and scanned the prices. I find the prices quite reasonable, meaning, nothing too expensive. So we went ahead and asked for a table for two.
The inside of the restaurant is softly lit. There are no florescent lights but yellow bulb-like kinds instead. It was not too dim and not too bright either. While entering the restaurant, I was half-expecting a rather "wild" ambiance. I mean, its Congo after all. But there was none of the wild things there. A couple of the servers wear hunting outfits, and the rest of them wear white tee's and jeans. The place is relaxing and is peaceful, although not of the fine dining type. I have also observed that the place is clean. No sticky tables, no grains of rice, and no slippery flooring. Perfect for kids and elderly alike. Even their water glasses are squeaky clean.
Congo grille serves Filipino dishes. They have a very wide selection of Filipino food on their menu. In fact, I had a hard time ordering. According to their menu, their sisig won the award for the best sisig in 2007. So of course, I ordered their Pork sisig. I originally wanted to order Pochero but when I glanced at their rice offers, I saw Adobo Rice. Based on the picture, their Adobo Rice is served with toppings. After about 15 to 20 minutes, I finally decided to have Adobo Rice, Tortang Talong with tinapa (eggplant omelette), and Pork Sisig (made with pork ears) with egg. The food was served about 15 minutes after.
The Pork Sisig was served on a sizzling plate, and topped with one raw egg. I quickly mixed it in and squeezed a calamansi (lime) on it. Tortang Talong is quite plain. It seems like they boiled the eggplant first before frying it with eggs. The Adobo Rice on the other hand is good. I mean they served it with few pieces of bite-sized Pork and Chicken Adobo on top, which I did not expect. Usually, toppings are just 4 to 5 pieces. So they really got my respect for that.
I took my share of the Adobo Rice and I was surprised to find that it is indeed a big serving. It is good for two to three persons already and can be a meal on its own. The rice is perfectly cooked, and the Adobo toppings are meaty but a little bit salty. Actually I find their serving big, really good for sharing. The Tortang Talong on the other hand is quite simple but the eggplant is soft and flavorful. But you cannot find any pieace of meat or vegetables there, unlike when you eat at some other restaurants, they usually put ground meat and minced veggies on their Tortang Talong. As for the Pork Sisig, I was impressed. It is so good that you can almost forget that you are eating pig's ears. The serving is also bigger than other place's and is really flavorful. One thing though, the chicharon (crispy pork skin) is a little tough, or too crunchy as I may put it.
After we finished our food, I ordered a cup of Brewed Coffee. I must admit that after the excellent food we had, I have got a very high expectation on their Brewed Coffee. When the coffee was served to me, the cream and sugar packets are stained with coffee sputters. It is already a no-no because after all, the dining area, and the utensils are all gleamingly clean. I guess they put the coffee maker near the creamer and sugar packets, thus sputters land on them. Honestly, I will not recommend their Brewed Coffee whether you are a coffee aficionado or simply a coffee drinker. The coffee is, I think flavored but I cannot recognize what flavor it is. I don't know if it is vanilla or almond taste that their coffee has. Also, I am not sure if they put too much water or they scrimped on the coffee but the coffee taste is very light that it is as if they only put coffee flavored powder to hot water. The Brewed Coffee is a let-down but I will not take it against them. I mean, they are not a coffee shop anyway, and if I want a better tasting coffee, I can go to Starbucks or to Dunkin' Donuts for a cheaper alternative.
All in all, my dining experience with Congo Grille is good. I can't wait to go back and try their other offers. Everything on their menu looks delicious. I want to try all of them and classify those that are really amazing.
The inside of the restaurant is softly lit. There are no florescent lights but yellow bulb-like kinds instead. It was not too dim and not too bright either. While entering the restaurant, I was half-expecting a rather "wild" ambiance. I mean, its Congo after all. But there was none of the wild things there. A couple of the servers wear hunting outfits, and the rest of them wear white tee's and jeans. The place is relaxing and is peaceful, although not of the fine dining type. I have also observed that the place is clean. No sticky tables, no grains of rice, and no slippery flooring. Perfect for kids and elderly alike. Even their water glasses are squeaky clean.
Congo grille serves Filipino dishes. They have a very wide selection of Filipino food on their menu. In fact, I had a hard time ordering. According to their menu, their sisig won the award for the best sisig in 2007. So of course, I ordered their Pork sisig. I originally wanted to order Pochero but when I glanced at their rice offers, I saw Adobo Rice. Based on the picture, their Adobo Rice is served with toppings. After about 15 to 20 minutes, I finally decided to have Adobo Rice, Tortang Talong with tinapa (eggplant omelette), and Pork Sisig (made with pork ears) with egg. The food was served about 15 minutes after.
The Pork Sisig was served on a sizzling plate, and topped with one raw egg. I quickly mixed it in and squeezed a calamansi (lime) on it. Tortang Talong is quite plain. It seems like they boiled the eggplant first before frying it with eggs. The Adobo Rice on the other hand is good. I mean they served it with few pieces of bite-sized Pork and Chicken Adobo on top, which I did not expect. Usually, toppings are just 4 to 5 pieces. So they really got my respect for that.
I took my share of the Adobo Rice and I was surprised to find that it is indeed a big serving. It is good for two to three persons already and can be a meal on its own. The rice is perfectly cooked, and the Adobo toppings are meaty but a little bit salty. Actually I find their serving big, really good for sharing. The Tortang Talong on the other hand is quite simple but the eggplant is soft and flavorful. But you cannot find any pieace of meat or vegetables there, unlike when you eat at some other restaurants, they usually put ground meat and minced veggies on their Tortang Talong. As for the Pork Sisig, I was impressed. It is so good that you can almost forget that you are eating pig's ears. The serving is also bigger than other place's and is really flavorful. One thing though, the chicharon (crispy pork skin) is a little tough, or too crunchy as I may put it.
After we finished our food, I ordered a cup of Brewed Coffee. I must admit that after the excellent food we had, I have got a very high expectation on their Brewed Coffee. When the coffee was served to me, the cream and sugar packets are stained with coffee sputters. It is already a no-no because after all, the dining area, and the utensils are all gleamingly clean. I guess they put the coffee maker near the creamer and sugar packets, thus sputters land on them. Honestly, I will not recommend their Brewed Coffee whether you are a coffee aficionado or simply a coffee drinker. The coffee is, I think flavored but I cannot recognize what flavor it is. I don't know if it is vanilla or almond taste that their coffee has. Also, I am not sure if they put too much water or they scrimped on the coffee but the coffee taste is very light that it is as if they only put coffee flavored powder to hot water. The Brewed Coffee is a let-down but I will not take it against them. I mean, they are not a coffee shop anyway, and if I want a better tasting coffee, I can go to Starbucks or to Dunkin' Donuts for a cheaper alternative.
All in all, my dining experience with Congo Grille is good. I can't wait to go back and try their other offers. Everything on their menu looks delicious. I want to try all of them and classify those that are really amazing.
