COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE — Marikina is known for shoes, not really food. So when my officemates and I were in the area one time and had to have lunch, we weren’t expecting much. We ended up at Tiyo’s Cuisine, a spacious restaurant that looks really refreshing. It has glass walls, tables outside for al fresco dining, plus lots of plants. They even have birds and fish everywhere, which is good for the kids. We felt like we were in Tagaytay. We felt like a rich family having lunch in our beautiful house on a Sunday afternoon.
Upon checking the menu, I noticed that Tiyo’s is the kind of restaurant that has everything: pasta, pizza, gourmet sandwiches, rice meals — even oysters. However, they don’t have a lot of vegetable dishes. They have four salads, two of them not even pure vegetable dishes. There is a kangkong dish that comes with lechon Macao (of all things) and a Bicol express that has crispy isaw (of all things). Totally not healthy — but very intriguing.
The appetizers sounded as sinful: pork barbecue, pork sisig, lengua sisig, crispy beef tadyang, plus kinilaw na squid and fish topped with inihaw na liempo.
We skipped all these and decided to go straight to the main course.
First served was the pocherong corned beef (PHP385), which was perfect because it had a flavorful and thick soup that warmed our tummies. I quickly forgot about it, however, when the other dishes arrived — all screaming for steamed rice (PHP30 per cup).
The first one I attacked was the asado beef ribs (PHP395) that had meat falling off the bones. It was sweet and tender and perfect with rice. This dish alone made the whole trip to Tiyo’s worth it.
Our group just had to try the dinuguang bagnet (PHP375) and we all agreed that it reminded us of Kanin Club’s crispy dinuguan — that’s a good thing.
We also ordered the pork belly crackling (PHP360), which we didn’t know already comes with rice. It looks beautiful: a tower of rice stuffed with tagalog ensalada in the middle and then topped with sliced pork belly. Yet another sinful dish, but we really loved the taste and the presentation of the ensalada.
My biggest regret during this trip to Tiyo’s was that I didn’t start with the crispy chicken wings in a basket (PHP380). Deep fried with krung thai sauce, the wings were very flavorful and satisfying I didn’t even need to eat it with rice. And despite already being full, it was so good I had to finish the whole basket. Thank god all my lunch companions didn’t have space in their tummies anymore. So yeah, I finished almost the whole basket myself so I guess there is no need for regret, then.
After that, I was so full I couldn’t even sample the pinakbet (PHP250), much to the delight of my vegetarian officemate.
To cap off our sinful and satisfying meal, we asked for brewed coffee, which — believe it or not — costs just PHP1.
Our bill? Around PHP2500. Not bad considering how we were all full and satisfied, plus we had some leftovers to bring home.
If you feel like treating yourself and your family or barkada, head to Tiyo’s. It’s a nice place to pig out after dieting or after stressful week at work. It’s perfect for a birthday party or a binyag, or if you simply want some good and sinful comfort food. Just be ready to hit the gym afterwards.
Tiyo’s Cuisine by Chef & Brewer, 29 Almond Street, Marikina East Subdivision, San Roque, Marikina City; www.facebook.com/TiyosCuisinePH, +63 2 6460576, +63 947 1464477. 11am-11pm.
Coconuts Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Manila. No freebies here.
