Spicy Elements - Taytay

Visited this restaurant with my niece and nephew for dinner last Friday upon my niece's recommendation. The place is a typical resto bar, reminiscent of the glory days of the likes of Gerry's Grill and Dencio's and complete with live music. It is a hangout place for friends who simply want to chill. It seems small though for that purpose even with the mezzanine section. It was still early in the evening when we arrived. The place was only half full. We got a table in the mezzanine area. The atmosphere was initially relaxed, then it switched to lively and upbeat once the band started its first set. Being there before the house got full, we had the benefit of full attention. A staff was quick to provide us the menu and get ours orders. The kitchen was also as swift in churning our food. In a short time, there were food on our table. As soon as the place got packed, we noticed a slow down in service. The mezzanine section was somewhat disadvantaged because it was not within the view of the staffs who were all concentrated downstairs. This made asking for assistance and later on billing out a relatively slower process. Despite this, the friendliness and courtesy of the staffs were consistent throughout. Food was better than good. The menu provided a good selection. In fact, the choices were, in my view, better curated than the restaurants I mentioned above. We went for black pasta, seafood pesto, chicken galantina and pork sisig. Each dish were immaculately plated. Each one looked very appetizing. The black pasta was excellent. The seafood elements - squid rings, prawns and mussels - were cooked beautifully. The squid and prawns were soft, tender and flavourful. The squid-ink pasta was cooked al dente and had a rich flavour, with its sea salt and maritime taste. My nephew loved this particular dish. The seafood pesto was good. Like in the black pasta, the prawns, squid and mussels were cooked to perfection. The pasta was al dente and the sauce oozed with the fresh taste of basil and garlic and hints of cheese and pine nuts. This one was a hit with my niece. The pork sisig was delicious. It was crunchy but not dry and with a enough heat that made it perfect with garlic rice. The chicken galantina was a big surprise. I thought this dish was brilliant. It was light and tender as opposed to dense and sticky. The meat was very moist and delicious and the gravy, with hints of pineapple, added a layer of flavour to the dish. Looks like food is this place's biggest asset. Notwithstanding a minor concern on the overall service, I was very pleased with this first visit. I can see myself coming back with family or friends and enjoying the food here as we are serenaded by the band with 80's and 90's music.

Visited this restaurant with my niece and nephew for dinner last Friday upon my niece's recommendation. The place is a typical resto bar, reminiscent of the glory days of the likes of Gerry's Grill and Dencio's and complete with live music. It is a hangout place for friends who simply want to chill. It seems small though for that purpose even with the mezzanine section. It was still early in the evening when we arrived. The place was only half full. We got a table in the mezzanine area. The atmosphere was initially relaxed, then it switched to lively and upbeat once the band started its first set. Being there before the house got full, we had the benefit of full attention. A staff was quick to provide us the menu and get ours orders. The kitchen was also as swift in churning our food. In a short time, there were food on our table. As soon as the place got packed, we noticed a slow down in service. The mezzanine section was somewhat disadvantaged because it... read more

I'm glad that Taytay is finally upping its game with this bar! Me and my friends finally have a decent place to hangout in. The service was great! We'll be sure to check out more of their menu next time. :)

Visited this restaurant for dinner last Friday with my niece and nephew, on the recommendation of my niece. The place is a typical resto-bar, reminiscent of the glory days of Gerry's Grill and Dencio, with live music. It's a meeting place for friends who just want to relax. However, for this purpose it appears small even on the mezzanine floor. It was early in the evening when we arrived. The place was only half full. We have a table on the mezzanine. The atmosphere was relaxed at first, then changed to lively and optimistic when the band started their first set. When we were there before the house got full we had the benefit of full attention. A member of staff quickly provided us with the menu and received our orders. The kitchen was also able to mix our food so quickly. In a short time there was food on our table. As soon as the shop was full we noticed a slowdown in service. The mezzanine floor was a bit disadvantaged because it was not in the field of view of the staff, who were all concentrated below. This made asking for help and later billing a relatively slower process. Nevertheless, the friendliness and politeness of the staff were consistently constant. The food was better than good. The menu had a good variety. In fact, I think the choices were better curated than the restaurants I mentioned above. We went for black pasta, seafood pesto, chicken galantina, and pork sisig. Every dish was immaculately plated. Everyone looked very appetizing. The black noodles were excellent. The seafood items - squid rings, prawns, and clams - were beautifully cooked. The squid and prawns were soft, tender, and tasty. The squid noodles were cooked al dente and had a rich taste with sea salt and marine flavor. My nephew loved this special dish. The seafood pesto was good. As with the black noodles, the shrimp, squid, and clams were cooked to perfection. The pasta was al dente and the sauce oozed with the fresh taste of basil and garlic and a hint of cheese and pine nuts. This one was a hit with my niece. The pork sisig was delicious. It was crispy but not dry and had sufficient heat to make it perfect with garlic rice. The chicken galantina was a big surprise. I thought this dish was brilliant. It was light and delicate as opposed to dense and sticky. The meat was very moist and tasty and the sauce with a hint of pineapple added a layer of flavor to the dish. It looks like food is this place's greatest asset. Despite minor concerns about overall service, I was very pleased with this first visit. I can see me come back with my family or friends and enjoy the food here while we are serenaded by the band with 80s and 90s music.

Visited this restaurant for dinner last Friday with my niece and nephew, on the recommendation of my niece. The place is a typical resto-bar, reminiscent of the glory days of Gerry's Grill and Dencio, with live music. It's a meeting place for friends who just want to relax. For this purpose, however, it appears small even on the mezzanine floor. It was early in the evening when we arrived. The place was only half full. We have a table on the mezzanine. The atmosphere was relaxed at first, then changed to lively and optimistic when the band started their first set. When we were there before the house got full we had the benefit of full attention. A member of staff quickly provided us with the menu and received our orders. The kitchen was also able to mix our food so quickly. In a short time there was food on our table. As soon as the shop was full we noticed a slowdown in service. The mezzanine was a bit of a disadvantage because it ... read more