Love the taste of crispy suman.

I do not mean the food, at least what I tried, was "unsubstantial".. Only that the restaurant interiors and ambiance are so impressive and posh that it raised my expectations of the food. A friend recommended "tito Greg's Kare-Kare", and it was not available. The Bagnet is a bust - more like a bagNOT. It was not crispy, the skin was laborious to bite let alone chew, and overall it was not authentic. The pickled ampalaya or bitter gourd was its salvation. To force through it, I had to ask for the binagoongan sauce (from their binagoongan crispy pata - which I should try next when with a bigger group because its huge). Buti na lang the baked chicken tamarind was very good. The meat was tasty, tender and succulent. You can eat and enjoy just that. The tamarind dip gave it a nice twist. The dessert menu was non-existent: with all the kakanins out there, why so few choices? Cheese overload (not interesting), banana turon and leche flan - they dont come close to home-made. The bathroom looked strangely familiar, then I realized it resembled that of Terrace at the 5th! Turns out, the 2 establishments share the same designer. Will I go back? Yeah.... but maybe after the holidays.