It may seem a bit corny, but I wanted my title to rhyme. But there is logic to it! Promise! haha We have given our highschool barkada (group/gang) a name and we are called “BIBS” which is actually short for Bibo Sisters. Bibo means to be highly active/participative/alert and all things synonymous to it. We are a very hyper group which explains the name. So I just turned the word bibo into a plural noun form. Anyway enough about me explaining our group’s name and the technicalities of my title. Let me be. 🙂

Let’s now go to the heart of this post, which is to critique the restaurant that we went to – Romulo’s located at Sct. Tuazon corner Sct. Lazcano. This is probably my third time to eat at Romulo’s. The last time was probably a year and a half ago, yes it’s been a long time. It’s funny that I have a vague memory of what I ate but what I remember was that I really liked their food. As they say first impressions last, up until your next impression. So what’s my verdict? Read on!

First we had their appetizer called “Smoked Bangus Pate with Pandesal Chips at 185php. They told us this is one of their best-sellers along with the tinapa roll. But all I can say is I was disappointed with this dish. The pate was not really the pate that I expected it to be. It was creamy in a not so good way. I guess the Bangus (milkfish) didn’t go too well with how the dip was mixed, it just turned out to be oily and “malansa” (which means fishy/the stench of fish was obviously there).  The “pandesal chips” were also a let down. It was not that crispy. I will give this dish a 3 out of 10.

Next our mains came out – Sinigang na Liempo which is Tamarind broth with twice-cooked pork. The tamarind broth/Sinigang is a very famous Filipino dish. This dish is so-so. The broth was not that flavorful which i expected it to be because of the pork. I will rate this dish a 6 out of 10.

My friend suggested we order  kare-kare, which is also one of the more famous Filipino dishes and so we did. It’s called “Tito Greg’s Kare-Kare” which is oxtail and tripe stew in a peanut-based sauce served with steamed vegetables with their house bagoong. The peanut-based sauce had an authentic flavor to it, I can taste the peanut but it was not overpowering and the bagoong was good. I will give this dish a rating of 8.5 out of 10.

We also tried a seafood dish – “Flying Tilapia” it’s a deep fried tilapia with three sauces (chili-garlic, honey-bagoong and soy-vinegar) at 360php. This for me was one of the saviors of the night. Everyone liked this dish. The fish was fresh and fried to perfection. The sauces enhanced the flavor of the fish. I also liked the presentation of this dish, which made it easier to eat. I will give this an 8.5 out of 10.

We also ordered a vegetable dish to balance everything –                      “Ginataang Sigarillas with Tinapa” winged beans cooked in coconut milk topped with smoked tinapa at 185php. I’m one of those people who like coconut milk/ dishes with “gata” sauce. This dish will really go together with plain rice. I will give this a rating of 8 out of 10.

Last but not the least is of course the rice – we ordered the “Sisig Rice”. The rice was good. It can hold up on its own. But I like the variety of my viands. (I am really an “Ulam Person”). The flavor and the crunch of the chicharon was there. I will give this a rating of 9 out of 10.

We ordered the “Baby Pusit in Garlic” dish which was also one of their best-sellers but we ended up cancelling it since it took them a long time to serve this dish. So what’s the over-all assessment? I liked 4 out of 6 dishes that we ordered which is not so bad. Did it meet my original expectations and how I remembered their dishes to be? Honestly, I would have to say No. But maybe we have yet to discover other dishes that are better. Since I want to patronize local food, I might go back here. Sabi nga nila mahalin ang sariling atin.

Here is a photo of the Bibo Sisters (BIBS) But we are missing two people here, our friend Kath couldn’t make it and the other one Jenny is currently working abroad.

Until the next get together of BIBS. 🙂

Ttyl,

Isis