I’m putting out a feature this time on our recent vist to PINO resto•bar in Malingap Street, Teacher’s Village, Diliman, Quezon City. PINO is actually 3 establishments within the same building. You have a resto-bar in the first floor, a vegetarian themed restaurant and a culinary school above. In the resto bar, you can order the vegetarian menu as well if you so wish.
The place is quite small and it was packed when we went for a Sunday family lunch. It has a cozy ambiance to it as furniture are simple dark colored wood. The walls are adorned with artwork and I get the impression they feature exhibits from various artists regularly.
I went with no expectations of good or bad and was just in the mood to see what they had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised as most of the dishes were good and fairly priced as well for their quality and posh. We started off with an appetizer platter of pork and shrimp lemongrass skewers, nori cheese sticks, pino fries, crispy calamares, and chicken lollipop. Nothing special here and the quantity is enough as appetizer for a party of 4-5.
Appetizer Platter (Php 425)
Longanissa-topped Nachos (Php 195)
The longanissa-topped nachos are not so bad either. Its corn tortilla chips with diced longanissa, mango salsa, cheese sauce & aoili. The longanissa is actually ok but did not make the dish pop. The nachos are crispy and the adequate amount of cheese and salsa makes the dish.
Kare-Kareng Bagnet (Php 245)
The kare-kareng bagnet is their self-proclaimed house specialty. The pricing here at Php 245 is for a single order. They have a for-sharing portion at a higher price. The single order comes with bagoong rice and its a delicious dish overall. The bagnet is crispy but not too oily and the kare-kare sauce gives it a sweet peanuty taste.
Red Wine Adobo Tadyang (Php 215)
We also tried out the Red Wine Adobo Tadyang and this is again a good dish albeit oily. The sauce is really good if paired with steaming white rice and its stewed well enough that the meat is tender. Again, the price of Php 215 is for a single order and for-sharing portions are also available. The dishes are prepared as you order so it may take 15-20 minutes before they are served.
Turon ala Mode
For desserts, my mom wanted to try the Turon with ice cream. Its basically banana and mango wrapped in a crispy lumpia skin paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream glazed with chocolate and strawberry sauce. Nothing out of ordinary from what you can expect but the contrast of a hot (and literally smoking) turon paired with ice cream makes for a proper meal-ender.
Before leaving, I took a look at their back as this is a bar at night. Turns out they have extra parking spaces at the back and there is a cool al fresco alternative. I am sure this photo would do the place more justice if taken at night with the dimmer lighting on.
PINO resto•bar
Address: 39 Malingap, Teachers Vill, Quezon City
Phone: 441-1773
www.pinorestobar.com
Accepts Credit Cards.
Open:
Mon-Fri: 11am to 10pm
Sat-Sun: 7am to 10pm
Hello,
