The foodie scene has exploded over the years gaining so much attention from A to Z. Restaurants are on a roll to fight for a chance to grab the top spot, or sometimes, to simply stand out from the rest. Craving for food of a particular cuisine? Name it, I'm sure there's a handful out there to satisfy your cravings! Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Peruvian, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, etc etc. Conservative dishes that stick to the original recipe or modern ones that dare take the fusion kind of road, they're everywhere! Same is true for our well-loved Filipino favorites. You want it with a twist? You want it home cooked style? LOTS OF OPTIONS!!!
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| Gabe's Homegrown Dishes - Katipunan Extension |
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| Gabe's Main Counter |
Located in Katipunan, just right after the strips of restaurants including Banapple, Nathaiels and Katips, look for the HQ of Sbarro and you'll spot Gabe's! A hole in the wall type of place that's not intimidating at all, their space was well organized and clean!
Loved the simple interiors that touched on family love and importance. They also have some frames with different messages, industrial style drop lamps and a board where they pinned messages from guests!
A play of textures with wood and tiles, I loved these wooden chairs with letters engraved!
Card games, board games and even some toys for little ones are available for everyone to enjoy!
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| A look at what's inside Gabe's Homegrown Dishes! |
Dan and Marianne are the husband and wife tandem in charge of this family business. It's their first venture to F&B business though they have a little background from their entrepreneur parents.
Dan sent me an invite for a sponsored lunch so I went with my family on a Sunday. The staff were welcoming and genuinely kind. They helped us through the menu and asked us for anything that we wanted to try other that what they're supposed to serve.
Dan and Marianne were very easy to talk to. Anything about the kitchen is managed by the wife while marketing and promotions are the tasks of the husband. They prepared a feast for us!
Appetizer: Pinoy Cheese Sticks
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| Pinoy Cheese Sticks for 80Php |
Sandwiches: Crab Sandwich and The Half Pounder
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| Crab Sandwich for 100Php |
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| The Half Pounder for 180Php |
Noodle: Pancit Malabon
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| Pancit Malabon for 100Php |
Not a fan of Pancit Malabon so I technically didn't fancy this dish. Don't get me wrong, it didn't taste bad and according to my husband it was delicious. Pancit Malabon is in general not my thing. I have to note though that this plate full of noddles had a lot of toppings in it - pork, hard boiled egg and shrimps!
Note: their noddles can be pre-ordered in "bilao" for bigger servings! Check menu above for pricing as of October 2016!
Onto the mains, we tried a total of four ---
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| Lengua for 250Php |
Lengua was a staple dish when we have parties back in the province when I was a child. I can vivdly remember the creaminess of the dish, the hint of mushroom and the super tender beef tongue!
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| Laing with Dilis for 90Php |
One of their best seller, this dish was a surprise favorite of mine during our visit! It was thick, with a good coconut milk flavor, and nice touch of saltiness from the dilis.
You can control the spiciness by adding some chili.
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| Kare-Kare for 200Php |
Kare-Kare is a favorite dish of mine. From Fusion to modern, simple and home-cooked, I'll try them all! Gabe's version was simple but gave a comforting and homey feeling. It's like your mom's proud version. Thick peanut sauce with a hint of sweetness, lots of veggies that were done right, beef cubes and ox tripe.
Nothing fancy but definitely good.
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| Crunchy Pork Sisig ni Gabe for 185Php |
Sisig is my thing and I don't like my Sisig with lots of extenders. Gabe's version was on point! Served on a sizzling plate, it had generous heaping of chopped pork, just the right portion of chopped onions, a drizzling of their own Sisig sauce, green chili and a raw egg on top. Mix everything together while the plate is still hot and you're in for a treat!
Loved the occasional crunchy bite from pork skin and the overall saltiness.
If you think that we've had a lot already, I tell you not yet. Dan and Marianne also had us try two rice meals!
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| Baked Ribs for 190Php |
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| Horseylog for 115Php |
Not your usual "silog" meal, this one's definitely for the brave soul! Sourced out from Malabon, the horse tapa had a nice salty flavor with an after taste that I can't quite describe. Their wasn't any stinky smell or taste, which was said to be a norm for this kind of meat.
I'm telling you that this one is worth the try!
Even though we were BEYOND FULL, as they say, always leave room for dessert. Our generous hosts had us try two out of their three desserts!
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| Fried Oreos a la Mode for 100Php |
Fried Oreos made their debut in the foodie scene years ago but they still manage to please. They're simply irresistible! The chocolatey goodness of the warm melted Oreo, the simple batter - kids love this dessert. Gabe's version did not disappoint.
Three pieces of battered and deep-fried Oreos, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup - the contrast of cold and warm plus not too much sweetness, such a favorite of ours!
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| Dessert is best shared with your loved ones |
Three pieces of battered and deep-fried Oreos, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup - the contrast of cold and warm plus not too much sweetness, such a favorite of ours!
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| Valencia a la Malabon for 80Php | Add 25Php to make it a la mode |
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| A closer look at this leveled-up Turon! |
We also got to try their Iced Tea and Lemonade ---
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| Iced Tea for 60Php |
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| Lemonade for 65Php |
So thankful for the invite from Dan! We definitely had a great time. Aside from the good food and low price points, the husband and wife tandem were very nice and friendly. I will definitely go back for more!
4 out of 5 Stars for Gabe's Homegrown Dishes!
--- Gabe's Homegrown Dishes: 219 Katipunan Ave, Project 4, Quezon City
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