Great Dining at Dads Restaurant

When I visited Philippines last January, I got the opportunity to dine with my family at Dads Restaurant, which caters a great bountiful buffet of delectables. It serves a wide range of quality food at reasonable prices.

About Dads Restaurant

The restaurant opened in 1993 starting with continental cuisine that features the eat-all-you-can concept of dining. Since its opening, Dads has evolved to become the ultimate buffet restaurant, offering 3 great buffets in one: The original Dads continental fare, the Saisaki Japanese specialties, and the Kamayan authentic Filipino cuisine. With over 200 choices of mouth-watering delights, Dads has many branches all over the Philippines, especially in Manila. Whether you dine for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it is a place to be with family, friends, or co-workers. Special party arrangements for birthdays, weddings, graduations, baptisms, and all other types of gatherings, are available with at least 2 months' reservation.

Food Galore

Having lived in the United States for 16 years has made me crave for Filipino dishes. My vacation earlier this year really paid off as I enjoyed my time savoring the taste of Filipino delicacies that I have missed for so long. Dads really satisfied my craving for Filipino home style cooking. Vegetables, noodles, rice, meat, fish, and desserts all tasted good. Prices were reasonable considering the taste, ambiance of the place, and friendly service.

Kamayan Restaurant's menu includes most of my favorite Filipino dishes. Sinigang is a type of soup with meat or seafood as the main ingredients combined with vegetables, and simmered on a very tasty sour broth. Mayon Express, also called Bicol Express is a type of spicy dish with hot green pepper as the main ingredient combined with vegetables or meat and is cooked with coconut milk. It got its name from Mayon Volcano because it's hot, spicy, and sizzling. This is a native dish in the Bicol region. Another favorite dish of mine is Pakbet, which is a combination of different types of vegetables sauteed together, with shrimp paste added. The pork barbecue, marinated in a mixture of different types of sauces, was very tender and luscious. There were still many other types of dishes that I wasn't able to try because I was so full that I couldn't eat any more.

The Saisaki buffet menu features so many dishes that are not so familiar to me. I tried the Yakimono, which was a combination of marinated meat and seafood, skewered and grilled over fire. The meat was so tender inside, while it was crispy outside. I also tried the Smoked Salmon Roll, which tasted good, but I would prefer eating it without the wasabe paste. Other dishes were Tempura, Teba Chili, and many more.

Meal will never be complete without Lechon

Filipino celebrations will never be complete without Lechon or roasted pig. In every Filipino gathering, it is very seldom not to see lechon in the dining table. Whenever there are big celebrations such as town fiestas, special holidays, and festivals, there is always lechon served. It is a whole pig that is roasted over charcoal, then chopped into small bite-size pieces. It is prepared by removing the entrails, seasoning it with different types of mixtures, skewering it on a large stick, then roasting it over charcoal in a rotisserie style. The roasting of the pig takes several hours before it's completely done. The cooking and basting makes the skin crispy. Because it takes a lot of preparation and long cooking time, you should start the process early in the morning. There are also lechons in the United States, but they are only available in Filipino or Chinese restaurants. Orders must be placed at least 1 month in advance. Each time there is a Filipino gathering, there is always lechon.

Desserts and Drinks

Reserve a space for desserts. The menu includes ice cream, cakes, fruit salads, banana split, halo-halo (mixture of sweet ingredients with milk and shaved ice), and a lot more. My favorite is the fruit salad, but I tried the banana split to see how it tastes. I liked it and I was glad I tried it.

For the drinks, they offer flavored iced tea, lemonade, soda pop, fruit juices, coffee, and some other drinks. They also have smoothies and shakes, which are always listed in the "favorites" section.

Next time I travel to the Philippines, I'll make sure I'll visit the place again. It's a perfect place for dining, whether small or large groups. There is no need to make a reservation except for special parties and events. Next time you plan to dine, try Dads. You'll enjoy it.

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