Carinderia

I had two item combo. They mix it all together in one plate. (Ginataang isda & pakbet) No food presentation. puto bungbong was so hard almost like a candy! Why don’t you change the name into BATObongbong.

** 2.5 **
The food is… okay, to say the least. I had the 2 item combo, and I’ve definitely had better. The pork sinigang is a bit bland (but then, I like mine more on the sour side so that might just be me). The okra needed a bit more cooking time which was disappointing because I was quite excited to eat it. The adobo is meh. Either there is too much vinegar or the vinegar hasnt been simmered enough for the acidity to dissipate. And the potato was half cooked too.
The deduction of stars isnt really for the taste of the food. It pertains more to the fact that I feel ripped off because of the amount that I paid. $ 9 for a combo is a typical price, yes. I am not going to argue against. But to seriously get one piece of meat for the sinigang? SERIOUSLY? Atleast put another one. The container is big enough that it makes you think you’ll get a decent serving portion, but that is not the case. Sure, you get a big serving of rice, but it is mostly wasted if you’re out of viands.
The place itself is nice. Very clean, bright lights, spacious. They have a nice menu hanging on the wall showing the different meals and party trays they offer. From what I read from a review down below, they offer items that are cooked-​to-​order which is nice since you know you’re getting something fresh. I dont know how that whole idea is working out for their restaurant, but I found that it didn’t work well for someone like me who expected to be in and out of there.
Its not an overall bad experience especially since its so close to my office, but I dont think I’ll be in a rush to come back. I’d rather drive the few extra minutes and head over to the Dixie Park mall where I know I’ll get a better bang for my buck at a different filipino restaurant.

Food was delicious and authentic. So if you like Filipino food or want to try something new, this place was great! I recommend the kare kare — contrary to the first review — as it was a very good version of the dish. This oxtail stew is supposed to be in a peanut curry sauce and have a savoury and slightly sweet taste.

Tip: Unless you’re driving North on Tomken Rd., the lot for this restaurant is a bit tricky to access and it may require a U-​Turn of some sort.
I decided to check this place out after a friend said that she wanted to try Filipino cuisine. I’ve already been to Berto’s, so we decided on Carinderia which is located in the unit of the former Blue Sage, a bbq joint.
Space has been newly reno’d and it’s a fair size, open-​concept, & clean with lots of seating. There’s no waiter service, but it’s more of an order-​at-​the-​counter, wait, & pay for your food when it’s ready.
Menu consisted of a Silog section (Filipino breakfast w/​an egg, garlic rice, & some kinda protein), Iced Desserts/​Parfaits, Kakanin (more desserts), Grilled Meats, & a list of stuff I couldn’t pronounce that I’m guessing were probably the dishes in the chafing dishes (mainly stewed meats).
While waiting for my friend to arrive, I decided to order 2 combos w/​2 sides, at $ 8/​combo. Each combo came with either white rice or noodles (Pancit), and I decided on the noodles. Pancit is actually cooked to order because the guy behind the counter, asked if he could start cooking my noodles while I waited.
As for deciding on which sides the have, the staff member who helped me was quite shy and soft-​spoken, so I just asked him for recommendations.
2 out of the 4 dishes were really not my taste:
— Kare Kare — A stewed oxtail w/​tripe, eggplant, some greens in a garlicky, somewhat tangy peanut butter sauce. Weird. No.
— Paksiw Na Bangus — Am I at a Russian New Year’s Party? No, I am at a Filipino restaurant. Seriously, this dish was reminiscent of something Eastern Europeans would devour. It didn’t look appealing to me, but it was recommended. It’s a boiled pickled fish with a pickled green chilli & some eggplant, also pickled. I thought it was a white wine sauce, but I was sadly mistaken. It was pure white vinegar, quite fishy, & very acidic. Not my thing at all.
My personal palate cannot recommend these 2 sides. Maybe they are really good and authentic dishes in the Filipino cuisine, but they were difficult to stomach. If you’re Halal/​Kosher/​Veg/​Vegan, don’t Google what Sisig is. Taste-​wise, it was ok, but quite porkie… as I found out why via the web. The more familiar dish was the stewed chicken in a tomato-​based sauce.
I would go back, but I just wouldn’t order those 2 particular sides again. I’d probably try the Lechon (roast pork) to see how/​if it differs from the Chinese version. And I’d definitely be interested in checking out their sweets!