FoodMetroManila

There is this place in Taytay, Rizal called Banny’s Food Station where me and my friends would eat after a night of drinking. They offered a lot of choices (and I mean a lot!) but I always went for the Tapsilog. The savory tapa, decent poached egg, and salty garlic rice together with Banny’s special chili sauce helped satiate my hunger and get the alcohol down. Bottomline is, there’s nothing better than a 24-hour tapsilogan after a night of partying.

Here’s the deal: I’ve since spent more time away from my hometown of Rizal and can’t really go back to the comfort of Banny’s for my tapsilog fix. I’m not trying to be discriminatory but such places in the city are sometime shady and seem unsanitary. Thankfully, Recovery Food was created in swanky BGC.

Recovery Food (or more commonly called RF) was a place created with the partying public in mind. It’s 24 hours, in an easily accessible part of BGC, that serves some beloved tapsilogan fares all in an airconditioned place. It’s cramped, yes, but it was not made for people to chat in. People hungry from clubbing would check in here, get their fill, then go to wherever they want to go after with a full stomach and renewed vigor.

One day a colleague informed me that a branch of RF had opened near our office in the Madrigal business park. I was already stationed at the Araneta Center office by that time but still cannot help feel excited. Our job asks us to spend most of our time working at nights and after two years of having just Jollibee, Chowking, and Mang Inasal as the only dining options you’d validate my excitement.

Aside from Draft and Barcino, there aren’t really any drinking place around the area. But I have noticed that there were a lot of people living in the nearby villages who had a penchant for eating late at night or very early in the morning. I’m guessing these were really the target market for this branch.

It’s more spacious, brighter, but the food takes slightly longer to be plopped to your table compared to BGC. I’ve eaten here countless of times ever since I’ve been spending more time back in the Madrigal office but I haven’t really seen the usual drunken droves you see in BGC. I guess you can say RF Molito is more family friendly.

I’ve read some reviews online and one alluded that the food at RF tastes better when you’ve had a drink or two (maybe more). I have to disagree with that. You just have to manage your expectations when dining here. Don’t be expecting to get steak for your order of happy beef rice.

All food featured here would be there rice-a-bowls, all half recovery. You can get them at full recovery but the half itself is already super filling. Be forewarned.

Alfonsorizo

This dish is close to the traditional longsilog but uses chinese chorizo instead of longganisa. This was ordered with brown (RF gives you a choice of either white or brown or even upgrade it to talangka rice for some extra Pesos). You can also have them cook your egg according to your liking.

The smokiness and the sweetness of the chorizo was a welcome change to the longganisa. However, I’d still prefer good ol’ Filipino sausage even though it’s super fatty and packed with preservatives.

Amadobo

It’s unofficial but ask a Filipino what they think the national dish is and they’ll probably say adobo. More specifically, their mom’s adobo.

RF bills this as “old fashioned adobo” and that’s exactly what I like. The richness of the soft pork cutlets bring with them the savory tastes of soy and vinegar in every bite. It’s not as good as my mom’s adobo but this is pretty darn awesome itself.

S.S.T. (Spicy Sweet Tuyo)

If I hadn’t been to The Clubhouse  and tried their tuyo rice bowl, I’ll be lauding this as a really great and ballsy dish.

But RF merely cooked the tuyo in way that didn’t make it smell as bad it usually does, tweak it to flavors that most people in the city will love, and made it a rice topping. The Clubhouse’s stab at it I feel really reinvented the notorious tuyo and incorporated the flavors into the whole dish. Thus the latter gets my approval.

Happy Beef Rice and Happy Chicken Rice

Beef pares. Usually this will go with a sort of dipping sauce made from the cooking of the beef until it’s super tender. But this version does not need that. The beef is super tender. Seasoned well, slightly sweet and garlicky. The smell of this bad boy will really get you going, make you want to devour the entire thing.

However, if you’re looking for something that’s healthy or has less calories then this is not an option for you.

Really similar to the happy beef rice just using chicken as its protein, right down to that fantastic aroma. It probably holds less calories but still not goof for your diet. I don’t think any of the rice-a-bowls are.

Bottomline: Huwag kang kumain dito pag naka-diet ka!

Tapa de Morning

Easily RF’s best seller. Check out the instagram posts tagging RF and you’ll have a gallery predominantly full of Tapa de Morning. For good reason!

It’s rich, savory, super tender bits of beef. The seasoning is just right and the umami really grasps your palate. Eating bites of this will really help you recover some of your strength be it after partying or midway through a grueling work day. It’s probably the only rice-a-bowl that I would endorse you to get for a full recovery.

Porkqua Curry

And we have come to my favorite bowl of them all, this beautiful porkqua curry. What’s not to like about it? Tender, juicy generous slab of pork deepfried until golden brown and topped with their version of Japanese curry. The aroma alone will tell you that you are in for a flavor treat.

The pork just melts in your mouth good, and the earthy flavors from the curry enhance it. The generous serving of curry also serves as a sort of “sabaw” that every Filipino loves over rice. I won’t mind if I keep ordering this and yes I’ve ordered this for a full recovery.

Ruminations…

I wouldn’t really wish you to go see the Molito branch if you’re not from the area. You can hit the original BGC location or the newest one in UP Town if you’re curious about the food. They also serve noodles (their versions of Ramen and Mami sound good), sandwiches, and some appetizers. But the bowls are really what I come here for.

Again, if you’re on a diet or counting calories this is not the desirable place for you. If you’re on your cheat day then this is an option. If you don’t care, get the friggin’ full recovery!

I’m still super pumped about RF in Molito, especially since I’m going to be spending more time back in Muntinlupa. The quality of the food is the same everytime I’m there and the staff is attentive but not intrusive. I’ve seen people take their dates here and business people have a working dinner.

Good food, good concept, nice delivery, the recipe for success!