To start us off, Vigan Roll (P175, pictured above) was served. It's kind of like fried spring rolls and it's a pretty good way to whet your appetite for more.
Then there was Kuhol sa Gata (P215, pictured above)... in classier terms, escargot... in layman's terms, snails in coconut milk. I'm not adventurous when it comes to food and snails scare me so I did not try it. That said, I can never win at Fear Factor, Survivor, or Amazing Race because I'd fail in the most major way at the eating challenge. My companions told me it was good though.
My favorite dish for the night was Ilocano Rice (P245, pictured above). It's flavored rice topped with crunchy bagnet, Vigan longganisa, salted egg, onions, and tomatoes. An order is a meal in itself. I will definitely have this again when I go back.
There was also Tuyo Rice (P175, pictured above). Fried garlic rice or sinangag is topped with dried salted fish, scrambled eggs, onions, and tomatoes.
Bopis (P245, pictured above) was another food challenge I failed at. It's a spicy Filipino dish made of either pork or beef lungs and heart sauteed in tomatoes, chilies, and onions. I'm just not a fan of animal innards and eating liver pate or foie gras is the farthest I would venture.
Then there was Gising-Gising, which I was unable to take note of the price of. Vegetables chopped and stewed in coconut milk... nice especially if eaten hot.
Since this restaurant is affiliated with Barrio Fiesta (it's partially owned by the Ongpaucos), of course we had to have the Kare-Kare (P350 for a family-sized serving like the one above). Tender oxtail and tripe are stewed in rich peanut butter-based sauce and served with savory bagoong (Filipino shrimp paste) on the side. This goes so well with steamed rice. :D
No trip to a Filipino restaurant is complete without an order of Crispy Pata (P520, pictured above), which is deep fried pork knuckle that's crunchy outside and tender inside.
We also got to try a very unique soup -- Bulyabes (P345, pictured above). It's Barrio Fiesta's version of the French dish Bouillabaisse which is a fish stew. This one is a rich cream soup full of various seafood like crabs, mussels, and prawns. It has a very milky taste which I enjoyed.
For the finale we had Archipelago 7107's bestseller, Crispy Paksiw Buntot ng Bariles (P385, pictured above). It's a tuna fin that's cooked in vinegar first (paksiw) and then deep fried to a crisp.
Since everyone was already full at this point, we shared a couple of dessert samplers which had Turon and Sorbetes (P85, above top), Coco Mango Soup with Pandan Balls and Sago (P95, above middle), and Pirurutung Biko at Mangga (P115, above bottom). I loved the chewy, sticky, and tasty biko most. :D
At the moment, Archipelago 7107 has an ongoing promo where you can order both the Kare-Kare and the Crispy Pata together for just P680. Normally it would cost P870 to do so.
Archipelago 7107
2/F Il Terrazzo
Tomas Morato cor. Sct. Madrinan,
Quezon City
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