Sentro 1771, Philippines

Now it's no secret that one of the things I love doing while in the Philippines is to eat, and man, were my cravings satisfied during the two weeks I was there! My parents had laid out a plan for a foodtrip after Christmas (there were various teasers sent through Viber for about a month beforehand so to say I was pumped was a bit of an understatemement) and my GOD! I stuffed myself with the justification that I would not be able to eat anything like these for the next few months...
Be prepared to drool. I know I am...

Sentro 1771 is a Filipino restaurant that serves traditional Filipino dishes with a modern twist, influenced by a lot of great Filipino chefs and foodies such as Nora Daza, Doreen Fernandez and of course, grandmothers. The branch we went to is located at the Capitol Commons area in Pasig City (by Meralco Avenue and Shaw Boulevard, you can't miss it), but there two other locations in Manila - one over at Greenbelt 3 in Makati, and the other at Serendra in Taguig.

Just a tad bit obsessed with the light fixtures! I love the whole vibe the place gives off - it's very modern chic yet there are touches of traditional Filipino pieces here and there. Love it!

Carrot-orange juice - if you're not a fan of carrot juice, this might do the trick in changing your mind! So good and refreshing...mhmm...

Sentro Bagoong Rice (P480) - essentially bagoong rice topped with omelette strips, Macau chorizo, beef tapa, chicharon and green mango strips. You could order this alone and be satisfied cause of all the toppings - there's so much of it you can't even see the rice underneath! Nonetheless, it tastes awesome, especially with the chicharon and green mango strips combined (I mean, you've got a bit of everything - sweet, salty, crunchy, savoury, etc.), that I want more of this in my life. Food-gasm right here. No joke.

Fried Squid with Toasted Garlic (P395) - fried squid tossed in salt, sugar, browned garlic, dried mango and chili. Damn, this one was good too, especially with the dried mango (fair warning, eat those with caution as they can get stuck in your teeth cause of their stickiness) and paired with the Bagoong rice, it tasted real nice. Try, try, try if you like calamari!

Catfish Adobo Flakes (P360) - hito cooked adobo-style with native garlic and yellow ginger, fried until crisp. This may be my favourite dish at Sentro 1771 - the crunchiness is spot on and it tastes good with anything. And plus, I'm a sucker for adobo-style anything so this just hit all the marks for me. So if you're like me, you have got to try this out!

Just look at that crunchy goodness!

Sinigang na Corned Beef (P595)- a must-try Sentro specialty that tastes as good as it looks. If you've never heard of this particular sinigang, it's basically corned beef short ribs and boneless shanks in tamarind broth and native vegetables. Man, the concept didn't exactly sit well with me (I mean, corned beef in soup?) but I am a convert! So, so good! Another pretty cool thing is how before they serve it, they'll give you a little cup to taste and see if the soup is to your liking. I swear, it's the little things that get me...

Oh yeah, got to try a bit (and then some) of everything!

Now on to desserts! Eenie meenie miney mo...which to pick...

I went for the Coffee Bean Sans Rival (P205) cause I am a sucker for sans rival. It's basically a cake layered with buttercream (in this case, coffee flavoured buttercream), meringue and chopped cashews. Urmf, this tasted so nice! It wasn't too sweet and the coffee-flavour wasn't uber strong - and the cream that went with it tasted divine! Another warning - this dessert is actually bigger than the photo in the menu showed, so you can definitely share this between two-three people. So you know, if you like sans rival too, definitely check this one out (unless you're not a fan of coffee...)

And last, but certainly not the least, Banana and Camote Un-cue (P110) - caramelized saba bananas and sweet potato strips that will blow your mind when you try them. I've had caramelized bananas and camote before (you can make them yourself at home) but something about these ones at Sentro just trumped them all.

Just look at them. I dare you to not drool...

You can check out everything else Sentro 1771 has to offer here!

Price-wise, Sentro 1771 is super affordable as the serving sizes are pretty big and the food so worth it. The challenge will be in trying to control yourself and not order everything off the menu! Everything looks so good and I can't wait to go back and try out more things - particularly the Macau chorizo and cheese tidbits, Sugar-free Humba and their Keso Flan...hmm...

I'd definitely suggest you go early (i.e. close to opening time - think brunch, really) to avoid crowds and the challenge of getting a table. Often groups make reservations (when we went for brunch at the Capitol Commons branch, there were about three group reservations already set) so it will pay to avoid the peak hours. That being said, the branches have different opening times, so do check those out before visiting.

Happy discovering!