Pandie Rating: 

Since writing this review, Victorino’s has expanded its dining quarters due to incessant demand.

One could say that I’m not an avid Filipino foodie fan. I’ve always been puzzled at the lack of vegetables present during Filipino meals and the abundance of so much oil used in cooking or how they are sometimes all too salty that we even add a salted egg in some fish meals to make it more flavorful. It’s an odd conundrum for me and doesn’t shout healthy at all. But come on, who am I kidding. Filipino food is DELICIOUS (just not my top preference for health reasons). It may give you a heart attack someday but at least life is good. (not promoting eating lechon everyday anyway!)

So when we decided to surprise our friend with a cake on her despedida, one of my barkada suggested Victorino’s, which was tucked away in the little Scout community or Tomas Morato area in Quezon City. Victorino’s is partly engineered by no other than the famous pastry chef/baker Heny Sison who was also the teacher of my (same) friend’s grandmother! Imagine that, Heny Sison has been inspiring decades. I became extremely curious. So with the help of Waze, we found it!

It’s actually just a modernized ancestral home and my dad likened it to his childhood home with the classic Filipino-Spanish interiors and nostlagic windows. It definitely had a cozy vibe and we were able to get settled in comfortably even when the restaurant was jampacked. It felt like visiting a friendly grandmother’s house.

Photo c/o walkandeat.blogspot (I seriously need to take interior and exterior photos, sorry! will definitely plan this in future posts)

The first time I went here was with my friends and there in the corner with the cash register, lo and behold the wondrous cakes! All of them were immaculately designed and presented. I couldn’t stop salivating at the Red Velvet, Mango Torte and Pistachio cake. Since our best friend’s a nutty friend, we got her the Pistachio one. Safe to say, she loved it!

But it was a restaurant more than a desserterie and everyone seemed to be enjoying everyone’s cooking. We were lucky to see Heny Sison on our first visit but she was busy kinda eating a pasta behind the counter so we couldn’t exactly say hi… but the dish looked so appetizing, I was determined to go back!

I went with my parents since I knew my mom loved Filipino food, especially all the liempo, bagnet, longganisa, etc. You can even purchase their local delicacies which they proudly display in the “sala”. It was jampacked but despite the lack of waiters and waitresses, they were able to serve our food quite fast. I was a bit shock at the expensive prices of what should have been “cheaper” Ilocano food but I guess we’re paying for the ambiance and for the name right? My expectations shot through the roof because expectation is directly proportional to the price. We gotta get what they’re asking us to pay for.

Since we weren’t really ravenous, we only got 2 dishes and 1 dessert (and 1 coffee for dad!).

Ilocos Best – PHP450

The serving was quite small for the price (I believe if I were in Namnam, the serving should have been doubled) but oh my the Longganisa was SO GOOD! The bagnet’s chicharon skin is also quite delicious/crispilicious but the meat lacked flavor and juice. I really could dream about that longganisa for days!

Poqui-Poqui – PHP140

Our waiter recommended this eggplant dish which Ilocos is so famous for and it was lovely. The mashed eggplant just had the right amount of suka (I think, not really sure the ingredients) and complemented well with the bagnet we ordered. We were finding a reprieve for ordering that sinful dish.

Now for the piece de resistance… THE FAMOUS MANGO CHOCOLATE TORTE CAKE! – PHP220

Yes it deserves two photos with a different angle. Just hope they’re good enough! It was a TOWERING slice which is reminiscent of Contis’ Mango Bravo which I… am NOT a fan of. Sorry Contis but Heny Sison’s Mango Torte blows your Mango Bravo away. This is a dish best for cream lovers because the cream is really rich. If you’re not a fan, might as well try the other desserts like Apple Pie. The Mango Chocolate Torte was sweet but with the right amount of sweetness. It’s great to pair with hot coffee and my dad claims that the best coffee that he has ever drank (2nd to UCC I think) is from this restaurant. So please dear readers, ORDER THAT COFFEE!

It was overall a very yummy experience and I can’t wait to go back! I’ll try the pasta dishes next time. Am curious as to how the non-Filipino dishes hold up with the others.

In my opinion, Victorino’s is one of the best Filipino restaurants in Metro Manila.

Address: 11th Jamboree St., Cor. 114 Scout Rallos St. Sacred Heart, Quezon City

P.S. GET THE COFFEE! PLEASE! And also the bottomless Iced Tea! They brew their own concoction.

P.P.S. After numerous visits, I have found that their Crispy Pata and Halo Halo dishes are simply MARVELOUS. No photos in the post but please DO ORDER them.