Crisostomo - Turn of the Century Filipino Dining

When dining out I usually avoid Filipino restaurants. My reasoning is that Filipino dishes can easily be replicated at home unlike other cuisines that require special and not-so readily available ingredients. Crisostomo and its sister (or should I say brother) restaurant Elias are a few of Filipino restaurants that can make me come back again and again for its with-a-twist rendition of traditional Filipino dishes.

Last October 5, my sister Joan invited us for dinner at Crisostomo. She and my niece Aki had a dreadful experience that afternoon. Aki was accused of stealing chocolates from a drug/convenience store near her school. The chocolates were found in her backpack but as seen on the CCTV of the store, the chocolates were actually placed there unknown to Aki by one of her classmates who invited her to go to the store in the first place. The said classmate admitted his wrongdoing and the charge against Aki was dropped. It was a stressful afternoon for them thus the invitation to dinner to de-stress and to create a happy memory of that day instead.

The nearest Crisostomo restaurant to us is their branch in Solenad 1 at Nuvali. They also have branches in Alabang, Eastwood, Katipunan, Fairview, Macapagal, and Newport Mall. Despite its proximity, that night was my first visit at their Nuvali branch. Our other visits were in their Alabang branch. 

Image from Crisostomo's website. 

Crisostomo- Nuvali

Solenad Lakeside Evozone, Nuvali, Sta.Rosa Laguna

Restaurant Hours: Monday to Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday to Sunday 7 AM to 10 PM

Landline: (049) 502 8106

Website: www.crisostomo.ph

Aside from a small family of three, we were the only guests at Crisostomo’s. It was a weekday so the Nuvali area was not as bustling with people as during weekends. Due to this, our orders came out early which make us glad as we were getting hungry.

The ladies of our family. 

Our little Queen B with her cousin Ate Aki whose eyes are so puffy because of all the crying she did that day due to wrongful accusation. Photo taken while we are waiting for our food to be served. 

Taking pictures with our little Queen B is getting harder to take as she moves so fast. 

Our little Queen B's birthday gift to me: Kisses plus her "Ayhavyuuu" which is one of the best birthday gift ever!

One of the things I like about Crisostomo is the quirky names of their dishes which were named after characters of Jose Rizal’s famous novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and other historical places and figures. Browsing through their extensive menu is like a trip back to our country’s history under the Spanish rule. The following were the dishes our family feasted on that night: 

Taba ng Talangka Rice (365 Php). Good for 2-3 people. We also ordered plain rice which is 60 Php per cup. Honestly, I prefer their Binagoongan Rice which is more flavorful than this one and a little cheaper too. 

Sinigang Zamora or Sinigang na Apahap sa Miso at Dahon ng Mustasa  (495 Php). Our little Queen B loves fish so this dish made her eat a lot. 

Lengua Laruja or Braised Ox Tongue with Mushroom Gravy (450 Php). The ox tongue is so tender and the mushroom gravy is so tasty. 

Pilosopong Pinakbet or Assorted Native Vegetables with Lechon Kawali Chips (325 Php). We grew up having Pinakbet constantly in our dinner table and Crisostomo's version is good. 

We also ordered a serving of their Sisig Linares (250 Php) which is their version of the famous Pork Sisig. I was unable to take an individual photo of it. For drinks, we had Pandan Iced Tea which I really like but my sister Joan doesn’t so she switched to Lemon Iced Tea while Mama had a Lychee fruit shake.

Our yummy dinner. Thanks Joan and Penn for the treat. It was like another birthday celebration for me. 

As always, we had a wonderful meal at Crisostomo. Service was excellent also. Other must try in their menu are their Don Rafael or Classic Crispy Pata, Adobo Damaso or Twice Cooked Chicken & Pork Adobo topped with Adobo Flakes, Kesong Puti, and Kamote, and Leandro or Laing with Lechon Kawali. For sure, this will not be the last time we’ll be dining here.

Afterwards, our little Queen B must be looking for desserts as she went to Crisostomo’s iconic ice cream cart but was disappointed to find it empty. She instead plays pretend as she rang the bell of the cart.

Me: Baby, we still have some ice cream at home. 

George: Kring! Kring! Ice cream po. Ice cream. 

#xoxo