I love Pares. Well, not as much as I love Sashimi but it's one of my favorte Filipino food. Best served with torched bone marrow but I wouldn't mind having it on its own. From what I recall, I first had Pares around 2014 at my ex's house. Their helper's Pares was one of the best I've tasted. I've asked my Mom to make it and apparently she doesn't know how to that's why we never had it at home. In a nutshell, I love Pares. Everytime I try out a new place, a friend or colleague would always recommend something else they'd want me to try and this how I discovered Goto Tendon.
Goto Tendon has been making the round of most of my food groups on Facebook. They're best known for their Sizzling Tendon Pares which has taken my social media groups by storm what with all the videos of this sizzling plate with tendon pares served with rice. It made my mouth water so one morning I thought I'd give it a try. It was just right after the holidays and the streets weren't as busy so I was thinking perfect timing.
THE PLACE
A few details about Goto Tendon before we get started. "What makes this goto special is heritage. Nena Peñaloza, John’s grandmother, passed the recipe onto Jenny in 2002. Amah, she’s called, recalls feeding young John this goto to make his knees stronger. And ever since Jenny got a hold of this recipe, she spent her time further enhancing the flavor of the goto to what it is today. Now, Goto Tendon serves not just goto but also a bunch of other Pinoy favorites like pares and silog, all cooked with only the best ingredients and lots of love." (via)
The branch that we tried was the one in Mandaluyong. Not a lot of parking space available. I think they only had about two slots with the other one shared with their delivery motorcycles. What I liked about the place is that they have solo stall if you're dining solo, and these stalls have partitions so you can eat in peace without worrying about your personal space being invaded by the next person.
Service was relatively fast since it was just us and another couple who was dining at the time. But even in the wee hours of 5:30AM, the place already looked busy and most of the staff were just moving around doing something.
We ordered Beef Pares (P148.00) and Beef Tendon Pares (P158.00). I love Tendon because it's like fat but they say it's collagen so it's essentially good for you, lol. I don't really have a study to back that up but I eat a lot of tendon and bone marrow because I love the consistency and flavor. Okay so first blush, I wonder when the surge of Pares culture started happening because when it did, the prices wouldn't go below P100--which is insane in my standards. I mean a meal for about P150, what am I having really?
Not to say Goto Tendon isn't good, it is good. Better than Pares Retiro which is another joint that's really popular for their Pares albeit more expensive. But for both my question is, are they really worth that much? I know Pares is quite tedious to make but I've had better Pares in roadside Carinderia's for like P30-P50. Other than that I don't have any other comment. It's good but not the kind of good that would make me put it on top of my list.
Would I come back? I don't think so. I'm very practical when it comes to spending for food and I just couldn't justify spending around P150 for a meal that doesn't even have drinks. If someone asked me to go with them I'd probably go out of courtesy, but that's about it. Have you tried Goto Tendon? How was it for you?
GOTO TENDON
Budget : P400 for 2 people
Open daily : 11AM - 3AM
Maysilo Circle, Plainview, Mandaluyong City
Ochi is a twenty-something Corporate Trainer who loves to cook, take photos and videos of her food, eat and travel. On weekends, she's either drunk or snuggling in bed watching her favorite crime drama. 
