I've been living in Mandaluyong for about 6 years now and I've been to every nook and cranny of this place while going on my foodventures. But on today's food diary, I'm not sharing something new--instead, I'll share this constant favorite I've had since I moved here. My place is fairly situated in the city center. I have a ton of options when it comes to food like Mcdonalds, Subway, Binalot etc. You can see the place has really diverse choices which is something I love. One of the things we don't have a lot of though would be home-cooked comfort meals. I mean I love myself some fast food every now and then but home-cooked meals is where my heart is at. 

Enter Plana's Pantry. Originally when I moved in, they weren't in the area yet. But I think about 2mos in, I was curious because it's just right in front of the condominium complex I live in and the interiors looked so fancy. When I stepped inside, I wasn't disappointed with the place. 

THE PLACE

As mentioned, I eat at this place pretty often because it's so close to me but if you're using public transpo it's also pretty accessbile. If you're bringing a car, parking is available but really limited--like there are  only 2 tandem slots shared with a nearby bank. If you're going I highly recommend not taking a car. Parking aside, the interiors are all sorts of lovely. The place has a clean, rustic overall vibe with framed quotes blasted all over. I've memorized the time slots when there aren't a lot of people so ordering-wise, I always get my food faster than usual. 

THE FOOD

Food is hit/miss but mostly it's amazing! I remember when they opened, they had this amazing set of fish and chips and they used real fish. But now, they only have fish nuggets and chips so that was kind of a let down, Eitherway, most of the dishes are really good. Their bestseller would be their ribs--humongous serving for a fraction of the price! They also literally pair it with a mountain of rice given the huge serving. Another favorite would be their Lengua--legit lengua that's so tender and melts in your mouth! Those two are probably the ones I order the most. 

For dessert I've always gone for their ice cream. I don't know how it's made but the taste is very far from store-bough ice creams and it's soooooo gooood! The Chocolate Rumble tastes like creamy dark chocolate while the avocado wasn't overwhelmingly fruity and just had the right milky/fruity texture.

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)

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?