When I started working - the Filipino themed restaurants are limited to Kamayan, Barrio Fiesta, and Kalde-Kaldero. That was 16 years ago. Today - there are many Filipino themed restaurants in the City. Some of them put a modern twist to the Filipino dishes. Some of them retain the original home-cooked experience. And then there is XO 46 Bistro Filipino.
XO 46 Bistro Filipino is located in Salcedo Village. We tried it last weekend. When we asked the waiter what XO meant - he said it means Extra Ordinary. We then asked what 46 is - he indicated that this is the year that the Philippines declared independence from the Americans.
I actually like the overall look and feel of the place. It definitely has traditional pieces of furniture - and each booth is located near a mirror - made to look like a window with capiz-shell shutters.
The following picture seems to be the focal point for the overall decor. I like the look of the chair - but we opted to sit in one of the booths.
Word of warning - the waiters and waitresses will address you with Senor and Signora. That was a bit unsettling for me - since I felt as if I should clap my hands to grab their attention. Or maybe I should look for a bell and ring the bell to call them. I was also tempted to use "tonta" although - I must say it wasn't warranted to to so because the waiters and waitresses were knowledgeable and provided really good service. Oh - I forgot to mention that if you are Filipino - they will speak to you in Tagalog. It reminds me of the Tagalog spoken in provinces like Bulacan and Rizal.
Since this is a Filipino restaurant - I thought that the chef did well in serving puto instead of bread. Puto - for those who don't know - is one of our many varieties of Rice Bread.
For appetizers we ordered the sausage and chorizo tapas.
I'm not a big fan of chorizo - so I didn't eat much of this. However - if you want to have really tasty chorizo - I'd definitely recommend ordering this.
For our main dish - we ordered Crispy Beef Ribs Kare-Kare. This is different from your regular Kare-Kare. I know that most of us grew up with the chewy tripe or ox-tail for this dish. Surprisingly - the crunch of the meat combines well with the peanut sauce of the Kare-Kare.
For years now - I'm actually puzzled over the origins of the Filipino Kare-Kare. The name implies that it is "Curry" based. However- it is actually peanut based - which is closer to the satay.
The other dish we had is the Sigarilyas in Coconut Milk. Lovely dish. I'd go back to this restaurant for more of this dish. I finished all of it.
So my dear readers - if you are like me - who is the official GRO ( Guest Relations Officer ) of your company when foreigners visit our beautiful country, I recommend that you take them to XO 46 Bistro Filipino. I'm sure your guests and you will enjoy this dining experience.
To get in touch with XO 46 Bistro Filipino. Please visit their page on Facebook.
saw a write up of XO 46 today in Inquirer, how's the price of the food? judging from the ambiance it looks like XO means Xpensive Order :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my site. IMO the food's price range is very reasonable. Each dish that we ordered can serve 3 to 4 people. The price of the dishes we ordered: Kare Kare - 395 pesos. Ginataang sigarilyas - 248 pesos, Chorizo Frito - 295 pesos.
ReplyDeleteThey don't have this in MunchPunch yet what a shame. DO you happen to know the address and number of this resto in Valero? Thanks
ReplyDeleteThey have a Facebook Page. Here is their address and phone number
ReplyDeleteG/F Le Grand Condominium 130 Valero St., Salcedo Vill., Makaty City, Makati, Philippines
5336632
http://www.facebook.com/pages/XO-46-Bistro-Filipino/
what's the maximum capacity of the venue? do they have a buffet service for an event?
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous. According to their fanpage they do offer catering services. They have indoor and outside seating. I think they can fit 40 - but my spatial intelligence is so bad.
ReplyDeleteI suggest visiting their Facebook Fanpage. You can get in touch with them through the following contact info:
Phone: 5536632
E-mail: xo46bistro@yahoo.com
Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/pages/XO-46-Bistro-Filipino/184146081640792?ref=ts
hello, Thank you, I go to this place all the time, took clients there and one of my staff's favorite places to eat. The server, Angelo in particular, is very polite and very good..personalized service...sadly, everytime I go, the food never comes out at the same time, and they will bring 1 or 2 dishes with rice and of course, being hungry, everyone would start eating and by the time the rest of them come, they are almost full...staff is friendly but a little stiff and seem restricted..while I like the place, I really do not care being called senorito, and do not appreciate the feeling it gives of Filipinos being subservient slaves..but it seems to work, and some people seem to like it..I just hate that oppressed period when we were colonized by Spain...but hey...the food is good, so who cares, I guess..
ReplyDeleteI think one of my Filipino restaurant keepers in Makati...I still prefer Abe's at the Fort. But this place ain't bad at all. thanks for sharing your views.
Oh, I forgot,,i hope the ask those jollyjeeps hiding this restaurants to leave so we can see this place from the street...hehehe
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. Agree with everything that you said.
DeleteDo you know anyone from the Makati City Hall? Maybe we can ask them to do something about the Jolly jeeps.
I no longer live in Makati ( I moved to Baguio a year ago ). I'm about to visit Makati in a week - maybe I should ask my best friend to visit XO 46.
A starter for the meal, Mesclun salad in balsamic vinaigrette. They were wrapped with plastic firm to retain its freshness, The greens were crunchy and a good dish to start with. queens catering hall
ReplyDelete