Eating is one of the many ways to de-stress. April 9, 2014, Wednesday, it was The Day of Valor, holiday. My office mates and I decided to have a sumptuous breakfast after a stressful day at work. My foodie office mate, Marie, suggested we try Recovery Food at BGC.
On our way to BGC, I was having second thoughts since it was a holiday and probably it’s closed. We got lost, but after 5 minutes of strolling, Eureka! Luckily, the restaurant was open and operates even during holidays and 24/7, cool right?
The place is small and not that spacious. If I’m not mistaken,there are only 5 large tables and 3 small tables. We were already drooling as we enter since they have a visible kitchen. We can smell the food’s aroma all over the tight place.
We easily got our table since we went there before 7AM. The waiters were all friendly and accommodating. So our first question was, “What’s their best seller?” Drum rolls please. It’s their famous Spicy Sweet Tuyo a.k.a “S.S.T” and Tapa de Morning.
As much as we wanted to have the same dish, we opted to order 5 different meals so we can try and taste each one. Win win for me since I’m not a fan of Spicy food nor Tapa. So here’s our orders served with either White or Brown Rice:
Happy Pork Rice (Half) – Sarah
S.S.T (Half) – Marie
Tapa de Morning (Half) – Dennis
Amadobo (Half) – Anne
Happy Beef Rice (Half) – Mine
So our next dilemma was what to drink. We’re thinking of having a beer or something hot to sip. Unfortunately, they don’t serve hot chocolate. I didn’t want to get coffee since it will be hard for me to sleep. Since it’s too early as well, they decided not to drink beer, so we ordered fresh Dalandan juice and Iced Tea instead.
All juices are served by the bottle. So we ordered one for each, excluding Dennis, who opted to share with his girlfriend, Marie’s drink. Little did we know that the bottles were huge and good for almost 4 persons, I think that was 1 Liter or less than. Our initial reaction was “How can we finish these drinks?”
After less than 30 minutes, the food was already served. Finally, it’ munch time. All were served in a bowl with rice and dish on top. I ordered Happy Beef Rice with brown rice and I wasn’t disappointed.The beef was so tender and juicy. Not too salty, not too sweet. Though I should have partnered it with white rice instead. The brown rice easily absorbed the beef’s juice so it became mushy afterwards.
I get to try their famous “S.S.T” since Marie is beside me. (easy to reach, LOL) The tuyo was soft and juicy. One bite and you can really taste its sweetness and saltiness then spicy after taste. You need more rice and water if you eat this, believe me.
I wasn’t able to taste other dishes, but my office mates’ positive feedback, and clean bowls were enough proof that Recovery Food serves mouth watering and delicious dishes. I thought that the half meal was not enough for me, but I was so wrong. I didn’t even finish mine because I was so full already.
What I really love about Recovery Food is their fresh juice specially their Dalandan juice. The fresh Dalandan juice was a perfect combination for both S.S.T and Happy Beef Rice. I was even singing Kendra Kramer’s “Dalandan Song” from her Nesfruta ad in my delight. It was not too sweet nor sour. I even took home some left over juice.
So after eating, drinking and chatting, we had to pee. Unfortunately, they don’t have their own comfort room. We had to go to to nearest restaurant with CR which is Yellow Cab. I think the Yellow Cab staff is used to other people/non Yellow Cab customers using their CR. We went back to Recovery Food to chat more, but the place started to be crowded so we went home instead.
I will give Recovery Food a 6 out of 10 rating. They indeed serve delicious meals with great value and with great comfort, but what really negates them is the place itself. You can’t even stay longer and enjoy since there are some people waiting to get a table. The place is too small and easily get crowded. You can also hear other customers’ conversations for the place is too tight. The place is not ideal for a large group of people. But if you want a a heavy and sumptuous meal, Recovery Food is a must dine. For those interested to experience Recovery Food, it is located at G/F Crossroads, 32nd St. Corner 8th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Credit to Marie and Recovery Food for the picture and menu.
Update after 2 years, fast forward 2016:
My partner and I visited Recovery Food during Holy Week of 2016. We were lost somehow and I did not know that there is a second branch in BGC located at 31st Street Corner Rizal Drive, BGC Stopover Pavilion, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. One thing I noticed with this restaurant is they are open 24/7 and even holidays. Rewind, 2014, I went at Recovery Food located at 32nd St. Corner 8th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on a holiday.
I was relieved that we were lost because I remember, their branch in 32nd street is small , tight and doesn’t have a bathroom. I like their branch at 31st since it’s wider and bigger, plus their wall decals are beautiful. They have a clean bathroom plus you may see their kitchen as well.
Since it’s my partner’s first time in Recovery Food,we tried their newest addition on their menu:
They also have Lenten Special which is the PinaTUNAy but we opted to eat their newest specialties.
I ordered Lecheng Kawali with brown rice while my partner ordered Doctor Sisig with plain rice. (FYI, it’s almost end of holy week so we decided that we may eat pork).
After almost 20 minutes, our orders arrived. I love how their “letseng kawali” is presented and it comes with soy sauce. (Though I prefer pork liver sauce a.k.a Mang Tomas). The meat was tender and the pork skin was crispy. I love it because it’s not oily at all.
I also tasted Doctor Sisig and I was not satisfied maybe because I am used to crispy pork sisig. This one is soft and bland. It comes with a mayonnaise dip but it still did not pass my taste buds. My partner wasn’t able to finish his food.
We added dalandan juice for refreshments since I loved it the last time. his time, I was disappointed. It did not taste the same as the last time. Oh well.
Over all, I will give recovery food 6 out of 10 again as my rating. I will come back again next time and try their other specialties and might have a change of heart.
Update June 2016
My new office mates and I were looking for a place to eat one rainy morning. I am surprised they don’t know about Recovery Food. We went to the nearest branch from the office located at G/F Crossroads, 32nd St. Corner 8th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. I ordered Porkqua Curry and I was not disappointed. It has the right spiceof curry, not too strong which I prefer. The pork is sliced and cooked perfectly: big,tender and juicy.
My office mates ordered some best sellers and they were not disappointed either. I am sure we will be back here often.
