Adobo is the ubiquitous Filipino dish. Ask anybody that dish best embodies Filipino cuisine and chances are, it’ll be a toss up between adobo and sinigang. Nevertheless, even if it’s practically a national dish, there is no one way to cook adobo. Instead of being a hurdle to success though, it is this adaptability that made a success out of the adobo-centric eatery, Adobo ‘To.
I first encountered Adobo ‘To on Between Bites. This small eatery that operated from what seemed like a converted garage intrigued me. I wanted to try it, but the fact is, it was too out of the way for me. Can you imagine how excited I was when they opened a stall at a food court on the corner of Ayala and Rufino? I grabbed my colleagues and we trooped there about two days after they opened. Our excitement was rewarded with the delicious adobo. By the end of week one, I had tried all the pork variants they offered.
Adobo ‘To offers two kinds of each adobo dish. A chicken version and a pork version. They have regular adobo, spicy adobo, cheesy adobo, coconut adobo, binagoongan adobo and adobo sisig. Cheesy, coconut and binagoongan are also available in spicy.
Their regular adobo is quite ordinary. It’s your standard adobo. Yummy but nothing to crow about. The spicy is pretty okay. Generously sprinkled with siling labuyo, it has a fiery kick that calls for copious amounts of rice and their homemade salsa. Still, it’s when they start playing with flavors that Adobo ‘To shines.
Among the variants I’ve tried, the cheesy spicy pork adobo is my favorite. It’s their spicy adobo with a generous dollop of cheese sauce and grated cheese. The cheese sauce and the spicy adobo is extremely addictive, as they pair up in a delicious give and take combination. The spice heats up the insides of your mouth, to be assuaged by the cheese. Dairy after all, is the best way to treat spice burns.
Another delicious variant is the Coco Adobo. Available in spicy and regular, the coconut cream adds a lingering, buttery taste to each bite. If you go with the spicy, you get another interesting creamy-buttery-hot sensation that’ll have you searching for an extra serving of rice.
The last among my favorites is the Adobo Sisig. Partly crunchy, partly soggy, this dry version of sisig is wonderfully tasty, yet not as greasy as traditional sisig. Sprinkled with soy sauce and a hint of calamansi, all that’s missing is an ice-cold bottle of beer.
Priced at 85 pesos, Adobo ‘To is an affordable adobo fix. Each order comes with a generous serving of rice, a bit of homemade tomato salsa and a hardboiled egg—except for the sisig with comes with soy sauce and calamansi. Next time you get a hankering for adobo, drop by one of their outlets. You’re sure to find your own favorite and your next big addiction.
Adobo ‘To
31 General Delgado St.
San Antonio Village, Pasig
631-3667Blessing & Prosperity Food Court
Ayala Ave cor Rufino St. Makati.Galleon Food Court
BA Lepanto Bldg, Makati
I love adobo with gata
I’m excited to try the sisig one but I think it will take a lot of convincing before I order the cheese-topped one!
Let’s order some next time. I’ll order cheese so you can taste it off my plate instead of having to commit to a whole order.
Small pockets of wonders like this makes me wish I was working in Makati again. -3-)
@khursten Grab some for take-out next time you’re in the area
Or why not DIY? It’s just adobo with cheese sauce anyway. I’m sure you can manage it. Ikaw pa!