Crisostomo: Our Namesake With The Best Kare-Kare

I am a Crisostomo. It's my Lola's maiden name. And when I was in high school whenever our teacher read my name in the class list it was always: Dumana, Ma. Teresa Crisostomo Ibarra. It's an old joke I get all the time. For those who don't know who Crisostomo Ibarra is, he is Dr. Jose Rizal's main protagonist in Noli Me Tangere.

Since we're always at Eastwood, Mom and I keep passing by CRISOSTOMO a restaurant found in the 2nd floor of the new Eastwood Mall and one of Chef Florabel Co's babies. We wanted to give it a try immediately, but never really got to until Christmas Day, when Mom treated me to Christmas dinner (as if our Noche Buena feast was not enough!).

We were at the restaurant a wee bit early for dinner so there weren't much customers JUST YET. I was able to take photos of the dining area before it got crowded. And I super loved their chairs it was comfortable and the back rest was soft.


Since it was Christmas, most of the customers were families. Within minutes the restaurant was packed - even the seats outside were filled with hungry families. But despite the number of customers, the servers were able to bring our orders in just about 5 to 10 minutes after ordering. Kudos to the fast service! :)

This is what we ordered, and must I say everything was GOOD! And they were still good and tasty when Mom and I had them for lunch the net day! :)

2-pcs. porkchop with mushroom gravy

I do not regret ordering this. Although the porkchops were a bit oily, it was really good. It was crispy, and best to let it swim with that mushroom gravy. Perfect meaty goodness!

Tuna Belly

Since Mom's the healthy eater, she ordered a fish dish. We super loved this, and this is even better than the tuna belly of Gerry's Grill and Jaymark's (in Paseo de Magallanes). Fish eaters will LOVE this hands down!

Last but not the least Kare-Kare


Now this was love at first bite! Their peanut sauce was to die for I especially loved picking on the peanuts in the sauce! I have to admit I am a bit snooty when it comes to kare-kare, our helper makes one of the best kare-kare, so sometimes I can't help but compare. But Crisostomo's version is just DELICIOUS. Although it lacked ox tripe and was a bit selfish with their vegetable portions, it was still one of the best kare-kare's I have tasted!

And after that big meal, we even had the good old doggy bag...

...and a satisfied smile on our faces!

Looking at Crisostomo's menu, there are some other dishes that I'd like to try next time.

Like the Kangkong with Lechon Kawali Chips. I believe that a perfect food pair would be a mixture of healthy and unhealthy, so that is on the top of my list!

And their line-up of sinigangs and their tinola. Again, it's just a comparison with our helper's cooking. She was trained by my Lola who can whip up a storm, so I'm just being snooty and would just like to compare it with our own sinigang and tinola! :)

Right outside the restaurant you'd see Eastwood Mall's giant Christmas tree. It was very simple, but it was beautiful and it towered over the people taking pictures of it. With the cool air, it was a happy and peaceful Christmas night.



Crisostomo
2/F Eastwood Mall Veranda, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 710-1693