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| - Am not fond of going to Filipino "eat-spots" unless they're highly recommended by Pinoy friends who are as picky and hard to please as I am when it comes to home-cooked Pinoy grubs. TFC, just recently opened, was recommended by one of them with high praises. That prompted me to Yelp them and found the limited number of reviews to be somewhat credible. Hence, my half an hour Saturday driving venture across the beltway with so much expectations. High expectations, at that!
I waked in and sat myself down on a two-seater table right in front of the tv showing what was obviously a Filipino variety show, and was given a menu rightaway. Considering the limited number of tables, the small eatery was somewhat busy with, unfortunately, only one lady waiting the tables and working the cash register at the same time. I noticed 3 groups of Pinoy families enjoying their late Saturday lunch. The wait staff was unbelievably slower than our endangered and protected desert tortoise.
After agonizing over two Filipino variety shows, I was still neither offered water nor asked for my order. I looked around and saw the wait staff serving desserts to the next table to my right, then she served the food to the family to my left. I was hoping she would notice me but she was oblivious of my presence. When the family to my right finished their desserts and was given their bills and the family to my left starting doggy-bagging their food, I was already down to my last ounce of patience as I've already waited almost 45 minutes waiting for my presence to be acknowledged.
Hungry, irritated but still keeping my composure, I stood up and approached the counter and nicely told another lady that I was so ready to order and that the wait staff obviously forgot about me. Bless her heart, she dropped what she was doing and came over and asked for my order.
Now, the food. I showed the the lady a photo of one of their offerings from Yelp. It turned out to be one of their lunch specials: their version of bento-box special of Chicken Adobo, Lechon, rice and daikon/cucumber slices. I also ordered a serving of (4)pork siomai. The food was on my table in less than 5 minutes. The lady who helped/served me turned out to be the owner/chef. I was not given the complimentary soup but I didn't bother asking. I was too 'hangry (hungry/angry)" to either ask or complain further.
The chicken adobo was soupy and a bit overcooked (possibly by repetitive heating/over heating). The meat was swimming and sadly drowning in its own watery sauce and I didn't get the usual vinegary-soy saucy-garlicky taste I am accustomed to. The lechon suffered the same fate. They were either deep fried more than once that it lost the crunchy skin/moist meat combination you would expect from a deep friend pork belly. I didn't dare touch the side salad of daikon and cucumber. They looked like they've been sitting for so long that they're turning darkish. I ate 3 out of the 4 small bite size siomais. I've had better siomai in a Chinese establishment. I figured an order of "halo halo" would save the day so I ordered their regular halo halo. For $5, it didn't fare any different from Red Ribbon's, or Jollibee's or Chow King's. The dining experience was yet again another total letdown. I should've not expected that much or too high. Better yet, I should've not expected at all.
I stayed there longer waiting to be served (acknowledged, actually) than enjoying their food. I finished eating in less than 20 minutes. Didn't even bother washing down the food with the glass of water they provided me.
The bill was $17.24 and I paid $20. I think I tipped too much for such a mediocre service. There is something amiss If a customer is ignored and stood up asking for a service. Anyway, I stood up and headed towards the door and left as quietly as possible and vowed never to return again...ever! (Unless the Pinoy friends who recommended me TFC asked me to join them and foot the bill).
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