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| - I've had my share of 'de Pilipino pood' over the course of a lifetime. Some up here, some down there. But for me Baba's falls right in the middle. Not bad, but not up there with my favorites.
First off, if I'm paying $7.99 per person it might as well be a Filipino buffet. Here at Baba's for $7.99 you get a 3-item combo. Eh, it's ok but limiting myself to just three choices, a questionable amount of rice, and a bowl of sabaw (soup) just doesn't work for me! I want more! Gimme more! That's what makes Baba's so lackluster for me.
The plus is that Baba's is closer to where I live so in a pinch if I want Filipino food I don't have to drive all the way down to Chinatown. But that's about the only plus. If I wanted a certain type of Filipino food, myself or wifey can just make it ourselves.
On a weekend it wasn't very busy. There were more folks either doing catering or take-out than actually eating in the restaurant. Choices of the day on the food line were varied, but again, picking just three did me no good. I wanted a bit of everything!
I ordered a 3-item combo with BBQ pork stick, BBQ chicken stick (yes EACH one counts an item), and pork guisantes. Combo came with an OK amount of rice, and a bowl of sinigang sabaw. I, being the great piggy I am, was able to finish this combo off in less than 10 minutes. Pow Pow Pow...like Pacquiao! But not in his last fight vs. Mayweather. I was left hungry, but like Hell am I gonna pay another $7.99 for more food! Had to go home and eat a Magnum ice cream bar for dessert.
But the food quality wasn't bad. The BBQ sticks were good, nice charred flavor bits and seasoned right, salty & sweet at the same time. Pork guisantes was just OK in my book, pork was nice and fatty, but the sauce was a bit lacking in flavor. Baba's rice cooking though was on point, perfect Jasmine rice for the meal. That's why I wanted more! The sabaw was decent, nothing particularly special.
Reviews said that the crispy pata is the gotta have at Baba's, so perhaps I'll give it a try on my next visit. It's a bit pricey though, no? Like $15? Hope the serving is large for that much!
Baba's, give us the buffet! Ai sos!
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