Pork At Your Own Risk

From the taste buds of an expat (disclaimer): As an expat here in Metro Manila, the perspective I’m hoping to provide is that of someone who has tasted similar food in other parts of the world, and is providing a comparative outlook. Needless to say, I’ve also taken the time to get a sense of the taste of the food in the Philippines. That way being in a position to the give relative opinions of different local restaurants as well. The Discovery: I stumbled upon PorkUrOwnRisk by accident. I was in the Tomas Morato area, and was planning to make a U-turn, to get back onto the main road, as I found this place further down on one of the side streets. The name caught my attention, and there was a banner indicating it had just recently opened. I was initially skeptical as there were no other cars parked, and it looked empty inside, but knowing it was 4pm, and an odd time, I didn’t let it deter me. Layout and Ambiance: It’s a fairly large place, with 5-6 car parking slots out front. The seating space is broken out into 4 areas, 3 indoor, and 1 outdoor. The outdoor area has a chill-out mood to it, with a bar counter, TV’s and an easy-going ambiance. The indoor area is made of three levels, and has brighter lighting. The pork / parking theme is quite evident, and nicely done. The place is quite spacious, and tables are set with ample room from each other. Overall quite tastefully done, and even the washroom was very clean and spacious. Service: Service was excellent, but to be fair we were the only people there. The real test would be to so how things get when the place is busy. We had a waiter who helped us with our orders, was polite, helpful, and was willing and capable to work with a foreigner and his questions. The food was brought quickly as well, which was great. Food Presentation and Taste: From the pictures included with this review, you’ll see that the presentation was very good, and all the food was plated really well. The taste of the food was really my big question. For one the place being new, secondly, it being empty, I was both curious and mentally prepared for an average experience. But when the food arrived, I was extremely impressed. Everything was really fresh, and just prepared; none of that re-fried, re-served stuff. The order consisted of Lechon Kawali, Grilled Liempo, Crab Fat Fried Rice, and their signature bottled Iced Tea blend. Absolutely every single dish was top-notch, and did not disappoint. Lechon Kawali: The first to arrive was the Lechon Kawali, which was possibly the best I have had in my 3 years in the Philippines; which includes both restaurants in Manila, and islands and other parts of the Philippines. In fact, I don’t usually order it, because I have largely found it too dry and over fried. So, I figured it was a dish I don’t really like. But PorkUrOwnRisk nailed it, making it a perfect blend of crisp on the outside, but still soft, juicy, and flavorful on the inside. Though I can’t tell for sure, I’d say that their cuts and quality of meat used was of high grade, and thus resulting in such a satisfying end result. Crab Fat Fried Rice: The next was the Crab Fat Fried Rice, which I was also taking a chance with. In the past I’ve had both extremes, flavorless fried rice, which only by name sake is flavored, or the kinds that are so pungent that its putting off. But that wasn’t the case with PorkUrOwnRisk. Again, possibly the best Crab Fat Fried Rice I’ve ever had. The flavor was just right, not pungent at all, but delicately flavorful; as someone who isn’t a big rice eater, going by the fact that I got second and third servings of the rice, it was fabulous. Grilled Liempo: I’ve had it several times at Jerry’s Grill, but I’d say it was even better at PorkUrOwnRisk. It was grilled just right, and the meat itself was very flavorful. My palette infact experienced new subtle flavors that I haven’t in the past. Signature Iced Tea: Their signature Iced Tea blend includes calamansi and honey, and is quite refreshing and worth a try. It’s available bottled, as are several other food ingredients, such as Crab Fat, and the likes. For those who’d need supplies such as those, you could safely pick-it up at PorkUrOwnRisk, knowing fully well that it’s of the best quality. Similar Restaurants: Being a straight forward Filipino restaurant, I’d imagine that there are several similar offerings, Jerry’s Grill being one. But in terms of quality, you’d be hard pressed to find a better option. PorkUrOwnRisk is surely the pick of the lot. Cost: The total cost for the above mentioned 3 dishes and 1 drink came to 820 pesos. The quantity was good for 2-3. Keeping in mind the quality of the food, it was easily worth every cent. PorkUrOwnRisk is perhaps one of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at, in the Philippines. If not for its location, which is far from where I live, I can easily see myself going there often. I would certainly recommend it to all my friends, and have in fact already told several of my colleagues at work about it. For foreigners who are visiting the Philippines, PorkUrOwnRisk is a perfect restaurant to get a quality sampling of Filipino food. A comfortable introduction to Filipino cuisine, made the right way. My only advice to PorkUrOwnRisk would be that they need to market themselves more; as they have a great product. If they are indeed using better ingredients, they should be making it their USP.