Trip to the "Kubo" at Bali Gulp

I know I haven't been featuring much of Filipino food.  Honestly, it's just hard for me to find a restaurant that measures up to my mom's good ol' home cooked Filipino dishes.  So I only write about if it's really different (something my mom doesn't make), or if it really blows my mom's cooking out of the water (hehe sorry mom!).

Well I discovered something special in Antipolo.  I've been hearing about this place from Ku, my brother-in-law, and our friend Parc.  They call it the "Kubo".  They've been raving about the food there for a while now.  Apparently they aren't alone because a lot of golfers hang out here too after hitting the greens at Valley Golf.

So one night, Ku brought us to this "Kubo".  Gullible me thought that that was really the name of the resto.  It was something a lot more interesting.. 

Welcome to Bali Gulp.  It's right beside the entrance to Valley Golf.  Hence the quirky name.  And yes the resto is made out of different sizes of "kubos" perched on different levels too, to accommodate both big and small groups.  So you get your own private hut while dining here. 

For starters I ordered a buko drink.  I thought I'd counteract our pig out session with something healthy.

Whole fresh Buko (Coconut) Php 45.00

Now I've been hearing about their Ginataang Suso dish.  The Pinoy escargot.  Ku is a HUGE fan of this dish.  I have to admit that I am a bit squemish about anything with snails in it.

Ginataang Suso Php 125.00

The last time I ate this was when I was a teenager and it was only because my whole family loves this dish.  They can't have enough of it.

I supposed that it was time to give it another shot.  Just like Andrew Zimmern, my motto in life is to try everything at least twice.  So I gathered all my courage, took a deep breath, grabbed a snail, closed my eyes, and ate it the hard core way... by sucking it (the snail) out of it's shell.  My mom says that the lady-like way to go about it would be to pick out the snail with a toothpick before biting into it.  But that would mean that I'd have to actually SEE the snail first.  Erm no thank you.  It was as chewy and slightly rubbery as I remembered, but it wasn't as horrific as I thought it would be.  I'd like to think that my taste buds have matured a bit since my teenage years. Or it could be that I just got a whole lot braver!  Good thing I drowned my snail in the sauce because the sauce was lovely.  A sweet-ish reduction of ginger, garlic, and leeks.

Sinigang na Baka sa Bayabas Php 245.00

 Next up we had the Sinigang na Baka sa Bayabas.  This reminded me a lot of my lola's cooking.  She always loved to use guavas picked out from a nearby tree for our sinigang, but I've never had beef with it so that was a nice twist.  It was hearty and the guava really comes through in the broth.

Crispy Chicken Wings Php 130.00

Fried chicken has very much become a part of Filipino cuisine.  Pinoys LOVE all things chicken.  It's no wonder Jollibee, Mcdonald's, KFC, Max's, Andok's, etc., are making billions.  This tasted like really good home cooked chicken.  Slightly salty (since it's meant to be eaten with loads of rice) and oh-so-crispy!

Crispy Tawilis Php110.00

Yuri's (and both our dad's) personal favorite is the Crispy Tawilis.  It's freshwater sardines found only in the Philippines.  The good ones are the really tiny ones.  When they're fried right, you can eat the whole thing, bones and all, because everything's just crunchy.

Sizzling Stuffed Pusit Php 280.00

Now for the piéce de resistance. This is the main reason why I'm featuring Bali Gulp.  This dish is aaaa-ma-zing!  Hmmm where do I begin.  Sizzling plates always puts my senses into overdrive so that was a good place to start.  First off, the squid was cooked to perfection.  It was tender and had the perfect bite.  The squid was stuffed with chopped tomatoes, onions, butter, CHEESE, and then bathed in butterrrrrr.  It was delicious and fresh-tasting because of the tomatoes. It was definitely the highlight of my meal.  I'm coming back for this you can bet on it!

Now I've made myself hungry.  I'm off to have lunch!  Have a great weekend everyone!



Address: Sumulong Highway, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Antipolo City
Contact Nos.: 240 5534, 396-3104