491743 Wed Feb 20 19:06:14 -0800 2008 6 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3419074 I guess it is only natural that sometimes we are the harshest judges when it comes to our own ethnic cuisine. I tried to visit Tribu Grill with an open mind, but I had high expectations of their crispy pata due to all the positive reviews. My husband and I brought our non-Filipino friend, who has only had Filipino food a few times. HITS: *fried Daing na bangus (milk fish) - couldn't get enough of this. Perfectly fried. I've had bangus that was under-fried, and over-fried, and bland, but this version was tasty. Golden on the outside but still moist inside. And from me, I'm usually not a bangus fan so this is high praise! *pork BBQ - we were asked if we wanted this chopped and said yes. I like it better in this presentation, because it is easier to eat than on a stick. I also liked the BBQ sauce, which was perfectly balanced to my taste, not too sweet and not too sour. However my husband prefers Gerry's version. *frozen Brazo de Mercedes - definitely a modern twist & not the traditional, but delicious! A layer of graham cracker crust, a layer of vanilla ice cream, followed by a layer of frozen custard and finally the merangue on top, drizzled with lemon sauce. Next time I'm not sharing! OK: *crispy pata... maybe it was all the hype. Maybe they needed to change the oil. It could have been crispier. But I'm not saying it was bad. I'll give it another chance one day. It was a generous portion. *garlic rice - sinagag is one of my favorite foods. Tribu's version was just a little bland. MISSES: *service. Although the generally the attitude was super friendly and courteous, our spiced calamari order was completely forgotten. All our entrees arrived and no calamari. We inquired, and were told that the calamari had "fallen"...Uhh, wouldn't you just drop another batch? But when we asked, as an answer they asked us if we still wanted it. Nah. They still included it on our bill, and I had to talk to 2 different servers to get it removed (remember? it fell? we never got it...) In summary, Tribu Grill is good (and better than other Filipino places I've tried, like Kuya's - I don't like Kuya's). My parents say we still have to try Patio Filipino, up the street from Tribu. I also do like Luneta, but my husband's hands-down favorite is still Gerry's Grill in Union City. I'll keep eating. Wed Feb 20 19:06:14 -0800 2008 23298 SanJoseHound 1 3419280 Thanks for the report. I'll keep the bangus in mind since I haven't had a good version of this yet. The picture of the bibingka on their website looks delicious. (link on place record) Wed Feb 20 20:08:13 -0800 2008 3419074 10264 rworange 1 3420920 Oh, I love that frozen brazo de mercedes!!! The only reason I share is that I'm usually too full to finish the entire piece by myself. :) Thu Feb 21 10:50:11 -0800 2008 3419074 11270 manda 2 3521141 Tried it this weekend and we too really liked the frozen brazo de mercedes! Pampano escabeche- ok, but will try the grilled next time. My boyfriend really liked it. I thought the sauce would be more tomato-y than sweet and sour-y. Shrimp/eggplant torta - good; could have used more salt (or patis/fish sauce, I suppose) but good with the ketchup. Calimari was served so freshly hot, I think that really added to it. It wasn't overly breaded too which I liked. I really appreciated that the food was not heavily oily, which is my dread with Filipino food in restaurants. Fun place for dinner too-- we will definitely return. Sun Mar 23 23:36:17 -0700 2008 3420920 11302 rln 1 4403818 I was Kuya's last night, and thought the food's pretty decent. We ordered: - Chicken adobo; - Sinigang ng hipon; - Mechado; - Laing; - Sisig (this is the only dish which seemed undercooked). Also had garlic fried rice, and finished off with leche flan & halo-halo. The place felt like a simple family-run place. I'm told Patio's dishes are more "fusion" - is that true? Will definitely try Luneta & Gerry's Grill next time. Tue Feb 10 08:53:12 -0800 2009 3419074 143097 klyeoh 2 4404608 Patio seems to stay pretty true to the recipes. Luneta, on the other hand, is way fusion. They seemed to have abandoned the acidity in their recipes. Our Bistek and Crispy Pata were served with soy sauce, literally. Tue Feb 10 12:06:03 -0800 2009 4403818 11940 DezzerSF 3 4404897 Thanks. I must try Patio then the next time. I love crispy pata with a simple vinegar/chopped garlic dip. Tue Feb 10 13:32:16 -0800 2009 4404608 143097 klyeoh