My phone has been broken for almost a month, so I finally had an excuse to pull out my DSLR again.
And maaan, I forgot how challenging it is to shoot in a restaurant with dim lighting. 😂
I like the photos from it, though. There's something about restaurant photos from a proper camera that I still really like. The problem is that getting the photos off the camera is already half the work. CompactFlash card to Mac, sorting through everything, cropping, editing...
I'm too lazy for all of this. So these photos are just the rawest as they can get. hahah
Anyway, we went to Tito Boy, and the first thing I noticed was the open kitchen.
If you've read my other food posts, you already know I love an open kitchen. I like being able to see what's happening behind the scenes, especially when the kitchen is actually fun to watch.
And this one was.
Everyone was just... calm. Everyone had their own station, knew what they were doing, and everything moved really smoothly. No frantic running around, no chaos. Just a very professional kitchen doing its thing.
And then, of course, we ate.
Sisig Croquetas
These are apparently one of their must-orders, and I can see why.
The outside was really crisp, and the sisig inside was flavorful. I actually liked the filling a lot. My only complaint was that the potato was a little dry.
Still, a pretty good way to start.
Shimeji Chicharon
Basically fried shimeji mushrooms that are supposed to give you that chicharon-like crunch.
They were good. Very crispy and very easy to keep eating.
They were a little oily for me, though, and I honestly couldn't really taste the truffle. But the texture was fun, and the calamansi aoli helped.
Burrata Salad
This was one of my favorites.
The salad had burrata, fresh cherry tomatoes, and what I think was pako or some kind of fern mixed with greens that tasted a little like arugula. Whatever it was, I really liked it.
Everything felt really fresh, especially next to all the heavier things we ordered. The tomatoes were sweet, the burrata was creamy, and the dressing had this nice balsamic-y acidity.
I could've eaten this by itself.
Caesar Salad
The Caesar was good too. Nothing wrong with it at all.
Actually, I think that was my general impression of a lot of the food here: premium ingredients, really well executed, but not necessarily trying to reinvent anything.
And I don't mean that as a bad thing.
Sometimes you just want something familiar done properly.
Miso & Mushroom Rigatoni
This was another favorite.
The blond miso cream sauce was so good with the mushrooms, and the rigatoni held onto all that sauce really well. It's rich and very umami-heavy, which is basically my weakness.
This is probably one of the dishes I'd order again.
We also had a carbonara, which everyone else seemed perfectly happy with, but it was too salty for me. 😂
It tasted pretty authentic, but the saltiness just bothered me.
Crispy Pata
The skin on this was SO good.
It had that really satisfying crispy, crackly texture while the meat underneath was tender. They chop it up for you before serving, which I actually appreciated because crispy pata can get a little chaotic otherwise.
I just wish the meat itself was a little juicier.
Still, the skin alone was worth it. We ordered rice because of this haha
Smoked Duck
The duck was nice, but honestly, what I remember most was the sauce underneath it.
I have no idea what was in it. It had this slightly coconut-y thing going on that I really liked.
I also don't think we got the cucumber and wood ear mushroom salad that I saw mentioned elsewhere, so maybe the dish changes depending on what's available.
Smoked Salmon
This was another favorite of mine.
The salmon was delicate and smoky, with this really nice egg mousse underneath. It wasn't particularly heavy, and I liked how everything worked together.
This one was definitely one of my favorites from the meal.
Overall, I really enjoyed the meal.
I think Tito Boy is one of those places where I wouldn't necessarily go expecting every dish to surprise me. But the ingredients are good, the cooking is careful, and everything feels considered.
And honestly, sometimes that's enough.
Plus, I got to use my DSLR again.