I’m proud to say that my hometown of Quezon City has many good food haunts which is perfect for the munchy family I was raised in.

Since it is a holiday today and my older brother got Php 3,000 worth of gift certificates from before, we visited this restaurant called 1950 in the Gilmore area of Quezon City.

We ordered:

1. Bone marrow (Php 380): Served in the bone itself with onion jam and toasted bread, it’s a good appetiser if you enjoy onion jam (like my sister did). I’m not a big fan of onion jam (too sweet) so I didn’t think it too tasty.

2. Caesar salad (Php 400): Three lettuce boats topped with bacon and cheese, this Caesar salad was a headache to divide among seven people. Eat it with your hands, and don’t bother with the forks.

3. Buttermilk fried chicken bites (Php 300): Really good: crisp on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside. Served with two biscuits, I think. Made me miss fried chicken in Korea so much more – they got the texture right but I miss the kicky flavours available abroad,

4. Beef cheek bourguignon (Php 470): Three thick-ish slices of tender beef, in tomato-paste with glazed carrots and mashed potatoes. Delicious with their plain rice (Php 60/cup) but I wasn’t satisfied having to share.

5. Sinigang na lechon (Php 375): If my mother cooked sinigang like this, I would not turn up my nose at it as often. For those unfamiliar with sinigang… it’s soursop soup? tamarind soup? It’s sour and savory with meat chunks, and this one was roast pork – complete with the skin. Delicious.

6. Gambas na hipon (Php 375): I can’t quite explain what gambas is, though I’m sure that almost universally, “tasty, oily shrimp” is easily understood, yes?

7. Baked Alaska (Php 280): I think this was my favorite. It’s a plain, rich cake topped with pink ice-cream, covered in marshmallow toasted outside, then topped with strawberries and mint leaves, and finally smothered with strawberry jam. My sweet tooth was pleased.

8. Toasted ensaymada (Php 280): This was served with two slices of crisp bacon and a small cup of hot chocolate. So you dip the ensaymada (sweet brioche-like bread) with the bacon into the chocolate, then you repeat. If you’re lucky, you get to gulp that hot chocolate down your throat like a ravenous animal – which I did.

9. Mocktails: Dreaming apples (Php 150) and Red carpet (Php 150) – I ordered dreaming apples, which is best described as liquefied apple pie. My sister ordered red carpet, which was a fruity blend of strawberry and apple. I thought it was a little pricey for a drink, but I was surprised that the glass they served it in was almost comically large.

The service was pretty good, even if they are just in their soft opening stages. The ambiance is old-timey and classy, so I think it’s more suitable for a date night rather than family luncheon.

Overall, it was pretty good food, but I think it’s a little fancy and overpriced for the relatively small portions – so it doesn’t quite satisfy my family’s qualifications for a regular food-haunt. I’d give it a 7.5/10 stars.

Question of the Week: Have you jopped today?