Gostoso? Sim!

So last April 5, 2014, Chea, Tita Fe, Thirdy and I was around the Kapitolyo area when we decided to have a late lunch.

We've eaten at some of the restaurants in the area previously, although there are still a lot of places we haven't tried. However, there was one that's fairly new. Asking the attendants, we were told that the place just opened last January. The restaurant's name? Gostoso.

You won't miss that signage from outside. Which is how we found it in the first place.

The place had a signage outside indicating that they accept credit card payments. And since we didn't have enough cash on us for anything more than fast food, that easily helped us make the decision on eating there.

Once inside, you'll learn that it's a portuguese restaurant. They serve a few dishes (mostly roasted) using piri piri (chili).

Basically, it's a portugues equivalent of Kenny Rogers Roaster. But besides chicken, they also serve pork or shrimp as the main dish, which they serve with side dishes.

One wall is adorned with texts detailing the Portuguese' discovery of Piri piri.

The place is a bit roomy, especially compared with the other restaurants in the area. Although parking is somewhat limited to two vehicles.

Inside, the tables and chairs are mostly wood with iron frames. The tables are spaced well enough to leave enough space for people to walk around. And since it's the middle of the afternoon and way past lunch time, we practically had the entire place for ourselves.

Oooh. Beer. 

The cashier and order area was directly across the entrance. It's kinda like a self service establishment as you have to go to the cashier to order and pay, but the food will be delivered to your table after it's done.

That is one basic menu

We ordered the Half and Half, which you can order any 2 of their main dish, chicken, pork rib and shrimps. It's good for 2 - 3 persons. And since we aren't heavy eaters, it seemed the like the perfect choice. I ordered the chicken and the pork.

The order came with 2 olive rice and 2 side dishes. I ordered the Potato Gratin and Creamed Spinach. I was hoping Thirdy would eat the spinach but Chea didn't give it to him. I also ordered a can of Coke Light and an iced tea with mint.

They served me a glass with lemon in it. Oh yeah.

We got the drinks first, and then everything else came soon after.

I think that's quite enough for 3 persons

Creamed spinach

Potato Gratin

The creamed spinach was nice. It'll remind you of laing, except of course this is spinach and not taro leaves. It's creamy and sweet, and not spicy. So this is something your kids might enjoy (those who are not mortal enemies of vegetables, that is). The potato gratin were cubes of potatos baked with cheese on top. The chunks are small enough that you don't need to cut them into smaller pieces first. The cheese gives them that little bit of salty flavor.

I'm not familiar with the various types of rice , but the one they serve here are the white non sticky variant. Each cup is served with some chopped black olives on top. However, every spoonful has a hint of olive oil in them, so it tastes good.

Pork rib and half a chicken. Thirdy likes chicken.

As for the main dish? They're great. The chicken isn't what you'd ordinarily get by plainly roasting it. I'm not sure what the herbs they put on it, but it does give it a distinct flavor that you wouldn't mistake it as our local lechong manok. The meat is tender, and isn't dry. However, there are a few rare parts inside, especially near the joints.

And the pork? It's so soft. It practically flakes off when i start to carve a few pieces off using a table knife. The skin isn't crispy, but you wouldn't mind as it tastes great. The meat tastes great too. And even the fat. You may not even notice that you're eating it since it's also flavorful.

You're supposed to eat them by dipping them into the piri piri dip, which I did for the chicken. The pork was better off by itself. I didn't bother putting chili oil on the piri piri since I didn't like spicy food most of the time. The piri piri tasted to me like tomato except it leaves a bitter taste on the tongue.

Dessert. I don't know what it's called. 

What's inside. Wafer tasted like cardboard. The middle part's good but too hard. 

A bit later, Chea ordered their desert. I don't know what it's called exactly, but it's like an ice cream sandwich. It's a bit hard, so we were having a hard time cutting pieces off using our forks. I think you should eat it by hand, with the wrappings still around it.

So what can I say? The food is great all around. However, it is a bit expensive. A quarter chicken costs 190 pesos. It's 220 if you want a rice, and a side dish. The pork on other hand, costs 300 pesos without any side dishes. Adding a side dish sets you back 65 pesos (40 for the olive rice, I think). They have appetizers but they won't pass off as a real meal.

The fact that they aslo have a very limited menu, I don't think you'd find yourself any reason to try and come back to the place. Unless you find yourself craving specifically for their specialties, I don't think you'd consider driving all the way to Kapitolyo and shelling about 400 pesos to tide you off. So basically, this is just a one and done affair.