Exotic Food Trip Stop: Abe Restaurant

If you checked my previous entries, you’d know that I like, uh, love exotic dishes! Blame Balaw Balaw for turning me into a normal-people-do-not-consider-this-as-food freak. I fell in love with exotic dishes ever since I tried Uok. I just can’t describe how happy I was every time I discover a yummy exotic dish. I just can’t.*Big smile here*

Part of our Fear Factor Exotic Food Trip itinerary was Abe just so we’d feel a bit more… posh after jumping from one place to another in Binondo. 

I didn’t know that Abe was such a hit. We had to wait for about half an hour for us to get a table. Well, it was hard given that we were a group of 8. 

Dominantly brown, the place exuded the same feel as Café Adriatico. Perhaps, it’s because it belong to the same group.

Still in our we-want-exotic-food mode, we decided to order Arobung Kamaru (PHP250), Betute (PHP290), Baby Squid Rice (PHP325) and Binukadkad na Pla Pla (PHP395). Fine, the last two were not exactly exotic. But we ran out of things to try.

The first dish that arrived was the Binukadkad na Pla Pla. It was pretty big. It was quite crispy yet was fried too much that the fish meat was a bit too dry. The balo balo relish did not help at all. :|

The next dish was the Baby Squid Rice. It was quite delightful. Bagoong rice plus sautéed squid and salted egg? This dish was the night’s winner! I loved how it was moist yet not salty and the chewiness of the squid was lovely as it was not the gummy (to the point that will tire your jaws) type.

I was really excited for the Arobung Kamaru for I have never tried it before. Crickets, finally! However, it was too spicy for me. I was not aware that it was REALLY spicy and I was one of the unfortunate ones without water. I only managed to eat a few of it. I couldn’t even recall the taste. All I remember was that it was really spicy.

Last was the Betute, or farm frogs stuffed with minced pork, spices and garlic. It was pretty small given the price. Actually, it was so small that we forgot all about it and just realized we ordered frogs when the other dishes were starting to “disappear”. 

The Betute tasted like… chicken. I find it very interesting that almost all exotic dishes taste like chicken. It made me feel a bit disappointed that it tasted very familiar. I was hoping to taste different flavors and textures but more often than not, I fail. Yet, the search is not over! 

Abe seemed to be a family restaurant favorite as there were many patrons who frequent this place. But the service was quite slow. I guess the fact that the restaurant was packed with hungry customers did not help at all. I’d probably give this place another shot but definitely not in the near future.

Abe is located at the Ground Floor, Retailers Area, Serendra Piazza, Taguig City.You might want to contact them for reservation: 856-0526.