My First Rodic's Experience

I must confess - while I was "raised in Katipunan" (or at least that's where most of my "real" life experiences began), I have never been to the UP haven they call Rodic's. I've heard about it, I've read about it, but I never made the effort to find out where it is exactly. I mean, why bother searching the unknown for tapsilog?

 

So it came as somewhat of a thrill when I saw that UP Town Center has a (presumably) "sosy-er" version of this all time Isko favorite. Now is my chance to experience what I have been missing all these years. The tapa MUST be fantastic! After all, people seem to be raving about it. And sadly, my expectations once again got the better of me.

 

The Tapsilog (P99) was relatively cheap though I can imagine that the original version is much cheaper (correct me if I'm wrong). It doesn't look appetizing at all - just a bunch of corned beef looking strips on rice covered by scrambled eggs. It does taste ok - but I think I would have preferred it if there was a little more beef and a little less rice. The meat is tasty but chopping it in a million little pieces and "drowning" it in rice reduced the flavor.

 

The Beef Caldereta (P99), on the other hand, had a curious flavor. I was expecting a cheesy taste, but got a "Gata" flavor instead. The meat could use a few more minutes in the slow cooker. It wasn't bad, actually and I actually kinda liked it. But preference wise, I still like my caldereta with a lot of cheese. 

 

But don't get me wrong - my review may sound a bit harsh, but let's not forget value for money. And the food was actually okay. I would have gone for a plate of Sisig if I had even the tiniest of spaces left in my stomach. For P200, I got a full belly and a happy smile on my face. After all, I have finally dined in one of the mysterious UP places that used to be alien to me. To sum it all up, it was "sulit" and "swak sa budget." I did go the mall with only P500 in my pocket.