You pay for the Ambiance and the Service: Tiyo's

Tiyo's in Marikina is the place you go to if you want to chill and have the "get out from the house dinner". I am surprised that a restaurant like this exists in Marikina. The service was excellent. I never had a waiter so attentive that he even bothers to check on the lighting to make sure I have a decent photo. From the outside, it looks like a bar (after all, the original Chef and Brewer in Ortigas has the same vibe. They even have bands there!) Anyway, I love how Marikina has more (good) restaurants these days. The place is spacious. If you aren't the drinking type, inside you'll see this well-designed establishment that can easily be a catering/wedding venue. Great for big groups and dates. 

Rex often tells me that whenever I evaluate which restaurant to visit again, its always the "price-to-taste ratio". The place is on the pricier side for average food. We just love the fact that it has really attentive and nice waiters. Anyway, here's a rundown of the stuff we had:

Samurai Pizza P395

Sabi nga ng dad ko, put any cheap pizza and add mangos to it for novelty. I disagree, this is quite better than most just because they use mozza (even the cheaper variety). I find it interesting just because it has unexpected ingredients (crab sticks and mango?!). Would I order it again, probably not. 

Tiyos Rice P250

Rex loved the fried rice because it reminded him of the good old fried rice of Korean Garden in Malate. I liked it just because it didn't remind me of Star Margarine.

Dinuguang Bagnet P375

Dad found it interesting that they totally "deconstructed" the dinuguan concept. The bagnet on top of the sauce (blood), making sure that you get to really taste the individual components. Plus, it was well-balanced.. It wasn't too salty or too sour (although, I have this weird thing for liking my dinuguan on the sour side). Everyone on the table liked this dish.

Pork Sisig P290

Dad finds the taste of the sisig good, pointing out the fact that it is spicy and well-seasoned. Rex loves it just because it doesn't go overboard on Knorr. They both wished the sisig has crispy bits in it. But overall, puede na raw.

Rolletas (Chix) P350

Filling, great for all PGs out there. I didn't like the mayo on top that much, just because I hate mayonnaise on the sweeter side.

Adobong Kambing P400

If it was just me, I wouldn't get this dish because kambing and adobo is not worth P400 . I am happy with eating Manang's Paklay anytime. But I have to give it to the resto for making sure the meat was not overcooked. Rex totally hates most restaurants for making sure you can barely touch the meat because its too tough. This one was tender and the adobo flavor isn't overpowering (hint: easy on the soy sauce everyone).

Another plus: spacious parking outside. Hard to find though if you are not familiar with Marikina.