The Aristocrat Restaurant Experience

The Aristocrat Restaurant has been around since 1936, serving well-loved Philippine dishes to us all.



This restaurant used to be my family's favorite place to go for a Sunday brunch. We all agree that their Aristocrat Chicken Barbecue is the best! We used to frequent their branch in SM The Block, but stopped going there since their service was (and still is) very slow. For our lunch today, my dad and my sister went to The Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard to celebrate her graduation.

Here's what we ordered:

Calamares (P165.00)

Tender calamares, breaded and fried and served with tartar sauce

This dish was supposed to be one of the best appetizers I have tasted (I first tried it at their SM The Block branch and I loved it). However, I hate how this branch always serves our Calamares cold. I think it was not freshly cooked and has been sitting in the kitchen for quite some time before it was served to us. It is the second time that our Calamares were served this way (it was cold and the breading was not crispy anymore) and I doubt that I would reorder this again.

Sinigang na Baboy (P281.00)
Pork spareribs in sour tamarind soup with native vegetables

This soup was good for 3 people. I loved how tender the pork spareribs were in this soup, and I like the tang of the sour tamarind soup. It goes well with their ever famous Aristocrat Chicken Barbeque.

Aristocrat Chicken Barbeque (P195.00)
Three pieces of marinated chicken on skewer, grilled

Gulaman at Sago (P55.00)
Gelatin cubes with tapioca in syrup and shaved ice

Did you know that you could get this for free when you present your SM Advantage Card to this branch upon a single-receipt purchase of P500.00? I just saw this promo in SM Advantage's website, and I tried asking the waitress about it and viola! Free Gulaman at Sago. I just wished they had a poster of this promo in their store to inform their customers, because what is the use of doing tie-ups when you do not announce it anyway?

Buko Pandan (P67.00)
Gelatin with tapioca and grated coconut in sweetened cream

Now this was very creamy and yummy. It was not too sweet; definitely a perfect way to cap off your meal.Though the food in this restaurant was delicious (except for their cold Calamares), I have a few things on which I would like this restaurant to improve on.

• First is how some of their food was served. If it is not freshly cooked, why serve it?
• I disliked the fact that their service again, was too slow - in all aspects that is. We waited for about 30 minutes before our orders were served. Upon ordering, we asked for water. It took countless follow ups and about 45 minutes before our glasses of water were served. We could have choked waiting for it.
  
• I also do not like how inattentive their staff was. They would turn away and go on with their business while you are still talking to them, which was rude.
• Another is that upon asking for the bill, we waited for so long that my dad was the one who approached their counter to ask if he could sign the charge slip already so we could get going. When we reached their counter, we found that the bill was already prepared, but there was just no one to bring it to our table.
• The bill had a discrepancy from what we ordered. An item was doubled, so it had to be revised. Upon seeing a lady approach the manager, she had the bill with her and had the same problem we encountered.

Unless they shape up, I doubt that my family would come back to any Aristocrat branch again. It is not only the food, but service is also a huge factor in this type of industry.

Just sharing my opinion,
Helen