Dekada: Historic Filipino Cuisine, Glorietta

Alighting at MRT Ayala Station, one can miss out on countless shops and restaurants as they walk their way through four interconnected malls towards their destination.

It wasn't until I was in the company of blogger friends Vance and Jam for lunch that I actually stopped and looked at the restaurant in the corner of Glorietta, right before you step inside Landmark.

Owned by the same group that gave us Sumosam, Akira, Banzai, and others, Dekada is like a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that takes us through time with its interiors and dishes named after prominent Filipino icons.

The restaurant's Twice-Cooked Adobo, also known as Aguinaldo (P389), uses beef ribs instead of the usual pork meat. It was tender and it wasn't salty. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I got excited when the next two dishes were served, both with soup and veggies! First up was Yamashita or Sinigang na Sugpo sa Kamias (P389). It took a while for my taste buds to adjust. I was expecting something sour because I was accustomed to Knorr, sometimes tamarind or tomato soup base. I didn't miss the hint of sweetness though. The shrimp and vegetables were not overcooked.

Another classic favorite made its way to our table is Gomburza (P348). Their kare-kare has ox tail, ox tripes and vegetables, served with shrimp paste. The flavor's there but the sauce was watery.

Our meal wouldn't be complete without rice! I forgot my self-imposed restrictions when we paired the viands with Agustino (P328) - bagoong rice with grilled liempo slices, scrambled eggs and lots of thin green mango slices. I skipped the liempo so Jam can have some meat (she doesn't eat beef kasi).

My choice of thirst-quencher was Aquino (P98), the bottomless mango juice in a mason jar.

Christmas season staple Puto Bumbong (P148) was for dessert. On the side were grated coconut, brown sugar and grated cheese. At Dekada, you can have it anytime of the year!

Dekada was aesthetically pleasing but needs to adjust their lighting. It was easy to miss the restaurant because of its location and it would help to highlight the place.

Food wise, it was a hit and miss for me. It has a potential to be THE place for family gatherings - where one will take their balikbayan family members or foreign friends for authentic Filipino dishes. It would have been nice as well if the server extended the warmth of Filipino hospitality we are known for. I had my glass refilled, which took a while, and got dalandan instead of mango. :(

Despite all this, I'm willing to give Dekada another shot.

Dekada Menu

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