Happy Tummies at Happy Tables

It is really fascinating how the Manila food scene has grown from a place with limited restaurants to a bustling city filled with food choices here and there. And with the growing number of food parks or hubs, you could tell that the restaurant industry is on fire! And just a couple of weeks back, we visited a new food park along the long stretch of Congressional Avenue and we were impressed. 

Hello, Happy Tables!

This food park, rather, a restaurant hub, is the brainchild of Happy Tables’ owner Oye Peralta. With his passion of offering quality dishes, he took the time and effort to do extensive food tasting to ensure that each and every dish offered in Happy Tables would delight the growingly discerning foodie market. The end result was a well curated list of restaurants that spoiled us when we visited. 

There are a total of 17 restaurants in Happy Tables and most of them are not your usual food park concessionaires. 

Sadly, I was not able to try all of the dishes served to us as I was eating since 10 am that same day because of a sponsored food crawl. Nonetheless, I left space for some of the must-try dishes and these are:

[FAB SIZZLERS] Pork Sisig (PHP180) and Kitayama Wagyu Steak (PHP375)

The pork sisig was pretty flavorful and I love drizzling it with calamansi juice for that sharp contrast of flavor! 

Now, if you are expecting a prime wagyu steak, then this is definitely not the place to be. But for PHP375, the steak Fab Sizzlers offers is not bad at all. Tender and well seasoned, this piece of meat is bang for the buck. 

[KATSURO] Spicy Tuna Salad (PHP220) and Karai Salmon Roll (PHP200)

If you’re craving for something Japanese, then head over to Katsuro. They have a bunch of rolls and other Japanese dishes at reasonable prices. 

I was able to sample the Karai Salmon Roll and it was pretty good considering the price. 

The Spicy Tuna Salad had a generous serving of tuna chunks and the best part was that it wasn’t that spicy.

[WINGS CENTRAL] Chicken Wings (PHP99), Mojos (PHP65) and Potato Wedges (PHP65)

I wasn’t able to try any of the wings but seeing how fast everyone else finished the different flavored wings, I guess it must be darn good! I had some of the mojos and potato wedges and you could never go wrong with potatoes!

[HAPPY SEOUL] Japchae (PHP180) and Bibimbap (PHP170)

Korean food is no longer a stranger to us with all the Korean restaurants here and there (and with airfare to Korea becoming a lot cheaper). Hence when japchae and bibimbap were served to us, it didn’t need any introduction. 

I liked that the japchae was not oily and quite flavorful. Oh, and one serving could fill the tummy!

[G. ONGPAUCO’S KRISPY PATA] Krispy Pata (PHP480), Kare-Kare (PHP185, solo)

This was the highlight of the night. The crispy pata disappeared in less than 10 minutes and every one tried to get a piece of its crunchy and sought after skin. While some of us failed, we still feasted on the succulent meat. 

The kare-kare was great too as it had that lovely thick peanuty sauce which I love!

[CARTEL’S CALI-MEX] Burrito Steak (PHP225), Quesadilla Carnitas (PHP130) and Nachos (PHP195)

This stall was the first one to spoil us with its bestsellers. I particularly loved its quesadilla carnitas which was so soft and cheesy. 

The burrito steak was also good though they went a bit overboard with the beans. 

If you’re with friends, its nachos would be a great option as it is perfect for sharing!

[CHICAGO’S BEST BURGER] Twister Bucket (PHP210)

Finally, we do not have to wait for McDonald’s seasonal twister fries as Chicago’s Best Burger serves it year round! Move over BFF fries, bucket is the real deal! 

[MOE AND BELS] Buttercream Bread (PHP110), New York Cheesecake (PHP140), Tiramisu (PHP125), Red Velvet Cupcake (PHP50)

Moe and Bel’s buttercream bread was another hit that night as we all tried to grab a piece of the soft and freshly baked bread. It reminded me of a premium bakery’s loaf which I absolutely love. But Moe and Bel made it a lot better by offering an exactly the same kind at half the price. Sadly, they were out of loaves to sell that night. 

The cakes were really good too and perfect to cap your meal. 

I particularly loved the New York Cheesecake which was served with an extra serving of blueberry sauce for us to drizzle on top of our slice of cake. 

The cupcakes are good too though a tad too sweet for my liking. 

[THE CREAMISTRY] Salted Caramel Apple (PHP150), Choco Sili (PHP150) and Oreo Cheesecake (PHP150)

Nitrogen ice cream is nothing new but it could be if it serves new flavors! 

The Creamistry sure is adventurous with flavors as it offers the likes of Salted Caramel Apple and Choco Sili with real chili bits! But for the not so adventurous ones, they also have the classics like Oreo Cheesecake, Chocolate (PHP120) and Green Tea Cheesecake (PHP150). 

I’m sure I missed out a lot as I was already in food coma when the other dishes were served and I was saving space for desserts. But I will definitely be back with an empty stomach.

Happy Tables is located at 71 Congressional Avenue Extension corner Tierra Pura, Quezon City.

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