Bangus has been in the food industry for 31 years, yet we have not dined in this restaurant in those three decades even once—until now. Bangus Restaurant’s first branch is located at Crossroad Arcade in Greenhills, San Juan. It was opened in September 22, 1982 by owners Erlinda de Mesa Yap and Diana de Mesa Santamaria. Since its anniversary, the restaurant has been innovating their dishes to delight food lovers everywhere with mouthwatering milkfish-infused specialty recipes.
Their house specialties are not limited to bangus; rather, they include Crispy Tadyang ng Baka, Rellenong Manok, Kare-kare Buntot (Ox Tail) and Lechon Kawali as well. I was awed upon seeing many pescetarian-friendly items on the menu: Sizzling Kangkong, Puso ng Saging, Pinakbet, Tinumok and Lumpiang Capampangan. Other guilt-free dishes are: Ensalada Mangga, Fried Milk Fish Belly with Sampalok Candy Sauce and Crispy Kangkong, Bangus Prime Cut Bistek, and Binusog na Tinapang Bangus.
Review of Bangus (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
I liked that the ambiance of the room was majestically lit and the walls were painted and designed with bright, mood-boosting colors. The fish on the background was cute, too! 😀 What I didn’t like? The area was cramped, with tables and chairs almost positioned next to each other. There were a lot of dining customers that day and this may be also one reason why air was not that cool.
Service: ★★★★★
Staff were attentive and friendly. They aim to please. As we warmed up to our seats, they came instantly to hand us the menu. Food was served after 10-15 minutes as promised, so they’re considerably efficient given that they’re busy.
Food: ★★★★☆
Few restaurants seem to get everything right; you’d do best to pick your favorite by their specialty. At Bangus, it’s bangus! So we have to order at least one of their best-selling bangus dishes. It took us a while to decide; finally, we got the Sizzling Bangus (PHp 295) and Kare-kareng Bangus (PHp 395).
Once landed on our table, the accompanying sauce was poured onto the hot plate of Sizzling Bangus, making the entire entree look far more appealing. But in my view, it still lacked the spectacle associated with a similar display of sizzling plates served in other restaurants, since the milkfish did not appear to be juicy but thin and dry. Flavor-wise, the soy sauce used was apparent and the taste of the onions was compelling.
For the second dish, bangus cooked in the kare-kare was fried, so it missed the tenderness I was expecting. I would want the fish to be just boiled without the crispy exterior and rubbery feel on the inner flesh. Nevertheless, the vegetables soaked up the nutty kare-kare mix — delicious! The broth was so creamy and toothsome. Grab a bowl of hot steamed rice (PHp 50) and enter paradise. We added bagoong (shrimp paste) which made the dish more appetizing.
The Adobong Sugpo sa Aligi (PHp 390) left such an indelible impression. The tiger shrimps in crab eggs were filled with sweet and briny juices that pool in the curve of the shell. They somewhat tasted like the buttered shrimps at Dampa marinated in orange soda. Such are too rich for everyday eating, but as an occasional treat, they’re well worth the effort and the calories. I thought it’s also good to mention here that the shell was easily removed, implying that the shrimps were not overcooked and they were fresh.
Staff said that their Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa (PHp 185) recipe includes tiny bits of meat. So we asked to have them removed and make this dish completely vegetarian. Our wish was their command. The sautéed vegetables were crunchy and stayed true to their supposed unique tastes — sweet and savory. I’d prefer coconut milk with thicker cream though.
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
As the name suggests, Bangus Specialty Restaurant is predominantly a seafood (bangus) joint. I found their food quite good. The only knock against the dishes is the portion size, which is stingy (see the Sizzling Bangus and Adobong Sugpo sa Aligi as examples) and not tantamount to the prices. Food prices are generally bad news for the wallet.
Other branch:
Ground Floor, Connecticut Carpark Building 1, Greenhills Shopping Centre, Greenhills, San Juan City | 02 7253038, 02 2121212
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
I love ginataang sitaw and kalabasa. That picture made me crave for it. It is a shame how the servings are small here.
It can be their “marketing technique.” A way of looking at it is that they try to make the portions small so customers would want to order more and this means more profits for the restaurant.
I didn’t know the greenhills branch is their pioneer branch, until now! thanks for that fact! We used to dine there with my family.. now i’m craving for their food 🙂
Yes, actually I just learned about it when I read the company info on their website. 😛
A lot of food varieties to choose from this restaurant. really good to dine-in and tastes the food.
Yeah if you’re stressed to prepare and cook food yourself, just go to any restaurant that you think would best serve great-tasting food. Reserving for a venue and hosting your own party can seem daunting. Make sure to book early so you can get an ample space for the entire group.
love all the bangus variety! i love fish and veggies most of all! and missing the bangus foods in philippines. I always have salmon here and tilapia.
Ohh salmon. It’s my favorite fish. 🙂
This is something my dad can look forward to! My dad just flew back from Florida and he prefers Pinoy food everytime we go out and dine. And i swear i had to make a list of restaurants that serve great Pinoy food, which BTW i got from here. 😉
Hooray for a family get-together! 🙂 Feel free to take one of every Filipino dish here.
The Kare-kare and Sugpo look delicious but the other dishes don’t appeal to me. Or maybe I’m just inlove with anything with creamy sauce… :p
The only part of bangus fish I usually eat is the belly. 🙂
Yup, many people love to eat that part of the bangus. I do, too, because it’s good cholesterol.
love the food in Bangus good food at a very affordable price.
Most restaurants nowadays don’t serve a lot of varieties of one type of fish. Bangus, a melting pot of bangus recipes, can just reign supreme on that field. I suggest offering food with a roar of heat, fish sauce and garlic as this combination will have customers keep going back.
the Adobong Sugpo sa Aligi looks so sumptuous!! I was expecting that all they serve was Bangus.. haha!! Good thing they have a nice variety too! 🙂
Sugpo starred in that dish but there are many others that have bangus as the main ingredient. Go over the menu when you arrive and you’ll see that they have no shortage of bangus dishes.
Great post! Will definitely try this!! The food looks so yummy! 🙂 Thanks for the info!
You’re welcome. Once you’re in there, you’ll experience another version of Filipino food and discover that history has really made Philippines a hub for fusion. Our cuisine can’t really be defined as one particular thing.
I was able to try the place and I like their bangus sisig.
The bangus sisig was good. But if based simply on that, I might not have ordered another dish from here because it tasted pretty average to me. I’m glad we decided to try out more food to get more impression on Bangus rather than base the judgment from the verdict of the first one that arrived.
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This is the first time I have heard of this restaurant. The food looks good, I would want to try this restaurant if I get the chance.
If you’re on the search for the best bangus dishes in Metro Manila (outside your island travels) 🙂 , consider this restaurant for a piece of that perfect concoction.
Bangus.. NO WAY. I really hate dish with bangus on it.. lol But, I will definitely try the Adobong Sugpo sa Aligi.
I think you’re the first (and only) person I know who does not like bangus. 😀 The bangus pa naman has a very strong and bold flavor so while it might appeal to those who love the strong taste of the dish, faint-hearted foodies like you should stay on the sidelines.
Same here, I don’t like to see tables and chairs almost positioned next to each other and you do not have space to move. But the food looks delish especially the adobong sugpo sa aligi.
Yup, the adobong sugpo sa aligi was indeed delicious. However, I could already imagine the calories while I was eating. I thought it was sinful, a guilty pleasure. 😛
Oh I love karekare! Never tried bangus yet. Naglalway ako habang nagbabasa lol.
That means two things: I captured the food in the right angle AND the presentation of the food was lackluster. 🙂
You have not tried bangus or kare-kare bangus? It’s a must-try!
My fave! Bangus! Matinik nga lang :/ I love the ambiance of the resto and their dishes. I just think some of their dishes are pricey?
Wala nang tinik mga ito. They were already deboned. 🙂
Di lang some but all are expensive haha.
I love eating bangus but the high price can be discouraging but still I will definitely try this out some time.
Yup. They could have a happy hour promotion to encourage more to dine in. 😀
The bangus dishes looks so delish! I agree with you with regards to the colors and wall deco/paints.. 🙂
I just ate at Sizzling Plate, SM Food Court last Friday and thought that in comparison, Bangus’ sizzling bangus tasted a lot better.
This Bangus resto is seemed to be A-1 in their customer service. This is something to be proud of as a Filipino.
Yes. I hope more restaurants’ staff will be more like them.
Thank you for this very insightful article. Their fish dishes look very enticing. Might as well put this restaurant in my to-visit list in 2014.
Explore the Filipino foodscape here with bangus dishes.
wow!!! will try this one..maiba nman! :)good share!
Hehe thanks. Bring your friends/family para marami kang matry. 🙂
I did try this because I like bangus!!! good food.
In Bangus, seafood dishes are a sight that never gets old. Chefs crowd into a kitchen, each one rapidly turning out a dazzling display of food. Problem is just with the price.
[…] On the other hand, the Grilled Stuffed Whole Bangus (PhP 285.00) was pretty standard and had no wow factor as the others, with green mango and tomato stuffing, and fresh calamansi. It’s a solid choice but not better than the grilled bangus in Bangus. […]