Last weekend marked the half of December. Mostly at this time, I have mixed emotions on the coming days leading up to the holidays. At one end, I’m excited, looking forward to the short vacation when I can spend more time with my family, my boyfriend, my friends and myself. On the other end, I dread the fact that this break would also make way to adding weight on and basically, fats—which I utterly don’t welcome.
I thought I’d already gained some pounds. Last night I stepped on the weighing balance and felt a sigh of relief when I saw my weight didn’t change at all. Yes!
As a girl with an insatiable love for interesting food, this end-of-year extravaganza of luncheons and dinners would be deadlier for my long-standing goal to eat reasonably and stay fit in all seasons. It’s quite hard to avoid the minefield of treats offered in the holidays, and pushing them away when someone already has placed food on my plate is equally hard. But if this someone is Mommy or Louie, then it would be easy to pass food back to their plates to show my generosity in return. 🙂
Last Saturday, I was glad that three of my friends from college also gamely took care of my leftover. We dined in at Fish and Co., Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati for our year-end party / Christmas celebration. It was indeed another fish-tacular experience! Here are pictures to whet your ravenous appetite.
Some Trivia
Did you know that Fish & Co. started its business as a mid-level casual dining restaurant in 1998? It opened its first branch in Plaza Singapura, Singapore during the peak of the Asian regional financial crisis. Fish & Co. had managed to grow its business nonetheless and built branches in other parts of the world, namely: Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, Philippines and Hong Kong.
In the Philippines, Fish & Co. has opened its door to the Filipinos since 2005 as a member of the Bistro Company. According to my research, Greenbelt 3 was its first ever branch in the country!
Review of Fish and Co. (Greenbelt 3, Makati)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
I had eaten in Fish and Co., Singapore several times and once in the SM Mall of Asia branch. In contrast with them, this branch of Fish and Co. at Greenbelt 3 is not one that’s very promising in terms of atmosphere.
Default contemporary wall decors were present, including the different kinds of colorful fish hanging from the ceiling. However, it was a no-cold zone; poor air-conditioning was notable. The restaurant had a laid-back and decent vibe, with plenty of outdoor seating and limited indoor seating in long but narrow space. Noise was tolerable across the dining area.
Service: ★★★★★
We came with a reservation so we did not have problems getting tables and chairs for 10 people. Waiters took our orders and served them fast.
Food: ★★★★☆
I probably would not have connected “fish” and “chips” three years ago. Before I had only been exposed to Chinese food, which are mostly home-cooked. When I had my first plate of Fish and Co.’s fish and chips, I thought it was a ludicrous combination. After some bites, it made great sense.
Looking for something with relatively new taste from my last visit, I made sure to order a dish I haven’t tried. The seafood curry was my choice for the evening. It came with squid rings and fish fillet pieces which were not fried greasy but slowly braised in spicy red coconut curry sauce served on steamed jasmine rice. I loved it when its spiciness did not overpower the taste of the rest of the ingredients. I was just too full to finish them off.
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
There’s nothing quite like indulging in a restaurant with fish delights that are delicately seasoned and cooked to perfection. I will have no trouble repeating the seafood excellence that I enjoyed that night. Fish and Co. is a great dining place with friends and family. Just get ready to pay for at least PHp 250 per dish plus the 10% service charge.
In my case, I paid for PHp 335 (discounted from PHp 395 because one of my friends holds a membership card that entitled us all to avail of the 20% discount) for the seafood curry. It was a large pan retaining the most flavorful of fish preparations, so I thought it’s sound to say it duly was worth the price.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
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