Raintree Restaurants’ SimplΓ© Lang is well-respected, and although I admit that I’m not quite as in love with Filipino cuisine as everyone else seems to be, I now understand why people are liking the dishes being served at this restaurant. SimplΓ© Lang has got me excited about trying Filipino food once again, as I saw how beautifully they were presented.
With hand-picked ingredients and appetizing colors, the featured food on the menu haven’t fully departed from the true tastes of local food fare we’re familiar with; they are just more interesting. SimplΓ© Lang in Ayala Triangle Gardens is a great place to go if you want a quick Pinoy fix.
Review of SimplΓ© Lang (Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City)
Ambiance: β β β β β
We came for dinner at 7PM. Ayala Triangle Gardens was very dark at night, but the buzzy atmosphere in SimplΓ© Lang makes this restaurant a joy to come back to. We managed to get a table quickly, and with bright lights, wooden furniture and cozy interior, we felt a bit like we just walked into a another dimension.
The dining areas are divided into the al fresco setting, the indoor first floor and the second floor. Stimulating colors everywhere tend to raise one’s appetite, promoting a positive attitude and outlook on surroundings. The printed words on the walls are well-chosen and are catchy, not going out of style soon.
Service: β β β β β
The customer service makes the restaurant reflect as family friendly. The staffs were a reflection of Filipino hospitality at best! It didn’t take long for dishes to arrive one after the other. We were seated at the second level, yet it wasn’t also hard to call the attention of servers. There’s one or two stationed on the floor attending to our requests.
Food: β β β β β
Subtly unique, the Tinapa’t Tops Salad (PhP 185.00) was as good as I expected for an appetizer. It had kamote tops, kangkong, alugbati tops, tomatoes, red onions and salted egg dressing. This salad had a variety of layered textures and different tastes with some sort of breadcrumb-y dusting of goodness thanks to the tinapa bits. It’s a neat salad tossed with fresh greens. Eating the leaves alone will make your doctor happy.
As I took a small portion of the Fresh Lumpia Rolls (PhP 95), I remembered home. The roll was basically stuffed with vegetables and was filled with muscovado sauce, garlic and sesame peanut sprinkle. If you’re into lumpia rolls, consider this a must order.
The Longaniza Tortang Talong “Pancake” (PhP 260.00) must be a trendsetter. It was made with rounds of fried eggplant, salted egg, tomatoes and onion salad. It’s easily one of the best you should have. Dump half of a slice to ketchup to get more flavor going. It sets the tone for the rest of the meal.
There was something special about the MBT (Monggo Bagnet Tinapa) (PhP 175). Aha, it was the bagnet (deep fried crispy pork with its skin on)! It worked. The stew has been cooked for hours and topped with sili (chili) leaves. What I liked about this course was its different approach with an authentic Filipino flair.
The Mixed BBQ Plate (PhP 595.00) consisted of chicken inasal (three pieces), leg quarter, pork barbecue (two pieces), and squid (two pieces). At least for my liking: Pork < Squid < Chicken Insasal. The sauce used for marination was rich, certainly sweet and tangy.
Rice, when eating tasty barbecues like these, is always necessary. Topped with chicken skin and inasal oil, Inasal Java Rice (PhP 165.00)Β is the one to go with.
Iβm not even sure why, but itβs a forgone conclusion that a Filipino restaurant like this will serve Crispy Chop Chop Pork Belly Dinakdakan (PhP 195). This oneβs fine, but it wonβt have me ordering it again. Clue: I’m no big meat-eater. π
The Seafood Bicol Express (PhP 375) for me was the hit sensation of the night. It came as a fiery, delicious bowl with shrimps, squid, clams, fish fillet and sayote (vegetable pear) shreds in coconut milk. I absolutely enjoyed every spoonful of this dish with Sisig Rice (PhP 180).
Sinigang na Crispy Bagnet sa Watermelon (PhP 395.00)βoh, this is what dreams are made of. Seriously, there’s watermelon in the sinigang soup as well as kangkong (river spinach) and labanos (radish). The fruity and sweet flavor of the watermelon juice exploded and it made sense to be combined with the sour taste of the broth as it wasn’t overpowering. The unconventional ingredients were a plus, even if they sounded ridiculous, making up for a version that’s even better than the regular sinigang. I loved it. So will you. β₯
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.
For desserts, we had the Halo Halo andΒ Mango Madness Crush (PhP 175.00) with fresh mangoes, ice cream, custard and puree with sago and crushed ice. These were aΒ nice change of pace from all the delectable main courses, a good solution to tropical heat as they’reΒ very icy, refreshing, and easy to eat with enough cream.
Verging on the not-so-sweet end, the Buko Pandan Pinipig Crush (PhP 150.00) was also nicely executed. It was served with coconut cream. We felt we needed our own, if only we weren’t too full. π
Price for Value: β β β β β
The irony is that even when I’ve lived in the Philippines for almost all the years of my life, there are just a handful of restaurants serving Filipino food that I’m proud about. SimplΓ© Lang at Ayala Tringle Gardens is the kind that I can recommend to friends who are visiting Metro Manila / Makati and would want to grab a bite of our food.
The drive, the delicious aroma upon entry, the queue, and then finally confronting the beautiful, massive tray of authentic Filipino food before your face is all part of the experience. Well, itβs time to put your car to good use. You need a ride toΒ SimplΓ© Lang and try the best on their menu. Food are well-priced and would be worth the trip.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
I love the name of the place, “SIMPLE LANG”. A very catchy name that you want to know, “CURIOUS LANG” about what they serve. A must try!
Haha nice thought. Thanks, Pal Raine. That made me smile. π
I would most definitely want to eat here. The food looks absolutely delicious and the ambiance looks great as well!
Whether you’re a fan of Filipino cuisine or not, I’m sure this place will make you crave to try more exciting Filipino dishes!
Everything looks so delicious, especially the rice!
Just when we thought the restaurant would serve something simple, well, their rice was also surprising to be special and yummy too!
A modern way to catch younger generation’s hungry tummy by means of its Simple Lang. The food looks yummy for me especially the inasal and bangus.
It’s not gonna be a shock if this restaurant would be crazed by young people with their exciting dishes, but I bet the adults would love it too. π
I haven’t been to Ayala Triangle for a long time since our office moved several blocks away from Ayala Triangle. Simple lang looks like a really good place for Filipino dish.
It’s definitely not your typical Filipino restaurant but is actually a very modern one with its extraordinary set of dishes in the menu.
Yum – look at all that delicious food. I love the modern decor in there, too!
Yes, the modern interior matches the innovative dishes being offered that makes this restaurant a must-visit. π
I didn’t quite expect that it has two floors. I have a 200 GC here so I might visit the place sooner when in the area π
Oh, that’s great! Hope you try their Sinigang na Crispy Bagnet sa Watermelon because you’ll certainly be in awe how this restaurant can pull something weird/unimaginable to a masterpiece! Enjoy! π
I love the decor and the food looks amazing!
Both the interior and food exude modernity and pleasure that can truly make anyone very satisfied. π
Dinakdakan!!!! YUmmy!!
Place looks so peaceful!
Beautiful interiors!
Although it was my first time to eat a dinakdakan and meat isn’t my thing, I’ll have to admit it tasted good too. But I guess I’m only up to trying it. Hehe π
I’ll try to invite my office mates for Lunch at Simple Lang. We used to frequent Kanin Club and Amici.
Yes! It’s not a letdown. π
cool atmosphere.. and the food looks delicious!
If you’re looking for a nice dinner spot with good Filipino food, don’t look further anymore. Simple Lang is right at Ayala Triangle Gardens, very accessible when you’re near Makati. π
I saw this Resto when it was featured on Kris TV. Ambiance is good, the food tastes great and very much Pinoy! Lovely pics by the way:) Great Review.
I love watching Kris TV foodie encounters because she’s great at describing how she likes/dislike the food being presented. Sadly, I can only watch back episodes via iwantv. Thanks for sharing that it’s featured on her show. I’ll watch it later.
Saved this one to show my husband tonight! Looks SOOOO good. And I love the design of the restaurant.
xoxo
Candace
Hi Candace! Have a date with your husband at Simple Lang. I assure you that you’ll have a yummy mealβnot super cheap, but very good quality for the price.
The decor is beautiful. I love the interesting takes on some traditional Filipino favorites. I want to try the longaniza pancake now.
I would love my mom to try more of the longaniza pancake next time so she can maybe replicate the recipe and cook it for us at home! Haha. π Yeah, it was that good.
I really love the ambiance! That’s the kind I want to have at home! The food looks so delicious and the name is quite unique! I laughed at the “OMG it’s so sarap!” thing. LOL!
I like how the Filipino words are used to spice up the vibe. It makes you feel more at home in the Philippines. π
Oh wow! I love the decor and the food looks really good too! I’d love to try this place out!
The design is fairly straightforward. The dining room is pretty remarkable, and the turnover is fast.
What a gorgeous place. I love the decor, and the food looks wonderful. It’s very chic!
It was only my first time to dine in at a restaurant in Ayala Triangle Gardens although I have visited the place and surroundings quite a number of times. I love this place. It’s a neighborhood spot that’s becoming a bit of a destination for foodies. π
I love the decor.
The decor is one of the reasons why this is a good place to catch up and have a conversation with friends. Enjoy flavorful and well-seasoned food.
I’ve seen from the menu board the Bicolano Style Laing and I am craving for it now.
My late grandmother cooks that dish really well. We terribly miss how she prepares and sends food to us.
What a beautiful place to eat. The desserts look really good.
With great food and service, Simple Lang is a restaurant I’m happy to have in our neighborhood.
Not my style of food, but the place looks fantastic!
So you’re not into Filipino food? Believe me, I’m also not much of a fan of our local cuisine but this restaurant will get you to like it. π
Oh wow, that food looks great! What a gorgeous restaurant!
The atmosphere is lovely and the food was outstanding.
I have to say, this is some of the most interesting foods I have ever seen. Oh so yummy.
Simple Lang is an all around win. π
This seems like a nice and interesting restaurant to try out when I find myself near Ayala Triangle. The food looks superb! I would love to try the monggo bagnet tinapa, it looks delish!
Good choice! This is a great spot to have any meal. π
Lovely pictures! Looks like a great place to visit! The food looks yummy!
Thanks, Becka. π Definitely check out a few dishes if you happen to stop by for lunch.
As someone who has never tried Filipino food like, ever, sounds like this is the kind of restaurant that i should visit to de-virgin my Filipino food experience hehe. I am always glad to discover other languages that has the same words as Indonesian, in this case is kangkong hahaha (but we write it as KANGKUNG). And the chop chop dinakdakan looks so much like Balinese’s suckling pig. I am a bit scared to see watermelon in the other dish however… I am not a big fan of watermelon, and watermelon in a dish… That’s a bit much for a timid foodie like me!
Ohh that’s good to know, Mindy. Thanks for sharing some language lessons. At least now I know what to tell the restaurant server when I visit Indonesia haha. Don’t be scared of the watermelon dish; it’s really interesting and good interesting! π Exploring different tastes and cuisines is always fun and wonderful.
The Longaniza Tortang Talong βPancakeβ looks yummy!! Looks like it had a good value for the money, and I love the decor!
The eggplant dish was really good. Under normal circumstances, this is a solid restaurant that most people will love.
Everything looks amazing and I love the red accents!
The red accents make the ambiance more appealing. π
The food looks great! The seating on the other hand looks pretty stiff. Looks like a must try though!
Seating is cramped but a good feel to the restaurant compensates for that. Once the food lands on your table, FEAST! Never mind getting elbow to elbow with diners. π
The desserts look very interesting. I would love to try them.
I can go to the place only for desserts. π
I wish this was place was near me! Looks awesome π
This place is awesome. Almost everything was notable. π
I love the decor, though the seats look like they may be a little uncomfortable! I enjoyed looking at the photos of all the different foods. I have never tried Filipino food before.
Filipino dishes here were perfection. Everything was delicious and fresh and beautifully presented. I hope you can drop by some time and get to appreciate these food with your family next time.
What a lovely place to visit! And the food looks just superb! Especially the desserts!
I’m sensing you’re a desserts lover. Well, that makes two of us. π
A must try restaurant in Makati. For sure I can drop by here after my evening shift π
Yup. Their dishes are a must-try! π
The restaurant name looks cool! lol, and wow the Seafood Bicol Express looks promising! I want to try it, because I love Bicol Express. π
You’ll gonna love it. It’s different from the typical Bicol Express. π
I have to say I have never had these kind of dishes but a lot of them sound amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing and your photos are beautiful!!
Try Filipino food and feel a bit adventurous. π Thanks, Armanda!