Paranaque Series: Holy Rice

Ever since I moved to Manila 3 years ago, Paranaque has always been home to me. Even when I was still in school and just went to Manila for a vacation, my dad always stayed in a house in Paranaque. Since I'm scheduled for a big change come March 2011, I have decided to share establishments that you can find in my side of town. I have found that these establishments have not been talked about in the blogosphere and I think I owe it to them for the many times I got hungry and they were able to deliver quality food. 

First stop is Holy Rice, established in March 2010. I have always passed by this small restaurant but I never had the time to really try their food. Months have passed and I keep passing by this establishment on my way out of Paranaque as well as on my way home. Despite the fact that the people who do my laundry are just one store away, I never found the time to eat in this place.

Their Menu

A few weeks ago though, my older brother (Richie) came home from Bicol and invited Bubot to eat there. Since I was with my dad that time, I was unable to try the dishes at Holy Rice. That night, Bubot told me about how good their Fish Fillet was, considering the fact that she doesn't like to eat fish. Plus, she also told me that they had really low prices. That's when I decided to try their dishes.

On my first visit, I got to try the Beef Stew because I craved for a Korean dish. They served me a bowl along with rice and a cup of Bulalo soup. Their Bulalo was so delicious that I don't think I've ever tasted any like it anywhere in Manila! The stew was okay, I felt like it lacked something to make it an exquisite dish but for its price, it was already a good dish.

My second visit was actually not in the restaurant. I had our help buy Fish Fillet for me and bring it home. I was able to try their fish and I found it pleasing. They cooked two slices of Dory and crusted it with breadcrumbs. It was good because the Dory was not dry and when you bite into it, you'd get juice coming out of the crust.

My recent visit was a few nights ago, when I decided to feature them on my blog. I got the Beef Taco Rice, Bubot ordered their Chap Chae and for dessert, I decided to try the Holy Oreo.

Bubot's Chap Chae was good. For a place such as Holy Rice's, you'd think their Chap Chae was made from a real Korean restaurant. A single order was good for 2-3 people and it was really tasty. It had some extra sauce on the plate so I think it was satisfying.

Chap Chae (P120)

Chap Chae  (P120)

The Beef Taco Rice was okay. It tasted a bit weird and familiar. But because I'm not a fan of tomatoes mixed with rice, I did not really fancy it that much. So I just ate an amount that would make my hunger subside and decided to concentrate on dessert.

Beef Taco Rice (P99)

Beef Taco Rice (P99)

Dessert came and I was excited to try a new dish. Although I could already imagine it tasting like the Fried Ice Cream I ate back in Bacolod (I did not like it), I was still curious how this dish would turn out.

Holy Oreo (P70)

Holy Oreo (P70)

On the plate were 4 balls of Oreo (rather HiRo) enclosed in a fried flour-batter wrap and had a scoop of ice cream in the middle. Despite it being HiRo cookies instead of Oreos, I found it good. In fact, I really liked it. It was disappointing because I expected to eat Oreos but I got HiRo. But for its price, it was totally understandable. 

Holy Oreo (P70)

I hope I could learn how to enclose Oreos in flour so I could make this dish at home, minus the HiRo cookies. 

All in all, I give Holy Rice 4 out of 5 stars. They're good, cheap, have big servings and are near my house. Next time you're in Paranaque, make sure to try this restaurant!

For more pictures, visit LifeCapturedByTrixie

* Holy Rice Restaurant is located across the Holy Eucharist Parish Church, along Armstrong Avenue, Brgy. Moonwalk, Paranaque City.