When I came home last December 14, I immediately asked all my closest friends to take me to the new restaurants in Bacolod. Of course, I was very excited to try each of these restaurants because I'm sure they will all give me quite an experience. So when I asked them what the new restaurants in Bacolod are, most of them told me about "Fake Bob's."
Apparently, there's this very small restaurant along the highway of Eroreco Subdivision which offers delicious Sate Babi, Baby Back Ribs, and Fruit Punch. They said that the cook/owner of this establishment used to be the cook/chef of Bob's and decided to open his own restaurant after he retired from the famous Bacolod restaurant. The only thing that was different was that this new restaurant was cheaper!
So, on a mission to scour this new establishment, I hurried and invited my 2 favorite cousins: Ann and Joy. We went there last Dec. 31, 2010 to try what everyone has been raving about. I already told my cousins about this Fake Bob's restaurant that I've been trying to check out so they were eager to join me.
When we got there, we found out that the name was Pamilya Grill. Since Ann already knew what she wanted to eat (Baby Back Ribs) and I wanted to check their Sate Babi, we ordered those right away. However, since the menu was limited, I told Joy she could order another Baby Backribs dish and we will just split it. I also ordered Fruit Punch for each of us since it was what I usually order in the real Bob's.
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| Pamilya Grill You'll see this in the highway going to Our Lady of Mercy Hospital |
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| The Menu |
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| The Interiors |
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| The Interiors |
The first order that arrived was the Fruit Punch, a watermelon punch that contain bits of pineapple, watermelon balls, and buko. Priced at only P20 a glass, it was quite a treat! But compared to the order Bob's served, the serving was obviously smaller. The taste was exactly the same except that the one from Pamilya Grill only had a few slices of fruit. I think 2 orders of this will equal 1 serving of Bob's Fruit Punch.
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| Fruit Punch, Bob's (P95) image via ThirstyBlogger |
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| Fruit Punch, Pamilya Grill (P20) |
The next to arrive was the Sate Babi. For those who don't know what this dish is, it is actually pork barbecue which has been smothered in a rich and creamy serving of peanut butter sauce. This has long been the bestseller in Bob's.
Pamilya Grill's version was slightly similar. Each order came with 2 sticks of pork barbecue lightly dressed in the famous satay sauce and a serving of java rice. Their dish did not have atchara on the side plus I found that they did not entirely coat the barbecue with the sauce. So I had to order an extra serving of the sauce to perfect the taste of Sate Babi.
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| Sate Babi, Bob's dela Rosa branch (P145) |
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| Sate Babi, Pamilya Grill (P40) |
Lastly, we got to try their Medium sized Baby Back Ribs. We originally wanted to get the small size (P75) because we knew we couldn't finish the whole thing. But since they did not have the small anymore, we got the medium (P90). They also had large (P120) and extra large (P150).
I was a bit disappointed with this dish though. Even though I liked the fact that it was very soft and easy to chew, I did not like getting about 2 inches full of fat. I like to eat fat but if it's this much serving, it makes me want to throw up. But since it was on my table already, I decided to just eat it. I've tried a much better Baby Back Ribs dish here in Bacolod.
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| Baby Back Ribs with Onion Rings, Bob's (P370) Image from Bob'sBacolod website |
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| Medium Baby Back Ribs, Pamilya Grill (P90) |
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| Medium Baby Back Ribs, Pamilya Grill (P90) |
Overall, I would say my experience was a pleasant one. I got to eat three Bob's bestseller dishes without burning a hole in my pocket. I think I'll return to this establishment to order the Spareribs next time. But if I want to eat the original, I know where to go. ^,^
There were a lot of people who asked me whether or not Bob's will sue this establishment. To this, I say Bob's does not have any grounds for suing Pamilya Grill for these reasons:
- There has been no direct copying of the trademark, logo, or name of Bob's. Pamilya Grill is really called Pamilya Grill. The name "Fake Bob's" has been given by people who have tried the restaurant.
- Unless the recipes have been patented, Bob's cannot claim full rights to these recipes. Anyone can try making Sate Babi, Baby Back Ribs, and Fruit Punch without knowing the real recipe. And through trial and error + lots of research, they will eventually get close or even perfect the recipe of this restaurant.
Let's just say Pamilya Grill is the Bob's for the masses. Since Bob's today has become a real treat, Pamilya Grill has just given an option for those who are on a tight budget.
When we ate there, a lot of people kept arriving to pick up their orders. If you want to eat Sate Babi or Back Ribs at home, you can simply call (034) 433 7184 to order ahead. Pamilya Grill is located along the main highway of Eroreco Subd. It is near the turn to Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. They are open from 10:00am until 9:00pm.
