Giligan’s: Abot Kaya Always

Ropes are slinged overhead across the ceiling. Authentic ship’s wheel are hung by the entrance. Old lanterns are displayed by the bar. Antique maps are framed on the wall together with miniature sailing ships, lighthouses, nautical equipments and navigational instruments. When I see this, I already know that I am at Giligan’s Restaurant. These distinct decorations are signs that I sm going to eat good food.

The name Giligan’s was derived from their father’s name “Guillermo or Guilly for short”  combined with the old TV series  Gilligan’s Island. 

Started as a catering service provider without a physical establishment, Giligan’s Restaurant is now operating with more than 100 branches nationwide. I’ve been to their SM Lipa and SM Mall of Asia branches and here are what I had so far.

Pork Adobo sa Gata

This was my first meal at Giligan’s and I instantly agreed to their tagline. The Pork Adobo sa Gata is definitely a budget meal. For an affordable price, I already got a cup of rice and a dish that reminds me of home. I’ll just have a complaint because most of the meat hashes on this plate are fats as you could see. The amount of adobo was cheated with the addition of bell peppers. But customers won’t just look on it. They’ll eat it so they’ll eventually know that the restaurant is tricking them. Anyway, the sauce is bossed up. It got a nice spice into it.

Boneless Chicken Teriyaki

I thought the chicken won’t be good because of the presentation but the taste was able to redeem its appearance. To improve its looks, as well as the taste, they can serve it as a rice bowl and put the meat and sauce on top of rice so the sauce would flow to the rice. Anyway, my favorite was the charred areas because I got to taste the effect of the grilling process through these parts. I like the homemade teriyaki sauce, too. There’s savoriness. If they add a little more sweetness, the flavor is perfect. I also wish there were more of it. 

Roast Beef with Gravy

As early as first bite, I immediately noticed its resemblance to Jollibee’s burger steak because of the gravy. Instead of patties, there were pieces of roast beef that was just as incredible. The roast beef passed my standard when it comes to tenderness and thinness. The meat cuts were not juicy but they were still enjoyable to eat because of how thin they were. Moreover, we were tempted to eat more rice with it because of the generous amount of gravy. It’s a nice little chew right here.

Bulalo Soup

Is it just me or the Giligan’s Bulalo Soup tastes like Chinese four herbs? That’s a plus point for me though because I’m a fan of Sibut than a simple Nilaga but not for Bulalo lovers like my boyfriend. The beef cuts were tender but, I think, if not for the broth, the meat will be dry. I like the inclusion of lendons because it adds flavor to the dish but it is also bad if there’s more of it than the meat itselfb just like what’s happening in this soup. The cuts of cabbage were big. The banana was delicious. The corn was dry.

Calamares

First and foremost, I noticed that the Calamares was in small slices so it wasn’t tough to eat. I was glad that they opted for strands and not the circular cuts. Plus, the squid was soft so I didn’t have to chew hard. The squid was bland if not dipped in the accompanying sauce. The color may be dark and dull but the sweet and spicy sauce was delicious that it actually upgraded the Calamares. But I still appreciate the squid without it because I got to savor its natural briny flavor and the coating that tastes like bread.

Sweet and Spicy Squid

It’s a squid dish for the second time. Today, through Grab delivery, it isn’t battered but it’s drenched in sweet and spicy sauce. There’s indeed sweetness and spiciness in the coat that makes the squid delish. There’s also a hint of tanginess that went well with the flavors. The squid is kinda tough but since it is in bite-sized pieces, it was still easy to chew. Despite of the strong flavors of the sauce, I like that the flavor of the sea is still recognizable from the squid. A platter also has a generous amount.

Kare Kare Gulay

Imagine a usual Filipino Beef Kare Kare or Oxtail Kare Kare without the meat. This is the outcome. Having merely Veggies Kare Kare on the menu is actually a good idea because there are some people who prefer Kare Kare with the vegetables only. One of them is my mom. It has generous servings of vegetables so my mom is satisfied with her order. It was even completed with a banana blossom. The peanut sauce passed my palate, too. It’s nutty and savoury. The sauce was just too much so it made the vegetables kinda soggy. That’s not a big issue though.

Buko Pandan

I don’t know but, in this only time I bought Giligan’s Buko Pandan, the dessert tasted more like Black Gulaman than Buko Pandan. I think the resemblance came from the jelly because it doesn’t taste like Pandan at all. It was bland like the jelly in Black Gulaman. The amount of the jelly was dominating that the coconut flesh seemed to be a topping only so the essence of coconut in the dish is totally covered. I appreciate the addition of Nata de Coco, though. I think, it was the only representation of Buko here. Completing the dessert is a creamy sweet sauce.