Marina - Bago Bantay

Had our lunch for my parents' 25th year wedding anniversary here. Made a reservation a day before and already placed our orders so we won't have to wait once we're there. However, when we arrived there, we still waited but not that long. I also asked to be seated on the corner with the overlooking view outside however they reserved the place on the other side. Their food were great. We had Tuna Belly, Sisig, Fried Chicken, Baked Oyster and Kare-kare. My parents' really love Filipino food so I chose this place. The oysters are huge and my fiance really loved it. Since I am with my family, tho it was not available, the wait staff provided us a tower for an iced tea which costs 480. Considering the price, I should've ordered bottomless iced tea for each of us instead. We also had a baby with us and had to ask for a high chair. Tho they have such, I don't think it's safe for babies. It is just a usual chair (steel) with a seatbelt that was really thin. I could say the place is somehow appalling. Aside from the view outside, I am not really impressed with the place. Their tables and chairs are not uniform. There are cables that are very visible and distracting to the customers. You can choose to be seated indoor and outdoor. I was really pissed that most of the customers were inside but the staff were outside. Only 1 wait staff was there to take orders and assist the customers. I might say I was not wrong for choosing this as we wanted seafood and Filipino food but having such experience, I may choose for another resto next time.

Marina offers various seafood dishes on a grill set up, resembling to those of Gerry's and Giligan's. We tried their platter with oysters and grilled marlin, as well as their baby back ribs and sisig. The tuna sisig (love the spice) and grilled marlin was really good, but the oysters and ribs was a little bit of a downfall. The ribs was served with mang tomas, while the oysters, although seemingly fresh and covered in hearty cheese with a dash of hot sauce, did not live to my expectations. It tasted a little bland. Ambiance is okay, but not as fancy. Hope they'll take time to make it more presentable.

Ever felt extremely hungry as you wake up to that glorious morning light and you just know that a single serving of anything just won’t suffice? Well, that’s exactly how I felt earlier. So I did what any other (lazy) starving hippo would do, search for a breakfast buffet that will fill my growling tummy without emptying my pocket. Earlier’s saving grace was Marina’s breakfast buffet. For a friendly price of P169, you can already bid your hunger adieu with Marina's morning feast… My first plate was a hefty meal composed of scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, chicken adobo (chicken cooked in soy sauce and vinegar), pork tocino (sweetened cured pork), a mini pancake, some side salad, and plain rice drizzled with adobo sauce. Quite filling for starters. Loved how the tocino’s sweetness was just right. A perfect pair for the rice and eggs combo. And yes, Marina’s eat-all-you-can breakfast comes with unlimited juices and coffee as well. Refilled my plate with danggit (dried spinefoot fish), hotdogs, longganisa (sweetened pork sausages), fried chicken, fried lumpia (fried spring rolls), more tocino, eggs, and rice. Surprisingly, Marina’s fried chicken tasted a bit similar to Jollibee’s Chickenjoy minus the “juicylicious” skin and their highly addicting gravy. A cup of champorado (chocolate rice), yes this is champorado and not coffee, to top it all. A little too runny for my liking, but the cocoa taste was delish. P.S. That came from someone who hated champorado as a child. So you know where to go when early morning hunger strikes! Catch Marina’s breakfast buffet everyday from 6-10am and greet you day with a hearty meal.

Marina Restaurant is a Filipino restaurant serving Ilonggo cuisine. This is not my first time to eat at this restaurant. This time around, I tried their new 'buko' dishes. We ordered Chicken Binakol and Batchoy. Binakol. The buko shell was filled with meat and vegetables and the soup was served in a teapot. The soup was sweet and rich with umami flavor. The soup was addicting. Batchoy. It was served with mami, liver, and meat like the usual batchoy that is topped with fried garlic and chives. The soup lacks the rich, collagen flavor like the ones I'm having at the La Paz market. The soup has a distinct sweetness from the buko juice and a savory, briny from the guinamos. I like the idea of having buko as a bowl. The flavors were there. Some just lacks the flavor from long simmering of the meat. Overall, it is still good! I'll try the molo the next time I visit. #TheFoodCrawlers #OngsFoodprints #TheLostDiego

My friend and i celebrated father's day here. both of us far away far our fathers. the food was good, i was stuffed. i always loved seafood!