Elias is located in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City. Just like its predecessor Crisostomo, Elias, turn of the century Filipino cuisine, gives Pinoy food a modern take. The entire restaurant concept is so fascinating -- the place is classy yet homey and gives that conducive ambiance for family or friends' gatherings, and most items in the menu have Jose Rizal's characters attached to them. Victorina's Secret, a witty twist of Victoria's Secret, is an oyster dish named after one of my favorite characters in Noli Me Tangere, Dona Victorina de los Reyes de Espadana. With so many food choices with indirect names, it is easy to get lost in the menu. For example, Paborito ng Katipunero is simply the Filipino favorite molo soup.
Lengua being one of Mom's favorite dishes, she ordered the Lengua Estufado, slices of fried ox tongue cooked the traditional way with mushrooms, olives and saba banana. For our fiber intake, I ordered the Gising-Gising, chopped Baguio beans cooked in coconut milk with onions and chili labuyo. (Lengua Estofado, Php 395; Gising-Gising, Php 295)
I love oysters, so I got Elias' Choice, baked oysters with cheese and lots of garlic. As we were about to finish our meal, our waiter Burgos gave us a complimentary slice of caramel cake. By the way, the name of our waiter was not really Burgos. He was using an alias derived from Fr. Jose Apolonio Burgos, one of the three Filipino priests who were executed by garrote in 1872. Interestingly, our waitress' name was Maria Clara. (Elias Choice, Php 315)
For our drinks, Mom had the Buko Lychee Shake. I had the bottomless Iced Tea with Tamarind. As for the latter, I highly recommend this drink. It tastes weird but there's something in it that makes it so delicious. (Buko Lychee Shake, Php 180; Tamarind-Flavored Iced Tea, Php 98)
Mom and I enjoying a gastronomic trip to the turn of the century. Our orders would definitely drive Sisa crazy.
