Perrochiko: The Tale of Two Visits

One step inside Perrochiko and I instantly fell in love with its gorgeous interiors; however, I am struggling to decide where I stand with regard to its food and service – as I had starkly contrasting dining experiences in the restaurant last September 2022 and January 2023.

One thing that won me and my family over was the complimentary house bread served with a killer garlic sauce that simply elevated every single dish we had – from the tapas to our paellas. However, this killer starter was nowhere to be seen when I dined with my friends last January.

BRAVAS PERRAS and CROQUETAS DE CHORIZO (P395)

For our tapas, we enjoyed the Bravas Perras and the Croquetas de Chorizo last September 2022. The Bravas Perras was a Barcelona-style Patatas Bravas which was an absolute delight to eat as the wedges came with crisp edges and were topped with an addictive combination of sauces. The Croquetas were a divine to eat as well – as the savory chorizo filling was paired with a generous serving of cream cheese. I decided to reorder the Croquetas in January 2023 – and fortunately, they were still a hit!

SECRETO IBERICO GLASEADO DE PINA (P950)

The Secreto Iberico Glaseado de Pina was my least favorite dish during my Sept 2022 visit; however, I had no choice but to reorder it last Jan 2023 as there really were not a lot of options for main dishes in the restaurant – unless you want to unnecessarily shell out money for cochinillo or steak (when other restaurants who specialize in those dishes can offer it at the same price or less). I found this dish really underwhelming for the price you pay it for – the prized Iberico seemed wasted on this dish – as it tasted as any other regular pork cut. One thing that worked was that the sweet pineapple sauce it came with didn’t overwhelm. It was okay – but definitely nothing spectacular.

NEGRO (P950)

The Negro Paella was just passable on its own – but when topped with the killer garlic sauce from the complimentary bread, its flavor profile is elevated and heightened. The seafood that came with it – the mussels and the shrimps – were fresh and cooked well. Unfortunately, our paella choices last Jan 2023 weren’t as great – we opted for an order each of the De Marisco (P1250) and the De Pollo (P950) and both were immensely salty (and this is coming from someone who LIKES salty food).

SANGRIA PERRA (P420)

As my first visit was on a Friday dinner, a glass of Sangria Perra was my chosen poison – and I enjoyed it. It was light enough to be refreshing – but it came with enough kick to redden my cheeks the entire night. In Jan 2023, as it was a brunch – a Cappuccino felt more appropriate – it was priced competitively at P175 but the coffee could have been more flavorful and fragrant.

As enumerated, the food was immensely better last September 2022 compared to January 2023. Unfortunately, even the service declined. We were so warmly attended to during our dinner, that I was surprised how cold and distant the service was during our brunch (even if we were the only ones there for our first half of our meal)! I just felt a bit disappointed especially as I was the one highly recommended Perrochiko as our brunch venue and even took over ordering duties for that meal. Hopefully, it was just an off-day for the restaurant.

Perrochiko

GF Uptown Parade, 9th Avenue, Taguig City

Dates of Visit: September 30, 2022 (with Lily Chua and Jared Chua) and January 14, 2023 (with Yna Laraya, Cam Carino, Gela Uy, Ram San Sebastian, Cesca Lacanilao, Kath Capistrano, and Khio Pao)