Dinner at Ristras Mexican Grill
When I was growing up in the 1980’s, my first forays into Metro Manila’s night life centered on two Mexican restaurants-cum-bars just off Makati Avenue: Jalisco and Tia Maria. There my friends and I would wash down tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and nachos with considerable amounts of beer and cocktails.
Since those early days, a couple more Mexican restaurants have set up shop in the metropolis. One of my favorite restaurants today is such an eatery at the corner of Jose Abad Santos and Lopez Jaena streets in San Juan called Ristras Mexican Grill.
As you can see, Ristras Mexican Grill is a self-service sort of place. Orders are taken at the counter and the waiters deliver them to your table. You take your drinks from a refrigerator off to the side.
Each entree costs about PHP 290 or so and the servings are quite generous. You can buy any of these specialties from the menu, like burritos, tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas, and these rather intriguing items: Baja style fish tacos and fish tacos especiale.
Your order is prepared right before your very eyes, which in my case only served to whet my appetite even further.
Mrs. Unlawyer and I never fail to order a basket of nacho chips. Each order comes with a complimentary serving of salsa, which I wish was a little more coarse. You can take your pick of chips made from either white or purple corn, and speaking of the latter, Mrs. Unlawyer claims they have more texture than the former.
During our first trip to this restaurant, I ordered a chimichanga, which is nothing more than a deep-fried burrito. Notice how the garnish – the green guacamole, the white sour cream, and the red salsa – is artfully arranged to resemble the Mexican flag.
A chicken quesadilla. Very tasty, and not salty at all, unlike a fast-food version I tried the day before I took this picture.
The restaurant itself is quite small and does get filled up with hungry customers, especially during the dinner rush. There are a number of tables located on the outside, presumably for the benefit of smoking patrons.
Oh yes, before I forget: this is a cash-only joint.
