Holy Cow is a Western Ranch type restaurant. The ambiance is of course Cowboy style, or at least trying to be. Even the hosts/hostess and servers wear jeans and cowboy hats. Basically the service is quite good - the servers attentive to the needs of the customers.
This is the second time my wife and I tried this place and if memory serves me right we were quite satisfied with our experience then. Today, however, was a little bit different.
Let's get to the soup first. For an additional P49 they will serve bottomless iced tea and unlimited soup along with your main order. I decided to avail of that. It didn't take long for them to serve the Creamy Clam Chowder. The first thing my wife said when she tried it was "It's not hot!" I took a spoonful and agreed with her. Warm would be a better description. Then there were the little bits of skin of the red pepper mixed into the soup that somehow kept getting stuck to our lips. Definitely not edible! The clams themselves still had that fishy taste. I'd rate this 2.5 stars out of 5.
My main entree was the Cowboy Ranch Style Porkchop. This one was sizzling hot! I had to wait a few minutes before I could get my first bite. Somehow the pork wasn't that tender. The garlic rice was good but not that delicious. The side veggies were OK though, cooked just right - not too tender and not too crispy. 3.5 stars.
My wife's order was the Beer Battered Rodeo Fish Fillet. Despite the fancy name, it was basically breaded Cream Dory with white cream sauce. At least this dish was up to par. No fishy taste and just the right crunchiness. I don't know about the "beer" thing because my wife and I never did taste any hint of it. 4 out of 5.
Our experience today was a bit disappointing food-wise. The efficiency of the servers was the Holy Cow's redeeming factor. Therefore I will give an overall rating of 3.5
Check out their website at http://holycow.com.ph/
October 24, 2013
Allow me to beg for your indulgence for not being very specific in my review of this restaurant and for the lack of photos. Two reasons: First of all there's just so many dishes offered that even those that we partook of were simply too much for a detailed discussion. Secondly, today is my birthday.
Originally, Cynthia wanted to celebrate my birthday at Vikings Buffet restaurant at SM Marikina for the simple reason that birthday celebrants eat for free! However, we were at the Ortigas Center for some errands. While my wife was visiting her friends at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) I was checking out the restaurants at SM Megamall. After she finished her chores, I met up with my wife and told her that Dad Kamayan Saisaki (which serves a triple cuisine type buffet) also had the same offer.
We were escorted to our seat by the friendly hostess clad in Japanese kimono. After explaining the "house rules" she told us we can start getting our food. The vast array of delicious entrees, from sushi to Kare-kare made choosing what to get a daunting task. Please realize that for the past three weeks we changed our diet regimen to a minimalist style. However, since it was my birthday, we both agreed that we can temporarily set that aside for today.
Our first selection was a mixture of Japanese/Chinese cuisine - yang chow fried rice, shrimp tempura (for me), fish tempura (for Cynthia), hot chicken salad (for me), fresh mandarin salad (for Cynthia), fried egg rolls, fried calamari and a beef dish (I forgot the name - too much food does that to my brain). For round two, my wife and I concentrated on Filipino dishes - morcon, embutido, lechon macao, and seashells: kuhol (snails) for Cynthia, tahong (mussels) for me.
Then for desert, let me just say one thing: creme brulee. There were dozens of other choices, and we got some of those, too, but for both my wife and I, creme brulee it was! And oh, there was even a cream puff made in the shape of a swan!
Now let me tell you about the service. It was excellent! The waiters were very attentive! They would even carry your plates to your table for you. The bottomless tea glass always got filled almost religously. Used plates were removed promptly.
The highlight was when a quartet of musicians (two guitarists, one bassist, one vocalist) came to our table and sang "Happy birthday" to me. When asked if we have any requests, Cynthia suggested a song sung by the Trio Los Panchos. As they sang Besame Mucho, tears fell from eyes. I can't explain why. I'm sure these were happy tears. Perhaps I was reminded of the times when we visit my children in California. We always go to Mijares, a Mexican restaurant, where a trio (2 guitarists, 1 bassist) sang Spanish ditties. Maybe those memories of times with my family made me a bit nostalgic and sentimental.
I was still sniffling after we left as I told my wife that I was glad that it was here that I had my birthday lunch. And that was not just because my meal was free.
Please check out their website:
Dads Kamayan Saisaki
