Who ever said that a satisfying meal should be expensive doesn't know where to eat and have fun. Yes, you heard me right. As for me, a delicious gastronomic experience involves certain aspects and not just the food we're having. Few of the criteria that I always assure to meet when food tripping is that it has to be spent with friends (or the friend that I have in me when nobody's available) and of course it's affordability.
One of my favorite food trips happened within the vast and green vicinity of the UP Campus, of course with my friends and colleagues from work. It was a random decision, since our cravings are far more stronger than thinking of wheresoever to eat after work. Who could ever resist the lingering taste of Rodic's Tapsilog early in the morning? I say, no one. So after a shift of taking in too much calls, it's time to reward ourselves, have fun and eat something good without feeling guilty with the price we have to pay.
UP surroundings are best explored in the morning. I love the cold breeze that touches my cheeks, the lush green trees that are very cool and refreshing to look at and that grassy, good smell that I have only encountered in this campus. It makes you want to go back from the past and experience how to be a student again. But what makes me comeback in this campus every time, aside from the Chocolate Kiss Cafe, is Rodic's - a simple yet an extraordinary canteen for they do not only offer appetizing student value meals but the best Tapsilog that I have ever tasted.
Unlike the other restos that offer this famous Filipino breakfast meal, Rodic's is perhaps the first to offer it in an entirely different way. Instead of the typical cured pork or fried beef tapa, Rodic's has added its own signature twist to the dish, serving the tapa shredded (like it this way, more bitesize, less hassle of eating it... haha! very lazy me... ^_^) with a mound of steaming and flavorful garlic fried rice topped with a sunny side-up egg (exactly the way I want it).
You can actually eat it the regular way but I prefer to have it all mixed up, combining the rice with the shredded tapa and slightly cooked egg yolk. For more twist, I add their special vinegar to the mixture; bringing out the sweet flavor of the cured meat which also served as an effective flavor binder for the egg and the rice (darn! writing all of these makes me want to grab a plate of Rodic's Tapsilog... *sigh*) Consuming this great meal at this way is both a killer and a winner! (haha! which reminds me of eating 2 plates plus another meal that time... no kidding... yum!)
I bet you're thinking that 2 plates of tapsilog is far more than enough. But for such a foodie like me, it's not. My very good friend, Cams, ordered a meal called Sisigsilog (sisig, sinangag, itlog) and since I am envious and a sisig lover (and a glutton... haha!), I decided to try one as well. To my surprise, upon getting my sisigsilog, I was doing the same mixing process that I did with the tapa (this time with calamansi). And after a few minutes, without talking, I consumed it all up! It was one of the best sisig that I have tasted. It's not like the ordinary sisig that I can get from certain bar grills. Their version has the right layers of flavors into it: meaty and clean, spicy but not overwhelming, a bit peppery but not to salty.
Rodic's has been around for more than 5 decades now and with the prime location at The UP Shopping Center, they have been continuously filling up the gustatory needs of budget-conscious students and diners wanting to experience the best tapsilog ever. So, the next time that you'll step foot inside the UP Campus, try to ask a student where you can find a place for good food and I'm sure you'll get Rodic's as an answer. Every Iskolar ng Bayan knows it and before I end up this blog let me share a saying that I have heard during my visit in UP: "You cannot truly call yourself an iskolar ng bayan if you haven't tried Rodic's. "
Rodic's
#9 UP Shopping Center, UP Campus, Quezon City
#14 Masaya Street, UP Village, Quezon City
Tel: (02)920-7668, (02)9217361, (02)9206980, (02)4364389
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