Ang Dabawenyo

It’s always a delight to discover little places with great food. And that was my experience when I went to Pinutos for after-drinks dining with friends. The place is al fresco, decorated simply — far from the look and feel of expensive restaurants, but comfortable enough.

The food, though, now that’s what you’d go to Pinutos for. I had the Crispy Tadyang (deep-fried beef ribs) and Binagoongan Rice — not a very healthy dish… but when you have it that good, who cares? My friends had Adobo and Kalderetang Baka, which of course I had a taste of as well. The pork adobo was awesome! It gave me a very homey feeling, as well as a palate-satisfying effect.

All of our orders came with complimentary soup, which could’ve been a light meal in itself! The soup was molo and it was very close to the real thing (I have an Ilonggo friend who cooks really well, so I know the taste of authentic molo soup).

Suffice it to say that I enjoyed the food at Pinutos immensely! I also loved the little touches, like the flavored water that they serve their customers — when we were there, it was ice-cold banana-and-mint-flavored water.

Pinutos is open 10am to 11pm everyday. They’re located on Rizal Street, in front of Claude’s Le Café de Ville. It looks like a very humble establishment from the outside, but go right inside and you won’t regret it!