Chef Florabel Co (of Florabel @ Podium and Felix @ Greenbelt 5) opens another restaurant — this time at the 2nd floor of the trendy new Eastwood Mall in Eastwood City. Crisostomo is named after the chef’s husband, and features modern Filipino cuisine.

We were fortunate to be able to try it out during their soft opening. Here’s what we had and what I thought of it.

Setting. Similar to Ristorante Pia y Damaso at Greenbelt 5, Crisostomo is a theme restaurant based off of characters from Jose Rizal’s novels — Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Glass panels with frosted patterns feature people in Filipiniana costumes, presumably the famous characters we studied in high school. The place is amply lit, and for a restaurant still on soft opening it already commands quite a big following. Despite bustling with diners, Crisostomo doesn’t feel harried and disconcerted. Ideal for those dining in groups — friends, family, colleagues, etc.

Chef Florabel was around that night, and she proudly recommended us to order the Crispy Tapa for starters. We’re so glad we did, as it certainly perked up my appetite. With a crunchy, almost snacky sweetness, this was perfect with rice. Really yummy!

My drink was the Iced Tea Pandan (P85). It’s not so sweet, which was just right for me.

The name of this oyster dish escapes my memory, but it was just alright.

Despite having a ludicrous name, the Noli Me Talong (P160) is not like your everyday household tortang talong. It was not very greasy, and topped with bits of tomato, kesong puti, and scallions.

We were so delighted with the Taba ng Talangka (crab fat) Rice (P235) that we had to order a second plate for ourselves. Its garlicky, rich flavor is the perfect base palette to be complemented by all the other dishes. First rate in my book.

Our other rice dish — the Binagoongan Rice (P250) with adobo flakes and green mangoes — didn’t fare just as well with us as the one above, but was still good.

Not on the menu: the Sweet and Sour Lapu-Lapu Fillet (P475) was on special order and cooked to my liking/instructions. The fish was tender, flaked easily with a fork, and had the right balance of flavors to go so well with rice.

When our order of Crispy Pata (P495) came out, one of us noticed that the skin didn’t look very crispy so we asked to have it refried. Later, Chef Florabel comes out with our new plate — they have replaced our original order and gave us a new pata altogether, and one that passed the chef’s quality standards. The skin was as crispy as chicharon, and is mouth-wateringly tasty when dipped in suka (cane vinegar). Great dish.

The Bistek Pelaez (P495) was tender and fragrant.

Leaving room for sweet endings, we had Chef Florabel’s trademark Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (P150), which I also earlier raved about here.

The Suman Fondue (P180) was a surprise hit with me — I didn’t think a chunk of sweet glutinous rice dipped in melted chocolate would win me over this much, but it did. I had 2 sticks!
Service was good, and it was exceptionally heartening to see Chef Florabel personally entertaining the diners. The knowledgeable staff attentively made sure everything was in order, with all the standard stuff (refills, plate changes, dessert menu handing, etc.) taken care of in a timely manner. Price range is at a very decent and reasonable P1000 per head for the hearty feast we had.

Overall verdict. I can no doubt say that Crisostomo is the best Filipino restaurant featured on the site thus far. With the proper focus and consistency, it might just be the best in Manila for me. Highly recommended.

Crisostomo Turn of the Century Filipino Cuisine, by Chef Florabel Co
2/F Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City
E. Rodriguez, Jr. Avenue (C5)
Libis, Quezon City

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