The old Chili's at Greenbelt 1 had been a favorite hangout of mine in my college days. Now relocating to a more upscale prime spot in Greenbelt 5, Chili's has not run out of hip diners crowding about for its famous American comfort food. In fact, I believe the new location has upped its appeal all the more. We already made plans to visit Chili's when I read Marketman's unfortunate experience while waiting up to be seated (see Market Manila: A Horrible Wait at Chili’s Greenbelt 5), so we pushed through with it regardless. Our attempts to call and reserve a table in advance proved to be useless, as they only serve walk-ins who register on the spot for a table on the queue. There was a minor disappointing encounter at the reception when it was time for us to be seated: the receptionist wanted to give our table to a returning queuer, after telling us our table is ready. Too bad for her, one of us was cranky and bullied her into seating us immediately — won't say who, hehe . Upon being shown to our table, we launched into quite a voracious euphoria. Here's what we had. We started off with the delectable New Zealand Baked Mussels (P275) — Garlic-butter mussels topped with Parmesan cheese, served with garlic bread and marinara sauce for dipping. Though it tasted like your run-off-the-mill sweetened supermarket blend, what is Chili's without the bottomless Iced Tea (P95)? Cajun Chicken Pasta (P475) — Sliced Cajun chicken breast on penne pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce, seasoned tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and garlic toast The Mushroom Jack Combo Fajita (P620) — combination of marinated chicken and grilled steak with Jack cheese, bacon and fresh sauteed mushrooms. Tortillas onions, bell peppers and roasted tomato salsa Yummy fajita on my plate. Mmm-mmm! Herbed Steak (P450) with fresh veggies and my favorite mashed potatoes in the world Grilled Baby Back Ribs (P550 for a half slab) Double-basted with BBQ sauce, served with sweet corn on the cob and home style fries For desserts, we first had the Hi and Mighty Pie (P365/slice) — candy pieces in rich vanilla ice cream, piled high on a crushed Oreo cookie crust and drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce. It was very sweet! The opulent Molten Chocolate Cake (P375) was unquestionably lip-smacking — warm chocolate cake bursting with chocolate fudge filling and topped with vanilla ice cream under a crunchy chocolate shell. Woohoo! Setting. Standard American bistro-type; noisy and bursting at the seams during meal hours. Something about the ambiance and the interiors makes it a really fun and comfortable place for good friends our for dinner and long conversations. Service was great, right after hurdling the reception mishap. Our server, Ramil, was very accommodating and courteous, and attended to all our needs satisfactorily. We wrote him a very nice commendation on the customer feedback form. Price: We spent around P1000 each (we were a group of 4) for the whole feast above. I think P500-P700 would be the standard price range for less-ravenous eaters than us. Overall verdict: Despite the recent bad press and their obviously-needing-an-overhaul table queuing system, Chili's is every bit as good as I remember it to be: good American comfort food to be shared with great company. I am sure to return for more of that.

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