Hawaiian Bar-B-Que, Tagaytay City

 When we are in Tagaytay, the first thing that came to my mind is Bulalo. But since we already had Bulalo a week ago, our taste buds want something new. And since the weather was so unpredictable, we decided not to go out for dinner and just hang out at The Boutique's restaurant - Hawaiian Bar-B-Que.

If you will come from Manila, The Boutique/Hawaiian Bar-B-Que is just a few meters away from Olivarez. So from Olivarez you will see Pamana Restaurant (a sister resto of The Boutique as well), The Theodore Hotel and finally, The Boutique. 

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que belongs to the group of restaurants owned by the Ongpauco's like Barrio Fiesta, Isdaan, Singing Cooks and Waiters, Bento Box and Pamana Restaurant. So given that, you know what to expect - sumptuous food delights that are made from the finest ingredients.

We arrived at The Boutique at around lunch time and the restaurant is so full! As in table turnaround is so fast! So by around 5:30pm, we had the chance to actually have a space in there. 

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que serves, well, Hawaiian-inspired delights, so expect a lot of coconut and pineapple in your dish. The owner, Happy Ongpauco, created this restaurant because she got amazed by Hawaiian cuisine during her stay in Hawaii.

Without further ado, here are some of their specialties:

Hawaiian Shrimp Curry

It's a generous serving of prawns in curry sauce with a hint of pineapple. Between curry and pineapple, the latter is more dominant in terms of taste. So for those who wants that "Indian" curry kick, this may be light for you. But the sweetness of pineapple perfectly complements the prawns.

The Original Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs

A slab of succulent baby back ribs cooked in pineapple marinade. The meat is sooooooooo tender and juicy.  Aside from their bedtime churros, this dish made me want to come back over and over again. It's just perfect.  The next time you visit Tagaytay and you are tired of the same old Bulalo, try this and it's a heavenly as your old-time favorite beef shank soup.

And what is a gastronomic experience without a dessert? Presentamus...... Hawaiian Banana Split! (claps)

Served in half a coconut shell, this one is a perfect ending to your feast. It has scoops of chocolate and mango ice cream (vanilla, but they ran out of stock), mallows, banana, choco syrup and coconut. I am not a big fan of buko (coconut) but this one is an exemption, The coconut is so tender and it blends well with the ice cream. 

So the next time you visit Tagaytay, make sure to pass by Hawaiian Bar-B-Que. Burrrrpppp! (excuse me.)