Portuguese cuisine is not very common in this part of the world, but if you mention Portugal to anyone here, the first thing that will come to mind is Ferdinand Magellan. Knowing this wee bit of historical fact, I opened the convo with Joao Branquinho {owner and chef} with, "Magellan is very well known here because of what he did." He then said, "Yeah, well, he's a traitor." Oooops...this is gonna be an interesting afternoon, I thought.
Gostoso means delicious in Portuguese while Piri Piri is an African bird's eye chili. Locally, piri piri is synonymous to siling labuyo according to João. It's roughly around 100,000 - 225,000 on the Scoville Scale {measurement of a chili peppers heat level}. The hottest is the Pure Capsaicin at 16,000,000 SHU! That's probably like eating molten lava.
According to João {pronounced as 'zhu-aw' - emphasis on the diphthong is key}, the idea for Gostoso Piri Piri came to him because of the Portuguese beer {below} he's importing. He wanted to create a good pairing, so he started making the Portuguese table staple: piri piri chicken. He used a recipe that's been passed down through generations from the Alentejo Region in the south of Portugal.
 |
| Coxinha and Bolsas PhP 150/order |
We had the Coxinha and Bolsas for starters. The Coxinha is a crispy ball of delicious chicken flakes, bell peppers, and cream while the Bolsas {pockets} are empanaditas-like appetizers stuffed with minced meat. Both were subtly flavored and devoid of unnecessary grease. The vivifying factor is the piri piri sauce. Great stuff! It makes both amazingly rich to eat!
I prefer the Coxinha over the Bolsas. Though the filling is different, it somehow reminds me of Porto's Potato Balls. I got so addicted to those along with their cheese roll. The Coxinha's stuffing was generous while the golden brown coating was thin and light. I hate when the opposite happens.
 |
| Gostoso Platter All Three PhP 1,045 |
There are two kinds of Gostoso Platter: Half and Half {PhP 785} and All Three. The number of servings is the difference between the two. The first one is good for 2-3 persons while the second one is for 3-4.
The All Three Gostoso Platter includes 1/2 piri piri chicken, a slab of pork, 2 shrimp skewers, 3 cups of olive rice, and 3 sides. There are four below because we ordered extra Mac N' Cheese for the boys. My boys loved it! I prefer the Creamed Spinach and Creamed Corn though. Two thumbs up for both!
That bird had an unbelievable smoky flavor; the chicken and the piri piri sauce is an absolute winning combination. The chicken was good, but I'm a 'porky lady', so I'd go with the slab of pork as my top pick amongst all three. It's supremely moist, tender, and tasty! The shrimp skewers are good, too ~ huge and succulent.
 |
| Olive Rice |
 |
| Original Piri Piri Sauce vs. Mild Piri Piri Sauce |
These sauces are amazing! There's a chart at Gostoso about how one should mix the two piri piri sauces. I'm not fond of too much heat. A few drops of the original mixed with the mild are enough for me. It provides the right amount of kick to make the dish extraordinarily good.
 |
| Chocolate Creamwich PhP 95 |
This large block of chocolate creamwich was a pleasant surprise. It doesn't really provide an aesthetic enticing factor, but boy was it good! The creamwich was teeming with rich chocolate ice cream pressed between two wafers. After munching down on the mains, succumb to your inner chocolate glutton and give this one a try when you visit Gostoso!
Gostoso Piri Piri
51-B East Kapitolyo Drive
Pasig City
Contact No.: (+632) 477.73.30
Operating Hours: Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 10:00 am
Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 10:00 am
Facebook: Gostoso Piri Piri
Twitter: @gostosopiripiri
Instagram: @gostosopiripiri
Hold on! Before you go, please like my The Mommist's Facebook page {on your left}. Thank you!
Receive The Latest Posts Directly To Your Email - It's Free!
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Comments are very much appreciated! Thank you!