Gastro Park – Kapitolyo’s Food Park

Food parks have been popping up here and there as of late. The first one I heard about was Maginhawa’s Streat, then Boxpark in Congressional, then another foodpark in Maginhawa (where the new Molcajete is), then recently there is Gastro Park in Kapitolyo. Kapitolyo is one of the food hubs in the metro and it is only fitting that they have one of their own food park, Gastro Park.

They have been open for around a month (soft opening as of writing) and some of the stalls are not yet open. Alcohol is not yet served as they don’t have their liquor license yet.

Among the food park I’ve seen, this one has the most cover thanks to the roofing at the middle.

Nice use of steel drums as faux table.

The Stalls

Sweet Nothing Shakes

Japbox

The Seventh Element

El Phante (SEE REVIEW BELOW)

The Masala Bar

Chixy9

Surfries!!

Bagneto

Tolyo’s

Stuffed by : Offbeat and Tokyo Tempura Unlimited

Para Filipino Sandwich Bar

As much as I want to try all stalls in Gastro Park, we just had lunch at Mendokoro Ramenba. I was still able to try Para’s Yema Shake at P150 and their Grilled Cheese Sandwich (P200) and Tokyo Tempura’s 9pcs tempura for P109.

I was disappointed with Para Filipino Sandwich Bar. The Yema shake was too icy. The consistency is much like shaved ice instead of a creamy milkshake. Actually, it’ll be better served with a spoon, than a straw. The yema is nonexistent, it tasted much more like evaporated milk. At P150, there is much to be improved. Same with their Grilled Cheese Sandwich at P200. Theirs is not the basic grilled cheese, it has kesong puti, keso de bola plus mushrooms. There’s also guava jam to hopefully cut creaminess of the cheese but the cheese is very much lacking. What I had was more mushroom than cheese. The bread used was too dense (and because of the underwhemling cheese, at times it felt like you were eating bread through and through) and was a bit burnt and the (kamote, i think) crisps were soggy. The idea is there but the execution needs more polishing.

Thankfully, there’s ebi tempura to save the day. For P109 you get 9pcs and at P200, you get unlimited tempura at Tokyo Tempura Unlimited. There’s nothing extraordinary about the tempura, but it’s verysulit. I can already imagine this as pulutan and very much excited to try it out once they have their liquor license approved.

Lastly, we had this slushy drink from Surfries!! At P85, it’s more than enough for 2 people, maybe even 3.

There are other stalls to try here at Gastro Park in Kapitolyo and I will definitely be back soon.

Update (01/24/16)

Went back to Gastro Park to try the other stalls and to retry the dishes from Para. However, most stalls are still closed including Para. This was around 1:30PM on a Sunday.

This time, we tried El Phante, Thai-Mex street food, Tokyo Tempura (again) and OffBeat.

The Orders

• Chili Cheese Tempura – P49
• Bacon Fries – P150
• Sriracha Carnitas – P150
• Chili Beef Basil – P150

Let’s start with Tokyo Tempura. For P49 the Chili Cheese Tempura are good enough. The breading can be overwhelming at times but at the price, I really can’t complain. Be wary though, ours had uncooked flour in it so better check.

Next is the Bacon Fries. I had high hopes for this dish because who doesn’t love bacon? Unfortunately, the breading overwhelms the bacon and you really have to look for the bacon to taste it. There is just too much breading. At P150, this is a major let down.

Fortunately, our visit was not all in negative light. El Phante had us wowed with their tacos (or you can have rice in place of the tortilla). First is their Sriracha Carnitas. The dish contains smoked and cured pork ears with creamy sriracha. The first bite will intoxicate you with the umami and smokiness of the pork. It has a little bit of crunch thanks to vegetables. The taco doesn’t take the stage but that just solidifies its role as the holder of the dish. Two thumbs up for this dish, highly recommended and will definitely come back to Gastro Park just for this.

Next is El Phante’s Chili Beef Basil. We have the usual vegetables and taco but this was a bit too oily. The taco broke when I tried using my hands. The taste of the beef and chili con carne stood out here, while the basil barely noticeable. Despite that, the dish is still wonderful. Just lessen the oil. Two thumbs again for El Phante.

We thought our 2^nd visit to Gastro Park will be a letdown but El Phante saved the day.

I will update this post again once I revisit Gastro Park.

 

Girlfriend Edit:

Dear Gastropark, according to your Facebook page you open at 11am, some stalls there have signs up saying they open at 12noon (but nope, even after we left, sarado pa rin sila), we got there around 1:30, and left at almost 3pm, and the only stalls open were Off Beat, Tokyo Tempura, the stall that sells drinks, El Phante and Chixy9 (pero according to them everything is sold out, they are still awaiting for delivery), and the new stall that sells pasta and grilled chicken. Your opening hours are very confusing–ano ba talaga.

 

That out of the way, get the Sriracha Carnitas at El Phante! It was so good! And NEVER EVER EVER order the Bacon Fries from Off Beat. I love bacon. One of my criteria for booking hotels is if they have bacon in their breakfast buffet. Seriously. So trust me, the 150 you’ll be spending for the Bacon Fries will be better spent on a second order of Sriracha Carnitas. 😉

 

Operating Hours

Monday to Sunday, 11am-12mn (according to their Facebook page)

Location – #12 1st Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig

Facebook – Gastro Park Kapitolyo