A bar and grill like no other is brewing in the corner of Scout Rallos and Tomas Morato in Quezon City. Berting’s Grill is bringing the basic Pinoy food and drinking spree side dishes or pulutan to a whole new level of a gourmet dining experience.
The name Berting came from a cloud thought that the owner, Chef Andrew Wijangco, came up with. According to him, “Berting” simply represents every Filipino who loves good Pinoy foods and who take pleasure in eating them in the company of good friends. Berting’s opened its first branch in Ortigas in 2009. In just over a year, a big urge have prompted the owner to open another branch in QC.
Word of mouth from those who have already experienced Berting’s plus a couple of featured articles that came out in the daily broadsheets generated curiosity among many people. So, much to my interest, my wife and I visited the Tomas Morato branch with some friends and got firsthand experience of what others are raving about.
I was glad to be able to try several dishes in Berting’s menu. As a welcome treat, we started out with a plate of light cocktail picks of Lumpia ni Berting which contain “Jalapeno” peppers seasoned with Berting’s personal recipe. Next was a more popular beer match side dish which is Crispy Chicken Skin made special with its vinegar dip using Berting’s secret mix of spices.
One memorable dish we had was the Crispy Kare-Kareng Pata. A special feature of this food is the presentation. Served in a platter, each ingredient is partitioned from one another so that guests can venture out in mixing them all together or eat the vegetables and the pata separately while using the kare-kare sauce and fish paste as dip.
The Lechon Manok is not only special but is also Berting’s best seller. Using Chef Andrew’s secret recipe ingredients, the chicken is marinated for 72 hours before it is ready for grilling in Berting’s customized charcoal rotisserie where it is cooked fresh and hot. Chef Andrew noted that a good lechon manok can be eaten without any sauce that is why they don’t serve it with any sauce unless requested.
Sometimes though, the most special of all dishes can be found in the most simplest of ingredients and recipes. My personal choice in Berting’s menu? The Adobong Kangkong or water spinach which is sautéed with a very tasty sauce and topped with lots of browned bits of garlic. Never go to Berting’s without trying this dish out!
For the guys and ladies alike who like to cool down after a long day in the office with an ice cold beer, Berting’s Grill is one of the few restos that offer below-zero beers. The bottles are frosty chilled so you can enjoy more of the beer and not watered down with ice cubes which is what’s normally served in other restos.
Berting’s Grill is open every day from 11am to 2am. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are acoustic nights, for those who wish to stay longer and unwind with music.
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