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Rene-Rose Island Cuisine
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 8 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
43 reviews for Rene-Rose Island Cuisine
Review Highlights
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"The Lechon Kawali is definitely a winner." In 7 reviews -
"I highly suggest the Chicken Adobo." In 7 reviews -
"...the menudo, everything comes with rice and sinigang soup." In 5 reviews
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Theresa N.
Campbell, CA
8/9/2011
My coworkers introduced me to this gem today and oh my goodness! YUM!! I'm a whitey, so of course I tried the safe chicken adobo. YUMMMMMMMM! Seriously. I also ordered up some lumpia and oh man.. she made it fresh and it was equally delicious.
But, the chicken. On the bone for the most part, but superbly tender and delicious. Definitely recommend this dish if your first time. Comes with a healthy order of white rice to round it out. -
Review from Sharon Q.
1/8/2012 2 Check-ins Here
A little bit pricey for a turo-turo (canteen-style) restaurant. But food was good!
I had the Mungo and Sisig with Rice. And a turon (banana lumpia).
My husband had the Sinigang and Bisteak with Rice. And a turon too. All that for over $20.
I liked their mungo because it had bitter melon and bitter melon leaves. And their mungo had a thick consistency..which I liked.
The sisig was as close as I could get to BBQ because I was craving for BBQ that day..
Overall, a quick and good place to get Filipino food. -
Review from helen f.
11/14/2011
The lady there is so friendly, and I really want to give them more star, but I can't justify it.
-food is salty and the meat doesn't have a lot of taste. -
Review from Jenifer V.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
I *really* wanted to like this place, but I'm sad to say that I did not.
I'm half Filipino so I've had my fair share of the standards (chicken/pork adobo, etc.) and I was excited to finally try a place that was so close to home.
I stopped by one day and got an order of chicken adobo to go. I got home and was super excited to get my grub on.
Verdict? No bueno. :( It was super greasy (which isn't always a bad thing), but it also had miniscule pieces of sharp bone shrapnel. My teeth and my throat did not enjoy the experience. Also, while I don't mind gizzards (liver and hearts, to be exact), I wasn't expecting to find them in the adodo. Perhaps it's the norm, but the kind I've had growing up was all about the meat and the meat only.
I *might* go back to try the pancit bihon, but that's about it. -
Review from Nick D.
I usually don't venture out to Sunnyvale during the lunch hour but I just happened to be in the area. I remembered cousin Lex raving about Rene Rose so, this was the perfect opportunity to try them out.
Typical setup, hot trays behind glass, filled with a various assortment of home cooked food that's so bad for you but tastes so good. Cousin Lex recommended their Lechon Kawali so I tried that and their Chicken Adobo. They gave me a plate full of rice and separate smaller plates for the meat. The portions were a bit small but, I'm always one that can never have enough! But, I did like the complimentary bowl of Sinigang soup...mmm, so sour http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The Lechon Kawali is definitely a winner. They cut it into bite sized portions where it's not hugely overwhelming and it's not tiny either. It was cooked perfectly so that it wasn't dry/burnt or not crisp enough. Probably the best LK I've had in awhile.
The Chicken Adobo was good. I liked the sauce, as it had a bit of spice to it, kind of reminded me how my Dad cooked it. But overall it was basic, I'll try something else the next go around.
Rene Rose is nice and cozy and didn't have that dirty/sticky feeling as you do at other Nanay & Tatay restaurants. They're pretty friendly and the prices are okay. $10 for a two-item combo and a canned soda, not too bad! It's not the best Filipino food I've ever had but, hands down, I'd rather go here than to eat at that one resto named after that chubby, blonde girl, who sleeps around, pussycat doll wannabe...what's her name again, Golidilocks? :P -
Review from Gerry T.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/9/2011 9 Check-ins Here
Greasy Filipino food, but the service is excellent. They all seem happy behind the hot kitchen. I can't say everything is greasy, the Lechon Kawali with steamed rice was excellent! Everything else seemed to be swimming in grease.
I like coming here for the canned coconut drinks which I think you can get elsewhere, but it's just convenience. -
Review from Andrew M.
Palo Alto, CA
2/19/2008
This one is simple:
Don't look too closely at the strip mall it's in, the state of the store, or to how healthy the food is (or lack thereof). Forget all that nonsense.
You're here for cheap, tasty Filipino food. Call ahead so they can can get your lumpias in the deep fryer on the way over and do let them give you the free, "yet quite special" soup. Most of the other stuff (in the mini buffet thing) are some combination of meat and sauce. Point your finger at a couple that look good, grab your treats and beat feet out of there. -
Review from Patrick G.
Redwood City, CA
11/6/2009
Feel like a food adventure? OK, are you from the Midwest and feel like a food adventure? This is a great little spot to try on some homey Filipino food. I knew I was in for something unusual when I walked in and there was no menu. Huh?
The super nice lady behind the counter saw my deer-in-the-headlights stare and immediately started rattling off all the things I should try. She gave me a taste of something interesting looking (taro leaves in coconut milk, but spicy) and then I ended up ordering (1) beef with potatoes swimming in oil, (2) those hot taro leaves in cc milk, and (3) she threw in some BBQ pork with spicy peppers on rice. It cost $10+ with a bottle of water.
The food was simple, but tasty, and definitely unusual enough for anyone who is bored with Thai, Chinese, and Korean food places. Worth a go. I will be back. -
Review from Gil A.
Los Angeles, CA
2/8/2008
Well for me, this is a typical Filipino setting restaurant where one "points" (turo-turo) the food he likes & pays for it. The food is decent & nothing spectacular, but their pricing are really reasonable. Of course, staff are very friendly & helpful :-)
I had their green gram (munggo or monggo beans), with fried fish (tilapia).... hmmm, my favorite combination, & it was not that bad.
One thing I like about Rene Rose restaurant than with most Filipino restaurants is they accept CC, which is really very convenient :-) -
Review from Anthony L.
San Jose, CA
8/8/2011
Aimee and I ate here for lunch today; I had read about Rene-Rose Island Cuisine on yelp and wanted to try it. Overall it was very good. The restaurant ios very neat and clean and the tables are nicely taken care of. I had the chopped pork w/ peppers...the pork was in small squares it was like bistek but I forgot tyhe name. Aimee had the menudo, everything comes with rice and sinigang soup. I liked it and both ladies behind the counter were very courteous. We will be back again since I work so close to this location...
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Review from Scott L.
Mountain View, CA
3/22/2008
Why I've not reviewed this restauraunt is beyond me.
The pancit, adobo and beef steak, etc. are all great. IF you go often Rose will get to know what you like and if they don't have it, they'll cook it!
The prices are super reasonable, the home cooking is AWESOME and I always leave with a smile on my face and my belly's happy.
Is it a hip or fancy place? No, it's quite down home but I'd rather have quality food than an overly hyped atmosphere. If you like PF Changs style restaurants, then this may not be your cup of tea.
But if you like great food over an overhyped atmosphere, give 'em a shot.
It is right off of 101 and Fair Oaks and can get much more crowded at lunch than dinner.. can get food to go. They would be a great place to get food catered! -
Review from Eugene F.
Campbell, CA
6/29/2007
I actually remember going to Rene Rose when they were on Castro Street in Mountain View back in the day. It was pretty good, and it's good to see that they have moved to a different location in Sunnyvale; albeit in a really random center! It's right next door to a Domino's Pizza, and an all-in-one water and Filipino video store.
There are about six or seven small tables that fit about 4 people each in the restaurant. It's your typical turo turo (point point) joint. I got my typical pinakbet (eggplant, bitter melon, okra, and pork) and beef steak. The pinakbet was decent and they had some really large pieces of pork that were fried to death--so freaking good. The beef steak was good, with the onions and tasty sauce.
The only thing is that I know that this is an authentic Filipino restaurant cause they gave THREE HUGE scoops of rice. Ever since I've gone low-carb, it's hard to even eat half of the pile. I admire them for loading up on the rice, cause I know other places that usually skimp. (Can someone say "Goldilocks"?)
I'll be back, and will include this in my usual rounds of Filipino food places that I frequent.Listed in: Places I've seen the Virgin…, Everything Filipino ...
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Review from Chefs daughter D.
Silicon Valley, CA
9/17/2011
Very friendly
Came in to order a few party trays and she gave us samples and explained how she makes and how much to buy based on our guest count and other menu items.
The beef MECHADO was very tasty without a huge layer of oil. It was enjoyed by the party guest. -
Review from Tam H.
Santa Clara, CA
5/18/2007
Chicken adobo and sinigang!
My co-worker Eric, took me here one day after telling him that I eat chicken and pork adobo all the time at my friends houses. They way they make it here has got me coming back at least once a week. Everytime, I get either the steamed rice w/ chicken adobo and another random dish on the side, along with some sinigang soup. Fills me up everytime.
We're here pretty frequently, and the ladies hook us up on the food. I'm actually going to be there today for lunch... -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Jose, CA
8/30/2006
I just got back from lunch at Rene Rose Island Restaurant. I've probably eaten there for a total of 6 times now. I'm overdue for a review about it.
The place is located on Fair Oaks & Caliente in Sunnyvale. It's in a pretty ghetto shopping center along with a 7-11, video/porn/water/mail box store, nail salon, and a chinese restaurant at the end. Despite it's location, the inside of the restaurant is homely feeling.
The cuisine is Philipino and it's good. It's set up as a takeout place, but you can sit down and eat too. I presume the lady that served us today is the owner. She started out by asking us how much rice we wanted. Regardless of our protests, she piled the plate full of rice. We decided to get two items each. I had the pork dish I always get which is almost steak like in texture. I have a feeling that it's a stir fried dish with thinly sliced red & jalapeno peppers and onions. It tastes like peppersteak if I had to equate it to something familiar. The other dish I ordered was a stew like item which contained pork as well. It also had potatoes and green & red bell peppers. The sauce was a little greasy much like the other dishes, but I didn't mind.
Justyn also ordered a stew like item, although different to mine. I can't recall what was in it at the moment though. His second dish contained bok choi, eggplant, meat (again), and green beans. The "owner" offered us this delicious sour soup which has mustard greens & tomatoes as far as I can tell. Man, just talking about that soup makes my jaw tingle and drool.
Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I'd give this place a 7.5.
Reviewing lunch places around Sunnyvale & Downtown Mountain View isn't such a bad idea. I might keep this up! -
Review from Dannah S.
Santa Clara, CA
Updated - 5/11/2009
Yummy :)
I don't eat Filipino food often. In fact, I eat Filipino food twice a year--at most. Why avoid it? SO MUCH CHOLESTEROL!!! I grew up with a parent who consistently made Filipino food...everyday. I've been dancing since I was about 3 years old...and carbs are a no no. I do admit that when i do eat Filipino food...I DEVOUR IT. I know Filipino food very well, and this place does a really good job of making my favorite comfort food. I wish that I could have it everyday, alas, I can't appear or feel heavy.
My fave is the Lechon Kawali ;) With lots of rice! AND the Sinigang, extra sour please!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/25/2009
Wooot! Awesome :) Came here today with the bf :) It was filing and delicious :) I got the lechon… Read more »
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Review from Guy V.
San Jose, CA
12/10/2009
Pretty good Filipino food. As is the case with lots of Filipinos, it does not taste exactly the same as my family's way of cooking but it is good. I know this is a sentiment shared by most Filipinos "my family cooks the best" or "I know what good Filipino food is" blah blah blah. It won't taste like your mom's sisig or kare-kare but it is good for lunch considering the dirt cheap price for a 2-item meal with a load of rice and sinigang soup on the side.
I do like looking at the pretty Filipino girls who stop in.
There aren't that many Filipinos joints in this area considering the high population of Filipinos so stop by and give it a try. 2 items is 9 bucks. If you don't like it move on and if you do come back. -
Review from D N.
Campbell, CA
1/3/2011
Saw this place from yelp around me app on my phone and decided to go there for lunch.
Place is pretty good for price and food. They had good variety and the tasted really good -
Review from David O.
Campbell, CA
Consistently good food. I work in Sunnyvale so Rene-Rose is on my rotation of places to eat. I like the food. It's good, hearty, and always a good portion for me. You can get one item for 6 bucks or 2 for 8 and each comes with a healthy portion of rice. They even have fresh pitchers of iced bottled water, not tap water. That's a plus for me as most places just give you tap water as your complimentary water. It's a small restaurant, but it get's the job done. Check it out they will even let you try their items. I'm still trying to master the art of eating with a fork and a spoon in each hand, but with a few more trips to Rene-Rose I'll master the art of Filipino eating.
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Review from Visa C.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/3/2010 3 Check-ins Here
This is Clarita's Filipino Cuisine . . . with better ambiance.
The must haves are all there: Inihaw na (grilled) Pork, Pork Adobo, Beef steak, Lechon Kawali (pressure cooked, then deep fried pork) and Bangus. From a pure flavor standpoint the average Pinoy palette would be happy with either restaurant. Their hits and misses are complimentary. Personally I like Clarita's Adobo and Beef steak better. However, this place's Inihaw and Lechon Kawali balance things out.
But one area where this place definitely has Clarita's beat is the dining area. Its brighter, clearly given more thought, and lacks the annoying TV with cheezy noon-time shows. If you were to introduce a non-Filipino to common-Pinoy food, you'd probably make a better impression with Rene Rose. In the summer, the air-conditioning at Rene Rose definitely helps. -
Review from Alison T.
1/4/2009
Friendly service all the time ... even when they're about to close! On two occasions they've cleaned up the warming trays already but still served me. Got to love that!
The food is tasty --- not fancy, but that's not what we come here for. Just flavorful Filipino food. Our favorites include the sisig (chopped up beef/sometimes liver sauteed with peppers and marinated with lemon juice and salt), beef mechado (rich beef stew with potatoes), and the lechon kawali (crispy pork belly).
And you must get a turon (banana in a fried lumpia wrapper with carmelized sugar on the outside) --- soooo good. -
Review from Steven V.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/16/2011
This place was ok. It's pretty much like the fast food deli places where the food is behind the glass and you choose either you want one item or two items with rice. The portions were a little small with the meats, but big with the rice. I got the lechon (roasted pork) and braised beef with rice which was pretty good. The service was also really good also, nicest lady I ever talked to in an Asian fast food joint.
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Review from Tina J.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/26/2009
Food: 3.5 stars
Service: 3 stars (fast food)
Ambiance: 2 stars
Overall: 3 stars
The food's a bit greasy, but really tasty. And cheap. The turon's are the best I've had. At a dollar each, i pre-order a bunch to bring to potlucks, and cut em in half so more ppl can try it. -
Review from Danny C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 7/12/2008
An interesting hole in the wall. Can't say I've ever had Filipino food before, so I decided to have an adventure here.
Older woman behind the counter was EXTREMELY friendly. Offered us free samples of a variety of things (she says she does that to everyone on their first time) which made a good impression.
The food is cheap, if you don't get too much. 6 bucks for one item, 8 for two.
The food itself, however, is quite one-dimensional. This is a good place if you want meat on rice. With meat on rice on the side. Because that's all there is. I didn't see any veggies anywhere.
Another curiosity of this place is the imported young coconut drink from Thailand. It comes in a tall Arizona Iced Tea-style canister. It's somewhat disconcerting when you go to drink it that there's tiny little white chunks of ??? (coconut, presumably) in it. I can't say I liked it, but I can't say I hated it either... definitely unlike anything I've ever tasted.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/12/2008
I believe this is the same establishment as http://www.yelp.com/bi... Read more »
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Review from Marie A.
Santa Clara, CA
10/3/2008
Rene-Rose reminds me of how my mom cooked at home. Its simple point and choose with the same variety almost all the time. Unfotunately if you don't know filipino food it may be hard to know what the items are unless you go with someone that knows the items.
The place is located in a pretty ghetto strip mall and is definitely a hole in a wall but the food tastes good. -
Review from Mike S.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/18/2009
Warm turon.... Can anything be better? Just call ahead and they will fry them up for you. Great lumpia and other Filipino foods.
Stop by and give it a try! -
Review from Rick-E R.
Sunnyvale, CA
4/3/2011 7 Check-ins Here
Probably the best filipino food I've had in the bay area. Food freshly prepared (if you go around lunch time) and always hot and tasty. Rose is always nice and they give very generous portions. Soup is also given with every plate.
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Review from sam g.
Aptos, CA
Updated - 4/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Good home cooking, beef machado and lechon again. I try to go once a week.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/16/2011
Good food at a good price. Lechon was great, beef machado & chicken adobo are also a hit with me.… Read more »
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Review from Charu C.
Goleta, CA
11/11/2011
The staff here is very friendly. They let me sample five dishes before deciding -- I was well on my way to being full already! They didn't tell me the "real" names of the dishes, but I really enjoyed the beef with onions. The other pork dish that I had was not as good, being a bit one-dimensional, but still palatable. However, this place has a limited selection, with not many vegetables to be seen (the staff jokingly told me, "you can have anything as long as it's beef, chicken, or pork"). The food here is definitely on the fatty side, but I think that's to be expected with this cuisine. Overall, this is a good place for quick, cheap, tasty bite.
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Review from kim n.
10/16/2008
Since we were denied the dim sum lunch we were going for next door. We headed in here. I think I remember this place being on Castro street in MV way back when. A huge group of us took over the whole place to the dismay of most of the Filipino locals. Good beef/onion/lemon, beef stew, and Filipino style fried noodles. To top it off, and excellent Halo Halo. Now one of my co-workers were scared to death of this place and even though he was a good sport in trying one of the dishes, I think he's scarred for life. The owners were surprised we were enjoying the food and gave us these fried plantain desserts for free. I think they even made my scared co worker an honorary Pinoy for the meal!
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Review from Mercy B.
Milpitas, CA
6/11/2007
We've been going to Rene Rose for quite some time now. We followed them from their location in Mtn. View - and when we heard they had opened another restaurant - we definitely were there! It's not in the easiest location to find. Rose makes the best pancit, adobo and beef steak (next to home cooking). So for you Island people looking for a little bit of home cooking - this is definitely your place.
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Review from Carmen L.
San Jose, CA
7/27/2007
This place is expensive. I got a three combo plate and halo halo, and my total was $13. Crazy! This place is just alright too. Menudo was dry. I don't remember the pancit. Halo halo was SUPER sweet.
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Review from Casey F.
Pleasanton, CA
5/27/2008
Same old small hole in the wall, with not so friendly woman behind the counter, with mediocre food. One difference, though, it's more expensive than other places. When my total came out to $10.28, with a coconut juice, I was like WTF!! It cost $8.00 for two items! They have the price on a tiny sign on the opposite side of the restaurant than the register. I ordered a veggie dish and pork adobo. The veggies were ok. The pork adobo was all fatty and sitting in a pool of oil. It's Filipino food so I wasn't surprised or trippin'. But at least at Clarita's the pork adobo sits in sauce, sometimes the sauce may be a little oily but it's sauce. This was straight up oil. And, there was no tv with the Filipino channel on to entertain my solo lunch, even though I have no clue what they're saying. I won't be going back. My second chance rule is being overridden.
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Review from Jay C.
San Jose, CA
12/2/2010
Good filipino food..... good service... really nice!!!
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Review from Christine A.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/26/2009
If you're filipino and your family REALLY knows how to cook, you wouldn't eat here. They put singkamas in their kare-kare. That is definately NOT supposed to be in there! Their sisig is definately not worth the price you're paying for it. I've been to other hole in the wall filipino restaurants and Rene Rose is the worst right next to Claritas. Their food is also pretty greasy and tasteless. Blah.
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Review from Anjela B.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/17/2009
IDK what you guys are talking about if you give Rene-Rose less than 3. Perhaps a bad day? I come here often and the food is really good. Speaking as a filipino I'd know. The inihaw (anihaw? Fuuuck if I know the spelling! LOL) is my FAVORITE! And the bangoos is good too. And so is the lechon, and well.. everything! Although I'm not so sure about the kare-kare. My moms had it a couple times and she says its good (its her favorite, so shes like a kare-kare connoisseur Everything is paired with the sinigang. I knocked down a star bcus sometimes I get the top of the sinigang and its not sour enough for me :( Still good though. Rose is hella nice too. She knows me and my mom by face and name and always hooks us up with some turon. All in all its a great hole in the wall, family style restaurant. It's not much to look at, but they shell out some bomb ass food.
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Review from Catherine C.
Santa Clara, CA
6/20/2008
For a Filipino food lover looking for "lutong-bahay" (home-cooked meal), this would be my constant lunch destination. My favorite ulam (viand) is their pork inihaw and Rose would always give free sinigang soup. Their other ulams taste good as well but some are too oily like the lechon kawali (but what would you expect from deep-fried AND fatty). The restaurant ambiance reminds me of the typical turo-turo in the Philippines. The place is quite small so you should be kind enough to share the long table with other customers. This is also my resource to get Dad's free Filipino newspaper(s) every week.
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Review from K D.
San Jose, CA
7/28/2010
One of the best Filipino restaurants! My husband and I have been going to Rene Rose since we were in high school, more than 15 years. Great food and great customer service. We feel at home when we eat there. They give you good portions. Auntie explains her dishes to all the newcomers. I highly suggest the Chicken Adobo! My husband would suggest the Pork Adobo!
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Review from Goldilock B.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/22/2010
I can always get a nice homecooked meal like my dad's at Rene-Rose! The customer service is always friendly and I leave the restaurant so full! I love the sinigang and the shanghi lumpias. The adobo is amazing and even though she has given me her recipe, there is a special ingredient that she will not tell me!
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Review from Christine H.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/17/2007
Yay for this great place so close to my place! I love the beefsteak and adobo (what can I say? I'm not too adventurous when it comes to my Filipino food...) It's like a home-cooked meal! I got 2 entrees, rice, soup, etc for about $7- not bad at all!
