Case in point: a group of relatives go home to the Philippines after eight years of living in Europe. They’re hankering for Filipino food. Where do you bring them?

Am sure you’ll agree with me when I say Barrio Fiesta is one of the best places to take them to. Even with the abundance of restaurants serving Filipino cuisine around, Barrio Fiesta is a favorite mainstay. I think there’s no pairing more classic than crispy pata and kare-kare – it’s exactly the two specialties they’ve built their business on.

Alas, a recent visit to a Barrio Fiesta branch in U.N. Avenue gave me the impression that the place is decaying, even though the name endures. I was certainly glad that the new generation of Ongpaucos (the family which owns BF) is giving the resto chain a facelift. This is by way of the new resto Ibayo by Barrio Fiesta which opened last May at the San Miguel By The Bay strip, in front of Mall of Asia.
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