9. TAPA KING
National Book Store Mall, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City with various branches
Tel. no. 387-2432
Open from 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily
The tastiest Tapa King dish is not its house special, which is named—“you guessed it—“Tapa King. It is Tapa Queen (P125). Although the first offers the natural flavor of tapa, the second is perhaps the store's runaway winner because it is sweet and spicy. But then again, why quibble over details? After all, besides being served with the customary fried egg and rice, its four beef tapa variants—“and a separate spicy pork tapa dish—“are enhanced with its atchara (papaya relish).
10. MR. JONES
Greenbelt 5, Makati City
Tel. no. 501-3111
Open 11:00 a.m. to midnight daily
Perhaps the most indulgent tapsilog in the city can be ordered and enjoyed at Mr. Jones: the U.S. Beef Ribcap Tapa and Garlic Overload (P295). The tapa strips dominate the whole dish, emphasizing what diners will immediately be glad to find out—“that the tasty beef portions far exceed the weight and the volume of the fried rice. And that's just for starters. Besides being served with two fried eggs, the dish is topped with garlic chips the size of twenty-five centavo coins and two orange slices. Chef Kalel Chan explains that the tapa is made from Yakiniku cut US Ribcap Beef, which is given a slight adobo treatment. This explains why this indulgent dish comes with a high price tag, which you won't mind once you've cleaned your plate.
SPOT.ph wants to know: What's the best tapsilog for you?
Photos by the SPOT.ph team, Kevin Sandiego (Goodah!!!), and Erwin Dwight D. Valencia (Max's and Jollibee).





