Rating:
Nyss – 4/5
Geus - 4/5

FOOD:
I'd always pass by Antoine's Grill Tambayan but I did not consider eating there because I thought it was just a tambayan or a place to hang out for people who like to get drunk.  But when a friend of mine took me there, I realized that beneath the simple façade lies a place that's good enough to bring your friends over for dinner.

We ordered Sizzling Mixed Seafood.  We had a choice on what sauce they serve it with and we chose Gata (coconut milk) over Ala Pobre.  The serving was quite small if you ignore the onions, hot pepper, and kangkong.  I could count the shrimp and squid slices with my fingers.  The fish fillet's cut was also quite small.  I suggest that when they serve fish fillet especially if it's going to be with sauce, they make the cut bigger so that the fish won't look like mashed potato.  The dish was okay but I couldn't really taste the gata.

We also ordered Sinigang na Hipon (Sour Soup with Shrimps/Prawns). All ingredients for sinigang was there except for the prawns.  Every time I eat Sinigang na Hipon, prawn is always used.  But in Antoine's Grill version, they used small shrimps.  It was a little difficult to eat those shrimps because they were too small.  It would've been better if they used 3 Prawns instead of 10 little shrimps.  The taste though was good.  The soup had the right amount of sourness.

Lastly, we ordered the Adobong Kangkong (Water Spinach or Swamp Cabbage cooked in vinegar and soy sauce).  This is their best dish.  I could finish one serving by myself.  In Bacolod, Adobong Kangkong or Apan-Apan is cooked with vinegar, soy sauce, shrimp paste, onions, and garlic.  The apan-apan leans more on the sour taste.  In Cebu, adobong kangkong is cooked without much vinegar and usually, they prefer using kangkong leaves than kangkong stalks (preferred by Bacolenos).  I never liked Cebu's version of Adobong Kangkong because of its blandness but after tasking Antoine's Grill version, I changed my mind.  This is the best Adobong Kangkong I ever tasted my entire life.  They put a few tomato slices and lots and lots of fried garlic and this made the dish truly special.  And the best thing about it is, the kangkong leaves and stalks were not overcooked.  This is a must-try when you eat in Antoine's Grill.

AMBIENCE/SERVICE:
The service is great!  From the moment you enter the place, the guard will guide you on where to park your car.  When you get down from the car, a waiter will approach you and ask you if you'd rather eat in the main dining hall or eat in one of the nipa huts they have for privacy.

We opted to sit in the main dining hall.  The place has a native feel and the chairs and tables all looked new.  The restaurant was clean.  The restaurant also used incandescent bulbs which added to the romantic feel of the place.  Every Friday, they have a live band performing.

My only complaint is because there are a lot of plants in the area, there were also lots of mosquitoes hovering around.  There were also lots of black ants crawling on top of the table.  But these are just minor things and they do not lessen the great ambience of the place.

PRICE:
Mixed Seafood in Gata – Php 120.00
Adobong Kangkong – Php 50.00
Sinigang na Hipon – Php 115.00
Rice – Php 10.00
Bottled Coke – Php 20.00

VERDICT:
Nyss –  Even though I think the food is not excellent, the ambience and the service makes it one place that I will definitely choose to have dinner with friends.
Geus –  Proudly Filipino food and ambience. Very affordable. Friendly personnel with good service.