Dekada Historic Filipino Cuisine in Glorietta 3, Makati City

Dekada's spacious doll-house like interior in Glorietta 3

Juggling my Day Job and Food Blogging
Ever since I started working in a well-known audit firm, I began to worry that I may not have the time to continue my hobby of doing food blogs (and sensibly conducting food explorations), and just recently, this was put into test as I was invited by the brand manager of Dekada to try out their Filipino dishes. Fortunately, it was scheduled on a lunch time.

Since the Glorietta 3 is just near the place where I work,  I took it as a good sign. Thus, I ended up accepting the invite and checking the place out!

A more glimpse of the interior - adorable tables and chairs in Dekada Filipino Cuisine Restaurant

Bringing the nostalgic feeling
Dekada first stepped into the Philippine food scene during the celebration of the Independence Day in 2013.  It entered the market with a basic concept of bringing back the glory decades of our country, through a nostalgic feeling. With this, the management decided to integrate this with the homey interior, the names of the dishes as well as the recipes themselves.

The nostalgic old-fashion equipment - telephones, typewriters, blenders and etc.

Drinks in Dekada

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Fresh Buko Juice (P128), EDSA Milo Godzilla (P168),  Guinomis (P78) and Bottomless Dalandan (P98)  - Clockwise

Dekada has an interesting line of drinks ranging from juice to samalamig. What I was able to personally try was the Milo Godzilla which was indeed nostalgic! I remembered the days when I was sipping some cold milo shake at our old home in U.N. Avenue. Taste-wise, I found it sweet yet refreshing!

Filipino Dishes

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The Magwagi Family Platter a la Boodle (P1,999)

The Magwagi Family Platter of Dekada Filipino Restaurant

What was showcased to us during our visit was one of the promo platters of Dekada called Magwagi Platter.  This platter includes the following dishes as components:

For your reference, I'll include the price when you'll purchase them per dish. 

Aguinaldo Twice-Cooked Adobo || P389

Aguinaldo Twice-Cooked Adobo of Dekada Restaurant

This twice-cooked adobo leaned more towards the salty yet flavorful side of the various adobos we know. Anyway, what made this somewhat special was usage of the beef instead of a pork, and also the inclusion of chunks of garlic that I really enjoyed!

Sakay Bicol Express (P289) and Rizal Lechon Manok (P578)

The interesting thing about the Bicol Express here in Dekada is that they deconstructed it. You'll now have a separate bicol express sauce, which was creamy (from gata) and subtly spicy, to go with the liempo-style pork!

The Lechon Manok, on the other hand, was my least favorite among all the components of the platter. However, it doesn't mean that it tasted bad. It was just a little bland for my taste.

Murphy Crispy Pla Pla (P289) Dominicano Adobo Rice (P268)

The Crispy Pla Pla was indeed crunchy on the outside and fresh in the inside! I was able to enjoy it because the good technique of frying brought out the natural goodness of the fish meat!

To go along with all the viands in the platter, the Dominicano Adobo Rice was included. It tasted just fine and not too overpowering, which was ideal for the situation, since it cushioned and sometimes complimented the taste of other dishes.

Yamashita Sinigang na Sugpo sa Kamias || P389

The tasty Sinigang na Sugpo of Dekada Filipino Restuarant

Now, if the lechong manok was my least favorite, this was my most favorite among all the components. I just loved how controlled the sourness of the soup (and the subtle sweetness from the kamias) was bringing out its natural and refreshing tang! I only had one issue with this dish -- the prawns were somehow overcooked slightly undermining its full potential.

Not in the photos: Laguna Salad (P128) - Yellow and Green Mangoes with Tomatoes and Hibe

Desserts

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Martial Law Buko Halo-Halo || P98

The Halo-Halo in a Coconut for desserts! 

When the Halo-Halo was served to us, I was a bit marveled by the presentation. The way it was arranged and the inclusion of the small umbrella made the dessert look really lovely. Aside from that, this is just your typically good halo-halo.

Puto Bumbong with Cheese (4pcs) || P148

Dekada's specially made Puto Bumbong - Christmas all year round!

Although I am not much of a puto bumbong eater, I was able to appreciate this dessert because of its quality and freshness. My mom, who considers herself as a puto bumbong expert, also said that it passed her "taste test"!

Note: The butter was already integrated with the mix itself, just in case you are curious about it.

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this blog post on Dekada, but before I head on to the overall summary, let me share this photo.

A Not-So-Popular Kid in Dekada Historic Filipino Cuisine

To the bloggers I was with namely Teta & Aldrin (of Tetadventurer) and Jam (of LadyLagalag), as well as Leah the brand manager of Dekada, thanks for the awesome bonding!

Dekada Historic Filipino Cuisine  - Summary

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Give your approval or disapproval to Dekada!

Although Dekada came from a group of restaurants (i.e. Sumosam, Akira, Banzai and etc) that specialize on Japanese cuisine, it was able to show that it can compete well in the Filipino cuisine category.

Moreover, with this particular experience, I believe that Dekada has really something to offer in terms of food, ambiance and value for money.

Dekada Historic Filipino Cuisine 
Location: Second Floor, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City (near the passageway to Landmark)

Reservation Number: (02) 8410131
Service Charge: 10% before VAT