Mother's Day Lunch at Blackbeard's Seafood Island

Because we already had a pre-Mother's Day dinner at home last Saturday (will post that on the blog soon), our family celebrated Mother's Day yesterday by having some lunch out. After hearing mass at SM Marikina, we started to scout for a restaurant for our lunch. We wanted to already have a table reserved, because we know that every restaurant will be packed with families also celebrating Mother's Day.

We all agreed to celebrate it by having a boodle feast at Seafood Island. Mark and I already tried one of their boodles in their Cubao branch and we both enjoyed it so I was pretty sure that my family will also enjoy it here.

We weren't allowed to make a reservation or have some advance order, so we just said if they could place us on top of the waiting list. The staff that we talked to was still hesitant but eventually agreed when Daddy guaranteed that she can just drop the name off the list if we don't come by noon.

We did some shopping and got back to the restaurant before lunch time, 10 minutes before noon to be specific. The place was already packed when we arrived and there wasn't any available table for us. Apparently, the staff manning the waiting list crossed our reservation out.

We already placed our orders while waiting for a table. We were told that our orders would take around 10-15 minutes to be served. Good thing a family was already done with their lunch so we were able to score their table a few minutes after. One of the staff wiped the table but left it all wet, so we still had to wipe it with tissues. Strike two! The manager saw what we're doing that he immediately called someone to dry our table.

Another staff (different from the one who took down our orders) came to "confirm" our order for the drinks. Well he didn't really "confirm" because he had nothing written on his paper, so my sister just had to repeat our orders for him. Strike three! We ordered for 3 fresh buko juice, 1 mango shake, 1 mango juice, and 1 Pepsi. Our drinks were served, except for the buko juice, shortly after.

50 minutes had already passed but none of our other orders were coming and Daddy was already getting pissed. A few minutes after, the same guy who "confirmed" our drinks came to us and told us that the buko juice is not available. Strike four! Daddy started to get mad especially when he noticed that the table in front of us were served with fresh buko juice. The staff then said that they ran out of fresh buko and that the family was able to get some because they placed an advance order! I thought advanced orders are not allowed? Strike five! This really made Daddy soooo furious.

Their manager already noticed how we were already not liking what's happening that he approached our table even before Daddy called for his attention. He was very apologetic upon knowing what had transpired and ordered his staff to bring out some appetizers to somehow ease our "hangry" (hungry and angry) tummies.

Two plates of complimentary shrimp crackers were brought to us, which we immediately devoured because we were really that hungry. The manager never left our table as he still continued to apologize to my dad. We just replaced the buko juice with iced tea, which was served shortly after the appetizers were served.

Very poor coordination among the staff members was very evident because another staff came to our table and brought another set of our ordered drinks (mango shake, mango juice, and Pepsi). Strike six! @_@

Until finally, our orders were served! Yay! Just when we thought that the mishaps were already over since we already got our food, we were definitely wrong! I'll get to the details of our food but let me first state all the other things which proved that the staff had poor coordination:

#7: We ordered one plain rice and we still had to make a number of follow ups before the single order of plain rice was served.

#8: The plates that they served were dripping wet and only two sets of spoon and fork, plus 4 other forks (with no spoon) were served.

#9: We requested for 4 spoons and had to wait for quite some time before another staff came to us with only one set of utensils, saying that it's the only pair left. Daddy got really mad since we were already starting to lose our appetites that he called the attention of the manager. He then got back to us handing us the spoons that we needed, and again very apologetic for everything that happened.

#10: Another staff came rushing to our table holding 6 sets of utensils. Seriously?? @_@

The manager was still on our table and can't help but just scratch his head as he once again apologized. He then apologized once more and left us to have our lunch and sincerely wished that we still enjoy our food.

We got the Davao Gulf boodle which is already good for 5-6 persons. It had chicken wings inasal, pork barbecue, grilled baby squid, steamed shrimps, grilled tuna laman, grilled imbao (clams), shrimp and pomelo salad, lato salad, kinilaw na langka sa gata, grilled talong, salted egg, grilled tomatoes, kalkag rice, bagoong rice, and salted fish rice.

Davao Gulf - Php 1,450.00

I wasn't able to try everything because I somehow lost my appetite. So I just had a few spoons of the salted fish rice, kalkag rice, and one pork barbecue. Fortunately I enjoyed everything that I got. The pork barbecue had the right combination of sweet, sour, and salty. The meat was tender and cooked just right and was very juicy. I love fried dulong so I enjoyed the salted fish rice a lot. The kalkag rice was equally delicious, it was a hit actually, but I found a bit oily though.

What I loved the most was this shrimp and pomelo salad, which I got all for myself haha! Well I shared a few pomelo chunks with my mom, but I think I consumed most of it haha! :p The steamed shrimps which were very fresh tasting had the right amount of saltiness which balanced out the sweet and tangy pomelo chunks. The sesame seeds not only added a distinct flavor, but also added crunch and texture to the dish. And oh, I also loved the light and sweet syrup (corn syrup, I suppose) in it. This definitely is a refreshing dish!

Daddy, who was really disappointed with the service, somehow managed to get his appetite back and enjoy the food. Mommy and Gia can't help but give praises to the kalkag rice. Chino also loved everything especially the steamed shrimps. Besides Jaoey, who's really a picky eater, the rest of the family definitely enjoyed the boodle that our boodle feast turned from this...

...to this! All wiped out! :D

We were almost done with our lunch when the manager came to our table with this. And he said it's on the house!

It was when the watermelons were served when I remembered that we also ordered for buko pandan for our dessert. Yup, the staff again forgot about that so we just had it cancelled from the bill. The bill was brought to us and the manager said that nothing was cancelled since no buko pandan was included in the orders list. Okay, another miss! Strike twelve! :p The manager was very sorry that he offered another plate of watermelons for us, to which we of course resisted. Daddy just didn't want to make a fuss about it anymore so he just laughed, sarcastically, I know hahaha! :p

Although there were a lot of misses, the good food and the very hands-on manager compensated for all the downers. Although a good customer service is a very important factor, I must admit that if not because of the good food and Art Vergara's (the manager) commendable effort (he was literally the one attending to us and making sure our needs are met), I'd really give Seafood Island a thumbs down. I'm just hoping that their service will improve more especially on occasions where diners come in huge volumes.

Anyway, we all still had a good lunch and my mom enjoyed a lot and that's what's more important. :)

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!!! :-*

We celebrated Mother's Day here in the Philippines yesterday, but it's still Mother's Day today in some parts of the world. So let me end this blog by greeting all the awesome mothers, single daddies, and those who stand as mothers to children without having to bear any, a Happy Mother's Day! :D

BLACKBEARD'S SEAFOOD ISLAND, SM Marikina