Lunch at The Aristocrat, Antipolo

We were on our way back to our home in Antipolo, after I stayed for almost a week at Gia's place in QC. It was almost noon, so we decided to have lunch on our way. I was having this huge craving for grilled pork, which is why I immediately obliged when Gia suggested that we dine at The Aristocrat in Masinag, Antipolo.

The Aristocrat has been around in the country for years already, and I can still remember how our family would indulge in chicken barbecue at their Cubao branch before (which I don't think is still operational now). While The Aristocrat is known for their chicken barbecue, they also serve barbecued pork, which I can't wait to have again!

We arrived at their Masinag branch past lunch time, and there were still a lot of diners, but we were lucky to have immediately scored a parking slot and a table for three. Our drinks were served a few minutes after we placed our orders. The rest of our orders were served shortly after.

Gulaman at Sago - Php 65 each

We were supposed to have the House Blend Iced Tea, which was unfortunately not available on our visit, so we just had the Gulaman at Sago instead.

I haven't had Gulaman at Sago for quite some time and The Aristocrat's was such a refreshing treat! Served in a tall glass, with a balanced serving of ice, mildly sweet juice, and gelatin and tapioca—the Gulaman at Sago was a hit for us three, especially for Uno!

Uno was very keen in having "gulay" (vegetables) when we asked him what he wanted to eat; while Gia also wanted some soup, so we thought the Hototai Soup would be a perfect choice.

Look at how excited these two were when the soup arrived! :p

The Hototai Soup came in a large bowl, which I think would be enough for 3-4 persons to share. It has a generous serving of a mixture of meat, dumplings, and vegetables (which Uno enjoyed), but the broth, though steaming hot, was just lacking in flavor.

Hototai Soup - Php 250

Gia and I both got one of Aristocrat's Barbecue Classics. Gia chose chicken barbecue while I opted for pork spareribs. Both were served with a well-seasoned Java rice and a side of atchara.  Gia's came in 3 pieces of grilled chicken in skewers, while mine had two slabs of grilled pork spareribs. Both meats were marinated and drenched in Aristocrat's homemade java sauce, which was nutty but a tad too sweet.

I chose a "whole" order of the spareribs, thinking that "half" an order wouldn't be enough, but I was surprised to see huge slabs of pork when my plate was served. I had to share the rest with Gia. A half order would've been more than enough for me.

3pc Chicken Barbecue - Php 210

While the servings of their barbecues were generous enough and the char-grilled flavor was there, I didn't quite like how the sweetness from the marinade was just overpowering. It was also the same for Gia's chicken.

I'm just not sure if it was just me (since I haven't been eating too much sweets lately), but I can't remember Aristocrat's barbecue tasting this sweet! :(

Pork Spareribs (whole) - Php 345

Apart from our drinks, I think the only redeeming factor of our food (at least those that we ordered) was the generous serving. Taste-wise, I don't think it delivered. And for almost a thousand pesos for a meal for two, I think it's a bit of a stretch in the budget especially considering that the taste wasn't as okay as what we used to have before.

Another downer was the poor ventilation. Although the restaurant was spacious, there just wasn't enough electric fans/air conditioning, making it a little too hot especially during daytime. We were there almost past lunch time, and we were sweating all throughout our stay.

I can't find anything bad with the service, though—serving time was fast and servers were attentive.

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THE ARISTOCRAT
120 Marcos Highway, Masinag
Lower Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines
+63 (0)2 532 8367
+63 (0)2 894 0000

All photos were taken with an iPhone XS Max.