Oysters unlimited (sometimes) at El Cangrejo

Healthy eating has become my mantra ever since I entered my mid-30s. I have become more conscious about my intake, making sure that I consume food that is good for me. I haven’t gone vegetarian, but I practice my palate to eat healthy, which means consuming more lean meat than cholesterol-laden foods. Now I go for seafood more than other types of meat.

My most recent restaurant discovery—El Cangrejo Crab, Seafood and Steak Bistro—may be a long drive from my place of residence, but it’s definitely worth the trip.

From sea to table

Although he has no formal culinary training, Mikael Andre Degilla's love of food—particularly seafood—motivated him to open his first restaurant venture in November 2013. He co-owns the restaurant with his wife Maita, brother Leandro, Zeus Yee, and chef Niño Runas, who helped him design the menu.

“I grew up in Iloilo. My father’s a mechanical engineer and my mother’s a chemist at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. My father became an aquaculture engineer. So, I grew up talagang surrounded by seafood,” said Degilla. He acquired a taste for seafood at an early age, getting his first bite of oyster at five years old.

He also did his research, eating his way around the metro, sampling the dishes at seafood restaurants. He noticed that many serve crab dishes drowning in sauce, but he prefers the stripped-down version where you could actually taste the crabmeat. That is what he offers at his rustic, laid-back, 50-seater El Cangrejo.

Unlimited oysters and crab, oh my!

Head chef and manager Paul Piza crafted simple dishes with a bit of international flair. Diners should start with a plate of Fresh Oysters or Baked Scallops. I was surprised at the size of the oysters—mostly medium to large, and served unlimited with wine every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For those who have yet to develop a taste for oyster, make sure to squeeze some lemon on it and give it a dash of hot sauce. Chew on it and let the briny and slippery shellfish slide down your throat.

The scallops were another story. It’s one of my favorite kinds of shellfish and it was made even more appealing by being cooked in butter and garlic. The combination was truly divine.

There are also a few meat dishes for the carnivores. One of the bestselling appetizers is the Boneless Buffalo Wings, which comes with tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber dip) and chili sauce. You can opt to have these served on the side.

Dishes like Certified Angus Rib Eye Steak or the Certified Angus Tenderloin Steak are available for beef lovers. But I highly suggest that you go there for dinner on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, when you can avail of the unlimited crab and steak promo. Yes, this is for real. You can eat all the hanging tender steak and mud crabs you want in one sitting. Be sure to get some burnt butter to dip your crabmeat into. The deal also comes with a cream of pumpkin soup that is made savory by some Indian spices.

The good thing about the restaurant’s unlimited deals is that the dishes are served on order. Diners don’t have to stand up and go back and forth to the buffet table like in other all-you-can-eat places. Instead of wasting time waiting in line, guests can just wait in their seats.

For those with smaller appetites, go for the Grilled Slipper Lobster with lemon butter sauce. The order comes with a choice of either starch (mashed potatoes, rice or fries) or veggies. This alien-looking sea creature actually tasted better than it looked. It was easy to get the meat from the shell and its smoky taste gave it another layer of flavor. I had no qualms about almost finishing the serving of two slipper lobsters.

Surf and turf meals are also on the menu for those who don’t want to overindulge with unlimited orders. Choose from crab and steak, prawns and steak, or slipper lobster and steak. Then if there’s too much seafood taste on your mouth, you can end your meal with the El Cangrejo Special Cake, a no-bake chocolate cheesecake topped with blueberries in syrup.

For me, though, I would rather concentrate on the seafood than the dessert.

Restaurant with a heart

There is no doubt that El Cangrejo's seafood is fresh, but the establishment also gets it straight from local sources, eliminating the middleman.

“We are getting it [oysters] directly from the fisherfolk of Obando, Bulacan,” said Degilla. The restaurant also supports local brands like Human Heart Nature for soap, Manny O for wines, and Bayani Brew for iced tea. “As a restaurant, we try to be socially responsible, helping people,” said Degilla. “We’re looking to promote local.”

It is now almost a year since the restaurant opened and it is becoming popular with residents in the area and workers from the nearby television networks and other offices. I just hope El Cangrejo will branch out soon—preferably in the southern part of the metro, so I could maybe celebrate my next birthday there with a seafood feast. — BM, GMA News

El Cangrejo Crab, Seafood and Steak Bistro (351-0700) is at Unit D1 Jardin de Zenaida, 34 Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City. It is open from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight from Monday to Sunday.