The new must-try in Kapitolyo: Tomahawk Chops & Grill

Mall-based dining options are convenient, but can also be boring and safe. Restaurants and diners off the usual beaten path provide not only new dining concepts and cuisines but also promise good eats at reasonable prices.

Kapitolyo Street in Pasig City is home to a handful of hole-in-the-wall eateries that are relatively unknown to the public but are beginning to be talked about and featured by foodies and food blogs.

One of the newest kids on the block is Tomahawk Chops & Grill, an American concept restaurant that serves state-side classics like grilled meat, steaks, ribs and chicken.

Grilled Tomahawk Chop (P295) - Specialty of the house. Grilled inch-thick bone-in pork loin chops with signature sauce. Served with white rice, corn and carrots.

One bite and you would instantly be hooked. The thick pork loin slab is soft and goes perfectly with the signature sauce. The meat itself has a clean taste, not too oily and seasoned perfectly.

Although pork loin is known for its tenderness, the flavor falls under the milder side, and this is where the signature sauce combines perfectly with the pork.

After cutting, slicing and eating the loin, the natural thing to do is pick up the bone and start chewing the remaining bits of meat. Messy, both on the mouth and the hands, you just won’t have it any other way. Word of advice: ask for extra napkins.

I opted to have the Dirty Rice option (add P25) and was not disappointed. The staff mentioned that it was fried rice with spices mixed in. Coleslaw accompanied the Tomahawk Chop instead of the corn and carrots mentioned in the menu but I really didn’t mind. The string beans side dish was the healthier, crunchier and more interesting alternative for me than the mushroom, fries, mac & cheese and mashed potato options.

Grilled Hanger Steak (P320) - I have only tried hanger or butcher’s steak once in a teppanyaki restaurant. Hanger is a flavorful cut of steak that butchers in the past usually keep for their own consumption. As the Grilled T-Bone Steak was unavailable, the next best option to order was the Grilled Hanger Steak.

The steak was also inch-thick like the tomahawk chop but unfortunately the thickness did not work for me. Although cooked to a perfect medium/medium-rare doneness, the meat was tough and chewy. The slices of hanger steak I tried in the aforementioned teppanyaki restaurant were smaller and thinner, hence was more tender and easier to eat than Tomahawk Chops’ version.

Premium Ice Tea Carafe (165) - Ice Tea with a calamansi base is neither too sweet nor bland. Compared to traditional lemon ice teas, the calamansi gives the drink a more tart flavor and more refreshing taste. One carafe is good for 2-3 people to share.

Big portions, bold flavors and prices easy on the pocket, the months-old Tomahawk Chops & Grill is still on soft opening, but is slowly and surely beginning to have a serious following. — BM, GMA News

Tomahawk Chops & Grill is on 56-A East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City.