I was wondering why my Mom had been so persistent in hauling us to this place. I mean Angeles is more than 10 kilometers away from Bocaue. So before closing the car door to our destination, I was already expecting a grandiose place with expansive gardens (my mom loves gardens) where my son can run around and one decorated with fountains or sculptures too. (Wow, does a place like that even exist here?) And the food, I was expecting to be just average. I thought my Mom just wanted to get away and have a leisurely car ride with food only an afterthought.
So after an hour of driving and almost getting lost, I was deposited to a quaint place on a little side street. Oh, is this it? I thought to myself, not exactly as I expected to be but still it had a cozy appeal to it. We were ushered inside a little room, maybe their only private area with tables that can be arranged together. Then we were given the menus. I browsed through it and ordered the T-bone steak then went back to minding my restless kid.
I was surprised that our orders arrived quickly maybe because it was 2 pm and they weren’t busy. I sampled my steak, not expecting much and hmm.. my steak was cooked just right, quite tender. I didn’t even need a knife to cut it with, my fork sliced through it effortlessly. The meat also went well with their gravy as I spread it luxuriantly on my steak. Honestly, I was amazed how well they can cook their steaks here because some restaurants in Manila can overcook your steak rendering it rubbery and almost inedible.
Here at least I don’t even need to tell them how I’d like it. For me, medium well with no blood please. But I’m sure you can also tell them if you want it rare or well done. I have been to steak houses before and this restaurant even if it’s not classified as a steak house will make them run for their money. Maybe their only advantage to A.C. Rumpa is the variety of their steak portions.
The only thing I didn’t like was the scent of the gravy that lingered in my hands after dining. I know I applied alcohol on it but I can still smell a faint scent. Maybe it’s just me and I’m being fussy or maybe I should have washed my hands with soap. Or maybe the sauce, one that had quite a flavor can even “flavor” my hands. But of course, the scent faded eventually.
Overall, my husband also thought that their steaks were good while my brother loved their salad. Yes, it was quite a trip and there were no expansive gardens as I expected but it is a quaint and lovely place with good food. If my Mom asks me to take a road trip to this place again, I will definitely say yes.
