When strolling at Lacson Street in Bacolod, it’s hard not to notice 21 Restaurant. It’s one of those dining places that stand out due to its impressive design and most of all, the food that they serve.
Team Explorer got the chance to have a nice chat with one of the owners, Mr. Paolo Araneta and the Restaurant Manager, Ms. Maricar Sales Oebanda. Through our conversation, we learned a lot of things about the establishment.
Here are some interesting facts about 21 restaurant that make it worth your visit.
How the Restaurant Was Born
21 Restaurant was the brainchild of the family’s matriarch, Lydia de la Rama Gamboa. She created a “hole in the wall” or snack house composed of 15-20 stalls just near her house at 21st Lacson Street in 1984. “Food Corner” was the original name and it served original Batchoy which really pleased the customers making the place very popular to Negrenses. Four years later, the business expanded and more items were added to their menu such as burgers, spare ribs and many more. From a snack corner, the business transformed into 21 Restaurant which is now a fine dining place that offers various types of fresh catch such as; shrimps, prawns, crabs, squid, bulgan, tangigue and kikiero.
The restaurant had their very own “special aquarium” where customers can select their catch then taken and cooked the way they wanted. This method started a food frenzy in Bacolod and more and more people began to check out the place since then. Fish served at the restaurant was fresh since it came all the way from the family’s fish pond. This fish pond was where the family used to bring their friends to hang out and eat, then out of it came the idea of bringing the “fish pond” to the city. Few more years later and the business grew due to its continuous innovation and invention.
Some of the original specialties of 21 Restaurant include; fried baby crabs dipped in vinegar (Crispy Crablets), Barbecue Squid and Steamed Shrimps. The restaurant also became famous for its authentic Ilonggo dishes like, sinigang, kinilaw and crispy pata. They also offer various meat and poultry dishes to cater to different customer tastes and preferences. 21 Restaurant used to be known as Bar 21 since they operated as a bar and restaurant for 10 years in the 80’s until 2005. Today, they no longer have a bar, it is just purely a restaurant.
The restaurant is currently owned by cousins; Mr. Paolo Araneta, Chef Richie Gamboa, Antoni Espinos and Rica Lacson.
Design and Concept
According to one of the owners, the interior of the place was designed by his cousin. It resembles a hotel restaurant or a dining place with a hotel ambiance.
The design is modern and classy. Due to its expensive façade, this should not discourage guests from entering the place because 21 Restaurant welcomes anybody who wants to enter, no matter who they are and what they wear, there is no dress code.
Best-sellers from the Menu
The restaurant offers a mix of Filipino and International cuisine straight from their menu.
They are also popular for their seafood which they consider as one of their signature dishes. We got the chance to taste some of their best-sellers and here’s what we think:
Original Super Batchoy – It was so good, it has bone marrow in it which really gave it a distinct taste.
Tangigue Kinilaw – We never tried kinilaw with salted egg before but in this case, it really pleased our taste buds! The salted egg blended well with the fish and added more flavor to it. What a good pairing!
Chicken Inasal – It’s a different take to the famous inasal dish of Bacolod but it works! This chicken inasal is juicy and we loved the sauce used, it was very delicious.
Squid Teriyaki – This one is very unique. We are used to having chicken teriyaki at Japanese restaurants but this one used “squid” as its meat. We liked the way “squid ink” was mixed with rice giving it a black color and a very extraordinary taste.
Lamb with Curry Rice – The lamb meat was good, the flavors really stood out and what really amazed us was the surprising twist done to the dish. It had curry rice combined with the lamb and it was really delicious. It’s like two dishes in one which was astounding, definitely something we never tried before.
Crablets – Very crispy and tasted even better when dipped into their special sauce. It’s the perfect appetizer to any meal.
Ravioli – Extremely delicious, we consumed this dish first. We loved how it was done, the flour is not too thick and the dip blended well with the ravioli.
Krispy Kare-Kare – Another masterpiece. It’s a cross between lechon kawali and kare-kare. The meat was very crispy and tasty. The unexpected twist was the Kare-Kare underneath the kawali. It’s really impressive how they tie up all these dishes together, re-creating one dish and adding it to another. It takes a food genius to come up with all these.
Special Bibingka – This is really a winner for us! The taste is unforgettable. It has plenty of buko inside which we really loved. This enhanced the flavor of the regular bibingka, elevating it to one of the most sought-after desserts!
21 Restaurant Chocolate Cake – What made this chocolate cake different from others is that it was “micro-waved” to achieve a certain level of goodness. It was delightful and left a nice taste on the mouth.
Facilities and Events
The restaurant has six function rooms that are ideal for meetings, conferences and events.
Small function room – It can accommodate 25 persons. This is best for meetings and conferences.
Medium-sized function room – The function room has the capacity of 40 persons and is good for intimate gatherings and events.
Big function room – This is newly renovated and is an extension of the other functions. It can cater to as many as 100 guests due to its wide space.
For those interested to book a function room at 21 Restaurant, they have a minimum package of P250 per head, buffet-type service and minimum of 20 persons.
What Makes Them Stand Out
When asked what makes 21 Restaurant stand out from the rest, Ms. Maricar Oebenda said that there are three things that elevated them from other restaurants in Bacolod;
PRICE – Their prices are very affordable for a fine dining restaurant. Visitors from Manila are actually surprised after ordering what are known as “expensive dishes” from other restaurants and having to pay only a small amount at 21 resto.
FOOD – The taste is really amazing. The food is also creatively done since some of them have surprising twists that make them more interesting and appetizing to the palate.
AMBIANCE – The ambiance is incredible. It has a warm, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The place is classy and sophisticated, giving the feel of being in a 5-star hotel.
Hours of Operation
21 Restaurant is open from 10:00 am – 10:30 pm, 7 days a week.
Contact Details
For inquiries and bookings please contact them at:
Website: www.21restaurant.com
Contact Number: +63 34 433 4096
Email: [email protected]
Facebook Page: 21 Restaurant
If you’re on vacation in Bacolod and want to engage in a food trip, go to 21 Restaurant and have a decent meal without hurting your wallet. Who knew you can dine at a classy resto without worrying about your budget? In this place, not only will you have a fine dining experience but you’ll also be treated like a VIP!
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Jim Custer
My wife and I like Bar 21. The food is good, the service is efficient, and the waiters/waitresses seem to go out of their way to make their guests happy. One criticism I have, however, is this: for a “fine dining” establishment I would think they could figure a better way of dispensing paper towels in the men’s room than just puting them on top of the urinal. A paper towel dispenser can’t be that expensive.