So, we’ve been eating here at Blake’s many times now. We also celebrated many events here. My birthday, my daughter’s 15th, my niece’s 17th, and recently, we had an early Father’s Day lunch because we know how hard it could be to secure seats on the exact day.

When I first ate here, I really thought it was an international franchise, because the food was really good. So, I asked my husband Lay, if it is indeed a franchise since he was the one who introduced me to Blake’s. He weaved a story that it’s actually a restaurant owned by Blake, the judge in The Voice ( Blake Shelton, the country singer). So, ako naman paniwalang paniwala ako sa kanya, duh gullible.

But a simple Google search revealed that Blake’s actually originated in Marikina. Hay naku Lay di na ko maniniwala talaga sayo . Today, it has grown to eight branches and is continuously delighting many Filipino families with its delicious offerings.

Yesterday, June 11, we had an early Father’s Day celebration and ordered the following

Truffle Cream Pasta P395

When I first tried this, I didn’t like it. The distinct and earthy flavor and aroma of truffles is a bit of an acquired taste. And since di naman tayo alta sociedad, slapsoil lang, it was a bit offputting in the beginning. But I’ve grown to love it. Though, to be honest, my initial impression of it was it smelled similar to our dog, Astro, lol. But kidding aside, I loved it now. You just need to have it grow on you.

Classic Beef Spaghetti P345

This is my favorite pasta dish from Blake’s. Kaya even if we already have one order of pasta, di pwede na wala ito.

Blake’s Nachos P365

Another order staple. Great to munch on while waiting for the main dishes.

Grilled Steak Salad with Asian Dressing P375

A hack we discovered. Order this and you don’t need to order steak, lol. The slices of steak are enough to fill you. I love the tanginess of the dressing and the doneness of the steak.

Wicked Wings – 1/2kg Sweet and Spicy variant with Bleu cheese dip P395

Out of all the variant this is the best for us. They have: BBQ, Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, Honey Garlic, Korean snowing cheese, Lemon Pepper, Spicy Honey, Honey Chipotle, Truffle Parmesan. It also comes with one choice of dip (bleu cheese, garlic ranch, or honey mustard). The 1/2 kg has 12 pieces, good enough for a family of 4. I think I’ve tried all of them and I liked most except for the Korean snowing cheese.

Flat Iron Steak P365

I ordered the original with herbed butter in medium well. My kids said they wanted it a bit pinkish (as if naman order nila yun). For its price, I feel it’s well worth it.

Beef Salpicao P395

Papa’s favorite. The burst of garlic flavor and the tenderness of the beef made this dish a true winner. The serving is always generous and we would always have something left over to take home. Or dahil we ordered too many and we can’t possibly stuff our faces anymore.

BEFORE

AFTER, lol

I loved most of their dishes. The ambiance of the resto is great too. The staff is generally friendly, Here are just some of my observations and suggestions to people who will try it out:

1. We didn’t like the Baby Back Ribs. It’s something we can just make at home. And for the price of P695 for 1/2kg, I’ll pass.
2. Their Clam chowder is always unavailable 😦
3. They don’t honor reservations. If you want to dine in, you’ll have to line up and get a number to queue. And if they call you and you’re not present, you’ll be placed at the bottom of the queue. So that means, if you want to celebrate a birthday say with a group of 20 people like we had for my daughter’s birthday, you have to plan it well. Luckily for us, it was a Monday. But we still lined up for more than an hour.
4. What’s great about the staff is they understand how ravenous people are. They have a complimentary plate of crackers to give while you wait for your order to be served. Yesterday we were so hungry and the server refilled our plate with crackers twice lol (PG).
5. We particularly love the serving size. Very family-friendly.
6. It would be nice to have more dessert options. They only have the chocolate chip cookie, displayed by the entrance. I’m a bit wary of ordering it.