Mandaluyong City's R & J Bulalohan for Beef Shank Soup

I'm not a food snob. As long as it tastes great, I'd forego the ambiance.

After watching a French movie that left us bewildered, my Mandaluyong-based friends and I decided to eat somewhere near the area. We were hoping dinner would make up for the unsatisfying viewing, and R & J Bulalohan stepped up to the plate. It was already late that Sunday night, but the place was crawling with people. I even saw one of my former professors having beer al fresco in front of the restaurant.

My friends told me that the former hole-in-the-wall  has since grown organically on the basis of its star dish--the bulalo. Plastered on its walls are pictures of stars who came to eat, as well as television programs they have catered to.

beefy goodness in a bowl

We tried the bulalo special, which was good enough for three. The soup was straightforwardly beefy, not the usual watered down version of many restaurants, the cabbage leaves were crisp, and the meat was tender.  I had the bone marrow to myself--for one moment there, while savoring the gooey goodness, I thought the world stopped and everything was all right.

watch out for the signage