Jonas: The pares project

On a certain week last March, I was all agog about Beef Pares after seeing a tarpaulin sign outside Kalbert's, a nice eatery along Espana Blvd. in Manila, which I pass by everyday as I commute to work (It now has a branch at SM Mall of Asia, by the way). The tarpaulin says: "Beef Pares, P60. With Chili Sauce!" That ran some electricity down my spine - the chili sauce! Hahaha! I love anything that comes with chili sauce! And so one day, I dropped by Kalbert's (even though I was running late as usual)  to order their Beef Pares for take out. I had it for lunch in the office and boy, it was really good! The beef was tender and yummy and the chili sauce had the perfect "kick" (because others are a tad too sweet) . My only complaint was that the Beef Pares itself was on the sweet side but it was forgiveable because the chili sauce gave the perfect balance. Sayang, I had no camera to take pictures with.  My pares cravings did not die that day, however, so when Sunday came, I tagged along my daughter Nikki to try Jonas in SM San Lazaro. Jonas, fellow bloggers said, "invented" Beef Pares, which, by the way, is simply beef paired with fried rice.  In 1979, Jonas first served beef pares in their eatery on Mayon corner Retiro Streets in Quezon City, and the dish has since become famous and various eateries and carinderias have offered their own version of it. Jonas' small restaurant in SM San Lazaro has nice ambiance but I was a little surprised at how far their prices came compared to Kalbert's. Taste-wise, I leaned toward Kalbert's too (sorry! this is just my personal opinion, though), especially since the beef there is more tender. I liked it though that Jonas' Pares  was not too sweet, unlike Kalbert's and their fried rice was a little better too (or was it just the looks?). However, the serving here was larger than at Kalbert's so that's a plus point for Jonas. Aside from beef pares, Nikki and I both had 2 pieces of Siomai as side dish and together with a regular-sized Iced Tea, our orders were priced at P175 each.  So, will I come back to Jonas? Well, yes, if I'm at SM San Lazaro and craving for beef pares. :-)

* This restaurant has closed down.