Last December, in one of my trips to Quezon province, I ate at Reyes Barbecue at SM City, Lucena. When I went to the counter to give my order, the lady behind did not say 'Good Afternoon'. She did not say 'Hi'. For crying out loud she didn't even bother to look up and acknowledge my presence. She was I think counting something. She was really focused on what she was doing. But a simple nod would have been enough to tell me to just wait for a moment. After about a minute I said I'd like to order Grilled Hamburger. She said that's P95. I wanted to tell her I know that because they have a 'menu' screaming right in front of me. But I kept my cool. I then gave her the money. She then said they'll bring it to my table together with my change. She didn't even bother to ask me if I was going to eat inside the restaurant or take the food out. (Maybe they do not allow 'take-outs').
After a few minutes, my order arrived. I asked the service crew for a glass with ice cubes. She left hurriedly then came back with my request. Sounds good, right? NOT! She just left it on my table with a loud thud. Again she didn't look at me. By the way this is a girl different from the one who took my order. I just told myself to let it go and just enjoy the food. (My review about it later.)
A few weeks ago, I was at SM City, Lucena again. I went back to Reyes Barbecue because all the other restos around were full. Reyes Barbecue has only one customer at that time. This was the same as my last visit. I actually didn't remember the bad experience I had the previous month until I went to the counter to order. Do you know why? Because the girl at the counter did the same thing. She ignored me. If I'm not mistaken she is a different girl. Like before, she didn't ask if I was intending to eat there or have the food packed so I could eat somewhere else. In my mind I was fuming mad. Good thing when I left after hurriedly eating my food, a guy near the door said "Thank you, sir!" That gesture made me think there's still hope.
Last Sunday I went back yet again. Remember I said there is hope. And true enough I got a better treatment. For one, the person behind the counter is not a SHE. There was a guy there who greeted me the moment I stepped in front of him. He asked me what I was having. So I ordered Grilled Hamburger. He didn't ask me if it is for dine-in or what but that didn't bother me since I was happy with the acknowledgment . When my food was delivered the crew said in Tagalog "Here is your order sir". I then asked for a glass with ice. He asked me if I'd like him to put water on it. Wow! A total change. Thus, I enjoyed my meal. So here is what I have to say about the food.
First the rice. I like it because it is not too sticky and not to loose. I like sticky rice only when I eat in Japanese restaurants. I do not like loose rice because I can be messy at times. The rice was cooked well. It is not oily. I hate it when I can taste the cheap oil many restos use.
Next we have the burger patties. Yum yum! They're thick. Not the kind you find in many fast food chains. I could say they are not pure meat but they are also not full of extenders. I mean you could really taste the meat. And the texture is just right. The meat was not ground too much to the point that you would wonder if it was really meat or some flour mixed with flavorings.
The gravy I can't say anything much about. It wasn't really extra ordinary but it was okay.
It was served on a sizzling plate so the food is hot. The nice thing about it is that the plate is just hot enough so it didn't give the rice and the patties a burnt taste which is what I have experienced in other restos. The smoke also did not last long so I knew the smell didn't get stuck on my shirt. Hmmm!
Overall I could say their Grilled Hamburger is great. The hamburger patties are real -- not some mixture of unidentifiable ingredients pretending to be a hamburger. Now, if only they would constantly give good customer service like what the male service crews did, I would gladly recommend them to all my friends. So caution guys, think twice before entering if you girls manning the counter. Wink!
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