BY the time we got back to Manila from Tagaytay, it was already dark. E and I decided to go to Teacher’s Village in Quezon City for dinner. We ended up at a small, unassuming shop called Empire Steak, which was filled with customers (>people = good food, right?)

It was already 8pm and we were both very hungry since our last meal was at 1pm. The wait for seats took about 15mins.

Basic decor, simple tables and chairs that could fit about 15-20pax max. We placed our orders and waited eagerly, our stomachs rumbling….

…..and waited

……and waited

…..and waited

It took a whole hour for our food to arrive. It wasn’t just us as the other patron who arrived before us was also getting impatient. I mean, how long does it take to cook for a group of 20pax in your shop? I can’t imagine how long the waiting time would be if there had been more.

To be fair, their steaks are cheap (PHP250)  – I got mine with rice, their ‘premium gravy’, some stir fried beans with onions and runny eggs atop a slab of steak, done medium rare. The gravy wasn’t good as it had an odd, ‘soapy’ taste; like it was trying to hard to be mushroom or black pepper and failing at both.

The steak was okay; a little overdone….but I’m definitely not waiting a whole hour for a steak that tastes meh.

E skipped the eggs. He was pretty annoyed too lol and that’s saying something, since he’s the patient one among the two of us.

Reviews on the net have been positive; it was even touted one of the best places to get steaks under PHP500. I don’t deny it’s cheap, but the service and waiting time leaves much to be desired.

EMPIRE STEAK

154-D Maginhawa Street Brgy. Sikatuna Quezon City, Manila, Philippines

Phone: 63 917 612 2912

Opening hours: 11am-3pm, 5pm – 10pm – 11pm (Fri-Sat).