1st Colonial Grill — Restaurant in Legazpi

One of the lunchtime staff likes to tell departing customers "see you tomorrow!" and, indeed, I had a meal here three times over four days.

1st Colonial is one of the most well-reviewed restaurants in the city and our first stop after unloading our bags at the hotel.

Dinuguan (P109) 2.5 My benchmark for dinuguan is the one from Aristocrat. This is not better than Aristocrat. The meat is tender and there is no funky taste you get from other restaurants but they balance using meat (rather than innards) by adding kamote as well which is a no-go for me. I don't think the kamote really brings anything to the dish apart from being filler/extender.

Bicol Express (P389) 3.0 Same sentiments for Bicol Express. Authentic Bicol Express is very much hyped by Bicolanos and this may not be the version being hyped. Coming from Manila, this is perfectly good bicol express but I did not feel like I was missing out on my entire life by having Manila Bicol Express if this was the point of comparison. If anything, this will make me search harder for "super authentic" "homestyle" Bicol Express.

Spiciness is fair for someone who orders spicy food. Did not break into a sweat from the spice.

Tinapa Rice (P65) 2.5 This is okay, and a reasonable price above their plain rice (P40). That said, we paired this with the dinuguan and the bicol express so the flavors of the tinapa were overpowered. I suggest ordering this with the spring rolls, fried chicken, etc. for better flavvor balance.

Pasta Bicolana (P175) 5.0 This was my favorite among the savory dishes we tried during the trip! As someone who likes preparing oil-based pasta for myself, this is what I aspire to make. I will order this again every time I visit Legazpi.

Pancit Bato (P175) 2.5 I've never had pancit bato but it is the regional variant of pancit and as someone who appreciate pancit I had to try it. The flavors are okay but I think I need to read about it more and try the dish again to better appreciate. Wasn't something that immediately struck me as something to look for in a menu or try to cook for myself. This also suffered from being ordered with the Pasta Bicolana.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls (P149) 3.0 This is a great pairing with the pancit bato. I couldn't quite pinpoint what filling they use (no standout flavors like tofu or mung beans). I would have wanted a spicier vinegar to pair this with. Would be good to pair with sauce dishes.

Sili Ice Cream (P129) 4.0 I ordered Level 2 and this was just right for me. You can definitely feel the spice and the slight numbing of your tongue, but not to an unbearable degree. I think the greatest asset of sili ice cream is how well it pairs with every other flavor because the kick of spiciness is so novel.

I personally would not order three scoops of just sili ice cream and I find it much more interesting in seeking out what it pairs with best.

Pili Ice Cream 2.5 I would want to better taste the pili in this in the same way as you would in peanut butter ice cream.

Pinya Ice Cream 2.5 The texture of this was a little bit like a sherbet and different from the other flavors I tried. Slight sweet and sour taste.

Carmelado Ice Cream 2.0 I don't know what carmelado is (caramel?) but this was the plainest flavor I tried and was definitely overpowered by the sili.

Gabi Ice Cream 3.0 Had gabi chunks which was great but a little too close to ube ice cream to ditinguish itself.

Pinangat (145) 3.0 I think the kitchen flubbed this order since I ordered the spicy variant and didn't really get a lot of spice here. While it's not exactly laing, the overall taste is really pretty close. You'll like it if you like laing and you won't if you don't.

Pork Sisig (325) 2.5 Perfectly ok sisig but doesn't reach the highs of what I've had from other fast casual restaurants and places in Manila (particularly Congo Grille and a jollijeep near Three Salcedo).

While my hit rate for the restaurant is not high, they have an extensive menu exhibiting local flavors so I will likely...

Had mixed feelings about the food and service.

It's disappointing that the restaurant didn't live up to my expectations when it comes to their signature dish, the Bicol Express. The small serving skze and serving the dish not hot was totally a let down. However, I enjoyed the Kandingga, which is Bicol's version of bopis.

The Pasta Bicolana and Tinapa Fried Rice both received positive ratings for taste, but the fact that they were served not hot could be improved. It's also worth noting that the servings are only good for 1-2 people, which may not be ideal for those dining with a group.

On a positive note, the ice cream flavors sound unique and delicious. It's definitely a must-try.

Lastly, service is slow and it's a bit inconvenient that the restaurant only accepts cash and Gcash. It may be helpful for them to offer more payment options in the future to accommodate customers' preferences.

Overall, it seems like there are some hits and misses at this restaurant. While it's good to try new things and support local businesses, it's important to manage our expectations and make informed decisions...

This is probably an institution in Legazpi and Bicol. They serve a lot of local Bicol dishes and they are so good that I went there twice during my two day stay in Legazpi. If you are a tourist and visiting the city, this is a restaurant you must visit to get a flavor of the local Bicol cuisine.

On the first day I ordered the Bicol Express (pork stew made with coconut milk, Bicol Chilies and Bagoong- paste made with fermented fish) and the Tinapa Fried Rice. Both were really good. I also got the famous Sili Ice Cream (Chili Ice Cream) which comes in 4 hotness flavours.

On the second day I got the Pasta Bicolana, Laing (Dried Taro leaves cooked in coconut sauce) and Pinangat (Taro leaves, coconut cream with pork and salted Shrimp). This was my favourite meal in the Philippines. I also got the Turmeric Honey Citron Tea.

The only downside of this restaurant is the service which is below par. The first day the restaurant was pretty empty and on the second day there was one big group. On both occasions it was hard to catch the attention of the servers...