House of Chops — Restaurant in Mabalacat

What an abomination for this establishment to be located in Pampanga, the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, and where the locals are also known for their great hospitality.

This is our second time visiting this restaurant. Our first was 6 months ago, and we were hoping there are now at least a few improvements made since. Much to our dismay, this restaurant seems to be going downhill in all aspects.

First, terrible service. The server was quick to hand the menu, but did so by putting down the menus on the table as if the last thing he'd rather do was work in this wretched, sorry excuse of an establishment.

The salt shakers on the table were fully stocked, but were crusty as hell. It was obvious the workers were just constantly ignoring the grime on the shaker while constantly and begrudgingly filling them up every time it needs a top-up.

The salt shaker can be paired well with their glasses and plastic water pitcher, which were all as crusty. They were so crusty they made the water look like iced tea.

The Gambas tasted like pure chilis and nothing else. The chicken stew was a bit more edible, but was terribly bland. The roasted garlic on the chicken skin saved it by a hair.

The pesto stuffed chicken rolls were the same. They were okay, and the chicken was tender, but it honestly just tasted like canteen food where you can buy this same menu item for half its price.

The rice was dry too, but edible nonetheless.

The filthy state of the restrooms were equally tragic. We came early lunch time, and there were no customers, so safe to say they don't regularly clean them. We highly recommend future guests, if any, to save going to the restroom until after you're done eating as much as you could stomach from what you ordered.

The cherry on top was the place demands you a service charge. I hope it all goes toward the staff, as I highly suspect that with the hospitality they offer to customers, that they do not get paid enough, if at all they do get paid.

House of Chops? More like...

Terrible experience which I will explain below: I stood at the entrance while waiting for my husband. After what seemed like a minute, someone opened the door. When I said that I was waiting for someone, he shut the door to my face and walked away without a word. 1st red flag right there. Several menu items were marked not available. When we started ordering, we were told that half of our order was not available. Seemed like it's been a while since the unavailable items were such, because the markings were worn, slightly erased. Couldn't afford a new menu? I had to repeat our orders several times. It was lunch time and they were not packed. 5 tables with 3 servers. The server was already unattentive that early? The pink lemonade was warm even with lots of ice. When I asked the seever if it was meant to be warm, he said they probably used warm water to dissolve the powdered lemonade. Powdered, really? At that price, I expected fresh. When they served the meal, they did not know which side to place them on even though the server who took orders was there. They even placed both rice bowls on my husband's side even though I had space on my side. Perplexing. I said thanks for each order nonetheless. Did not get a single acknowledgement. Not a single "you're welcome". Not even a nod. Oh and the bread that came with the soup is burnt and the mashed potato is ooey...

Tried the “East Meets West” platter good for 3-4 persons at 1499 (subject to 5% service charge) and additional order of Buffalo Wings! I’ll start with the ambience which is nice and cozy, service is good. They will set your expectations as to when the meal will be available (15-20 minutes). We were first served the Crunchy Tossed Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing. Aesthetically disappointing because it’s just lettuce and some carrots, it tasted weird at first bite with that peanut butter dressing but the thing is, you’ll want more and it’s a good appetiser as it will literally makes you hungry and ready for the main course. Some appetisers will fill you up easily. The Creamy Salmon in Lemon Crape Sauce tastes good but I admit, I’m more used to eating Salmon as Sashimi. One thing I learned though is those slices of lemon are to be squeezed and sprinkled around the sauce and salmon and not just a garnish. The Buffalo Wings are pretty great specially with the ranch dressing. And yes, the main course, the star of the platter - the Crackling Pork Belly Roast with Miso Butter dip!!! Wow! Just Wow! The meat is unexpectedly tender and the skin is what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of thing - crispy!! The Miso Butter dip? Heavens, whoever‘s idea this is, is a genius! So good! I highly recommend Crackling Pork...