Bom Gosto, The Podium — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

Having tried almost all of the restaurants over at The Podium, Bom Gosto is one of the few remaining that we haven’t tried, but have tried now.

The service was impeccable, the food was just okay, and the ambiance was also just okay.

We were promptly seated in a table for two. They knew this place will have a lot of couple diners.

Prices are a bit on the high side, considering this is one of the brands under Vikings Group, which have their brands associated with value for money and not exactly luxury dining. It did not matter, as what we paid for dining here at Bom Gosto might be the same over at your typical Vikings, and the food isn’t really a big leap in terms of flavor.

The salad was a knocker, with generous portions and the chicken was fried to perfection. We were told there was sauce in the bottom and we should mix the salad before serving. Delicious.

The margherita pizza was solid, but the crust was obviously pre prepared under commissary, and the buratta was served to us was still chilled. We would appreciate it more if the burrata was at least served in room temperature. The tomato sauce carried the dish somewhat, but it was really ruined by the temperature of the burrata. It was just so-so. I do not recommend it.

The baked salmon was better, the sauce had a mild flavor to compliment the salmon, but it lacked a citrus punch which we were expecting as typical to salmon dishes. The portion was also very questionable. Again, it was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Overall the value for money is somewhat questionable for our orders, but it wasn’t that bad. We’ve been in worse for sure, but basing on those thoughts, this was definitely not a place which I will be buzzing to tell people about. Its just another forgettable Italian/European restaurant.

The interiors looked like they were mostly pulled out from Vikings branches nationwide. You could see that they are already showing some wear and tear.

Overall, its just an average restaurant for a somewhat above average price. There are definitely better places to...

You've got to face it. You're pretending to love Europe. Europe that's expensive and hard to reach and hard to fit into. You cannot afford Europe but maybe your job can make you but without it, no. Europe will stay as Europe. But if you cannot help but be curious, id recommend Bom Gosto. I'd recommended paying almost a steep price for a three country European cuisine blowout.

We ordered spinach and cheese croquettas which were delectably crusted and crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. The Italian fried calamari were cooked perfectly, the squid is tender and whatever batter they used to coat is was also flavorful. We just wished it was served with a garlic instead of lemon aoli, and might also work better with salsa as a dip. The smoked salmon pintxos had a good sized serving of smoked salmon. The oven-baked scallops were great but I think we paid too dearly for this dish. There were 5 big scallops served on its shell. I think I will appreciate it more if there were more pieces of bite-sized or smaller scallops. The Chicken cordon bleu was nothing exceptional. It's served with truffle potatoes but there wasn't much truffle flavor there, maybe just a very slight hint. Our favorite dish we ordered was the roasted duck rice. It was pleasantly savory and the rice was perfectly cooked. One thing I don't like is that there were more chorizos on the topping more and there were just very few bits of duck. I think its better served with thin duck slices instead of tiny bits.

Overall, the ambiance was great and the staff were polite, attentive and helpful. They let us stay beyond closing hours and accommodated our late reservation. I just don't appreciate that they asked us to pay the bill before we were done with dinner but this is maybe because they were...

The view from afar makes you wonder if eating here is the right choice, but once you try it - bom! Gosto mo na.

Had the chance to eat dinner here, since the resto was spacious and almost empty! Looking closer there were 4 sets of diners to the side, hidden.

We got seated immediately and service overall is good. We went in blind with the dishes we picked, but overall, the food was GREAT. Would also say that this is a value-for-money spot. Serving size is fair. Serving time is average.

We ordered the ff: Squash Soup with Prosciutto (5/5) Roasted Porkchop (4.5/5) - We were caught off-guard by the potato gratin that was included in the solo order. Tender enough, not dry, and juicy. Comes with chimichurri. Gusto ko na kamayin pero tiniis ko nalang mag kutsilyo para masimot. Herb-crusted Barramundi (4.5/5) - Very much reminds me of tilapia, with a good herb crust and cream-based sauce. Handful marble potatoes. **Both the pork and fish had fried(?) basil and potatoes, I guess we should've ordered only one Beef Risotto (4.5/5) - Surprised that it tasted so well as most of my experience with the dish was either mushroom, cream, or seafood-based. Beef and mushroom were spot on and goes well with either of the mains above. Caution, hot!

Great choice and would definitely come back. Although, it would be also interesting to have graced upon...