It was a Monday night when I first made my way to Union Jack Tavern in Alabang, with my sister and her best friend in tow. Traffic was moving slowly towards the south and by the time we finished parking we were all starving.

 

We were seated at once and after a quick perusal of the menu, decided to get the following dishes: Fish & Chips (naturally the most-ordered item on the menu), Steak and Mushroom Pie, Buffalo Wings and the Fisherman’s Pie. Waiting patiently while sitting down was futile; a few steps away from our table was the English Grocery looking very well-stocked, so off we went in turns to look at what they had for people who might want to take more British goods home.

 

Chocolate eggs, Terry’s Chocolate oranges and all things Cadbury filled the chillers; the pale green shelves were full of pantry items an Englishman vacationing or living here might be missing from home: HP Sauce, Ribena concentrate, 5 different kinds of thick-cut marmalade, (Lyle’s) golden syrup and black treacle, Bird’s Custard Powder, Marmite, Bovril, Colman’s, curries (powders and pastes), canned puddings, and of course, Guinness.

 

There were two chillers which housed their homemade sausages and pies, as well as bacon imported from the UK too, if you wanted to bring some home to cook for the family.

 

A few minutes later we’re sitting down to an English feast, and we completely enjoy the meal til the last bite… alright we couldn’t finish everything – but only because we over-ordered – so we took home a more than three-quarters of the Fisherman’s pie, perfect for me because I could then have it for lunch the next day.

 

All in all, service was great; the food was too. For someone missing home it’s a great place to stop by for a drink or two and some well-cooked British food that may or may not be just like your mum’s cooking.

 

The English Grocery: items found in the grocery.

 

Fish & Chips: Crisp on the outside and perfectly-cooked on the inside, the beer-battered John Dory was not greasy at all. I liked the mushy peas; we all loved the hand-cut chips dipped in the HP sauce.

 

 

Fisherman’s Pie: Salmon, white fish and shrimp in a light cream sauce flavored with thyme. Lovely, and we liked the thinly-sliced potatoes+mashed potato crust. But I think the robust flavor of the Steak and Mushroom pie sort of overwhelmed this one. We should have tried this first.

 

 

Steak and Mushroom Pie: Nice crust, and the filling was quite chunky – no cheating here. Mmm comfort food.

 

 

Buffalo Wings: Alright so it’s not technically British, but we wanted some spicy wings. It was pretty good too! Next time maybe just this and a pint, camped out at a table in front of the LCDs mounted on the walls.

 

 

For those who are with friends who prefer pinoy pulutan with their mugs of ale, here’s a part of the menu dedicated to them.

 

 

Union Jack Tavern, Restaurant & English Grocery

Units 2112A, 2112B and 2113: Level 2

Festival Supermall

Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Philippines

(You can park near Starbucks at the same mall, the open air lots have more space than the one directly in front of the Tavern.)

 

- Breakfast served daily from 7-10.30am

- English Lunch Buffet - 12-3pm on Sundays

- Happy Hour is at 7-10.30am / 3-9pm, 7 days a week

 

A bit of trivia for you: The place is owned by David (of David’s Salon*). Yes – it’s true, one of the managers told us herself. Who would have thought it?

 

 

Special thanks to Mr. Cyril Ople, Ms. Emmie Mendoza and Ms. Lin Tan, the gracious managers of UJTavern.

Posted on 10 April 2009 by Darcy in Cuisine, Lifestyle, Travel

Tagged alabang, english grocery, restaurant, union jack tavern