Good Earth Roasts (GER)

Posted on the 28 March 2013 by Joaquin Medina @joaquinigo
If you've been around The Fort Strip recently, chances are you've noticed the new restaurant that has popped up where the Italian restaurant Focaccia used to be. We were walking home one day, tempted to have dinner out, and decided to drop by for a taste.

The vibrant sign illuminates one side of The Fort Strip.

Good Earth Roasts looks like what a hybrid of a Hong Kong restaurant and a bar would look like. The interior was quite dark but pleasantly cozy and the theme continues to show on the inside. There was some music keeping the mood festive, but not too loud so as to make it difficult to converse.

I appreciate the contrast of the lively display against the dim backdrop of the restaurant.

Upon acquiring our table, we went right down to ordering. We were planning to just have a quick dinner, after all. We decided to go with one variety of fried rice, one hofan, and what turned out to be a minuscule side of isaw, which was surprisingly on the menu, and also surprisingly, is something Alvie hasn't tried yet.

Duck Hofan, P198.00

You'll have to bear with our pictures, as we had to take them in the dark environment. :) Hofan has always been a favorite of mine in Chinese cuisine. This version was alright. The noodles were a tad bit too wet, oily, and bland. The duck was surprisingly delicious, though. Not as good as authentic Hong Kong fare, but it was comparable. I can imagine myself wanting to order this if I find myself having an intense craving for duck or hofan.

Crispy Pork Fried Rice, P168.00

Now, this one wasn't as good. The pork was indeed crispy yet slightly overcooked and deficient in moisture. Both the rice and the pork were lacking flavor for us both. We expected more taste from a fried rice dish. It was not too expensive, but we are not likely to order this again.

Chicken Isaw, P20.00

Unfortunately, this was as sad as it looks. It was not a good first experience for Alvie because it had both the taste and consistency of cardboard. I had to convince her not to give up on isaw entirely. With the vinegar, it becomes more tolerable but we learned the lesson that this is no place for street food.
Verdict:
Duck Hofan: Average
Crispy Pork Fried Rice: Not good
Chicken Isaw: Worse
This place seems like it's okay for a quick fix of affordable Hong Kong cuisine. However, its quality and taste pales next to its neighbors in Fort Strip. Nevertheless, I consider the ambience to be quite good for a night of drinking, complete with a Foosball table (I've wanted to try this since FRIENDS, but we were too tired that night). I think we were the only table in the entire establishment that did not order beer. The alcohol on their drinks menu seem fairly priced as well, so this venue might be more apt in that regard.
Love Good Earth Roasts? Hate it? Let me know what you think about anything by commenting below, and you can always tweet me!
- Joaquin
GOOD EARTH ROASTS
G/F The Fort Strip, 26th Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
+63 917 200 6056
Facebook: Good Earth Roasts

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