Food Fight #1: Crispy Tadyang (Part 1)

Food Fight. This will hopefully be the first in a series of comparisons between similar food, signature dishes, etcetera from two or more competitors. You know, when one restaurant serves the same thing that the other restaurant serves? Well, I’ve decided to give my pedestrian palate quite the stretch it needs and, hopefully, this exercise will serve as a guide to those unlucky enough to read and believe it.

So, for the very first Food Fight, I have chosen Crispy Tadyang. To the 2 or 3 of you who remember, a few months ago I wrote about this dish when I ate at Max’s in South San Francisco. I remember raving about it and even imploring you to try it out. Well, the recommendation still holds and if ever you’re in the neighborhood, go to Max’s and order a plate of those ribs. You won’t regret it (but your arteries will).

I think the positives of Max’s Crispy Tadyang ng Baka are the following: 1) you get huge servings, and 2) the quality of beef they serve is superb. The negatives? First, you can’t order this in Manila and second, the feeling of biting into oil-soaked sponge. I mean it’s really good but the nagging guilt of your conscience while you let all that beefy oily goodness swell in your mouth kinda takes away the fun out of the whole eating experience. Sad.