I stepped into Trellis restaurant last Thursday and walked into a restaurant that’s older than me. Trellis has opened its doors to clients since 1980. That evening saw me and the foodie bunch led by Spanky, hovering around the corner where the carving station is. Spotlight was on two celebrities breaking into the scene, who did their cameo at the Salcedo Market and during the Ultimate Taste Test.
Trellis has that easy atmosphere making it a steady place to dine and chill. The acoustic band was terrific crooning Dave Matthews Band and Bob Marley songs. Trellis famous for its pork sisig let this sizzling dish make its carpet entrance and it’s visible on almost every table at the restaurant filled with drinking corporate folks.
However, the real stars were the Beef Belly and the Corned Beef Brisket during dinner time and I was so stunned I almost asked for an autograph. Guess who’s the management behind the talent? The brand Hillside Ranch.
Hillside Ranch began when the young husband and wife tandem, Atoy and Chay Tayag of Angeles City, Pampanga, decided to finally put their years of expertise into meat entrées that rival what restaurants can dish out of their kitchen, but theirs make gourmet meats available right at the comfort of your home.
“Atoy’s family owns a meat processing business called Mother Earth, which make beef franks, tocino, longganisa, and sisig,” shares Chay, whose family runs the Kapampangan restaurant, Binulo while she manages the catering arm of an American restaurant, Rumpa.
Hillside Ranch is uniquely suited to the challenges of serving restaurant-quality food straight from the freezer and making it as delectable for home consumption without compromising its quality. Hillside Ranch only uses USDA beef for that premium consistency and only specific cuts to be able to withstand reheating process whether pan fried or via microwave.
The Beef Belly was unveiled in its full glistening glory, studded with pepper in that beautifully cooked brown color. The knife swiftly cuts into the meat with barely any pressure and tenderly limps on the plate. Sharing the limelight are side dishes of Garlic Rice and Polenta.
It’s a stunning meat that can get me squealing in delight, minus a shot of Johnnie Walker’s Black Label –my first time to try it in my life. It got me to shut up the whole night with Spanky teasing I’m too anti-social. I couldn’t tell if it was Johnnie that got me standing crookedly or my knees buckled in sheer enthusiasm over the mouthwatering meats laid in front of me. I kept stuffing my mouth with the sandwiches and the meats without a care that I’m slowly growing an inch or two on my belly… a happy belly at that… and every pun intended.
Recent Table Guest