Modern European dishes presented in comfort food style — hearty, flavorful, and best when shared — is found in this restaurant in Wesgate Alabang. Come in hungry, as Tus' means 'yours' in Spanish; and a feast here is truly yours for the taking.
Tus' Clay Pots and Skillets is run by Chef Krsna Algenio and Kai Sason, old high school friends who want to offer to its customers a place to kick back with good food meant to be shared. Hearty European eats await diners here, modern interpretations of favorites and food good for sharing–with house specialties carefully prepared in clay pots and skillets (frying pan).
Aside from complimentary garlic bread to begin your meal at Tus', good to share for quick bites is the Spinach Dip (P220). Served warm and gooey, the serving of seasoned spinach, cream, and mozzarella when slathered on warm bread is an addicting go-to appetizer in the restaurant. Another recommended starter is the Patatas Bravas (P190) of homemade fries with hot aioli and a topping of with cilantro and chives. To drink, another order good for sharing is the Pineapple Float Pitcher (P390), served with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top. Stir everything well with the long wooden spoon and pour on glasses so that each sip is creamy and fruity.
Top sellers at Tus' are their giant calzones, Italian 'folded pizzas' that are oven-baked and toasty, half-crescent pocket pies stuffed with various fillings.
Three kinds of calzone are served, and the Meatballs Calzone (P480) satisfies with its unbeatable and comforting combination of meat, cheese, and tomatoes. The calzone is stuffed with homemade meatballs, and inside, the bottom layer of the bread is coated in marinara sauce, fresh basil, and mozzarella. On the side is more of the marinara sauce to drizzle on the meatballs for an extra tomatoey kick.
If you want an extra cheesy encounter for lunch or dinner, then don't miss out on the pot pies of Tus'. They do it a little differently here, and you won't see a top crust when the order is served on the table. The pies use homemade pizza dough and are oven baked upside down on clay pots, mozzarella cheese melding with your ingredients of choice. Written as 'must try' on their blackboard the day of our visit is Hometown Beef Potpie (P390), a pie of stewed beef, red onions, green bell peppers, cilantro, mozzarella cheese, aioli dressing, and served with a wedge of lime.
The pot pie resembles a shallow bread bowl filled with very thick and cheesy soup; slicing it into four to share and biting into the ooey-gooey saucy slice of Chicken Ranch Potpie (P370) is more than enough creamy, cheesy fix for the palate. Chunks of pan seared chicken are smothered with mouthwatering alfredo sauce and mozzarella cheese, a topping of fresh basil and ranch dressing drizzle rounds up this very lipsmacking pie. It could get messy to eat, but as comfort food goes — it's a lot of fun and just simply delicious.
Steak lovers should try out the different Skillet Steaks offered in the restaurant — they are great value for money, each variety priced less than 700 Pesos. One order of Skillet Steak is 8oz of ribeye cooked to your doneness preference, and served with one of the following sides: home fries, smashed potato with gravy, butter, sautéed corn, or rice.
The Cheese and Onions Skillet Steak (P680) comes highly recommended, while Spicy Lemon Pesto Skillet Steak (P680) is a customer favorite; melted cheese and sautéed white onions top the ribeye served to us, which came with sautéed corn and asparagus adding crisp and color. An order is an entire hefty meal on its own, and to get a steak meal for P680 — steak cooked to your liking — is really a most delicious deal.
Save some room for dessert, because their much raved about Half Baked Cookie (P180) is something so comforting for the sweet tooth, every spoonful feels like a warm embrace to end your meal.
The house-made cookie dough is baked in a cazuela (Spanish cooking pot). It comes served on that cazuela, half-baked for that knee-weakening warm, chewy, and gooey combination all good half-baked cookies are known to possess. A scoop of vanilla ice cream tops the wooden platter where the cazuela rests, begging for you to plop the scoop on top of the cookie for that decadent a la mode experience, warm meeting the cold and arriving on your mouth as a spectrum of delightful textures and temperatures.
So popular is this particular dessert that Tus' decided to roll out another flavor, Dark Decadence (P220): with big chunks of melty dark chocolate and toasted cashews. This new dessert is definitely for all the chocoholics, and just like a lot of the dishes at this Alabang restaurant, becomes an even better indulgence when shared with good company.
Tus' Clay Pots and Skillets is located at Westgate Center, Filinvest Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Visit www.tusrestaurant.com, Like Tus' on Facebook (/tusrestaurant), and follow on Instagram (@tusrestaurant).
