Nachos Y Carne: A "Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina" Review

The carnivore in me was all giddy when my friends and I got together for dinner one night at Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina.  In spite of being tucked deep within Kapitolyo, Pasig, Silantro wouldn’t be hard to miss with the long line of waiting customers eager to get a table to have a bite of their specialty grubs.

Dinnertime wasn’t a very good idea to visit because the waiting time was too long, and the seats were limited, so we had to be extra patient while waiting to have a table. I suggest that you avoid peak hours and try not to go when you’re extra hungry, because it’s going to be a real test of patience to get some seats.

It was my first time to visit the place, so when we (finally) got our table I asked my friends, who have been a fan of Silantro for quite some time already, for their recommendations. I’m glad they have good taste.

Nachos – Php 180.00

Silantro serves the best nachos that I have tried so far. Strings of melted cheese generously smother a huge mound of tortilla chips garnished with chopped tomatoes, onions, and greens. The best part though is that we have chunks (yep, not ground) of flavorful grilled beef mixed in with the pile.

As if the cheese, beef , and toppings weren’t enough for flavor, you can also dip your chips in guacamole, garlic, and what I assume to be chili sauces. Garlic still ended up as my favorite.

Lucha Tacos – Php 75.00

My foodie buddies also ordered the lamb and beef soft tacos (you can also have the tacos hard if you like) because their appetite demands for more than one starter dish. The first impression that it gave me was that it resembled an undone shawarma, with the shreds of veggies, meat, and tomatoes messily spilling out of the “shell”.

I had a bite of both the lamb and beef varieties, although I didn’t taste anything special so I opted to stick to the nachos instead. You can order your tacos at Ligero (Php 75.00, single meat), Medio (Php 95.00, double choice of meat), or Completo (Php 110.00, triple choice of meat).

Rib Finger – Php 220.00

We had our Angus beef at medium doneness so it will be juicier. However, the meat was surprisingly not as tender as we would have wanted it to be, and may ask for more chewing time before you can swallow it down.  I guess we should have asked for it be rare or medium-rare at least to get the tenderness we were looking for.

If it’s any consolation, the meat was still flavorful, and I didn’t mind letting it linger longer on top of my taste buds. The mashed potato was pretty good too!

Silantro’s Pork Ribs – Php 270.00

What the Rib Fingers lacked in tenderness was redeemed by Silantro’s Pork Ribs. The pork had the right tenderness I was looking for and it would have been perfect if only it was easy to separate the meat from the bones. The diners from across our table even resorted to eating with their bare hands because the bones make it hard to eat the dish while still being fancy.

Taste-wise though, it was delicioso and its bone-lickin’ sweetness was enough to make me start using my bare hands as well.

Grilled Marlin – Php 220.00

We’ve had our share of pork and beef so it just made sense that our third main dish had to be seafood. We particularly enjoyed the Grilled Marlin because of its noticeable freshness which you can tell through taste and texture.

It’s not “malansa” (looked it up and “malansa” is apparently “fishy” in English, but how can Marlin be not fishy lol). I was told you can tell if the fish is fresh if the meat isn’t rubbery, and I was pretty happy with what I got.

The Fresh Dalandan Juice (Php 90.00) and Unlimited Brewed Iced Tea (Php 120.00) were perfect to wash away all the meaty guilt.

***

If we talk about taste, Silantro would definitely be a two thumbs-up. My only  problem is the waiting time to get seats. On peak hours the place is really busy, and it’s even more upsetting when the waiters are snobbish and act blind to your requests in spite of the limited space.