Dining | Different Kinds of Meat Only at Tapa Master

Tapsilog is a farmer's breakfast most say.  In fact it has become a staple for most Filipinos nowadays as they are easy to prepare, fast to serve and the taste already attuned to our palates.  Never knew that one can level up this humble dish to culinary heights.

With Tapa Master, they offer tapa not limited to beef, they have Angus, Wagyu Beef, Lamb, Australian Beef and Angus Beef Bacon.  Some exotics are in the menu as well like Baboy Ramo (Wild Boar), Tapang Usa (Deer Meat), Crocodile and Horse Meats.  Boy those are really exotics. 

For this time however we swayed from the exotics and went instead with Lamb and Angus.  We were not aspring for inspiration so we went with their Beginners Meal Php99.  That offers 1 fried rice, 1 egg and 60g tapa.

Now the review begins.  Ambiance wise, its small and cozy. With some high chairs and tables on the side, with indirect and dim lighting, it offered a little private time with the missus.  We can consider this as a date.  Only caveat though with our visit, their AC is not on.  We had quite some heat inside, good thing we only had a quick bite then we were off.

Serving size, the 60 grams was adequate for a simple meal.  I was not sure how many tapas would there be in 60 grams at first and I was glad it was just right.  Paired with a cup of fried rice and a fried egg.  Its your usual tapsilog serving a bit pricey but well worth it.

Now how does premium meat taste like when made into tapa?  My date's order was Wagyu and she says its just okay.  Not soft not hard, just right.  Taste wise, it tastes like tapa LOL.  Now I got the lamb as it was a long time that I had a taste of it since coming home from the middle east.  Lamb meat is pungent for some and for me I like the way it smells.  My lamb was soft and tasty and it had a bit of oil oozing out as lamb tends to be that way.  I like lamb so having it as tapa was a plus, and tasting one as such is something new to me.  I didn't expect much and it didn't disappoint.

Now service wise, they are self service so don't sit down and wait for a waiter to come up to you.  What you do is go up to the counter, order, then pay.  You will just have sit back and wait for your order to be served which won't be that long.  We were the only ones in the store so it came quick.  The staff though might need some more training on hospitality.  Yes they smiled, they cooked, they served, but I felt a little more training would do wonders for their store.

Now price wise, spending Php99 for a tapsilog might be pricey for you but what you're having is premium meat.  I can deal with that additional price.  The traditional tapsilog in most food courts amount to an average of Php70, so what's Php20 more?

In summary, except for the aircon not turned on, staff needs a bit more training on service, the food is a good draw to this place.  Maybe next time I would try their Master's meal that doubles everything on your sizzling plate, perhaps double your pleasure?

Tapa Master is located at Grand Residences along Lacson Avenue.  Opposite that of UST Hospital, they are easy to find in the ground floor.  You may also visit them on their facebook presence here https://www.facebook.com/tmlacsonmanila/