Nothing is more comforting than meeting up with friends for a weekend night out at the local bar to catch up on each other’s lives.
Whether you do it once a week or every three nights, getting together with them for good food and drinks is definitely a great way to let pent-up energy out and relax.
This need to relax can be satisfied without going too far from home. The new Titos Palawan in the MCA Mall Compound on San Miguel National Highway has worked hard to create a menu that will please not only the titos and titas, but also their friends.
After the lockdowns, the business is ready to greet customers with fresh vigor and is scheduled to open today, September 9, in a bigger area in San Miguel.
A self-confessed tito, Rommel Cruz, shared to Palawan News the idea of establishing Titos Palawan in the city’s food landscape started in 2021 out of the one common interest of local titos — to drink. He said that despite the fact that the pandemic had a significant impact on his line of work—travel and tours—he came up with the idea of entering the food industry.
“We thought that masyado magastos if iinom kami and would also be tiring to host lalo na magligpit so we thought, why not we just set up a small bar where friends and colleagues can go,” he said.
A small stall was initially put up, which taught him how to run a small business. Titos Palawan was then selling “beer food,” with its top sellers papaitan (a beloved dish that uses as ingredient beef innards), balbacua (a collagen-rich Filipino beef stew), and fried chicken.
Its name, Titos Palawan, is apt because it aims to target as clients the Titos and Titas of Palawan. On the marketing front, people in this age group are capable of making payments with their income.
Titos Palawan will reopen on September 9 in the same location, but with more space for its loyal customers. Despite some menu changes, the management promises to keep the company’s best-selling food items.
The new space, which can accommodate 25 to 30 people inside, aims to also cater to the titos’ families and children. The interior is all surrounded by red color to stimulate appetite with chili theme, which was the restaurant’s original trademark on its dishes. The wall design reflects the Titos’ personal interests in outdoor activities.
Food options have also been expanded to appeal to people of all ages, with the addition of sandwiches, veggie alternatives, and pasta. It is also redefining some of its food, such as bánh mi and sizzling bulalo.
Titos Palawan has been rebranded from the old stall to a more family-friendly establishment area the MCC Mall Compound.
“As much as possible, we anchor ‘yong menu talaga sa gusto ng locals. Kasi we think na ‘yong karamihan sa restaurants na nagpa-prosper dito ay based sa local economy– We are adding some twist doon sa menu,” he said.
His personal recommendations include the Malay dish beef rendang from Borneo, as well as some versions made by Maranao in Palawan. Titos Palawan attempts to recreate the authentic taste of the dish for locals to enjoy. The other is the sizzling seafood, which is a favorite of the local titos.
The management promises that as the menu evolves, more dishes for locals will be added.
Drinks, cocktails, beer, and wines are always available at Titos Palawan.
After the MCA Mall’s operating hours at night, the parking lot is converted into an area for alfresco dining and drinking. It also adjusted the opening hour to 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
There are also plans to open in El Nido and Narra, but operations are now centralized in the city for the time being. The restaurants are open from Wednesdays through Mondays.
