It was honorary Pakalista Jon’s advance birthday treat, and we celebrated on the opening day of this new restaurant in Cebu - T.G.I. FRiDAY’S at The Terraces Ayala Cebu.
We were so looking forward to having dinner at this Cebu restaurant because we have always wanted to dine at T.G.I. FRiDAY’S since our Manila trip way back in 2005.
T.G.I. FRiDAY’S has this casual, relaxing, and fun atmosphere to its name. Will it live up to it? Come and join the Pakalistas as we celebrate at T.G.I. FRiDAY’S Ayala Cebu.
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T.G.I. FRiDAY’S opened its doors in Ayala Cebu on November 15, 2008, a Saturday. People lined up for reservations as expected and around 17 people were ahead of us to have a taste of this restaurant in Cebu.
After 30-45 minutes on the wait list, we finally got our table and now I am so excited to eat! The STARVING Pakalistas that night were Fedge, Berg, Jon, Nelly, Shirly, Joy, and Krystel.
Featured food from T.G.I. FRiDAY’s menu:
- Three For All
- Mac and Cheese
- Tortilla Crusted Fish
- Jack Daniel’s Salmon
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Jack Daniel’s Porkchop
- Jack Daniel’s Babyback Ribs
- Fish and Chips
Click here for the Pakalistas’ Verdict of this restaurant in Ayala Cebu Philippines.
FRiDAY’s Three-For-All – Php 595
Features a trio of Friday’s most famous appetizers – Loaded Potato Skins, Fried Mozzarella, and spicy Buffalo Wings, complete with sour cream and green onions, marinara sauce, and celery sticks with Bleu cheese dressing
Joy loved the Fried Mozarella because it was crusty on the outside then filled with a creamy surprise on the inside. She also liked the sour cream and bleu cheese dressing but finds the chicken to be ordinary and slightly overcooked.
For me, I liked everything from the baked potatoes, the mildy spicy buffalo wings, and mozzarella cheese. I call this one as T.G.I. FRiDAY’s “Triple Threat.”
If you’re wondering about the celery sticks, Krystel ate it all. Without a doubt she loved it.
FRiDAY’s Fried Mac & Cheese – Php 220
A new twist on an old favourite! Friday’s irresistible blend of creamy cheeses and elbow macaroni pasta, breaded and golden fried to perfection. Served with marinara sauce.
I was surprised when this was served while waiting for our Mac and Cheese. I thought it was a mistake but this is T.G.I. FRiDAY’s own twist to the regular Mac and Cheese.
This was just so-so for me. I would have liked it better if it had more of the cheese and less of the mac.
FRiDAY’s Tortilla Crusted Fish – Php 295
Mild white fish coated with a crisp tortilla crust atop savory rice with pico de gallo and a side of Southwestern sour cream
Nelly and Jon were overwhelmed by its size because it’s too much for one person (if you base it on Nelly’s build and not mine).
They find T.G.I. FRiDAY’s Tortilla Crusted Fish to be overstuffed with tortilla and it came to a point where “napul-an ug nalanag” sila sa fish (got bored with it).
FRiDAY’s Jack Daniel’s Salmon – Php 595
North Atlantic Salmon fillet, char-grilled and basted with special Jack Daniel’s glaze. Served with seasonal vegetables and choice of cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes or rice pilaf.
In Joy’s words, “Lami ra ang salmon” (the salmon is delicious), no more no less.
FRiDAY’s Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad – Php 295
Crisp hearts of Romaine lettuce tossed with Friday’s creamy Caesar dressing, grated parmesan cheese, crunchy croutons, and grilled chicken cubes
Berg finds the chicken caesar salad dressing to be too strong or maybe had too much parmesan cheese. Berg’s not sure though because of his mood that night, but definitely he was not that happy about it.
FRiDAY’s Jack Daniel’s Pork Chops – Php 275
Thick 230g pork chops and a hefty helping of cheddar cheese mashed potatoes or rice pilaf. Served with seasonal vegetables and our original Jack Daniel’s sauce.
Shirly was not that impressed with T.G.I. FRiDAY’s Porkchop. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the meat itself, but she wasn’t digging the sauce.
Jack Daniel’s Porkchop was my first taste of T.G.I. FRiDAY’s in Ayala Glorietta. I liked this sauce, and it tasted just the same the second time around.
FRiDAY’s Baby Back Ribs – Php 495 (half slab)
A full rack of pork ribs expertly cooked to ensure they’re fall-off-the-bone tender. It’s fire-grilled and glazed with Friday’s tangy barbecue sauce and served with Friday’s crispy fries.
The moment my babyback ribs landed on the table, I was almost salivating because the presentation was a KILLER!
On the taste side though I wasn’t that happy. The sauce was great but the ribs wasn’t “fall-off-the-bone-tender” and had too much bones. This was definitely a big disappointment.
FRiDAY’s Fish and Chips – Php 285
Market fresh fish battered and fried to golden brown. Served with Friday’s fries and tartar sauce.
Krystel calls it as the Best Food on the table that night, and unfortunately she was right.
I was really rooting for the babyback ribs but the classic Fish and Chips was the Star of the Night.
Pakalistas Verdict
Although the food in this Cebu restaurant did not receive great reviews and the food prices aren’t that enticing either, there’s a lot more to explore in T.G.I. FRiDAY’s. I’m still willing to try T.G.I FRiDAY’s other specialties.
The service was reasonably good (less some forgivable mistakes), and the atmosphere was really relaxed and at the same time fun.
So wondering where’s the celebration? In true T.G.I FRiDAY’s fashion, they gave Jon one helluva birthday cheer! See it here.
Photo credits: Fedge
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December 18th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Jeff, nag-celebrate sad ang bulsa ni Jon after sa iya bday bash? Murag gahilak man yata hehe
December 18th, 2008 at 7:44 am
@Shel: Okey rana niya oi, gusto paman gani unta niya e treat everyone at Friday’s that time! lol… speaking of celebrations, naay Pakalista nga dapat mo treat nato inig ka Dec28
December 18th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
@Fedge – Lagi Fedge ug Yan, sabot nalang mo share mo kay December guys man mo para si Berg January pud. Ako nalang inig Feb sa pungko-pungko, all you can eat
January 20th, 2009 at 11:37 am
sir meron po bang ng flair dun? juggling of bottls
January 25th, 2009 at 1:06 am
do they have the fried green beans on the menu? i love those! i always get them when im at a tgi fridays.
February 1st, 2009 at 5:28 am
will you please help me to find Alex Makoy on friday in ajala ceter. please i need your help than you verry much.Karl Rasmussen. denmark.
And ask if she will write me on karra@dongenergy.dk
March 16th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
…my god!!! the portions …its soooooooo small. The porkchop, the ribs and salmon is like 1/4 of what you get here in the states. I heard its pricey there. TGIF here is just like your ordinary eating place…like Chili’s and Olive Garden. Man… I’m glad I’m going back there to taste Filipino and Chinese food only.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Applebee’s, IHOP, Outback, T.G.I. Friday’s: Grade- “F”
These titans of the restaurant industry are among the last national chains that don’t offer nutritional information on their dishes. Even after years of badgering their representatives, we still hear the same old excuses: it’s too pricey, it’s too time-consuming, it’s impossible to do accurately because their food is so fresh, or we have too much variety. Our response is simple: If nearly every other chain restaurant in the country can do it, then why can’t they?
Guys read this write up from the U.S.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:27 pm
cheers and thanks to yad
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
da best. Keep it going! Thank you
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Hello, I think this is the coolest wordpress powered blog I`ve seen. I really like your theme. Can you give me the website where you found it? I would like to use the same theme for one of my blogs.
March 9th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
I like TGI’s but yes their portions are super small compared to when getting it in USA, but the flavors are still good, especially that bbq sauce stuff