Hot Rocks: Steaks with chutzpah

Twice around the U-turn slot along E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. and we didn’t spot the place yet. "Where is it?" we asked each other. Finally, we decided to stop at the converted container van with a sign that said "Porterhouse, T-bone, Prime Rib, Barbecue, Hamburger." Eureka! It was Hot Rocks.

Someone told us about Hot Rocks, the steakhouse "without an attitude" that sold good, cheap Batangas steaks and we were eager to try it out. A quick look at the menu convinced us that, indeed, the prices were unbelievably good. Prime rib steaks at P130 for the regular and P220 for the large cut; T-bone for P140, regular porterhouse for P170 and large cut for P270. Vegetable sidings were P20 and a crabstick salad came at P50. The prices were unbelievably good. Was the food good as well?

My brothers, both big eaters, each got a large cut prime rib and porterhouse, and decided to forgo the vegetables. On the other hand, I tried the prime rib with vegetable sidings to go with it. The steaks came shortly after, done exactly as we liked them. The meat was tender and flavorful. Together with a tasty steak sauce that the waitress said was made from the owner’s secret recipe, we had a hearty late lunch. Our bill barely reached P1,000, not even a fourth of what we would have spent at our other favorite steakhouse! We left the place burping and contented and vowed to pay Hot Rocks another visit soon. On our way out, I spotted a customer who looked like a congressman. Was it really whom I thought it was? Too bashful to ask, I followed my brothers to the sports shop that was a few meters away.

I met Louie Abad, amiable owner of the place, on our next visit. Friendly and laid-back, Louie just came from a badminton game at a court nearby. "Hot Rocks started as a family meal," he said, relating that they used to invite friends to their New Manila home for weekend cookouts. "Our friends did the taste-tests," he laughs. With many weekends to try out new dishes, he and his wife Girlie and their family friend Caren Diaz were soon ready to set up their own food establishment.

An initial venture entailed opening the Abads’ house to students of St. Paul’s College in Quezon City. As they gained more customers, they opened the first Hot Rocks restaurant, a 20-square-meter affair in the Auto Camp compound along Ortigas Ave. in Pasig. Soon after, the place became too cramped, so they decided to open a new branch. The E. Rodriguez Jr. store opened in April 2005 and continues to gain a bigger following. "Bakit walang signage?" I asked him, relating that we previously had difficulty finding the place. "Wala pa nga eh," he chuckles.

Girlie Abad is in charge of the kitchen; Caren Diaz takes care of the books and financial records. "I’m the GRO (guest relations officer,)" jokes the irrepressible Louie. He also takes pictures of customers, and the photographs are framed and displayed at the upper level of the restaurant. Many of these customers have since become Louie’s friends. "Some celebrities and politicians also dine here. Sometimes we ask them to sign on plates that we display on the lower level," he continues, confirming that it may really have been the congressman who I saw previously. "The restaurant is a favorite of many because it doesn’t put on any airs. One can show up and dine in shorts and tsinelas."

Although my siblings had steaks again, I tried other items on the menu this time. Sisig at P130 was quite good, and the ox-tail kare-kare was nice and tender. However, I would have preferred it if the bagoong condiment was cooked with more garlic. Fish fillets of labahita came with a tasty tartare sauce and the fish sinigang had the correct tartness. (Hindi bitin sa asim.) It was another delicious meal.

Quite recently, I heard someone refer to the steaks served at Hot Rocks as "’Angas steaks." I quelled the urge to laugh, thinking that the person mispronounced the word and actually meant "Angus." However, after thinking about it, "’angas" is probably the right term for the Batangas steaks served at Hot Rocks. "’Angas" is the Filipino colloquial for chutzpah and an appropriate description for the tasty, easy-on-the-pocket steaks served there.

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You’ll probably miss it like we did since Hot Rocks doesn’t have a sign yet. It’s built on the corner of the parking lot between Shopwise and Caterpillar in Libis in front of the Club Six-Fifty compound. For inquiries and reservations, call 636-6091.