When it rains, it…’s GOTO time!

Here comes the rainy season.

Summer has ended and the rainy season has just started. I literally want something warm to pump up my whole system. Coffee, definitely, is my go-to ‘pampainit’ but this gloomy weather requires something extra special.

Aside from my brewed coffee, I always wanted to have a hot, flavorful soup, most especially when i’m soaking wet after the rain. When we were kids, after playing under the rain, my mom usually prepare us a simple noodle soup and if she has more time, our favorite chicken and egg rice porridge, i can still remember how delighted we were when our ‘lugaw’ was served- steamy, hot with so much flavors!

Even up to this day, I still and always look for that hot, steamy and flavorful soup when it rains. Though my tastebuds evolved a little bit, because aside from the usual chicken and egg, I would want it to be topped or served with beef tripe or intestine, this gives much flavor to the Arroz Caldo de goto or just ‘goto’ in Tagalog.

Fact check!

Goto typically uses glutinous rice (malagkit), but can also be made with regular rice boiled with an excess of water. It is prepared almost identically to Arroz caldo garnished with toasted garlic, scallions, black pepper, and crumbled chicharon. They are served on individual bowls while hot. The tripe is cooked separately until very tender. They are typically cut into longitudinal strips before being added into the rice, along with a hard-boiled egg. Beef tripe can be substituted with other offal, like pig intestines.

Good thing there are lots of ‘goto’ houses here in our area. So when it’s time for my cravings, I just go outside and grab a bowl. Panalo! But since we are on a lock down period, that liberty was cut-down a bit, more than that, not all ‘goto’ houses are open to serve the public (lalo na yung mga small-time gotohan).

Lucky me, I found another newly opened ‘goto’ house that serves not just one ‘goto’ recipe but six amazing and appetizing flavors. You can choose from Gotobox’ Lakan (their gotong puti with pork isaw, ox tripe and beef fat), Marikit (gotong dilaw with ox tripe, mini betamax, and beef laman), Catriona (with crispy tokwa, quail egg and ox tripe), Babalu (with beef laman, bone marrow and ox tripe), Bossing Vic (with pork isaw and grilled chicken isaw) and Amor Flowers (with fried bulaklak, lechon kawali and pork pisngi). Commending the team’s creative team because of these witty ‘goto’ names that will make you intrigued as a customer to try the offerings. Good job!

And since its GCQ, you can take advantage of ordering online or through call, they are delivering for free for nearby area (within 3km radius from their store).

I chose three flavors to try, I got their Marikit, Babalu and Bossing Vic (I want to know if the intriguing names will match its taste, hmmmm…)

Perfect Delivery

I tried ordering at around 3PM and got it after an hour and a half, very much understandable and considerably fast since the order will be coming from Marikina going to Las Pinas (north-south transaction). It was well-packaged, I must say. The usual goto houses will put everything in a take out plastic, wrap it in a paper bag and that’s it- ready to go, but for Gotobox, they use a thick plastic tub for the rice porridge (less mess the better), the toppings or other ingredients like the ox tripe, intestine and bone marrow are in separate boxes per order and the items for garnishing are all properly packaged in different small containers. This made the experience more pleasant and will surely have another round of orders.

The Taste

Generally, I like the taste of the rice porridge- thick and flavor-rich infused with the right amount of ginger and other condiments. I like also the its not too sticky, just enough to do a little slurping (especially when I’m alone, LOL). Moreover, the ox tripes and other ‘laman-loob’ are all fresh (i must say) and were cooked properly- tender enough to be chewed on.

Among the three, it was Babalu that I liked the most. It’s because of the bone marrow that added more flavor to the dish, I’ll just make sure to request more ox tripe and beef meat to be added for an extra satisfying experience (kahit na magbayad ako ng extra! LOL) . Though I won’t recommend this if you have a high blood, literal na sakit-batok guys! LOL

Other Options

Aside from the ‘goto’ offerings, Gotobox also serve other ‘pinoy na pinoy’ meals like ‘silog’ and ‘pares’. Below you will see other menu options to choose from that will definitely please your tastebuds.

I also tried the famous ‘tapsilog’. Unexpectedly, I tasted UP Diliman ‘s famous Rodic’s (seryoso, ansarap!!) – the tapa is flaky, tender, and caramelized and this contrasted by the salty heap of fried rice. Perfect! And the extra fried eggplant made it more mouth-watering and super satisfying.

Verdict

Overall, my experience with Gotobox, considering that this is my first time, is really satisfying. I will definitely recommend this with my friends and place another order soon. Hindi lang pag umuulan, totoong #PangArawArawAngSarap sa Gotobox!

Below are other important information you should about Gotobox, especially during this pandemic: