Tagpuan sa San Juan

Tagpuan is a small rice bowl counter at 229 Urbiztondo Road, in Elizabeth's Garden beside Mad Monkeys Burger Lab, right in the middle of the surf strip. It's a cheap, quick Filipino fill-up, and plenty of regulars treat it as their hangover breakfast.

Elyu's bagnet, crispy Ilocano pork belly over rice with tomato and egg, is the bowl it's known for, though recent reviews are split and some say the pork comes out dry. The surftown pares, braised beef with chili oil, gets steadier praise, and tapa, chicken adobo flakes, garlic longganisa and a Korean-style pibimbap round out the bowls. For late nights there's goto, lugaw and beef mami. You order and pay at the counter, seating is a handful of tables along the sidewalk, and a sign asks you to return your bowl.

Google lists it open 7AM to 11PM, until 2AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and closed Tuesdays. On the posted menu, a solo bagnet bowl is ₱160 and a big one ₱290, pares and tapa start at ₱125, and goto is ₱100. Orders sometimes come out wrong, so check yours before you sit. If the bagnet lets you down, try the pares next time.