TRES is a family-owned Filipino restaurant founded by Julie Evangelista and three other chefs, with the late great Chef Ed Quimson as the main chef behind Tres’ specialty dishes. It was originally opened in 2010 with a Spanish-Filipino fusion concept, but it was rebranded last December 25, 2022 to focus more on high-quality Filipino dishes presented uniquely and creatively.
When I started blogging, we were tracking down all the restaurants and food projects of the late Maverick Chef Ed Quimson which include Petra & Pilar/ Delimondo, Figs & Olives, La Esquina Tagaytay, NACI Comfort Food, and Tootsie’s Tagaytay. I remember he invited me to his last restaurant project he opened in North Edsa. After 10 years since he left, we got to try TRES and enjoy his food legacy.
TRES Filipino Twists
📍2nd floor, SM Annex, North Edsa, Quezon City
☎️+63 917 529 0837
📩 tres.cuisine@gmail.com
♾️ TRES Filipino Twists
IG: @tresfilipinotwists
TRES
TRES is a great place to celebrate with celebratory Filipino food when you’re in The Annex, North Edsa. Once you enter the arc, you’ll find a tropical oasis in the busy North Edsa neighborhood. Be sure to book the private room for your family or group celebrations. They have their own restroom in the back.
The Filipino entrees are the highlight of the menu, with every single table ordering the sizzling boneless pata kare-kare. We ordered all the food with bone marrow for maximum eating pleasure, and we supplemented it with fish and vegetable dishes to balance it out with some healthy stuff (to lessen the guilt).
Fried Squash Blossoms filled with Classic Pampanga Style Pork Sisig served with Green Chive Pinakurat
At first, I thought this restaurant was gimmicky because of the way they presented the squash blossoms like a flower. However, my opinion changed when I bit into the crunchy squash and tasted the burst of sisig flavor that exploded in my mouth. The green chive pinakurat helped to cut through the fattiness of the sisig, making for a well-balanced and delicious dish. Ang galing!
Our own version of Batangas Beef Bulalo with Yellow Corn, Native Pechay and Potatoes
The best bulalo on the north side of town! The broth is flavorful and hot, and it’s served with a big bone that’s full of marrow.
The bone marrow is buttery and delicious, and it can be eaten on its own or used to add umami to rice.
Our own twist of Grilled Boneless Fillet of Catfish with our Secret Sauce
This was surprisingly good! The grilled fillet of catfish (with no bones) skewered with a secret sauce was delicious. A few drops of kalamansi unleashed a sweet and sour flavor, and vinegar can be added to taste. Sarap!
TRES Signature Whole Boneless Crispy Crackling Pata erupting with our rich Kare Kare Sauce!
The volcano-shaped kare-kare comes to life when the sauce is poured into its mouth, sizzling and smoking like a real volcano.
The dish is served deconstructed, with the vegetables on the side and the skin placed on top of the grilled mesh to keep it crunchy.
(Tip: The sauce comes in two servings. Use one serving to pour for your IG reels or TikTok vids, and keep the other serving on the side so you can control the amount of sauce on your dish. This will prevent the dish from being drowned in too much sauce.)
Our own version of Rich Sisig Rice topped with Crispy Thinly Flaked Adobo Flakes and Baked Bone Marrow
This dish is a meal in itself, with the umami from the adobo flakes and bone marrow pairing perfectly with the inihaw na hito kabayaki or chunks of bulalo beef.
Ultra-Tender Slow Cooked Beef Shank with Black Garlic and Soft Boiled Egg
A great idea using black garlic sauce for the beef pares cooked for 12 hours. We were expecting more meat in the pares and the bone marrow was nakakaumay with this dish.
Fork tender Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs glazed with Bulacan Style Dinuguan simmered with Sampalok Leaves
We love dinuguan! The meat falls off the Baby Back ribs and you can suck the sauce off the bones (then smile :). The samploc adds a nice sourness that cuts through the richness of the sauce. We always eat it with plain hot white rice.
The desserts were innovative and creative reinterpretations of traditional Filipino desserts.
The maja blanca (instead of suman) is fried and topped with coconut bits, latik on the side, and ice cream.
More of like a halo halo cream brulee ala mode with ube, langka, macapuno. A bit heavy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the creative take on Filipino food. The dishes were not only visually appealing, but they also tasted delicious. This is rare to find these days, as many restaurants focus on making their food look good for social media, but neglect the taste.
We would recommend the Bulaklak ng Sisig, Inihaw na Hito Kabayaki, Dinuguan na Baby Back Ribs, and Sizzling Volcanic Boneless Pata Kare Kare. These dishes are quite unique to TRES among other Filipino restaurants. We would skip the desserts, as they are a bit heavy. Budget about ₱800 per head for a group.
Cheers to Chef Ed Quimson and the TRES chefs! The mark of a great legendary chef is that their creations transcend their lifetime. You can taste their legacy in every bite.
TRES Filipino Twists
📍2nd floor, SM Annex, North Edsa, Quezon City
☎️+63 917 529 0837
📩 tres.cuisine@gmail.com
♾️ TRES Filipino Twists
IG: @tresfilipinotwists
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Thank you to Tres for letting us experience Chef Ed Quimson’s food once again. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. Tres can get quite busy during the weekends, so it is best to eat during off-peak hours like 2pm to 4pm. You can also reserve the private room for some privacy. Parking can be a challenge during peak hours, so it is best to come early.
