Santis Deli-Cafe -- More than you usual deli

I've always liked Santis Silang for two reasons. One, the store may be small but it's complete. It has really good quality cheese, hams and other meat products, and hubby's favorite ladyfinger cookies. Two, the store is very accessible to me as I can drop by anytime since it's very near our house. Of course, it goes without saying that the staff there are among the most friendly and courteous I've met, and over the years, hubby and I have come to regard them as friends. They even call the little boss "Santino", as hubby used to joke that he was raised on Santis ham during my pregnancy. That's not entirely true, but the joke stuck, and the little boss is "Santino" to them.

Santi's menu

Fresh produce

Cheese, cured meats, hams, cold cuts, and sausages 

Steaks and other meat, fish and seafood

Imported items like chocolates, biscuits, teas, sauces, and more!

Wine selection

During a recent visit, hubby noticed the brochures for their Roast Beef Night and remembered the Chef mentioning it to him a few months back. He wanted to try it but never got around to it, and we thought the promotion ended. Apparently, it was a hit with their customers that they continued offering it every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Judith, the store manager, invited us to give it a try, and as it's been quite a while since we last dined there, it was not hard to persuade us. For good measure, we invited some friends who also like a good slab of steak every now and then, thinking that if we were splurging a bit, might as well have company, eh?

We got there early on a Saturday night as the place easily get full during weekends. As expected, hubby and our companions all ordered the roast beef.  Each order consisted of a generous serving of their US Angus Ribeye with a preferred side dish and sauce, a serving of salad greens with choice of dressing, and a glass of Argentinian red or white wine. Hubby and our friend decided to have red wine to go with their steak, while our friend's wife and their son had theirs changed to soda.

Hubby and the little boss while waiting for our companions

The Day's Special. But we were there for
the steak, so nobody really took notice.

Dessert choices which we opted to skip.

As I was sharing with the little boss, I got the broiled chicken in mustard, which I've had a couple of times in the past. It's grilled chicken fillet in a mustard-based marinade served with a side of home fries. The skin was removed, fried to a crisp, then arranged with the grilled chicken. The chicken was tender and seasoned nicely, with the mustard flavor not too overpowering. I have to admit to being a little disappointed with the fries, though. The fries used to be fresh-cut potatoes that were fried and lightly seasoned with salt and a dash of spice, hence the term home-made fries. The fries that accompanied my order were the usual commercial variety that one can get in a grocery. That aside, my chicken was as good as I remembered it to be.

Warm rye bread to start your meal.
The little boss liked it so we asked for another slice for him.

Broiled chicken in mustard with cripy skin.
I miss their old home-fried potatoes, though.

Hubby and I shared the salad that came with the steak, which we asked served with orange vinaigrette instead of our regular ceasar dressing. This is Tagaytay territory with Gourmet farms less than a hundred meters away, so it was no surprise that the greens were fresh and crisp. I particularly liked the vinaigrette, it was slightly sweet and light, very refreshing.

A generous serving of salad greens with your choice of dressing

US Angus Ribeye cooked medium-well,
served with baked potato and a glass of red wine.

I also snitched a few bites of steak from hubby's plate, and was not surprised that it was melt-in-your-mouth tender as a good quality ribeye should be. Hubby opted to have his steak with au jus instead of his usual gravy, and it was good decision as the natural flavor was not masked  by sauces or seasonings. I'd probably get a steak that good from famous steakhouses for more than double the price, and without wine or any other beverage at that. It was really good value.

We skipped dessert and opted to have coffee in a newly-opened local coffee place. But I know we'll be back should our craving for good quality steak hits again.

Santi's ladies. Forgot to invite Chef to join them. Sorry Chef!

Photos by Mike Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post