Meet Angrydobo, Judy Ann and Ryan's new restaurant

Angrydobo, the new restaurant of host Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos, had to close after barely a week of operations — on its very first weekend, in fact — to "allow the replenishment of our supplies and recharge our cast members," Judy Ann said on Instagram.

The restaurant opened in mid-May to much aplomb, after all. Months leading up to its soft opening, Ryan and Judy Ann had been sharing updates about their new venture on Instagram, happily disclosing the inspiring story behind their eatery.

 

 

 

 

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Close to 14 years ago, when we were just dating, we got into this really petty argument that just blew up. You know those fights that just go around in circles, where you eventually forget how it started and then just end up being quiet in the car on the drive home? We had lots of those. But, one night in Los Angeles, something magical came out of this particular lovers quarrel. Judy Anne had promised to cook adobo for our Filipino friends in LA. The plan was to make a big batch that they could then just throw in the fridge and reheat at least for the next 2 weeks. So that night, fight or no fight, I was sent out with a list of ingredients. It was close to midnight when I got back. My girlfriend was having a glass of wine in the kitchen. Without uttering a word, I dumped the supplies on the counter, and immediately went to bed. As I got up the next morning, imagine my surprise as I spot Juday still in the kitchen, apparently never having gone to sleep, still working and cooking up a frenzy. The kitchen was hot and heavy with the smell of passion and witchcraft. Something was going on. Soon as I parked my butt on the kitchen stool, the cook wordlessly places a bowl in front of me and goes straight to bed. It was almost noon, but the house was dead quiet and not a soul was in sight. I looked down into the bowl of fluffy white rice, topped with this dark but gleaming adobo still steamy fresh out of the pot. I took a spoonful. #angrydobo #madewithlove

A post shared by Ryan Agoncillo (@ryan_agoncillo) on

Feb 26, 2019 at 5:55am PST

The idea came from a fight almost a decade and a half ago while they were vacationing in Los Angeles, California.

“We were just dating then, we got into this really petty argument that just blew up… But… something magical came out of this particular lovers’ quarrel,” we read the very story etched on the restaurant's wall, right beside the cashier.  

Judy Ann promised to cook a huge batch of adobo for their Filipino friends in L.A. and on the night of their fight, Ryan was sent to buy the ingredients. He dumped everything on the counter and left Judy Ann there. 

The next day, Ryan woke up to Juday still busy working her magic. Without saying a word and perhaps still stewing over their fight from last night, she served him a bowl of steaming rice topped with adobo.

Jackpot.

We went to Angrydobo a little over 2:00 p.m. on the Monday Angrydobo resumed operations, thinking the lunch rush had already died down. We were wrong: It was still rush hour. The restaurant was still packed and we had to wait in line before we could get a table. 

When we were given the green light, we made a beeline for the counter to place our order. The menu of the week-old Angrydobo was somewhat light but heavy with expectations — this writer after all happens to enjoy Judy Ann’s cooking videos on her YouTube channel.

Though named after adobo, Angrydobo doesn’t serve adobo as we know it. Instead, it offers meat selection done adobo-style with a rich and piquant soy sauce and vinegar finish.

The signature Angrydobo bowl is the highlight, a deceptively huge bowl of steamed white rice topped with your choice of meat and then paired with a vegetable side dish (Laing with Latik, Sitao Gising-Gising, or Sauteed Kang-kong). The bowl is then topped with pickled onions and crispy garlic for more flavor and texture.

The dessert menu is still unavailable — Angrydobo is still on soft opening, after all.

Fourteen years ago, Ryan thought their “kitchen was hot and heavy with the smell of passion and witchcraft,” and today, it looks like they’re onto something magical.

Check out our meal below.

On soft opening. 2456 Taft Avenue Manila. 10am-10pm. 

— LA, GMA News