Try this Pares stand in Makati for your next 'braised beef stew' cravings

Braised beef stew, also known as "Pares" in the Philippines, has long been a favorite Filipino dish best paired with garlic fried rice and soup.

You can go anywhere in Metro Manila, and there will always be one Pares stand or two in the busy streets of the cities. But there's this one particular stand in Makati City that many people don't mind lining up to.

Walastik Pares is located in Bangkal, Makati, which offers a unique take on the usual Pares by adding toppings such as "putok batok" insides of a beef.

In the "Dapat Alam Mo!" episode on Thursday, Walastik Pares owner Alex Ramos revealed that at first, he didn't expect the influx of people visiting his Pares stand.

"Siguro unang-una sa pakikitungo namin sa tao, atsaka sa serving and then sa presyo, mura kasi 'yung ano namin doon, isipin mo 'yung fifty pesos mo may kasama nang fried rice di ba," said Ramos.

("Perhaps it's how we treat our customers, then the serving and the price, it's cheap, imagine for 50 pesos you have a fried rice with it.")

Aside from the basic beef pares, Walastik Pares also offers other variants such as "utak ng baka," "pares with bulalo," and "pares with tumbong," among others.

One customer told "Dapat Alam Mo!" that he came all the way from Talavera, Nueva Ecija just to try Walastik Pares.

"Dumayo po kami rito para tikman ang 'yung patok na walastik pares po nila. Iba 'yung sarap," the customer said.

("We traveled here to taste their popular walastic pares. It tastes so good.")

As much as Pares is a crowd's favorite meal, it is also high in cholesterol. So, registered nutritionist and dietician Uzzy advises people to eat Pares in moderation.

"If only the beef, okay lang pero the toppings na lamang loob, ito ang sobrang taas sa kolesterol kaya naman kailangang maghinay-hinay lalo na sa utak ng baka," said Uzzy.

("If it's only the beef, it's okay but the innards toppings are high in cholesterol so we should consume in moderation especially the brain.")

Catch "Dapat Alam Mo!" from Mondays to Friday, 5:30 p.m. at GMA Network.

—Hermes Joy Tunac/MGP, GMA News