Gubat QC: My First Real Attempt at Kamayan Dining

Gubat QC has to be the most underrated hidden restaurant in Quezon City. Hell, you will walk right by it if you’re not paying attention. Once inside, the menu is basic, the setting is serene, and they make you eat kamayan style. They stand there with big smiles, beaming with that legendary Filipino hospitality implying: “hey come check out our little jungle oasis away from the insanity of the city and shove this food in your mouth with your bare hands, you cretin.

You’re a bit taken aback by the whole experience because your life has consisted of meatloaf, soggy mashed potatoes, and forks that now seem like odd torture instruments, but you play along. What ensues is full fledged carnage over a banana leaf, some self deprecating mumbling, and plenty of giggles from the staff.

This is the story of my first kamayan experience at Gubat QC.

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About Gubat QC

Gubat QC opened in 2018 as the Metro Manila offshoot of Kusina Luntian, a bare-hands, banana-leaf setup that started in Baler, Aurora. The founders, Biboy Cruz and Cereb Gregorio, brought the same no-cutlery, no-compromises mentality to Quezon City.

The original branch sits inside the Diliman Bonsai Society compound on C.P. Garcia Avenue, just across from the UP Institute of Environmental Science. There’s no big sign out front. If you don’t already know where you’re going, you’ll probably walk right past it.

In 2023, they opened a second location on Mayaman Street near Maginhawa. More space, better parking, and the same exact format. You eat with your hands, seated on wooden benches, surrounded by plants and stone. No utensils because that’s the whole point. You’ll once again walk right by it if you don’t know it’s there. I visited this location and had to get a trike driver to point out where it was.

Inside Gubat is where the place really comes to life. Gubat translates to jungle in Filipino and that is exactly what they have made the open air dining areas feel like. Tons of greenery, water features with live fish and turtles. A literal escape from the hectic city outside the gates.

This Is Where the Cutlery Stays Home

Gubat QC doesn’t ask and they don’t explain. They just hand you food on banana leaves and walk off. Welcome to kamayan dining.

The table setup is simple. Long bench seating, food laid out in the middle, no plates, and definitely no utensils. It doesn’t feel forced. It’s not for effect. It just is. Everyone around you is already halfway into their meals, elbow-deep in rice, and nobody’s looking around for a spoon.

Ok, utensils are available if you ask really nicely, especially at the Mayaman location. They do get the melanin challenged crowd that stumbled on an article like this one and have to try it for themselves. Most, like me, fail miserably. But having utensils defeats the whole purpose of kamayan style dining so don’t be that asshat asking for a spoon or even worse a fork.

You hesitate for about five seconds, then realize nobody cares how you’re doing it. Well, except in my case. Because I was filming it, I asked the staff to try and teach me how to do it. Hence the giggles I mentioned earlier because apparently my self hatred has no shame. Luckily for me they were extremely patient and kind while offering to help. I would have laughed at me too had I been on the other side of the table.

You scoop, swipe, smash things together with your fingers then push it into your mouth with your thumb. If you’re confused about that description, imagine how I felt sitting there trying to do it the first time. It’s not elegant, but it works. Kamayan isn’t some ceremonial event here, it’s how they serve food. That’s it.

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Gubat QC Menu

Gubat’s menu doesn’t waste your time. You get a banana leaf and one protein source. It comes with adobo rice, a salted egg, a scoop of pako salad, and grilled tomato. That’s it.

Protein choices include pork adobo, tapa flakes, fried chicken, longganisa, lechon kawali, Hungarian sausage, and a few others. Most of it’s fried or braised. All of it’s meant to be shoved into your face by hand.

They’ve also got a few light sides. Things like pako salad on its own and salted egg with tomato. For à la carte, you can try their version of dinakdakan that’s made from their delicious pork belly, but it will be missing the cheeks, ears, intestines and brains. Bottom line though? If you’re not into rice meals, you’re in the wrong place.

There are a few oddball merienda items like carbonara and bolognese. I didn’t try them. You probably won’t either. But you should try their chick-charon.

Drinks are basic. The turmeric iced tea gets the most attention, and they also do a fresh calamansi juice that’s more than worth it. Everything else is soda or juice and a beer option.

It’s not a big menu and it doesn’t try to be. It exists to serve food that tastes good without needing a second page.

What I Ordered at Gubat

This was supposed to be a normal meal. I was going to get one plate, maybe two, eat like a human being, and get out. Instead, I looked like an idiot as I filmed myself trying to eat it all with my bare hands like an unmedicated raccoon.

I didn’t go in with a plan, I just asked the staff what they liked. You should try this ma’am/sir. Yes please! And this ma’am/sir? Yes! What landed on the banana leaves was a mix of shrimp, fried fish, eggplant with buro, and a dessert I had no business ordering after two mains and a side.

Halabos na Hipon

This might be my favorite dish on the Gubat QC menu. Halabos na Hipon go through a very simple cooking process. It starts with boiling water and salt where the hipon (prawns) are blanched. From here the water is drained and butter is added. And then some more butter is added. Then a little more butter. Basically, it’s a shit ton of butter. Garlic is added to the sizzling pan of butter and prawns and that’s it. Simple.

My attempts at eating this dish kamayan style are another story. Nothing simple about that. I don’t know about you, but trying to pick up rice that is drenched in butter is no easy task. And to boot the prawns are not deshelled. So you have butter soaked hands trying to peel open butter soaked prawns. I looked like a damn idiot, but it was encouraging to see a thumbs up from the staff when I would do it right.

My hand eating skills aside, the flavor of this dish is just wow. There, how’s that for a vague say nothing descriptor? But there really is no better word to describe them. When is butter ever a bad thing? Garlic? The prawns still have a solid snap to them, They’re meaty and briny. It is literally a perfect dish.

Piniritong Isda (Blue Marlin)

This was the most straightforward dish I ordered. Thin slices of blue marlin, seared in butter with a little salt and pepper. That’s it. No sauce, dips, or garnish. Just fish on a banana leaf daring you to pick it up without flinging it across the table.

It smells great, looks great, and tastes great. And then you try to eat it with your hands and suddenly it’s a precision test you didn’t sign up for. Each piece is just slick enough to slide out of your grip the second you think you’ve got it.

Texture-wise? Perfect. The marlin stays soft and juicy, almost delicate, and has just enough browning to hold it together. It’s clean, buttery, and doesn’t need anything else. If this had a sauce, it’d ruin it. Besides, you have salted egg, pako and rice as an accompaniment, each with its own flavour profile.

Pritong Talong w/ Buro

Pritong is fried and talong is eggplant. Buro? That’s a whole other beast. Buckle up, princess, this one will take you on a ride. Buro is a fermented rice and it is as funky as can be. The Gubat QC version is much more mellow than most of the versions of buro I have had. But you still get that salty, tangy, and sour flavor profile buro is so well known for, just toned down a bit.

The fried eggplant is spectacular and holds it’s texture surprisingly well. Eggplant has a tendency to become a mushy mass once cooked in any way. And you still get that subtle sweetness from the eggplant. Drenched in buro, it’s even better. Turns out, it’s a full-blown texture trap waiting to humiliate you in front of strangers as you drool all over yourself.

Turon ala Mode

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t need dessert, I didn’t want dessert. But the owners had insisted on giving me this for free for featuring them in a video. So without insulting the ownership, I gladly accepted and just made it up as part of the staff’s tip before I left. No freebies and no payments on this blog/vlog for featuring any establishment.

It’s a classic turon. Crispy wrapper, caramelized banana, no weird twists. But then they throw a scoop of ice cream on top and suddenly it’s dessert theater. It’s cold, it’s hot, and it’s collapsing into itself the second you try to break it apart. This is the one instance at Gubat QC where you get a utensil. It’s a small dessert spoon because they don’t expect you to pick up ice cream with your hands. Although it would be hilarious if they did.

Taste-wise? No complaints. It’s sweet, it’s rich, and It’s more than you need after a heavy meal, but it will be a cold day in hell before I say no to dessert.

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QC’s Most Unbothered Kamayan Spot

Gubat QC doesn’t need to tell you it’s different. You figure that out when you’re sitting in a bonsai garden, bloated, wondering how you just ate an entire meal without a single piece of cutlery.

They don’t pitch kamayan dining as an experience. It’s just how the food is served. Show up, order, eat, rinse and repeat. It’s not rocket science, it’s literally a meal and it’s not that serious.

But maybe that’s what makes Gubat one of the best hidden restaurants in Quezon City. It’s not trying to attract attention. It just does everything well, and lets the food and the setting speak for themselves.

Gubat QC Prices-Hours-and Location

Gubat QC is one of the few places where the food is good and the prices don’t feel like punishment. Almost everything lands between ₱145 and ₱260. That gets you a full plate with adobo rice, salted egg, and pako salad served kamayan style whether you’re ready or not.

Extras like buro, pako salad, and drinks will run you ₱30 to ₱100. Even dessert stays reasonable, with turon ala mode at ₱160 and leche flan starting at ₱75. You can eat well here without burning your wallet, which is saying something for Quezon City.

Hours:

• Diliman (Bonsai Garden): 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Tuesday–Sunday
• Mayaman Street: 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Tuesday–Sunday

Locations:

Mayaman Branch – 43 Mayaman, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon, Kalakhang Maynila

Diliman Branch – J3WC+R6Q, C.P. Garcia Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, 1800 Metro Manila

Gubat QC Final Verdict

In a city full of restaurants bending over backward to please everyone, Gubat QC doesn’t move an inch. It’s carved out its own lane and stuck to it. If you’re looking for polished plating and fine dining, you’re in the wrong spot. But if you’re into rice meals, great flavors, and not giving a damn about utensils, Gubat QC is exactly where you should be.

Been here? Planning to go? Drop a comment. If you’re still confused about kamayan dining or want dish recs beyond what I ordered, I’ll answer every question that isn’t ignorant.

Gubat QC-FAQ

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