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Masarap ba? is an Instagram-based food review account, that calls itself “the most honest food review account in the history of mankind.”
While the last bit is a little too hyperbolic for our taste, we like the simplicity of its premise: Food is either good or bad. At the end of the day, there’s really just one question to answer: Is that dish you ordered good or bad?
Now, food experts may raise an eyebrow and think that to be a little too simplistic — they’ll also scoff at that post about Bo’s Coffee’s Baked Mac. But it seems like the honesty is refreshing. The account is only a month old but in just 53 posts, Masarap ba? has attracted 4,746 followers as of posting.
A swift glance of its IG gallery will show you what he already has to say about the food in every picture: Masarap, hindi masarap, and variations there of. In a smaller font size, the dish and the restaurant where it’s from are named.
He reviews pretty much anything and everything he’s eaten for the day — from restaurants to grocery finds, snacks and candy, to fastfood offerings. The image is enough to get your attention, the judgement is enough to hold it. But the fun, really, is in his captions. There, he gives witty details about his eating experience and provides the reasons for saying why the food is good, bad, or meh.
Our favorite? We have three: His review of Tim Ho Wan’s pork buns (“Lord ang sarap. Parang niyakap ka ng sampung sirena at kinantahan ng lullaby”), Mr. Delicious’ pancakes (“Hindi delicious. Dapat pa-epek ang tawag sa restaurant na ito. Pauso yung Canadian bacon di naman masarap. Yung maple syrup nila, kailangan mo mag order ng isa pang serving pero 95 pesos siya dahil galing pa daw Canada. Si Celine Dion ba ang naghalo nito?”), the Paella at Las Flores (“Puta ang sarap. Ito yata yung dahilan kung bakit naimbento ang term na ‘once you go black you can never go back’.”), and Refinery’s Baby Dutch Pancakes (“Hindi masarap. Isa siyang cake na nasa pan, pero walang saya. Dense, pudding-like texture, wala siyang lasa at walang motherly or nurturing feeling. Parang nalugi ako.”)
Masarap Ba? Is run by a one-man band, a 29-year-old employee of a corporation “na nagbebenta ng kung anu-ano.” The owner of the account refuses to give anything else away, preferring to remain anonymous. “Pero okay lang. Don’t be too curious because I’m just a normal person who likes to eat,” he tells us in Tagalog over Facebook.
When asked why he put up the account, he says, “ang dami-daming sinasabi ng mga tao, lalo na sa Instagram. Ang daming pauso.” Later on, he voices out something a lot of us couldn’t agree with more: “Call a spade, a spade, and a sunog na isaw, a sunog na isaw.”
He says he’s a victim of countless food blogs eager to proclaim so-and-so as the next big thing, but Masarap ba? also displays a kind of understanding that shows he is self-aware.
“Sometimes, a restaurant becomes inconsistent because the chef has already resigned, or na-peste yung supplier nila ng letsugas. Minsan naman pwede ring totoo yung review pero ikaw yung may problema. Heartbroken ka pala kaya sing pait ng tadhana yung panlasa mo. Pero meron ding food reviewer na gusto makakuha ng madaming sponsorship kaya hala sige puro positive ang reviews. Pwede ba yun? Pwede bang masarap lahat ng nakain mo?
He says he’s no expert and everything you’ll see in the account is subjective, but his criteria will tell you that Masarap Ba? is a well-fed and thinking fellow, aware of Metro Manila’s bursting food scene.
“My criteria is based on the expectations that were set upon looking at the menu, reading food reviews, the price, and whatever I’m going through that day,” he says in Taglish. If it’s expensive, he says, you better set your bar high. “And besides, sa dami ng masarap ngayon, dapat mataas ang standards.”
He says all this is just real talk. “Saka nakaka-enjoy na makitang natatawa yung mga tao. Ibig sabihin they agree with your mission in life at gusto nila na magpakatotoo lang tayong lahat.”
His advise? We all have to be self-aware. “Nakakabiktima ang food reviews pero you have to remember to take it with a grain of salt. When you read a review, try it, and then gawa ka rin ng sarili mong review.”
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