We are admittedly frequent Tagaytay visitors. It’s our little escape town ‘not so far away’ from Manila if we want to take a break from tall buildings and pollution.

On the way down from our several trips to Tagaytay, O and I would often pass by the new Save More supermarket outlet along Silang, Cavite. The bright yellow signboard was attention-grabbing but it was more of the open restaurant, Hot N’ Juicy, outside that gave me the curiosity. We’ve been telling ourselves to stop the car and give the restaurant a try. However, our stomachs happened to be full most of those times since we already had dinner somewhere else in Tagaytay. After numerous road trips to the peak of Tagaytay, we eventually had room to see what’s in it for us at Hot N’ Juicy Seafoods and Ribs.

The place looked dead during lunch with only 1 server to entertain us. That was it. I didn’t notice the other servers until after we ordered, some of them showed up. Kudos to our server, he answered all my questions about the dishes correctly with enthusiasm.

While in the middle of selecting with my sister and O on what to eat for lunch, our server butted in to mention the use of utensils (spoon, fork & knife) in Hot N’ Juicy is not recommended. The three of us looked at him and didn’t see that coming. Yes, he was serious about using our bare hands. Nothing else! Actually, that made it more exciting and a bit challenging for my sister and me. Hehe. There were smiles on our faces, pretty much ready to stretch and exercise our hands as we eat.

Mini “Dampa” restaurant wherein we were allowed to make our own seafood dish.

Step 1: Choose your seafood. (Alupihan, Imbao, Mussels, Halaan, Shrimp, Tiger Prawns, Crab)

Step 2: Weigh it.

Step 3: Select your homemade seasoning. (Louisiana, Cajun, Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper, Hot N’ Spicy)

Step 4: Spice it up. (Baby Spice, Mild, Medium, Spicy or Extra Spicy)

Step 5: Wash your hands (Do I need to remind you? Hehe.)

Aside from making your own, Hot N’ Juicy has a list of ready-to-order dishes composed of pork, beef, chicken and seafood.

Our table was covered with a wide sheet of plastic before the plates were laid on the wooden picnic table.

Time to use our exposed hands! Scouts, attack!

We concentrated on attacking the wings first. 8 pieces of Chicken Wings as appetizer. Perfect way to savor the flavors of chicken wings, from skin to its tiny bones, is to leave your utensils behind. Some restaurants give plastic gloves but Hot N’ Juicy prefers eating like cavemen. Chose our wings to be rubbed with mild spicy glaze. Soft and juicy in the inside, a pinch of crispiness outside. All 8 wings lying softly on its saucy bed.

Rice and ribs fairly took our hands to the test. Left hand held one rib, right hand swept small sushi sizes of rice to shoot down to the mouth. While we were all laughing and enjoying our time together, deep inside we were serious in not messing each other’s boundaries. Take note, no individual plates. So our rice was scattered on our imaginary plate. We didn’t want to stop eating this way. That was soo fun! However, the size of ribs served was seriously small for the three of us. Delectable and tasty in every part of the ribs, which made us want to get one more order.

Plastic bag of shrimps seasoned with Louisiana flavoring in a medium level of spiciness. The minute we inserted our dirty hands in the hole of plastic to grab pieces of shrimps, the messier we became. I kept on dipping every shrimp in its bag of spicy Louisiana sauce to smear my rice with extra flavors.

Pull up your sleeves and munch with the help of your hands.

We all felt SAUCY not SOSSY. :p

A ground for photo enthusiasts who have eyes on fun cabinets and walls. Details of rustic and old wood, toy, bottles, etc. occupied one large wall cabinet by the bar side.

It feels like a place near the sea, only it’s near Tagaytay.

Art appreciation at one spot.

Food	9/10
Ambiance	9/10
Service	8/10
Cost	8/10
Overall	8.5/10