KKK SM North: Where We Almost Ate A Cockroach

The native-inspired interiors were impressive. Rizal’s words freeflowed on walls; salakot, porcelain figurines dressed in Filipiniana, and tissue holders sporting Rizal’s image were ubiquitous sights. Ah, finally: a restaurant that truly takes Pinoy pride to heart, down to detail. That pride was contagious. I sat easy on their wooden chairs, brimming with Pinoy pride.

Funky Filipiniana figurines sporting the menu.

Immediately, we ordered three cups of rice, Krispy Kangkong Salad, Inihaw na Bacon Liempo and leche flan made from gatas ng kalabaw for dessert. Few weeks ago, I saw a TV feature on their Sinigang na Lechon, and was eager to try that as well. The quirky decorations blew me away a tad that I forgot to order that though.

Yumm vegetable kropeck

Bestselling Inhiaw na Liempo Bacon

A basket of crunchy vegetable kropeck was served to us by polite servers while waiting. In fifteen minutes, our orders arrived. We were beyond thrilled. The Inihaw na Bacon Liempo delivered as promise. Touted as one of the bestsellers, the meat – thin, soft, perfectly grilled and swathed in lightly sweetened sauce and sesame seeds – oozed with juice as we forked into it. The crispy kangkong salad had a pleasantly sweet and sour twist that I so fancied. 

Krispy Kangkong Salad

Leche Flan Made from Gatas ng Kalabaw

And then came the rice.

I flipped the bowl over to my plate, and there it was. A.FREAKING.GERMAN.COCKROACH. I was still hoping it was just some food bug so I scattered the rice around my plate a little, and it wasn’t. The segmented hairy legs, the brown wings, those two distinct dark eyes cannot belong to anything else but a cockroach. And my then 14-month old daughter and I was supposed to share that cup. 

Definitely a cockroach, wouldn’t you say?

Calmly, I motioned for the server cum manager trainee and pointed at the nasty. Embarrassed, she immediately took away my plate and the cup of rice and said, “Ma’am, pasensiya na. Papalitan ko na lang po.”

I was skeptical as she handed us a new cup of steaming rice. “Pero hindi ba iisang rice cooker lang ang pinagkuhanan nito, Miss?” I asked. 

“Hindi po,” she said, looking quite unsure. Rice are placed in separate cups in a steamer. The roach must have fallen from somewhere straight into the bowl, not when the whole batch was cooked. Just how that missed the cook/ server’s eyes is completely beyond me. It was right there, perched gloriously near the lid of the cup.

Muching on kropeck. A bit relieved she didn’t accidentally munch on a roach.

We did not give them hell. We’ve never been the customers-from-hell bunch. He was pissed, but Jigs did not say anything the entire time. I even felt sorry for the trainee, with her meek and soft-spoken demeanor. Might have been her first day, and already she had a cockroach incident. 


But beyond the disgust and pity coexisting altogether, there was dismay and sadness. This was not like the strand of hair I found in my Pasta Alfredo in Pizza Hut, or a fly on my grilled bangus in a now-defunct Bulacan resto. This is war-surviving, garbage-eating six-legged pest. Our first cockroach encounter at a restaurant, and one that I have had high hopes for (and liked a lot, actually).

In fairness to the lady, she was prompt to always refill our glasses, and every time she did, she would apologize. Also, she politely offer to take the leche flan off the bill (which kind of tasted peculiar, grassy and earthen, although the macapuno topping was a delight, so I’m glad that at least that was eliminated from the check). But that roach just ruined our appetite.

Do I want them out of business? No. I want them to mind their business, especially that this is not the first pest-related review on KKK (I read a separate review on a similar case in different branch). I want them to stay for a very long time, because I NEED to sample that Sinigang na Lechon, and their Rob Manila and MOA branches are just too damn far from us. And because roaches aside, in that tiny amount of time, I felt very much at home in there. That well-appointed restaurant made me proud of my cultural heritage. I”m sure any Pinoy would be. Not to mention, the prices are reasonable too (We paid about P315 for all that excluding the leche flan). 

But on the flip side, I am hoping that this will serve as a reminder for all food entrepreneurs to never be complacent in the way they handle their businesses. The food industry is a fragile business. Pests follow where there is food. It’s a given. But that cannot be a valid excuse for something as serious as this. 

It is the responsibility of restaurateurs to ensure the safety of customers by always, always paying great attention to and investing on scrupulous hygiene, employee training, and a reliable pest control service. When you make those a priority, it would trickle down to your employees and make everyone, customers included, happy in the transaction.

Have you had a similar experience? How did you manage it?