What’s the secret of Jaemark’s goodness?

The Jaemark's tail of the tuna: "Pata without the fat!"

Joseph and Jaemark's has an almost 20-year history spotted with various locations and name changes but what's essential has remained the same, thankfully. Reborn at its latest (and hopefully last) location, it's now called Joseph & Jaemark's Family Grill. This is perhaps my favorite seafood-slash-grill (ihaw) restaurant because of one thing: the buntot ng tuna (tuna tail).

It's no pretty dish, but the tail section is the most flavorful part of the fish, offering up a near-comprehensive catalog of textures. Though the menu says it's "…pata minus the fat!" I'm not wont to believe it. With a thundering crispness that echoes in the brain and eardrums, the tail is really just a lot of fish skin and cartilage. If you savor the succulent stickiness of callos, the ooze of bone marrow, or the lip-smacking unctuousness of kare-kare, then you'll love this crispy buntot.

Joseph & Jaemark's specializes in Filipino grill food, especially tuna . Try the panga (jaw) and the tiyan (belly) — each differs in flavor and texture. Depending on which part of the jaw you end up getting, there's usually a v-shaped soft bone cutting through the meat: the closer to the bone, the sweeter and more silken is the meat. There's a prominent smokiness that runs through the panga, intersecting with salty on various bites.

Grilled Tuna Belly at Jaemarks

You also can't go wrong with the blue marlin, it scintillates in its amber hue, a sheen shinywith soy sauce and sugar. It cuts like a steak but is softer.

The blue marlin cuts like a steak, but is softer.

Because Jaemark's is — at its core — a grill place, there are no wrong choices here when it comes to grilled food. The grilled gindara is done well as is the grilled squid. I love, love, love the pork sisig which strikes an exceptional balance between pork bits and pork head. It's so good that I don't even need to add my customary liquid seasoning and calamansi. Should you insist on eating greens, the green mango salad or the grilled eggplant with tomatoes, onions, and bagoong should suffice. I like the Bicol Express too. And for god's sake, don't forget the requisite two cups of rice! Get the garlic rice which is mixed in margarine and topped with garlic chips.

One last word: Though Jaemark's tuna is excellent on its own, the secret is in the sauce.


Once you've placed your order, you'll be given two bowls, each with a different sauce. The first is a traditional sawsawan of vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, chilies, and chopped onions. The second is what made Jaemark's famous, aside from their tuna, of course. It's a special concoction of soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and margarine, the brand of which was revealed to me way back in the mid-90s, but which I'll let you figure out on your own.

Joseph & Jaemark's Family Grill
#5 Sgt. Esguerra Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
(2) 410-TUNA (410-8662)


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