Monday, August 10, 2009

A Secret Garden Restaurant Inside UP Diliman...

At last! I've been looking forward to visiting this place since I first read a review about this last weekend. I never knew it existed!! During my UP days, I'd often hangout at the Chocolate Kiss Cafe. Also, I was not interested in dining out during those times. I got really excited when I learned it's only located in Quezon City!! Jr and I agreed to visit this weekend... I'm so happy for the great dining experience!! The food was fantastic!!!
Located along Apacible St behind the University Health Service Building lies a secret place... a garden restaurant called Chateau Verde. We almost got lost....
Fortunately, once we saw the leaf sculpture, we knew we were on the right place...
It seemed like entering a secret garden...
We couldn't believe it! A lovely hidden sanctuary! We were today's first patrons...
It's indeed a garden restaurant with a relaxing and homey ambiance...
It's surrounded by plants... with simple looking seats and a couple of tables which were nicely set. After we got settled in our seats, we immediately asked for the menu..
For my beverage, I ordered the Verde Lemonade (45 pesos)
It had just the right amount of everything that would make a perfect refreshing lemonade. The best lemonade I've had so far! Jr on the other hand, ordered a cup of Brewed Coffee as usual (45 pesos)

Lengua Ala Rico ( 225 pesos / 4.6 $)
- I've been dreaming of this dish for a week!I wanted to try something new so when I saw their menu on the internet, I've decided that this is what I'm going to try! This french inspired dish is made up of ultra tender slices of ox tongue in demi-glaze of ham, chicken liver, green peas and red wine.
I was very impressed with the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the ox tongue. The taste was superb! It had such a nice balance!
The savory flavors were nicely complemented with a scoop of fresh mashed potato, some veggies and a cup of perfectly cooked rice. .. I'm in-love!!!
Let's now check out Jr's meal......

Marinara Blanca (185pesos / 3.8$)
-Shrimps, fish fillet, squid, mussels simmered in white wine served over plain fettuccine pasta.
Jr's has always been a pasta lover not to mention a great pasta cook as well hehehehe
This dish was very filling... it tasted also very good however, we both agreed that the sauce was too heavy.
It also had a healthy balance of great fresh ingredients. Definitely worth every peso!

Finally, after having 2 satisfying dishes, I insisted to order dessert, Jr picked this heavenly slice of Blueberry Cheesecake (70 pesos/ 1.5$)
-When it was served, my first impression was it looked similar with Red Ribbon's Blueberry Cheesecake (actually one of my favorites). Well, looks can be deceiving... By the time I tried it, I was completely blown away!!! I was in a state of bliss... nirvana!! If I'm not mistaken, they used mascarpone cheese or just damn good cream cheese!! Oohh la la!!!
Its temperature was perfect! Again, it was well balanced..the perfect mix of cheeses and cream on a semi-sweet and salty graham crust, topped with sweet blueberry sauce.... truly mouthwatering!!
Yes, you are looking at the best tasting Blueberry Cheesecake in town!



Here's the menu!!














What a memorable meal!! We can't wait for our next visit!! I hope we can have the chance to talk with the chef!

We highly recommend this place for everyone!! The prices may seem a little costly but we guarantee a wonderful experience! A romantic date place for sweethearts and also wholesome for the whole family. The budget per head would cost around 250-300php.

Balance.... is I think the most important thing which I learned from this visit. With proper balance, differently flavored ingredients merge together in harmony, complementing eachother.. creating a masterpiece for our tastebuds to enjoy!

I hope you liked this week's feature and I wish we'll all have a happy and productive week!!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Not So New City Food House

I've been receiving a lot of requests lately on when I'm gonna feature this restaurant. So here it is! This week's feature is all about NEW CITY FOOD HOUSE located along Kalayaan Avenue near Kamias Road in Quezon City.

There's definitely nothing new with this restaurant. In fact, it's one of the oldest places I know. Way way back in 1987, my Dad took me to this place. If I remember right, this is where I had my first Lumpiang Shanghai. It's my first time to eat in a restaurant for "real" people. In my last article, I mentioned I was a spoiled brat when I was young.... I had this reputation for being "maldita" and "mata pobre" due to my addiction to Filipino soap operas such as "Anna Lisa" and "Mga Batang Yagit." It made such a huge impact on me that I thought being mean to poor people was completely normal!! Silly me!!

Anyway, after all these years, this restaurant NEVER changed!!! I swear!No renovations whatsoever!! Hahahah

But the food is superb!!!
If you're looking for good old comfort food at very affordable prices, a 24 hr place to meet your "queridas," or simply just hang out... this place is just PERFECT!!









Let's take a look at the specialties....


Looks like chicken, tastes like chicken but it ain't chicken!!! It's FISH!!! Their Breaded Fish Fillet is actually Jr's personal favorite! It costs only 123 pesos!!










Torta Galina (69 pesos)
-This dish is truly a winner! It's basically an omelet loaded with all sorts of vegies and meat made extra special with their secret sauce. Best eaten with their Shanghai Rice.



















Calamares

-Their batter is just fine I guess, not too salty.
I think the most important thing in cooking seafood is that you have to assure its freshness.









Shanghai Fried Rice
-I always order this each time I visit! It's very affordable and tasty!










Fried Tofu (10 pesos each)
-I wasn't very satisfied with this one 'coz
the tofu was not fresh.












Sizzling Beef w/ Vegetables
- Honestly, I didn't wanna include this but what the heck! At least, you know what NOT to order. hehehe









Hotdog Sandwich
-I was actually expecting a Jumbo Hotdog in a hotdog bun but this was what I got.... hmmm reminds me of what I used to eat in school during my elementary days. I'd usually bully my seatmate so he'd share his baon with me.










Well well, our tummies are once again satisfied!
(burp!)












We hope that the management would somehow change the light bulbs or fix the sign......











The New City Food House is located along Kalayaan Avenue, between Kamias Road and V.Luna Street.

Additional tips:
1. Be patient with the wait staff... they tend to be "slow." This is not a 5 star restaurant so don't expect excellent service. They're polite but "slow"

2. Double check your total bill! Trust me!!



Here's the menu......





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...