Merong na nakatambay.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Project 12 x 2 - 1: Mediterranean Grub

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.  
- Anonymous
For the lack of a winding intro, I present...

The Cafe Mediterranean!

ihanda ang lamesa

Ang Panimula:
Hindi kami fan netong resto na ito but the rare chances that we've visited it, it's on their Greenbelt branch.

Sadly, it's this same branch that I find I can't justify taking a chow on. Lugi sa lugar. In any point within the area, pakinig yung yabangan sa kabilang lamesa AT yung ingay ng mga taong dumadaan (the place is located on a major pathway of the mall). Lalo na kung lunch time... sooobrang ingay (katabi din siya ng isang mas "masa" na resto na mas napupuno ng tao kapag tanghali). Kung namalasan pa na wala nang upuan kundi sa labas, parang aquarium ang dining experience... lahat ng taong dumadaan papanoorin kang kumain! Haha.

steady lang Kuya, panonoorin ka namin kumaen!

Don't get me wrong. WALA akong pakelam kung may mga strangers na pasulyap-sulyap sa pagkain ko. Pero sa gastos na inaabot ko sa resto na ito, hindi makatarungan na i-disregard ang privacy ko. Ang dating ay parang hindi pa pala kasama sa binabayad ko ang matinong ambiance. Buti sana kung nasa Jollijeep lang ako or nasa Karinderya, carry lang kahit amoy putok pa ang katabi kong kumakain kasi sa mura ng ibabayad ko, wala akong karapatan mag-reklamo.

The Mediterranean-inspired interiors is not that shabby, mind you. The mostly wooden designs should have been pefect for a high-priced restaurant but the branch's floor area limited it to look like a casual hole-in-the-wall bistro. If I'll just pay for an expensive resto, I'd rather be "IN" an expensive resto. Gets?

colored bottles, stylized plates, wooden partitions... mamwede-mwede

It's not hard to find if you know Greenbelt 1. From the main entrance, follow the trail to Greenbelt 5 but take a left pag lagpas ng Jollibee. Sunod sunod nang kainan yan after the turn, and Cafe Med is right in front of Sarabia Optical.

Ang Nilantakan:
  • Grilled Beef Gyro
  • Harissa Pork Tenderloin
  • Grilled Beef Kebab
  • Basmati Rice
jeero o gairo??

Beef gyro yung kilala nateng shawarma, although mas less massacre yung hiwa since they slice it in bigger pieces. Pero yung way kung pano siya lutuin (yung may malaking slab ng karne na umiikot na parang trumpo sa mainit na higanteng bakal na katol) ay pareho. They serve it with baba ghanoush (boiled eggplant pulp), tzatziki (Greek sawsawan na yari sa yogurt), tabbouleh (salad na mainly yari sa parsley at kamatis), and chillies (sili... doh!).

Masarap etong beef gyro. Naihaw ng tama yung beef at yung lasa ay sakto lang ang pagka smokey at mamula-mula pa yung loob. Mas masarap siya nung pinaliguan ko ng garlic sauce. Kudos din to the garlic sauce. Masarap. Pati yung mga dips na na-mention ko, maganda ang complement sa grilled beef.

grilled pork + jargon = kaching!

Yung harissa pork tenderloin ay pina-sosi at pina-Armenian na tawag sa maanghang na inihaw na pork tenderloin. Nothing special really, except that it looked like it was splashed with green and red pepper post-grilling. Tapos yun na yun.

grilled food may come in pita or rice

Ang beef kebab nila ay parang yung beef gyro lang din. Iniba lang yung spelling. Pero pareho ang lasa at parehong mahal.

Yung basmati rice ay long grain rice na tipikal sa India. Kung bakit may Indian chicha sa isang Mediterranean resto ay hindi ko alam.

they got balls

Nakita ko na din yung servings nila ng Kofta (meatballs) at Mediterranean-style Grilled Chicken. Interesting yung marinade ng chicken pero yung kofta ay sobrang tipikal na inihaw na meatballs.

Iba pang Anik-anik:
Limited yung ritrato nung menu nila. Hindi pang tangang katulad namin. Tingin ko hindi maiintindihan ng masang Pilipino ang mga nakasulat na pagkain at equally translingual descriptions maliban siguro sa "kebab". In any case, I don't think yung masang Pinoy naman ang target market so wala lang. Moving on.

ano daw???

Mahirap mag-tawag ng atensyon ng waiter kung madaming kumakain. At doble ng tagal nito yung pag hintay sa pagkain. Halos mahigit 35 minutes kaming nag-iintay sa order namin and late na kami nakabalik sa opisina dahil dito.

Ongapala, willing naman i-describe nung mga waiter yung mga pagkain sa menu so huwag mahiyang mag-tanong. Hindi ito kawalan ng dangal at pagka-tao.

Ka-ching!!
Price range is P250 - P300.

May malikot na idea sa isip ko na nag-sasabing pwede na yung presyo sa quality ng food. But it's just a minute thought that is easily overshadowed by the fact na kapag tinignan mo yung dining experience as a whole, talo talaga sa mahal.

totoong maanghang

And it doesn't help na madami nang Mediterranean offerings around the Metro na equally masarap (kung hindi man MAS masarap) BUT di hamak na mas mura.

Ang hatol:
Hindi na ko kakain dito KUNG hindi ako ililibre.

6 out of 14! 

tissue mosaic

*****
Project 12x2-1
...is a year in the palates of me and my Couch Potato.

January (Month End): Nihonbashi Tei (Click Here)
February (Filler): Good Taste, 50's Diner, Oh My Gulay! (Click Here)
February (Mid Month): Sakae Sushi (Click Here)
February (Filler): Ba Noi's (Click Here)
February (Month End): Makan Makan (Makansutra) (Click Here)
March (Mid Month): Toast Box (Click Here)
March (Month End): My Thai Kitchen (Click Here)
April (Filler): Cafe Mediterranean (Click Here)

5 Comments:

Anonymous Chorva said...

ang ganda ng tissue mosaic ah.. magaling ang gumawa hahahaha!

4/19/2011 10:09 AM  
Anonymous obidoobie said...

magaling talaga ako!

4/19/2011 5:24 PM  
Anonymous Chorva said...

liar.. =)

4/23/2011 10:17 AM  
Blogger Weyn said...

I like your writing style. Hindi pretentious. Kipitap. :)

7/16/2011 2:23 AM  
Anonymous obidoo said...

+1

7/21/2011 5:23 PM  

Post a Comment

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Obi Macapuno: Project 12 x 2 - 1: Mediterranean Grub

Merong na nakatambay.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Project 12 x 2 - 1: Mediterranean Grub

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.  
- Anonymous
For the lack of a winding intro, I present...

The Cafe Mediterranean!

ihanda ang lamesa

Ang Panimula:
Hindi kami fan netong resto na ito but the rare chances that we've visited it, it's on their Greenbelt branch.

Sadly, it's this same branch that I find I can't justify taking a chow on. Lugi sa lugar. In any point within the area, pakinig yung yabangan sa kabilang lamesa AT yung ingay ng mga taong dumadaan (the place is located on a major pathway of the mall). Lalo na kung lunch time... sooobrang ingay (katabi din siya ng isang mas "masa" na resto na mas napupuno ng tao kapag tanghali). Kung namalasan pa na wala nang upuan kundi sa labas, parang aquarium ang dining experience... lahat ng taong dumadaan papanoorin kang kumain! Haha.

steady lang Kuya, panonoorin ka namin kumaen!

Don't get me wrong. WALA akong pakelam kung may mga strangers na pasulyap-sulyap sa pagkain ko. Pero sa gastos na inaabot ko sa resto na ito, hindi makatarungan na i-disregard ang privacy ko. Ang dating ay parang hindi pa pala kasama sa binabayad ko ang matinong ambiance. Buti sana kung nasa Jollijeep lang ako or nasa Karinderya, carry lang kahit amoy putok pa ang katabi kong kumakain kasi sa mura ng ibabayad ko, wala akong karapatan mag-reklamo.

The Mediterranean-inspired interiors is not that shabby, mind you. The mostly wooden designs should have been pefect for a high-priced restaurant but the branch's floor area limited it to look like a casual hole-in-the-wall bistro. If I'll just pay for an expensive resto, I'd rather be "IN" an expensive resto. Gets?

colored bottles, stylized plates, wooden partitions... mamwede-mwede

It's not hard to find if you know Greenbelt 1. From the main entrance, follow the trail to Greenbelt 5 but take a left pag lagpas ng Jollibee. Sunod sunod nang kainan yan after the turn, and Cafe Med is right in front of Sarabia Optical.

Ang Nilantakan:
  • Grilled Beef Gyro
  • Harissa Pork Tenderloin
  • Grilled Beef Kebab
  • Basmati Rice
jeero o gairo??

Beef gyro yung kilala nateng shawarma, although mas less massacre yung hiwa since they slice it in bigger pieces. Pero yung way kung pano siya lutuin (yung may malaking slab ng karne na umiikot na parang trumpo sa mainit na higanteng bakal na katol) ay pareho. They serve it with baba ghanoush (boiled eggplant pulp), tzatziki (Greek sawsawan na yari sa yogurt), tabbouleh (salad na mainly yari sa parsley at kamatis), and chillies (sili... doh!).

Masarap etong beef gyro. Naihaw ng tama yung beef at yung lasa ay sakto lang ang pagka smokey at mamula-mula pa yung loob. Mas masarap siya nung pinaliguan ko ng garlic sauce. Kudos din to the garlic sauce. Masarap. Pati yung mga dips na na-mention ko, maganda ang complement sa grilled beef.

grilled pork + jargon = kaching!

Yung harissa pork tenderloin ay pina-sosi at pina-Armenian na tawag sa maanghang na inihaw na pork tenderloin. Nothing special really, except that it looked like it was splashed with green and red pepper post-grilling. Tapos yun na yun.

grilled food may come in pita or rice

Ang beef kebab nila ay parang yung beef gyro lang din. Iniba lang yung spelling. Pero pareho ang lasa at parehong mahal.

Yung basmati rice ay long grain rice na tipikal sa India. Kung bakit may Indian chicha sa isang Mediterranean resto ay hindi ko alam.

they got balls

Nakita ko na din yung servings nila ng Kofta (meatballs) at Mediterranean-style Grilled Chicken. Interesting yung marinade ng chicken pero yung kofta ay sobrang tipikal na inihaw na meatballs.

Iba pang Anik-anik:
Limited yung ritrato nung menu nila. Hindi pang tangang katulad namin. Tingin ko hindi maiintindihan ng masang Pilipino ang mga nakasulat na pagkain at equally translingual descriptions maliban siguro sa "kebab". In any case, I don't think yung masang Pinoy naman ang target market so wala lang. Moving on.

ano daw???

Mahirap mag-tawag ng atensyon ng waiter kung madaming kumakain. At doble ng tagal nito yung pag hintay sa pagkain. Halos mahigit 35 minutes kaming nag-iintay sa order namin and late na kami nakabalik sa opisina dahil dito.

Ongapala, willing naman i-describe nung mga waiter yung mga pagkain sa menu so huwag mahiyang mag-tanong. Hindi ito kawalan ng dangal at pagka-tao.

Ka-ching!!
Price range is P250 - P300.

May malikot na idea sa isip ko na nag-sasabing pwede na yung presyo sa quality ng food. But it's just a minute thought that is easily overshadowed by the fact na kapag tinignan mo yung dining experience as a whole, talo talaga sa mahal.

totoong maanghang

And it doesn't help na madami nang Mediterranean offerings around the Metro na equally masarap (kung hindi man MAS masarap) BUT di hamak na mas mura.

Ang hatol:
Hindi na ko kakain dito KUNG hindi ako ililibre.

6 out of 14! 

tissue mosaic

*****
Project 12x2-1
...is a year in the palates of me and my Couch Potato.

January (Month End): Nihonbashi Tei (Click Here)
February (Filler): Good Taste, 50's Diner, Oh My Gulay! (Click Here)
February (Mid Month): Sakae Sushi (Click Here)
February (Filler): Ba Noi's (Click Here)
February (Month End): Makan Makan (Makansutra) (Click Here)
March (Mid Month): Toast Box (Click Here)
March (Month End): My Thai Kitchen (Click Here)
April (Filler): Cafe Mediterranean (Click Here)

5 Comments:

Anonymous Chorva said...

ang ganda ng tissue mosaic ah.. magaling ang gumawa hahahaha!

4/19/2011 10:09 AM  
Anonymous obidoobie said...

magaling talaga ako!

4/19/2011 5:24 PM  
Anonymous Chorva said...

liar.. =)

4/23/2011 10:17 AM  
Blogger Weyn said...

I like your writing style. Hindi pretentious. Kipitap. :)

7/16/2011 2:23 AM  
Anonymous obidoo said...

+1

7/21/2011 5:23 PM  

Post a Comment

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