A wonderful lunch at Kape Pilato Bistro Café

I don't know what's come over me. Everything about Kape Pilato Bistro Café was unforgettable yet for a few months, I'd totally forgotten to blog about it. Silly me, really, as I was totally smitten by the food, service and ambiance at Kape Pilato and every once in a while, I'd think of going back there. Still, it slipped my mind that I had to write about that dining experience. Anyway, it was last April that I and my eldest child went to Kape Pilato along San Marcelino in Malate, Manila for lunch. It was not very easy finding it because I was not familiar with the area, which, by the way, is residential (which brought a question to my mind: why would the owners want to put up an upscale-looking restaurant in this area that is not even a commercial one?). Well, we had to find it or the voucher that I purchased from a group-buying site would go for naught. Haha! And so after asking for direction, we went on, and found Kape Pilato not long after. As we entered, we were immediately impressed with the interiors such that we did not pass up the chance of taking each other's pictures in various parts of it - inside a room that's comparable to a house's sala in its coziness, at the mini-bar, etc. That was after placing our orders, of course. And by the way, the waiter was nice and patient, answering all my queries as to when they opened, what their best-sellers were, etc. And yes, I asked why the owners chose the area for their restaurant (I would not pass up that chance, too) and he said it was because the upper floors of the low-rise building were actually a hotel, so it was deemed there would be ready clients. When our orders arrived and we started indulging, I knew the food was the star at Kape Pilato. My soup, the Broccoli and Cream, was thick, tasty and filling. My daughter's soup, Corn and Cream, was not as good, though, for me at least, and I was glad I made the right choice. The Herbed Chicken Sandwich was good, too, the chunks of chicken huge and flavorful. However, it was the Sisig Pasta that was truly unforgettable. It tickled my taste buds to the max with the strong blend of spices and chili. It was so full of flavor that anything you would eat immediately after it could taste bland. Haha! By the way, my drink of choice was unforgettable, too - Guava Basil Iced Tea. It was quite a unique drink, healthy and great-tasting! My daughter had Blue Lemonade which was good as well, though I liked my drink a lot better. The barista approached us to ask my daughter how it was (the Blue Lemonade), to which she answered 'okay'. But when I tasted it, I found it a bit too minty and I thought, sayang, I was not able to give my opinion to the barista so he could make some improvements. After a long while, we ended our meal with a slice of Reese's Cheesecake that both my daughter and I loved, and with a cup of latte. What a lovely lunch that brought us to a new world of flavors!

We decided for the second floor and this greeted us upstairs.

View of the lobby from the second floor.

A cozy, homey room.

Broccoli and Cream Soup, P70.

Corn and Cream Soup, P70.

Guava Basil Iced Tea, P70

Blue Lemonade, P70

 

Herbed Chicken Sandwich with Fries, P135

Sisig Pasta, P170

Sisig Pasta, another view

Cafe latte, P50

Reese's Cheesecake, P98

Relishing mom and sis' cooking

My mom, who is now 84 years old, is a good cook, presumably the reason my dad can't live without her. Haha! You see, my parents live in my dad's hometown of San Francisco in Quezon province, away from us kids when we were young (It was our two lolas who looked after us). Whenever mom visits us in Manila, she doesn't stay long because dad doesn't want her away too many days. Suffice to say, it's a rare treat to enjoy mom's cooking, so when my kids and I spent two weeks in Quezon last May, I was gastronomically delighted! Add to this that my sister who is herself an expert cook and baker, came home from Canada and my tummy was ecstatic! The ever busy mom and career woman that I am was just too happy relaxing and waiting for what mom and sis had prepared come mealtimes. Attempts to diet were thrown out the window. Haha! The pics here show some of what my mom and sister had cooked and prepared for us during our two-week vacation in Quezon.

Kare-kare. Mom does not buy ground rice and peanut but pounds these herself with the help of her well, helper. That explains the coarse texture, but mind you, that doesn't mean mom's kare-kare is not good because it is!

Hibasanan. 'Hibas' means low tide in our hometown, which is when these shells are gathered. Mom I think sautées
the shells with ginger. You will have to use a pin (perdible) to get the edible part. Need I say it's quite hard to eat hibasanan? Well, not really if you have a mother like mine who does the hard job for us. :-)

This is Nilagang Baka but let me tell you, this is not your ordinary nilaga. We call this Tinaphan (inihaw or grilled) na Nilagang Baka because my mom grills the meat and beef marrow before she makes them into Bulalo. The process gives the soup a wonderful smoky flavor that sets it apart from bulalo elsewhere. My mom's Nilagang Baka is really special!

Sinaing na Bigas at Mais. This is how my parents want their rice - mixed with ground corn. I love it!

Tinolang Native na Manok. Tinola is best when native, free-range chicken is used because the latter is more flavorful than the 45-day variety. The soup is really good!  I got my bowl filled ahead of the others so I would get the chicken blood and gizzard.

Ginataang Dalungyan. This is not 'langka' and I don't know what this called in Manila and other provinces but it looks like a small version of a jackfruit. In my opinion, dalungyan is better-tasting than langka.

Steamed fish. Sister cooked this. Tastes good and healthy, too.

Palabok. Sister made this on our mom's birthday. Delish!

Sister's birthday lunch at President Tea House

I just realized, I haven't blogged in over two months! Must have been really busy, though of course, eating was never sidestepped. Haha! In April, I was anticipating and preparing for the arrival of my two sisters from abroad and come May, I was having the time of my life with them and my kids and the rest of the family in my Dad's hometown in Quezon, as well as spent a weekend in Bicol. Needless to say, the family bonding times and happenings were full of food, glorious food! First of all, my Ate Tess celebrated her birthday at President Tea House in Binondo. She wanted dimsum and so did I and the kids. So all sorts of dimsum we had, plus the main entrees. We were so full for hours and didn't eat again till dinner. In truth, we rarely passed up merienda but the enormous amount of Chinese food we had at President really took some time to digest. Haha! Food there is really good and the price is quite reasonable. I particularly liked the soup, spareribs, and yang chow fried rice. What a nice birthday lunch sister treated us to. :-)

Complimentary tea

Bird's eye dumpling, P80.

(Sorry, can't remember what this is called.)

Siomai, P80.

Hakaw, P90.

Chicken feet, P80.

Sharksfin dumpling, P80.

Pancit canton, P220.

Yang chow fried rice, P200.

Bird's nest with quail egg thick soup, P220.

Spareribs, P240.

Fried fish fillet with sweet and sour sauce, P270. 

Crispy fried chicken, P240.

Crispy fried chicken

Almond with lychee (sorry, forgot the price)

Green mango shake

Buko pandan shake

Spicy Sardines Pasta: Perfect on a Good Friday

While I desired to fast during Lent last week, my stomach would not hear any of it, so I just persevered to go meatless while not allowing myself to go hungry. Luckily, my daughter was masipag enough to whip up Lent food in the form of Sardines Pasta. I learned this recipe from my friend Chie, who is also a co-worker. We first cooked this together in the office a few years ago. The recipe's very simple, so my daughter learned it quickly. Here's what she used:

First, she sauteed garlic in olive oil. She then put the spicy sardines and using the ladle, cut the fish into small pieces.

She seasoned it with a some dried basil flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper. After a few minutes of allowing the sardines to be thoroughly heated, she put in the cooked spaghetti noodles and mixed it well with the sardines.

                                           Here's the finished product: Spicy Sardines Pasta!

It's an easy recipe, perfect not just for Lent, but for a quick snack any time of the year. Try it!

An unexpected gem of a restaurant in Chinatown

The "wonderful" pot of tea.

Siomai, P55.

Wanton noodles, P100, good enough for 2-3 persons

Bola-bola siopao, P55, two pcs.

The simple interiors of Tasty Wok.

Outside the restaurant

AJ and I found the perfect excuse to go to Chinatown (again, for me) one Saturday last February. We were in that Quiapo area near Raon where stores selling eyeglasses abound (I forgot the name of the street!). AJ needed a new pair of eyeglasses so there we went. After having chosen her frame and her eyes checked, we were told to come back at 6 p.m. to get her new spectacles. I looked at the time: 4 p.m. We had two hours to spare! I thought, where else to go best to eat and waste time but in Binondo! So instead of whining about having to wait for two hours, we happily trekked the "dangerous" paths of Quiapo and Sta. Cruz to cross over to Chinatown. In a few minutes, we were there, but not before AJ falling victim to some misfits. As we walked under the LRT over Rizal Avenue, my daughter found her backpack pocket open, and her large bottle of Victoria's Secret cologne gone. Lucky you, I told her, it was just the cologne, not your cellphone. With a new lesson learned (and that's to never wear your backpack at your back. hehe!), we proceeded to our destination, armed with the desire to savor good Chinese food (dimsum on my mind!). As we turned left to a small street perpendicular to Rizal Avenue, I looked for an old restaurant that reminds me so much of my childhood (but of course, Rowan, I was once a child too!) . Sadly, Happy Burger was no longer there - that Happy Burger where my Ate Tess brought me for yes, a hamburger, but which also sold really good siopao. 

Anyways, we marched on to Ongpin St. with me trying to mentally recite the names of restaurants that I have included in my list of those I would visit in Binondo after reading blogs after blogs about culinary tours of the famous Manila Chinatown. Unfortunately, I could not clearly remember any name nor address of those restaurants. I chided myself for not bringing my notebook but quickly forgave when I reasoned, I had no idea a chance to go to Binondo would present itself today. As we had no clear destination, we walked and walked and walked in search for a nice place to eat that would not be so expensive as I didn't have much money left after paying for AJ's eyeglasses. Our aching feet, after so many minutes, brought us to a little street after turning right from Ongpin (Benavidez?). We were already starving and so without further thinking and checking, we went  inside this quaint restaurant called Tasty Wok. 

The place was almost empty except for a group of four customers, and I wondered if we made the right choice. After browsing through the menu, we ordered for a small bowl of Wanton Noodles (P100, good enough for 2-3 persons), Siomai (P55, 4 pcs), and  Siopao (P55, two pieces). The waiter, after relaying our orders to the cook, promptly came back to serve us a pot of hot tea. AJ immediately poured into the two small cups. We each took a sip and were pleasantly surprised. Even hot, unflavored tea, we realized, could be refreshing! It was wise, I thought, not to order drinks anymore because nothing could beat the refreshment the hot tea offered. AJ, in no time, finished her tea and immediately poured some more into her cup. It was then that I wondered: Was the tea complimentary? I told AJ: "Slow down, girl, what if that pot of tea cost a thousand? We ought not to finish the entire pot, so we wounld't have to pay much." But then the tea was so good that I also poured some more into my cup. Hehe! After a little while, our orders came one after the other. I first sampled the Wanton Noodles. Mmmm..the soup was good! It might come as bland to some people who have a high tolerance for salt, but for me, it was almost perfect - clear, thin and light. No MSG nor other artificial flavorings, I thought, and that was good. AJ liked it too. But when she bit into the siopao, she gave it her highest approval and wished that siopao in her school canteen was just as good. I liked it too. The bun was soft and hot and the bola-bola filling was big and delicious. What made it even better was that it had salted egg and chorizo, which are absent in other bola-bola siopaos that I usually buy. The siomai was good as well, and the only thing that I disliked about it was that the wrappers had a yellow color. I don't like artificial colorings, that's why, and wished it was turmeric that gave the siomai its yellow tint. Anyway, AJ and I were full before we could finish all our food so when we couldn't take in any more of the noodles (we finished the siopao and siomai), we asked to have our leftover packed for taking out. 

I then asked for our bill and was a little nervous as I wondered how much the tea was, because it was not in the menu and therefore excluded from my mental calculations. I thought about leaving AJ there to look for an ATM machine so I could get money in case I came short. I was finally handed a piece of paper and was relieved to see how much I ought to pay: P210! Wow, only 200 bucks for everything that we had, which was a lot. Not only that. The tea - the hot but refreshing and delicious tea - was complimentary! It was then that I thought, how come this restaurant seemed not to be popular when it served good food at such a low price and with a complimentary pot of tea to boot! The restaurant, to me, was an unexpected gem because no food blogger has ever mentioned about it, and is thus, virtually unknown to those who do not often pass by the area. What we had In Tasty Wok was indeed a memorable meal and AJ expressed her wish to be back.