Recipes by Cafe Metro
A few months ago, Paul and I had one of our impromptu lunch dates again and this time we had it at the Shangri-la Mall. Going around the mall while thinking of where to eat, we were faced with a big dilemma as there were quite a lot of options to choose from. The best way was to do it through the process of elimination. Since we both don't eat beef then all steak and burger places were immediately removed from the list. Paul wasn't in the mood to splurge so there goes the high-priced restaurants as well. However, I was feeling hungry (a.k.a. I want rice) so we skipped all sandwich bars and cafes in the mall.
Finally, as we got to the 5th level and I spotted an old favorite -- Recipes by Cafe Metro. I first tried this more than 5 years ago and it has been my go-to place for comfort food done the Filipino way. Believe me, you'll never go wrong with their Gising Gising, Crispy Tilapia and their famous General's Chicken.
We got there earlier than the lunch crowd thus we were able to secure a table right away. Since it was Paul's first time to dine there, he left the ordering to me. Of course, I didn't have to browse through the menu as I knew exactly what I wanted to get:
First, we had the Gising Gising (Php. 170). In my opinion, Recipes makes one of the best Gising Gisings in town. Paul and I love anything cooked in coconut milk (gata) and I love how tasty this vegetable dish is that it will surely make you eat more rice. I just love the finely chopped string beans cooked in rich coconut milk and mixed with ground meat and chili. Yum!!
To go with our bowl of Gising-Gising, we had the Crispy Tilapia (Php. 215) which is also a house specialty. Paul was excited to try this as he is a big fan of fried fish. Upon ordering this, I was pretty confident that this will surely win my husband's heart. I was right! He enjoyed the tender fillet as he would dunk the meat into their special dipping sauce. He even used his hands as he happily ate the head and tail of the fish until we were left with the clean fish bones.
Our last dish was something we just wanted to try. We ordered the Adobo Flakes with Rice and Egg (Php. 175). It's great that Recipes actually have rice meals perfect for people who are on a budget. The serving of the rice was generous enough yet we find the adobo flakes a bit too dry and salty. The egg, we were hoping to be prepared sunny-side-up, came in a hard-boiled adobo egg form instead. It somehow didn't go that well with the meat. This was the only one that we didn't like very much and even had leftovers of. I don't think we'll be ordering this again next time.
While Paul had his plain rice that came with the Adobo Flakes set, I ordered my own bowl of Cafe Metro Garlic Rice (Php. 48) which was really yummy! I enjoyed the tiny bits of garlic as I ate my rice with a spoonful of Gising-Gising and pieces of Crispy Tilapia. I really love garlic and fried rice as it really helps boost one's appetite for the meal.
I'm glad that Paul also enjoyed our lunch at Recipes by Cafe Metro. Looks like we found a new lunch date venue and it's a good thing that it's located so close to my office. We also find the dishes to be reasonably priced making it truly worth every penny.
Visit Recipes by Cafe Metro at the 5th level of the Shangri-la Mall, Mandaluyong City. Call them at 637-4050.
Finally, as we got to the 5th level and I spotted an old favorite -- Recipes by Cafe Metro. I first tried this more than 5 years ago and it has been my go-to place for comfort food done the Filipino way. Believe me, you'll never go wrong with their Gising Gising, Crispy Tilapia and their famous General's Chicken.
We got there earlier than the lunch crowd thus we were able to secure a table right away. Since it was Paul's first time to dine there, he left the ordering to me. Of course, I didn't have to browse through the menu as I knew exactly what I wanted to get:
First, we had the Gising Gising (Php. 170). In my opinion, Recipes makes one of the best Gising Gisings in town. Paul and I love anything cooked in coconut milk (gata) and I love how tasty this vegetable dish is that it will surely make you eat more rice. I just love the finely chopped string beans cooked in rich coconut milk and mixed with ground meat and chili. Yum!!
To go with our bowl of Gising-Gising, we had the Crispy Tilapia (Php. 215) which is also a house specialty. Paul was excited to try this as he is a big fan of fried fish. Upon ordering this, I was pretty confident that this will surely win my husband's heart. I was right! He enjoyed the tender fillet as he would dunk the meat into their special dipping sauce. He even used his hands as he happily ate the head and tail of the fish until we were left with the clean fish bones.
Our last dish was something we just wanted to try. We ordered the Adobo Flakes with Rice and Egg (Php. 175). It's great that Recipes actually have rice meals perfect for people who are on a budget. The serving of the rice was generous enough yet we find the adobo flakes a bit too dry and salty. The egg, we were hoping to be prepared sunny-side-up, came in a hard-boiled adobo egg form instead. It somehow didn't go that well with the meat. This was the only one that we didn't like very much and even had leftovers of. I don't think we'll be ordering this again next time.
While Paul had his plain rice that came with the Adobo Flakes set, I ordered my own bowl of Cafe Metro Garlic Rice (Php. 48) which was really yummy! I enjoyed the tiny bits of garlic as I ate my rice with a spoonful of Gising-Gising and pieces of Crispy Tilapia. I really love garlic and fried rice as it really helps boost one's appetite for the meal.
I'm glad that Paul also enjoyed our lunch at Recipes by Cafe Metro. Looks like we found a new lunch date venue and it's a good thing that it's located so close to my office. We also find the dishes to be reasonably priced making it truly worth every penny.
Visit Recipes by Cafe Metro at the 5th level of the Shangri-la Mall, Mandaluyong City. Call them at 637-4050.
