Galli Village Cafe in San Antonio Village, Makati City

I have a thing towards neighborhood, hole-in-a-wall food finds! This is most especially when I end up having a good meal there then it gives me that sense of fulfillment and the feeling of success that I've once again found a hidden gem. I think I've been all over San Juan and Kapitolyo, two neighborhoods that hold dear to my heart yet more and more neighborhood restaurants are popping out here and there that it can be quite a challenge trying to keep up with it. Manila is truly a booming wonderland for foodies like you and me!

Recently, Paul and I visited Galli Village Cafe, a fairly new restaurant in San Antonio Village in Makati. It was upon an invitation from a former business contact that brought us to this side of town on a not-so-hectic Monday evening. With us were fellow bloggers Richard and Abet and their lovely wives too. I got there famished! Having had a light lunch earlier that day, I felt my tummy rumbling angrily as soon as I saw the llanera of Paella Valenciana (Php. 255 / Php. 495) on the table. It was a good thing that we had two orders of this for our small group of 6 so I immediately attacked the first llanera after Paul took some shots of it.

I love Paella and this one was pretty good. While I admittedly love Paella Negra over all other variants, I appreciated how flavorful this was and they were generous with the prawns, veggies and chorizo. This is also one of the most reasonably priced paella that I've came across with. Others would hit Php. 600- Php. 800 for a paella good for 4 but this one was even below Php. 500. Best though to order this in advance as they prepare this just after taking your order so definitely not advisable for those in a hurry.

We also were able to try the Shrimp Gambas (Php. 195) which was very garlicky and yummy! I can have this together with a cup of rice which is exactly how they serve this to clients. I highly recommend that you try this too. It's really really good.


The Lengua con Setas (Php. 160) was also one thing that I surprisingly liked that evening. Though I would have preferred the sauce to be creamier. Nonetheless, the ox tongue was silky and tender still it's something I can't have too much off as it was a bit too dry for my taste.

We were also able to try the Beef Salpicao (Php. 195) which was the only dish that I wasn't so fond of. It was too dry and too salty for me and somehow, the saltiness overpowered the chopped garlic sprinkled on top of the meat. Skipping this next time.

Galli Village Cafe will tell you the story of the owners' travel adventures. It was fun looking at their travel photos from the Middle East to some part of Europe and even to Japan. The menu is a combination of the things that they both love with a touch of some international influences that they both got from their trips abroad. Parking is definitely not a problem as it's located at the Ground Floor of the YMCA Hotel so there's a big parking lot in front. The restaurant space is quite small though so do call for reservation if you're going as a big group. Galli Village Cafe is also right beside Purple Oven Bakery so make sure to buy some cookies, quiche or a Campfire Chocolate Cake on your way home.

Galli Village Cafe is located at the Ground Floor, YMCA Hotel, 7 Sacret Heart street, San Antonio Village in Makati City. Call them at 0927-391-4655.