Cafe Adriatico Express: Goodness that lasts

Last May when I was at SM North Edsa with my two older sisters, we decided to have merienda (snacks) at Cafe Adriatico Express located at The Block.

Cafe Adriatico is an established restaurant in Malate, Manila, where it opened in 1979. It is now called Cafe Adriatico Premiere, maybe to differentiate it from the mall branch, which, I guess, offers a shorter menu. This is just one of a number of similar establishments under the LJC Group of famed restaurateur Larry J. Cruz. The other restaurants owned by the group are Bistro Remedios, Cafe Havana and the more contemporary Fely J's Kitchen, Abe and Lorenzo's Way. Cafe Adriatico 
specializes in Spanish, Filipino, and Italian dishes.

Anyway, when we were at Cafe Adriatico Express, both of my sisters went for palabok while I had the black pasta. We also had pandesal with kesong puti, 
and brewed coffee to wash everything down.

Pancit Palabok, P255.
This, I read somewhere (in the menu, I guess?), was one of the bestsellers at Cafe Adriatico and my sisters really loved it. 

Black Squid Pasta, Regular, P275.
My choice turned out to be wise. This dish, despite not getting a high grade in the looks department, tasted really good! I love squid to start with, and I commend the idea of making it a main ingredient for a pasta dish instead of simply turning it into viand. The flavor of squid is strong without the fishy stench or taste, and adding parmesan cheese 
brought out the best out of this dish.

Kesong Puti with Pandesal, P165
We had two orders of this, which were originally served with hot chocolate. We asked that the drinks be changed into coffee, though. The pandesal was big, fresh and tasty. But I wished the slice of kesong puti was bigger because there wasn't enough to fill up the two pieces of bread. 

Brewed Coffee
I was happy that Cafe Adriatico serves really good coffee. It was aromatic and bold. Also, it's served with milk, which I prefer over non-dairy creamer.

I'd always held an image of Cafe Adriatico as a restaurant for the old rich of Manila. I'm glad the management had decided to open a branch in one of the most patronized malls in the metropolis to reach out to more people of varying social standings. 
Despite the idea of "reaching out", Cafe Adriatico, to my humble opinion, has done well maintaining the high quality of its food. I know because I had dined at the flagship restaurant in Malate many years ago with two of my "bestest" of friends. I don't remember what exactly our orders were but I do recall loving the food and having a great time.

Best ever goto, halo-halo and more at Little Quiapo

I'm a lover of the classics or anything that is old - music, houses, things, and yes, restaurants! With the latter, I get to enjoy history and food at the same time which, to me, is just 
great as I love both. I'm an old soul, I just believe so! 
Last week, I got to eat again in one of those restaurants that have admirably stood the test of time. It's Little Quiapo, which has been around since 1949. Imagine that - 69 years and counting - a feat considering the very stiff competition in the restaurant business these days.
It was a perfect weekday for going out of the office for the afternoon break - not sunny and not rainy either. My food buddy and I hailed a cab and in a 
few minutes, we were there in Little Quiapo near the 

Philippine Heart in Quezon City. 

Our afternoon snacks:

Palabok, P93.
This was my friend's order which she loved. I thought I would not like it because it seemed to me that there was too much sauce but I did approve of this palabok when I tasted it. It was packed with flavors from squid, chicharon, tinapa, and shrimp which are the usual ingredients of this pancit. And look at the whole lot of toppings! No wonder this 
is one of Little Quiapo's bestsellers.

Goto, P110.
This was my order that I loved every spoonful of. The consistency of the porridge was perfect - not watery nor too thick. And there's a lot of tender goto or tripe chunks plus toasted garlic to top it all off, making my lugaw taste really good. Was this the best goto I've ever had? 
Might as well be!

Tokwa con Tokwa, 1/2 order, P64.
I love fried tofu and buy it often at our office cafeteria. We even make this at home. But I don't know what's with Little Quiapo's own version because it's sooo good! The difference, I believe is in the tokwa itself - freshly made and perfectly deep fried - it's firm but soft and 
a little crunchy all at the same time.

Halo-halo, regular, P100.
I'm not a fan of this Pinoy cold dessert/snack and in fact I rarely eat it but I really loved this one which was my friend's order that she offered me to taste. This halo-halo isn't like most I've had before --it's much more tasty, I honestly don't know what they put into it. Very creamy, too! I think I'll be going back to Little Quiapo real soon to have 
an order of this halo-halo just for myself.

                                                               Inside Little Quiapo 

Little Quiapo is at #90 Malakas St., Barangay Pinyahan, Diliman, QC

Pay Little Quiapo a visit the next time you're in Diliman area, folks! Whether at breakfast, lunch, merienda or dinner time, there's something to satisfy your Filipino food cravings here. Aside from what we ordered which are best for afternoon snacks, there's also crispy pata, lechon kawali, rellenong bangus, kalderetang baka, and so much more, that you can pair with rice for a full meal. 

Happy eating!

* Prices are from Zomato. Not sure though, if those are up-to-date. 

I lost my receipt. Sorry!