If you think that Filipino food is awesome, wait 'til you try out Lola Café's revamped menu along Scout Lozano in Quezon City. Just recently, I had a chance to visit the place with some of the best foodies in the metro, and I must say that after sampling out lots of delectable dishes, is no doubt that Lola Café is now one of my highly recommended restos within the Timog/Tomas Morato area.
Although the house-turned-resto has been operating for a number of years and has already established itself to many of their loyal clients, the restaurant's direction recently turned a bit as they managed to shake things up in the kitchen with the help of Chef Jonvic Mangibin. Thanks to his culinary creativity, he added a lot of new flavors and executed some bold but impressive tweaks to traditional Filipino food that's already too abundant in most parts of Quezon City.
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| Bone Marrow Sisig |
For example: this
Bone Marrow Sisig that's roasted to perfection. This is the first of many dishes that I've tried at Lola Café. Rawr. How can food be looking so sexy but by the time you're done with the dish, you totally feel the opposite?
THIS IS OH-SO DELICIOUS. REALLY. NO JOKE.  |
| Bone Marrow Sisig |
The Chipirones is a combination of baby squid with lots of local greens which makes it light yet perfectly filling. The balance of salty, pungent, mildly sour and sweet makes this another perfect starter when dining at Lola Café.
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| Chipirones |
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| Grilled Caesar Salad |
As for salads, Lola Café serves a mean Grilled Caesar Salad, incorporating local greens and bacon to the dish for the ever adventurous local palate. Meanwhile, the Kesong Puti and Alugbati Salad is so unique, rich and satisfyingly good. Make sure you mix everything and find that the kesong puti's texture becomes almost like ricotta on a bed of mixed lettuce and alugbati.
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| Alugbati and Kesong Puti Salad |
And then there's the Wagyu Salpicao. Soft tender wagyu beef cubes seared to perfection with lots of olive oil and whole pieces of sweet roasted garlic. I'm not sure if I can ask for some bread so I can smear the garlic on it or simply order a huge plate of extra rice. Order this and surely you will ask for more.
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| Wagyu Salpicao |
With Batchoy being an already great Filipino dish, Lola Café gives it a makeover with a soft boiled egg, some cilantro and instead of pork rind they used slabs of bacon belly on the of the noodles and rich stock. Deeee-lish!
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| Bacon Belly Batchoy |
The Gising Express is healthy, fiery and rich at the same time, as the combination of crispy sigarilyas, chillies and coconut milk come together into one glorious dish. Pair it with some of Lola Cafe's unique takes on rice and that would surely be spot on!
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| Gising Express |
If Buttermilk Fried Chicken is already yummy on its own, then there is more to this favorite with the addition of calamansi. This is really scrumptiously good.
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| Calamansi Buttermilk Fried Chicken |
Meanwhile, the
Truffled Lengua left me speechless. I only felt a slight truffle flavor in the dish but personally, I thought that it brought a good balance rather than an overwhelming one. I love lengua whether its braised in white or red sauce, but this is a delicious dish, I tell you.
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| Truffled Lengua |
Even the
Roasted Belly Tocino is so impressive, I hardly compared it to the original pork tocino that I only normally get for breakfast which makes this dish unique on its own! Imagine a slab of pork belly, marinated and baked with a sweet and savory glaze, and topped with more roasted garlic and scallions. My gosh this is love!
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| Roasted Belly Tocino |
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| Tinola Rice with Confit of Quarter Chicken |
Make sure you try out their delicious entrees with either the Tinola Rice or Bagoong Rice, complete with actual meat and veggies which make it look like deconstructed versions of the original dishes. The Tinola Rice served with a Confit of Quarter Chicken is so good that you would think that you would be sipping soup with every spoonful of rice. The Pork Binagoongan Rice is a heartier and more filling rice dish topped with pork crackling and alugbati leaves.
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| Bagoong Rice with Roasted Pork Belly |
There are many reasons on why I want to come back to Lola Café, but this is one of the best reasons: desserts! There's in-house Banoffee Pie for those who wish to have a subtle ending to their meal.
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| Banoffee Pie |
Or opt for this sexy
Baguio Strawberries and Cream Pavlova and drool your way to dessert heaven. One thing's for sure. I LOVE THIS DESSERT SO MUCH, YES I DO.
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| Baguio Strawberries and Cream Pavlova |
On the whole, there's no doubt that I'm coming back for Lola Café soon! In the meantime, make sure you visit them just so you can try their new dishes! For more info on Lola Café, please visit their Facebook Page below:
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*This post was created by the writer's own thoughts about LoLa Cafe+Bar.
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