Marianos

I have a rather simple definition of fine dining. The food doesn’t have to be expensive (that would be expensive dining) nor the servings big (that would be overeating) . But it definitely has to be good (not just fine) in terms of taste and presentation. It’s about the experience. And it has to have cloth napkins.

Mariano’s, tucked away in a quiet residential village in Iligan City, meets my definition. The family headed there tonight for dinner. The place definitely has good ambiance. Clean and well-designed. The indoor tables are air conditioned and cozy. The outdoors tables are bigger and give the al fresco experience further accentuated by the Chinese bamboo plants lined along the wall.

We sampled a variety of dishes: shrimps in squid ink pasta, barbecued pork ribs, crispy braised chicken, herbed lemon pork loin, and aromatic fish. The food not only taste good but look good, too. Pardon the photography, I’m blaming the poor lighting :P But really, they do look good. The desserts were also good. We tried the New York cheesecake, and the truffle cake, and the panna cotta.

Pricing is a relatively high for the area but quite reasonable considering the food, service, and ambiance is comparable to better known restaurants. Unfortunately, they don’t accept credit cards so you have to bring cash.

Marianos
Meadow Lark Street, Isabel Village, Pala-o, Iligan City, 9200
Telephone: +6363-221-0095
Email: [email protected]

In-Yo

In-Yo is one of Katipunan’s best kept secrets (so I guess now it isn’t). Actually it isn’t really along Katipunan per se so that would be one reason for the seclusion. It is located along Esteban Abada which is the street parallel to Katipunan. It’s a quite quaint place. You park in a small gravel parking area amidst a nice garden. There’s even a small koi pool. The interior is well done.

But of course the important thing is the food and, thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint either. The menu is gourmet so if you’re used to “American” size servings, In-Yo’s would appear relatively small, relatively expensive. They look like they’re meant less for filling up your stomach in the fastest way possible and more for tasting and viewing. But it’s perfect for a romantic dinner.

Vieux Chalet

When you go up Antipolo for dinner, people usually think Padi’s Point or Cloud 9 (not the surfing destination). But there’s actually an alternative that, at least for me, is better: Vieux Chalet. I only learned about Vieux Chalet from Wil who learned about it from OAP. So why do I like it? It’s got the same sunset and city lights view as the aforementioned places but in a fine dining setting. Perfect for quiet dinners.

Getting there requires a bit more effort than going to your favorite mall restaurant. Start by going along Marcos Highway till you reach Sumulong Highway. You will see Masinag Market as well as a traffic light in the intersection. Turn right and go on past Padi’s Point and Cloud 9. After some time, you will see Bankers’ Village to your right, watch out for the next intersection. Turn right and at the next intersection, turn right again and enter Villa Christina. Drive down the road (watch out for all those kids playing) and enter Purok Sampaguita. Follow the Vieux Chalet signs and go on past Villa Christina Resort till see Vieux Chalet to your right.

In my two visits there, Rico (the all-around guy there), recommended fettucine and osso buco. And in my two visits, I ordered the same :D Their menu is actually more varied than that though some items are sometimes not available. Be more adventurous than I. And don’t fail to try their signature lemon grass iced tea. Servings are good for 2-3 people.

Rating: 4/5

Cafe Juanita

I’ve been to Cafe Juanita three times before. And last Sunday, I went there again for the belated celebration of Erwin’s birthday. I suppose that says something about how I like the place :P

Cafe Juanita is tucked away in a side street in Barangay Kapitolyo but it’s pretty easy to find. Coming from Makati, take EDSA and turn right at Shaw, turn right at the rotonda, and then you will see a sign on the right soon after. The restaurant has a homey old house atmosphere complete with the antique furniture, decor, and trinkets.

My favorite there is the the crispy fried Laguna fish. It’s a simple but nice dish. I almost always order it at Juanita so this time around I decided not to say anything about what to order. But Crissy ended up ordering it again along with kare-kare and bagnet which are also good :))

Rating: 4/5

Cuillére

Last night was the final session for the current module of my French class and the classmates decided to have dinner together at Cuillére at Serendra. The first thing I noticed was that plastered on the windows were the words “Cuisine et Patisserie Francaise, Glaces Artisanales, Aperitifs, Vins, Café Digestifs” which I think literally means French Kitchen and Bakery, Artistic Ice, Wine, Wine, and Digestive Coffee :P I don’t know whatever the hell it really means but with all those claims, the place just sounds so trying overly hard to be French.

But hey, I’m here for the food, right? Aside from the company, of course. Well, I had mushroom soup, steak, and crème brûlée and that didn’t improve my opinion. The mushroom soup was so-so. So was the steak (but in fairness, how many ways can you steak a cow?) . And the crème brûlée sucks. The taste does not reflect the cost. I don’t know where the cost came from but I suspect a load of it went into all that pretentiousness and the rest went into the location. One of the reasons why I’d rather go for restaurants that are off the beaten track.

Rating: 2/5