Cerveseria

Oh well... what can I do... my aunt asked me and my brother out to try this new place at Greenbelt 3. The fuss is all about a casual Spanish dining place/bar.

Well since we were both free and the food will be too, why not? :P

So we went there and ... well ... here we go ...

Cerveseria

(Cerveseria in Facebook)

Location: Greenbelt 3, Ayala, Makati City

How to get there:

Take a bus going to Ayala (along EDSA) and you should drop off at the Rustan unloading shed. You cross from there and you should see Glorietta 5. From Glorietta 5, it will be quite a walk. You have to walk until the Link then past that, at the corner cross to the left side, walk up the bridge, go down the other side. You should be seeing the Greenbelt chapel on the right (far center) and the Greenbelt sign itself on the left. At front, there's Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Continue that same path on the ground until you reach the center plaza. This is beside Seattle's Best Coffee. 

Of course you can take a taxi if you want haha.

This place ain't nowhere near Aubergine's prices (thank God) but you've gotta prepare quite a budget for it (around 400++).

But we'll soon find out if the price is worth it or not :)

So the chief chef and owner of Cerveseria is Mr. Gilbert Pangilinan. They opened only this year (I'll have to check the date yet) and is next to a successful restaurant, that also resides in the Greenbelt area: Kai (co-owned by the same guy). Primarily, Cerverseria serves Spanish cuisine both classic and reinvented. The place is very homey and is uniquely designed...

Yup, waxed chandeliers..cool and creepy :P

Just like home (not mine though haha) :)

this is something else :)

My favorite part of this place :)

So as you can see, the place is really nice and pretty. Mr. Gilbert says most of the stuff and furniture here were from an old house in Pampanga. The bookshelves and the books were from somewhere else however. I think it's a clever and creative idea :)

But enough of that. Time to eat!!!

Name: Patatas Bravas

Price: 230php

CAUTION: Hot filling (believe me)

As the caption says, even if you're so eager to dig in, DON'T...(well it might be different for you i dunno) coz I burned my tongue when I did haha. Anyways, the potatoes were great coz they're still hot and soft with the tomato and aioli sauce that blends well with that texture. I actually found a bit interesting was the contrast of the temperature of the sauce and the hot potatoes makes it more enjoyable for me :)

Name: Chorizos Fritos

Price: 370php

MMM-mmm

Ah... this one is a hit for me. Juicy, tasty and aromatic chorizos drenched in olive oil...what else can I say? Not tough, just pure tasty meat in bite-size goodness. :) I was even tempted to order rice to eat it with and have some excuse of pouring all that oil haha.

Name: Gambas ala Plancha

Price: 355php

you're not supposed to eat the salt ... right?

I am a fan of shrimps. I just love them. And to tell you, I've tried this same dish somewhere else. But I guess I never understood what it should be haha. It's good actually coz it's simply shrimp taste. Maybe that's it. Anyways, I don't remember if it was my aunt who ordered this or my curiosity of the name hehe. Oh and don't be fooled by the pic. These are big shrimps :)

Name: Cochinilio with Tomato Salsa

Price: 980php

That's one big, crunchy slab of pork!!!

Now if you're in the mood for some crunchy lechon (actually cochinilio is not lechon, but to keep it simple and easy to relate with, let's stick to that idea instead haha) with not only the skin but the meat as well, then you should get this. Just right crispy skin outside and very tasty and still crispy inside with or without that wonderful dip is definitely a sold lechon for me. Somewhere near Elar's if I may say. And it's definitely finger-lickin' good :)

I actually enjoyed the salsa dip that went with this dish as compared to the usual lechon gravy, most often than not, that is either too sweet, too watery or too weird or in some cases, overpowers the lechon taste. This one was besides being different, was good. It compliments the slightly salty and "crunchy" taste of the lechon with a cool, smooth tomato dip.

Name: Cerveseria Paella

Price: 760php

Simply a winner :) :) :)

I have a triple-tie here actually on what I liked in this place: the chorizos, the lechon and of course, my all-time favorite paella. If you've tried eating at Casa Armas, then you're rich haha. Really. It's expensive there. I only got to try their amazing paella because a friend of mine had some leftovers to share. But even so, I think they're beyond my wallet. Now this on the other hand, for the casual person, would still be expensive but I'd say at least it's more affordable. What I can honestly say however, it is equally good. :)

The veggies are still fresh and juicy. The beans were crunchy. The bell peppers added that welcome sweetness to the rice and struck that nice balance with the saltiness. The rice was not too sticky, just right and it was so good that we had the waiter scrape the semi-toasted rice that stuck on the paellera. The meat (chorizos mostly) was abundant but didn't overpower the paella taste. And of course, the fish fillet and shells made sure it had that seafood taste.

I could definitely eat a whole paellera of this. No kidding.

Anyways, although most of the food was good, I have to still say, this is not my typical budget. And yes, I still think it's expensive despite it's style and flavor. I would definitely recommend this place as a nice date place or an occasional family reunion resto. :)

Till next time!

2GBTG!