Just another Friday night at home. So quiet, except for the
music playing and the drone of the electric fan. Almost 11pm and my stomach is
growling again for some munchies. Unfortunately it wants chips and
what I've got in the ref are fruits. Wow, what a big problem that is.
Ten days before election. The heat is so freaking on! Mudslinging
on all sides from candidates and voters alike. It's hard to be a calm island in
the midst of all these. I could very easily avoid Facebook until June, July, or
even August, but no cannot be. Just skip, skip, skip any political post as I
scroll down my news feed.
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Last night I went out for dinner with my friend H in
Maginhawa Street. Of course the conversation turned to the subject of the
elections and we almost had a discussion on our choices, specifically mine as H
wanted to know why I chose that candidate. But I never got to explain because we
were more focused on exploring the eats along the road, which gets the higher
priority over anything else. Cravings over politics, I say! As a side note, I
couldn't help but marvel at how much that stretch of road had changed over the
years as we used to work there. There was only one restaurant near our workplace
and the rest are houses with the occasional sari-sari store and Mini Stop. Now,
there is a restaurant everywhere I look. Good business, awesome food, bad
parking. But that's just me.
Good thing that we decided to walk it out, as it's much
easier that way. We could easily check out an establishment and leave if we
feel we could get something more substantial from the others instead. It was a
weeknight though so those who do drive did not have a hard time getting a
parking slot. Weekends are a different story so it would be better if those who
would like to visit should go there early or do as we did, which was to walk. Tricycles
also are aplenty so it is really easy to get around.
We went to the Lost Bread, a restaurant specialising in French
toast and out-of-this-world desserts and drinks. They also offer savoury food
ranging from Php150-Php300. I ordered their Spicy Corned Beef Aglio Olio while
H got the Beef Tapa with Coffee Fried Rice.
Sorry no photos. But this I will say:
First, my Spicy Corned Beef Aglio Olio. It is a pasta (spaghetti)
dish served with corned beef sauteed in oil and garlic, and garnished with
marble potato chips, fresh rosemary sprigs and a generous amount of red pepper
flakes. The portion size is normal though it could be a bigger one. I like how
the sauce was not overwhelming; it's not too oily, not too garlicky. Corned beef
is also in between chunky and stringy which gives a nice bite to it. The spice
level however was a bit much so next time maybe I could have the pepper flakes
served on the side. This is also a dish best enjoyed hot to experience the
flavours swirling in your palate. I ate mine cold already cos I was too busy marvelling
at the pictures from my friend's recent trip to Siquijor. Haha! Anyway, all in
all, I like this dish.
The Beef Tapa with Coffee Fried Rice is a delight as well. Now
this one is a big serving. Tender slices of beef top the coffee fried rice. I
expected the coffee flavour to permeate
the rice thoroughly but I found it to be a bit faint. The dish is served with a
sunny side up egg sprinkled with coffee and Lost Bread's version of ensaladang
mangga which consists of salted egg, sliced cherry tomatoes and mango. The mango
used is in that stage where it is almost ripe, therefore giving it a nice twist
of tangy and sweet. I'm not entirely sure of what sauce was used for the
ensalada but it is indeed refreshing and it complements the dish beautifully.
While Lost Bread certainly has a reputation for its
desserts, I had my mind set on The Nook, this book cafe that serves butterbeer
and where guests can try on different costumes from Harry Potter. I guess
there's no need to say that I'm a Potterhead, but there, I went ahead and said
it.
We actually got a bit lost looking for The Nook cos we took
a right at Malingap Street instead of going further down Maginhawa. We backtracked
and eventually found the place... full of people. So it's either we wait or go
to our next choice, which was whatever we found first. H wanted to try the
Wicked Kitchen for its s'mores (she is currently in love with s'mores) or The
Sweet Spot.
Both cafes are in the same building along with more of the
featured establishments in the Maginhawa Street Map. We chose The Sweet Spot
and we chose well. A junior-sized Blueberry cheesecake for me (as always) and a
slice of salted caramel chocolate cake for H. For drinks we tried the kiwi lime
juice (mine) and Speculoos frappuccino (H).
As it is with my pasta dinner earlier, my cheesecake was not
overwhelming. It is creamy and surprisingly light that I was even able to eat
the whipped cream that topped it. The kiwi lime juice is also a good
combination for my dessert. I wanted something that would balance out the
creamy texture of the cheesecake and I knew that getting any coffee variant
won't do the trick even if I got it black. The first thought that came to my
mind as I sipped my drink was that I was drinking in a nice sosi spa. Yeah I
know it's a weird description but what the hey. It is sweet and tangy and
cleanses the palate. This is also not in the menu so it would be good to ask
for anything that might possibly be available but off the menu.
The salted caramel chocolate cake was nice and moist. I
couldn't detect a hint of saltiness in the caramel though. Or maybe that's just
because I already have my cheesecake that it battles with the flavours. The slice
is generous and is good for sharing. Good for one if you're a rabid fan of
chocolate cake!
The Sweet Spot is one of several establishments that serve
speculoos frappuccino/shake but this is the first time that I got to try one. At
first sip of the drink, H's face lighted up which meant that it was a great
choice. I agree with her. It is light and the creaminess of it doesn't
overpower the taste of the speculoos.
For my first Maginhawa Street sojourn, I would rate this an
eight.
And as I end this post, let me just say that writing this
made me feel full again. Which is awesome. I feel so healthy.
Whaaat?
Whatevs.
Good night!
Notes:
The branch of The Lost Bread that we went to is in a
building a few steps from the StrEAT Food Park where the original The Lost
Bread is.
The Sweet Spot: Ground Floor, Maginhawa Building, 189 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City
