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| Photo not mine, although I wish to acquire the skill to make an infographic as pretty as this |
If your idea of heaven consisted of delicious food to satiate your gustatory cravings, then Maginhawa is a good place to be in. Maginhawa is located at the UP Teachers Village, Quezon City. From Manila, you can ride a bus/FX/jeepney to Philcoa (fare of Php 15), then ride a tricycle (fare of Php 9). It would be best for you to consult Google Maps for instructions on how to get there from your point of origin. My friends Erika, DJ, Clemenz, and P.Ross were with me on this trip, so I didn't really worry about getting lost. We went to Cool Beans Cafe, Leona Art Restaurant, and The Iscreamist; we went to three restaurants only due to time, budget, and waistline constraints. Haha.
Cool Beans Cafe
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| Disclaimer: Photo was not scripted |
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| With Erika. Cool Beans offers a variety of good books, shown in background. |
The thing I liked the most about Cool Beans was its ambiance. It made me feel like I was in a library except library cards weren't needed and you could sip coffee or frappucino while reading. The small space of the cafe could be used to your advantage to eye other bookworms. Nah, I'm just kidding... or maybe not. Haha. We went there twice, in the morning and in the evening. At times, the place could get noisy, as other customers may start chatting without regard for your need for silence. Here's a tip: try asking them to keep their voices down (politeness optional). Most of the time, they are just not aware of the volume of their voice (maybe because of the air conduction versus bone conduction of their voice, but let's not get too medical).
I am a fan of bitter coffee - dark roast, no sugar and creamer, so I ordered Iced Sagada Coffee. It costed me Php 85, which was relatively cheap. For some reason, however, my iced coffee became too sweet for my taste. We could only guess that it was because of the ice, since I did not add anything else to my coffee. In comparison, my friend's Hot Sagada Coffee was bitter and tasty, as expected. In the end, I was not able to finish my glass of iced coffee. On one hand, their Tuna Melt Panini (Php 70 for half of it) was delicious and worth it.
Their staff was not friendly, just indifferent. No smiles or attempts at small talk whatsoever. Their service was efficient, though.
Rating:
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 3/5 (This is for the panini only. I researched that Starbucks adds a syrup to their iced coffee, unless you verbalize preference for an unsweetened version. I would have to give the benefit of doubt to Cool Beans because maybe they did the same to their iced coffee.)
Service: 3/5
Leona Art Restaurant
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| Status post eight rounds of pizza goodness |
Our next stop was Leona Art Restaurant, for their all-you-can-eat pizza at Php 199 per person. The restaurant opened at 2 P.M. and it was immediately filled to capacity thirty minutes after opening. There were three out of four flavors available for the unlimited pizza promo: pesto, three cheese, and hawaiian, the unavailable one was pepperoni. The thin crust pizzas were not really extraordinary; they tasted exactly how you would expect pesto, three cheese, and hawaiian to taste like. We had eight rounds of 10-inch pizzas. There were no leftovers since each leftover slice would mean a "fine" of Php 25.
The restaurant had this artistic vibe with paintings on its walls and different mementos on display. It was quite crowded inside, since customers stayed for the longest time possible to eat as much pizza as they could (we're guilty on this one, haha). If al fresco dining is your thing, you can opt to stay at the tables and chairs outside the restaurant.
Their service was fast and efficient. I would have to give due praise to the staff of two, perhaps three with the cook, since they managed to give each table a continuous supply of unlimited pizza. They were also sensitive to the needs and wants of all customers.
Rating:
Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
The Iscreamist
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| Smores with liquid nitrogen |
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| It's always a good time with them :) |
The Iscreamist offers novelty in its smores dipped in liquid nitrogen. One plate of smores with liquid nitrogen costs Php 65 - fair price, in my opinion. You have to experience it in order to fully understand but I will try to describe the experience anyway. The liquid nitrogen froze the smores upon contact. One had to give it around seven seconds before putting inside the mouth to prevent untoward tongue burns. I am not so sure about the chemistry going on but I inferred that the abrupt change in temperature caused the smoke effect reminiscent of a dragon's breath. It caused instant drying of the tongue.
The place was really small, as it can accommodate only 15 customers at a time. In case you decide to visit the place in the future, expect a long line of customers outside The Iscreamist. Here's a tip: please be sensitive enough not to camp in your table after you're done eating. We know that the dragon's breath looks good in your Instagram photos and in your Facebook wall but there are other people who are waiting for their turn, too, so please.
Rating:
Ambiance: 2/5 (the place was really small and the blue light made me dizzy)
Food: 2/5 (points for novelty)
Service: 2/5 (nothing special, they'd give you your food then that's it)
The hole-in-the-wall restaurants at Maginhawa Street live up to the English equivalents of the word "maginhawa": comfort and convenience. Go on a Maginhawa food trip now and see, better yet, taste for yourself!
Further readings:
Until the next adventure,
Dena
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| A.K.A. The Constipated Dragon |
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