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| Saw this in the restroom |
If you have noted, it has been a while since we have updated our blog. No, we did not stop our food adventure. We've been trying out dining areas in San Pablo City but did not find any place worth blogging about. That was until we stepped into Charqoal Bistro & Bar.
Admittedly, it was the spelling of "charqoal" that got our attention. We see the place whenever we are north bound. Last Friday night, we wanted to try something new so we decided to go to Charqoal. We were hesitant at first. It's a bistro/bar and we were not dressed to dine out and we had Senyorito Lakwatsero with us so we were not sure if they would let the little tyke inside. But all doubts vanished soon as we entered the place.
We were warmly welcomed by their wait staff and our eyes popped out when we were handed the menu. We were like, "is this for real?" Knowing the prices in other bistro/bars in the city, we were surprised that their prices are almost half of those being offered by the said other places. We can best describe their menu as a cross between the offerings of the restos near the cathedral. Clue - both starts with "Si"!
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| Basket of Hand Cut Potatoes - Php75 |
First thing we ordered was the Basket of Hand Cut Potatoes. Knowing that Senyorito Lakwatsero easily gets hungry and makes his own order follow up, we requested the wait staff to have it done in advance while we were still deciding on what else to eat. Not sure if we were just enjoying the acoustic jam that night but the potatoes came quick! The large potato cuts ( think fries but thicker, think wedges but thinner) sprinkled with grated parmesan was served in a stainless basket. For its price of Php75 and past experiences we've had, we really did not expect much from it. But boy, we were wrong! It was crispy outside with a soft texture inside. In other words, just right. Driver even ordered an extra garlic mayo. Uhm, how much did we like it? We ordered it for Senyorito Lakwatsero but we were the ones munching it. Senyorito Lakwatsero had to tap our hands!
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| Smoked Salmon and Shrimp in Garlic Cream Sauce Pasta - Php185 |
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| Pork Belly with Steamed Rice and Vegetables - Php120 |
Speaking of Yaya, because she is a "growing child", she opted for a rice meal - Pork Belly with Steamed Rice and Vegetables. Again, we were just expecting pork chop with buttered frozen veggies but what landed on our table was a perfectly marinated and basted char-grilled pork belly served with sliced sweet corn - the real deal!
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| The 6-Pack - Php130 |
Our Boss, Senyorito Lakwatsero, wanted to have a burger. So, we ordered the interestingly named dish "The 6 Pack". Hands down to the chef, it really was just 6 small buns with char-grilled patties and cheddar sauce. Plain as it is, but it tasted so good! This was also the runaway winner for the best in plating. The burgers (or sliders, as I call them) were served in skewers like kebabs. Nice twist!
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| Roasted Pepper and Cream Cheese Cigars - Php85 |
Since Driver and I were sharing the pasta, we decided to order another dish, the Roasted Pepper and Cream Cheese Cigars. We were really clueless on what it was. We thought it was just peppers stuffed with cream cheese. As it turns out, the dish was made up of two rolls of flatbread stuffed with cream cheese served with roasted pepper dip. Why cigars? They were rolled as thick as (or even thicker than) Cuban cigars. Three words to describe it - love! love! love!
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| Chocolate Bar Nuggets with Praline Bacon - Php90 |
Even if we still had Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (made by yours truly) at home to have as our dessert, after some discussions, we proceeded to try their dessert offerings. We first ordered their Chocolate Bar Nuggets with Praline Bacon served with a scoop of ice cream. You guessed it right, it was the praline bacon that tickled our curiosity. In addition, we've always wanted to try the Candied Bacon Ice Cream of Merry Moo but it was always already sold out whenever we went to the food truck. And candied bacon it was, "glazingly" sitting on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The plating was in a deconstructed style. As we continue to look at the dessert, we stopped and asked ourselves, "where are the chocolate bar nuggets and what is that corn dog looking thingy doing on the plate?" Then, again, to our surprise, when we cut the corn dog looking thingy, instead of a hotdog, it had the chocolate bar nuggets inside! Think Cloud Nine Choco Bar-filled corn dog. One word - innovative!
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| Salted Caramel and Brownie Milkshake - Php95 |
Of course, Driver loves anything with salted caramel so she did not let the night pass without ordering the Salted Caramel Brownie Milkshake. It was not so sweet, it was just right. I guess the downside was because we can distinctly identify whats goes into what we eat, we also tasted the straw - like it was from stock. Yes, that's how "hardcore" our taste buds are. Try to sit near us when we're in a new resto and you will hear us dissecting the contents of our orders down to the spices used! Going back to the straw, the overall effect of the milkshake overshadowed this flaw.
While we three adults were savoring the food, the little boy was having a grand time watching the acoustic band. And he need not be told to clap because he was clapping as if he understood what was being sung (he's only five). Actually, he was already sleepy but he wanted to stay and wait for the next set! We're really starting to get convinced that he is a forty-year old trapped in a five-year old's body.
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| All these for Php840! |
Before our night ended, we had another eye-popping moment. When our bill arrived, it was only Php840 to think that we were full and still had burgers left to bring home to Donya.
This is how we will describe Charqoal Bistro & Bar's menu, simple with a twist and wonderfully executed. As we always say, ideas are good but it is the execution that matters.
With the kind of food and prices that Charqoal has, we might become regulars of the place. There are still so many thing we would like to try - Tomato in Cream Soup with Cheddar Fingers, their flatbread pizzas, Bailey's and Dark Rum Tiramisu, and the Butcher's Special. Driver and Yaya have already pledged that they will each "sponsor" dinner at Charqoal in the very near future.
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| Yep, he had his hair cut short! |
Till our next adventure! Hint on the next adventure - I, Mayordoma, am not a coffee person but it might just change!
Charqoal Bistro & Bar
14 Brgy. San Nicolas
San Pablo City
(Near Alaminos boundary)
