Recipes by Café Metro

kitty suggested we go for fely j's in greenbelt 5. i can't go wrong with filipino food and fely j's is supposed to be the flavor of the month for manila foodiphiles. a five minute walk from bsa suites and i was on my way to getting us a table.

there was a lot of people dining inside but there was no line waiting to be served. my mistake, apparently, the people that i saw lounging in an open area a little down from fely j's are actually waiting to be seated. seven groups waiting for a table is not exactly my idea of filling in my tumtum.

i made my way to greenbelt 3 where a group called duende cuatro was playing some latin jazz in an open area. a lot of expats with exotic accessories in tow were dining al fresco, chatting (actually shouting) despite the noisy din from the four dwarves.

we skirted the crowd and made our way to the second level of greenbelt 3 and headed to Recipes by Metro Cafe.

catfish mango salad - strips of sour green mango topped with tomatoes, onions, dried shredded catfish and served with bagoong on the side.


a close up

Recipes started in SM Megamall and opened another outlet in Greenbelt. Recipes is a favorite hangout 7-8 years ago and i couldn't miss the chance to reacquaint my taste buds with a few samplers.

tender strips of squid, battered, lightly fried and sauced-up with a sweet chili dash.

for some reason, everything we ordered are seafood dishes. the wonderfully flavored green mango salad topped with onions, red tomatoes, shredded catfish mixed with sauteed sweet salty bagoong (fermented small shrimps made into a paste) picked up our appetite.

the flavorful seafood rice.

we ordered seafood rice that has bits and pieces of squid, crab meat, dried fish and hibi (fried sun dried baby shrimps) mixed into the rice was a perfect counterpoint to the to the mildly spicy squid cooked to perfect tenderness.

crispy tilapia - filleted tilapia, coated in spices, lightly battered and fried to a crisp. goes well with vinegar-chili-spring onion-soy sauce.

they serve the dish with the spine and head intact for that authentic fishy look. i had a grand time picking off the meat from the bone as it was fried to a crackling crisp.

since we're on a seafood diet (we see food, we eat), we ordered crispy tilapia cleverly filleted leaving the bony middle part and the fleshy meat cut into strips, battered and fried to a crisp. dipped into an onion vinegar soy sauce mixture, the tender meat melts in your mouth.

to say that it was a good meal is an insult.

even before we ended our meal (and after a lot of catching up....) we already made plans to raid the sunday legazpi market. till then, keep salivating peeps.

March 21, 2009

Recipes by Café Metro, Greenbelt 3
2/F Greenbelt 3, Esperanza St., Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 728-0917 or 20

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