Marikina: Back with a Vengeance

Remember my old post about Marikina? I'm always wary of eating in Marikina because I never had any memorable food there. Mostly, it was the usual home-cooked meal done fast food style.

Qizia is quite known. Tucked behind SDS Hospital, you'll surely miss this because it has no sign from outside. The place is INSIDE the hospital's grounds, more like its parking area. Nothing really special. Rex's hates its customer service. We even found plastic in the service water they gave us. Since we already had lunch, we decided to have dessert here. It was an unimpressive piece of cake. As Rex would say, no one can fuck up a banoffee. Even if I detest Banapple so much, I have to admit that this piece of cake is my usual order instead of chocolate cake. Their banoffee had HUGE banana slices to the point that its hard to eat it together with its other parts. I find it also a tad bit too sweet.
We left the place quite disappointed.

TAMAGOYA: your affordable Ramen

So when we went around Marikina this Saturday, I was adamant to try any restaurant. Rex and I had that deal that we'd order one meal tops, just to try a place out. Since Tamagoya would be in the list of "must try" in Marikina, I agreed to have dinner here. I was wary at first, because I was never into the whole ramen craze. After eating at Ukkokei, I felt that I'd never pay so much for noodles and toppings. It's good to note that most items on their menu are really affordable. Although, the place is a bit small.

 

We ordered gyoza (Php99 for6 pcs) and Stamina Ramen for P175.

With 1/3 the price of Ukkokei, this ramen gives you value for your money. While Ukkokei's broth is better, you got to give it to Tamagoya for coming up with a dish that has hefty servings and a decent broth (we found most noodle places to have bland broths) and they are very generous with their toppings. You can also opt to add more (if you want eggs, etc).

We always believe that if its Japanese chef actually mans the kitchen and takes care of the meals, you are in for "quality" food. Even Japanese dine here.

CAFE LIDIA: a better cake shop

Cafe Lidia, it was hard finding this place. First thought that occurred to me, "effort pa talaga ang tita ko to go all over F. Calderon just to dine in some old place that has a loud carinderia nearby that has endless off-pitch  wannabe singers. So much for "ambiance". Luckily, a) you don't get to hear all the noise when you are inside b) the place reminds me of a lesser kitschy version of Cafe Juanita (old house, old paintings, "sort" of quirky lights, etc) c) its really spacious so its ideal for events/parties/what have yous. Did I mention that food is really affordable??

I actually fear restaurants of this kind. When I saw the menu it had everything. Pizza, pulutan, salisbury steak, rice meal. It even had desserts, porchetta, pasta, buffalo wings. Throw in everything- Filipino, Italian, Western, etc. Luckily, the food did not disappoint for its price.

Cafe Lidia Pizza For P225 you can get yourself a decent pizza (yes they actually use "mozarella", just cause it had that stetchability factor in the cheese). 

 For dessert, you can get yourself the Grandma's Chocolate Cake (P75) and cafe latte (P90).

At least I have two reasons to dine in Marikina again.

64 Calderon St., Kalumpang, Marikina City

If you are coming from Ateneo, take flyover (going to Riverbanks). After the bridge, take a right (You'll see a JP Rizal sign). Just follow the "JP Rizal street sign". Its after Kapitan Moy and loads of resto so don't worry if it gets a bit shaddy and dark in some areas. Just follow the jeep. :)) On your left, you'll see F Calderon. The place has a huge sign (and parking) so you won't miss it. Or else, just follow the videoke sounds. The neighbors had a hack of it. 

One Saturday in Marikina

I never had fond memories of food in Marikina. For me, it was really friends that got me going back to this place. Back in my first year in college, I stayed with a family friend on weekends. I remember hearty meals in their homes- sinigang and liempo. On times that we would eat outside it would be Popeye's at Sta. Lucia Mall and Don Henrico's.

I love that the place has character.Like being home in the province, Marikina is so laid back and has that small community feel to it. Unlike the busy and often traffic-prone areas in BF or the younger (noisier parts) in Maginhawa, Marikina feels like I'm right back with my family in Surigao. I also think it is a very resilient city. With several storms that led to the city's flooding; it's very much alive and festive. Rex and I find the people very warm, friendly and helpful. We even love their MMDA and police officers there; always smiling and cordial.

So one Saturday, we did the usual rounds in the area. Lilac and Rainbow has become full of neighborhood eats. Nothing really struck me as a "must go to" place. But I love how small businesses are slowly gaining momentum. They're also old establishments like Kapitan Moy, Qizia, Mama Chit's, Isabelo. But what really surprised me are these new breed of restaurants often visited by people in the area. There's this Burrito Place often filled with teens and cars lining up in this Ramen place near Sumulong.

I can't say that it will be the next BF. I am just pleased that people in the area are partonizing local shops. There are also a few chains such as Moonleaf, Crazy Katsu opening their branches in Lilac.

Forget me Not Cafe (it has the same name as Chef Pixxie's newly opened cafe in Makati :)), this quaint restaurant/cafe is a neighborhood favorite. It has free wifi and provide very generous servings of their food. We ordered the "house speciality". Rex got the stuffed Chicken while I got the Salisbury Steak. Meals come with free rice.

The salisbury steak was your usual fare of burger topped with gravy combo. It has a huge serving so I'm fine even if the gravy tasted like your usual fastfood sauce. (I am not picky, with P135 puede na).

Rex, on the otherhand wasn't so happy with the chicken. With only four tiny pieces of pesto-stuffed chicken, it could only go so wrong with gravy added to it. Since its already stuffed, I was more confused if it was trying to highlight the chicken stuffing or the sauce. It would've been better if it was cream-based or has a similar flavor profile to the stuffing.

Well, at least the space had ample parking.

We went to this dessert place because we believe in chef-turned-entrepeneur in their first venture. Perfect Moments, located at the ground floor of Blue Wave, is your typical fastfood/bakeshop establishment. Sadly, I would've been happier if I ate in Red Ribbon or Goldilocks because the food was underwhelming. The shop's interior looks a bit dirty and cluttered. But the food's very affordable. With Php100, you can get by with 2 rice meals. I also have to commend their personalized cakes. My favorite was the Barbie cake on display. Every girl would want to have it for her birthday.

Too bad their coffee tasted like Nescafe and their cake too dry.

But I am still going back for more of Marikina's restaurants. There's still more food to try. And I wish these places the best (and its improvement) :)