Last Thursday, me and my good buddy Stephen went on a food-venture at the Maginhawa strip.
Well known for its diverse offerings of yummy and affordable food, we were ready to go into a food battle!
We originally planned on going to at least five (5) restaurants to personally experience what the rave is all about. So, how did we do?
First Stop:
STUFF OVER BURGERS
The place was really small, with seating capacity of a maximum of 16 people. It looked literally like a house that was converted to a restaurant. Good plus was that the place was cool enough and we were able to get the high-seats.
We already did our research beforehand so we ordered the Hungry Daisy Meal (Php 220). Since we didn't want to get full after just one meal, we had it split in two.
Took photos while waiting for our meal.
Hungry Daisy is described as 100% pure beef patty loaded with smoked bacon, caramelized onions and cheddar, served with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion.
The Verdict:
The burger patty was grilled just right and had a good bite. As to the flavor, it had a very strong barbecue taste (which was nowhere in the description, by the way) that killed the natural flavor of the beef. I had to use the mayonnaise to tone down the strong barbecue taste. Another thing was that both of us were looking for the bacon part, but there was no trace of it. As you can see, there's a small slice of tomato on top of the patty. The burger itself was rather heavy and I somewhat felt full with my half.
The fries had good texture but lacked seasoning.
Overall, there was nothing special about it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Second Stop
ALLY'S ALL DAY BREAKFAST
Breakfast for dessert? Why not? :)
Our second stop was the very homey Ally's. We loved the interior, as it exuded a very light and relaxing feel.
When we browsed over the menu, we felt overwhelmed by the variety of the pancakes, waffles and french toasts available. We first contemplated on getting french toasts, but feared that it may not be enough for the two of us. Luckily, we saw the pancakes served on another table, and it was big!
We ordered the Death By Chocolate (Php 250), which belonged to their Signature Pancakes selection. An order from their Signature Pancakes comes with a complimentary glass of iced tea. For the Death by Chocolate, however, it comes with Hot Chocolate.
The Hot Chocolate was served first, and the pancake followed shortly, majestically boasting its size!
The Hot Chocolate was perfect to warm our tummies and to prepare us for our big dessert. It had a good cocoa taste at first, although it started tasting bland during the middle up to the end. It could have been due to the fact that we were also eating chocolate flavored pancake.
Three layers of chocolatey pancake goodness! The pancake was moist and fluffy on the inside, while the outside had the texture close to a crepe. The chocolate ice cream complemented the dish, perfectly!
We loved it! Although, it is heavy for just two people (considering that we had a burger before this), and the chocolate can be a bit too much after each of finished eating 1/4 of it. We managed to gobble up 3/4 of the entire serving and promised not to eat nor talk about chocolates and/or pancake for a 2 days (haha!)
After stuffing ourselves, we took the opportunity to take pictures of the lovely place. We love the wall designs!
After our very filling dessert, we felt like sippin' on a warm cup of tea, so we travelled back to Cool Beans.
Third Stop
Cool Beans Library Cafe
As the name implies, Cool Beans is basically a library-style cafe, where you can read your favorite book (or comic book) while sipping on your preferred drink.
Since we just came from a very heavy meal, and just wanted something to settle our tummies, we each got ourselves a hot tea. Cool Beans offers Twinnings for their tea selection. A serving of hot tea costs a whopping Php 70, part of the price I think would be for the "ambiance". They also serve pastries, shown below:
When I saw their pastries, everything that was displayed reminded me of S&Rs baked selection (sold at a higher price). I would not want to judge, but I just think that a cafe should have their own made pastries.
Moving on. Browsing through their collection, I saw a few gems, Marvel Comic Books! Yes, I am very much a Marvel fan. So I got a few books and read away.
In the middle of my reading spree (and sips of my Green Tea in between), I noticed that my shoulder was getting itchy and I was beginning to have a nasty skin rash. When I looked on the sofa where I was seated, there was a red insect that wen crawling down and inside to sofa.
This was practically the end of our stay there. It was a huge turn-off for me. Not being able to properly maintain furniture, to the point that insects would be living in them, is a big no-no for me.
If you plan to visit this cafe anytime soon, I suggest you don't sit of their couch / sofa (specially that sofa that I am sitting on) if you don't want to get bitten.
Our food-venture at Maginhawa was a success, with a few disappointments. But then again, it's all for the experience. If you do live around the QC area and would like to satisfy your cravings, then this place won't disappoint. As for me, I would still prefer going to Kapitolyo for my food cravings!
