It was through my office mate and good friend Kaycee that I’ve learned about Kapitolyo, Pasig. She’s been living in Pasig all her life and I was, at that time, asking her about some of the best restaurants in the area (our office is located in Mandaluyong and its just one jeep ride away from Kapitolyo).
So when she said that I can find all sorts of food (that I’m craving for) in Kapitolyo, I decided to visit the place with my foodie boyfriend immediately after office. Kaycee even shared a guide map that she found here. 🙂
Our first stop was BullChef.
BullChef of Bulalo Chef looks like your typical Pinoy Karinderya at first glance but once you get inside, you’d see that the place has its own air conditioning, the ambiance seems warm with just the right amount of lighting, and the walls filled with photos and notes from satisfied customers and celebrities who’ve been to the place.
Their style of service is very simple: you browse the menu, order, wait for your food, and pay at the counter after. The food is no fuss no frill too but you definitely will get value for money.
We started off with the BullChef special or the classic bulalo. One serving is good enough for two. Bulalo has always been one of the most popular delicacies in the country. The taste of the bulalo soup is made rich by cooking beef shank and beef marrow bone for hours (according to mom) until the flavors has melted into the broth. Chefs, mommies, and other bulalo experts then add veggies such as corn and cabbage in the soup.
The BullChef special bulalo was able to deliver that “certain” bulalo taste that we were looking for (If you really love bulalo, you’d know what I mean). It has the right combination of ingredients and flavors. 🙂 We used to go to Tagaytay or Batangas to have bulalo and it was very fortunate that we were able to find a good bulalo place in Manila.
Aside from the different types of Bulalo, BullChef also offers sizzling meals and traditional Pinoy breakfast meal like Tapsilog (Tapa and itlog), Longsilog (longganisa and itlog), and Bangsilog (Bangus and itlog).
Their Daing na Bangus (milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic) and Ensalada (mixture of tomato, salted eggs, fish sauce, and onion) reminded me of a rainy Sunday morning lunch at home. 🙂 Bullchef is located along East Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo, Pasig. Price per meal ranges from 125 to 250 pesos.
Our next destination was at Cab Cafe.
After having a heavy meal at BullChef, we decided to look for a restaurant or a cafe that serves desserts. We found Cab Cafe since it is also located along East Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo and its about 3 to 4 minutes walk from BullChef.
The place is very cozy and on a typical Saturday night, its basically full of young professionals taking a break, having coffee and sweets. We did not know what to order at first (everything looked delish!) so we asked one of their crews about their specialty and she said we should try their moist chocolate cake.
We then ordered a cappuccino and moist chocolate mini cake. I was not able to take a photo of the cake but it was really good! You’ll definitely notice the heavy chocolate fudge icing covering the cake and its topped with chocolate garnish too! Its about 130 pesos.
Cab Cafe also offers rice meals, pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. Prices for sweets and coffee are reasonable (since almost all of cafe serve more than a hundred pesos for cakes or coffee offerings) but some items in their menu are a bit pricey. I believe a dinner for two would cost you about a thousand say if you order pasta meal or rice meal plus cake and coffee. We’d go back definitely cause we were not able to try their main dishes and we heard that all of their cakes are must try!
Last stop: Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Eats
Mad Mark’s is less than a minute walk and almost in front of Cab Cafe. After having our cake and coffee fix, we spotted Mad Mark’s and decided to have ice cream before going home. It was around 9 in the evening and we got tired from work and from eating (hah!) that were not able to browse their entire menu. I guess I would have to write a full review of Mad Mark’s cause at first, I thought this is just an ice cream place. I vow to try their sandwiches, salad, and rice items. 🙂
When we went there, the place is also full of young people and even young families. We were not able to find a seat so we decided to just order and eat outside of our car.
Anyways, we tried their Javan hot chocolate. Two big scoops is 110 pesos – a bit pricey but oh so good. Its not sweet and you can definitely taste the dark chocolate flavor. The taste is somewhat unique and maybe its because of the fact that their ice cream products are all made by the owner with love at home. 🙂
I’d come back definitely. I still have to try all of their ice cream flavors and again, I swear to write a full review of the place. Or maybe I’ll visit their newly open branch at Glorietta 5.
We went back home craving for more! I’m in love with Kapitolyo. Its like a small village with many small restaurants offering many awesome food. Yes, we tried just three restaurants that night but we went back a week after and tried other intriguing restos. Please stay tuned for our Kapitolyo Food Trip Part II. 🙂
Mommyhood + Adulting + Adventures in between! 