My beloved hometown, Quezon City, held a food festival last weekend as part of celebrations for its 75th founding anniversary. The festivities were held on Maginhawa Street, the famed food hub for diners up north. (Think of it as QC's very own Kapitolyo or Aguirre Avenue.) It's home to several holes-in-the-wall, bars, quirky restaurants, specialty shops, and what have you, so you'll never really run out of things to do when in Maginhawa.
For this post, I'll be featuring a few breakfast nooks along Maginhawa, all of which I visited with my parents after each session of our (now defunct) Sunday habit: jogging at UP Diliman. Haha!
What other Maginhawa stops are worth the bother? Do share! :)Brazo
Our first stop was Brazo, a relatively new Maginhawa stop that offers a range of comfort food classics. The place was previously occupied by Henry's Grille, so if you are familiar with the latter, Brazo should be hard to miss.
My dad had their Adobo Flakes (P120) - toasted chicken and pork adobo paired with relish and sunny side-up egg. This was a good take on the Adobo Flakes, but probably not one that would immediately stand out since we prefer more crisp strips in general.
Mom and I had Brazo's Corned Beef (P175) - thick cut homemade brisket served with egg (I always get mine scrambled) and hollandaise sauce. We were initially taken aback by their corned beef (I mean, just look at it, it's so far from the ordinary), but enjoyed it all in all because the meat was tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned; thus, a perfect complement to the warm rice and egg. Serving size is a bit much for one, so if you are looking to order this, it would be good to split with a friend and then try out other dishes on the menu for more variety.
We ended the meal with cappuccinos and two slices of Brazo's specialty: Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (P65/slice and P585/pan). The combination was made in heaven - you must try!
Check out their menu for other yummy eats at Brazo:
Brazo |131 Maginhawa Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City | (02) 958-0023 | Official Facebook Page
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Next up is Breakfast Bin, the smallest of the three establishments featured on this post. Indoor dining space is really cramped (i.e. they only had about two tables that could seat four pax each), plus parking is a bit of an issue since there really isn't designated parking space exclusive for Breakfast Bin. But no worries, because the food did not disappoint. Just come early so you're assured of a spot.
While waiting for our meals, we all got - what else? - Cappuccinos (P80/cup). :)
Mom had one of their bestsellers, Beef Tapa (P175), which was served with eggs and some tomatoes and onions. Breakfast Bin's tapa is bit on the sweet side, so if you are into a more sour mix, this probably isn't for you.
My dad, meanwhile, had their house special, Longganisa (P150), described on the menu as a combination of sweet and savory. Serving size was a bit disproportionate - the bowl came with a mountain of rice and eggs, and just teeny servings of meat.
I was pretty satisfied with my Corned Beef (P150), which I've grown to especially love with relish. Breakfast Bin's take is just the typical, off-the-can corned beef - just the way I like it. :)
Other rice bowls are available on the menu, each one served with a choice of white or brown rice, eggs, and relish. You can add P35 if you want to upgrade to talangka rice.
For dessert, we had pancakes topped with chocolate chips, cookies, and syrup. (We just never stop eating, do we?)
This was just okay... I would have liked it to come with better tasting cookies, because the ones they used tasted quite old (?), the kind you would have left on the dining table a few days too much.
Check out their menu for more sweet and savoury delights:
Breakfast Bin |168 Maginhawa Street cor Mapagkumbaba Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City | (02) 212-3456 | Official Facebook Page
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The Breakfast Table was our venue of choice for Father's Day breakfast. We loved the quirky ambience of the place, which, at the time, was comprised of rustic decor in white and different hues of blue.
Nice mix of materials, too; there's a very Pinterest-y/ DIY vibe in their choice of furniture and details.
I had high hopes for their Super Pancake (P150), because its components were mouthwatering: extra large homemade pancake, chocolate syrup, muscovado syrup, banana slices, dayap butter. It was, however, disappointing for the most part as it was very dry and bland (in comparison to other tastier pancake bases like those found in Pancake House, Jollibee, or McDonald's).
Meanwhile, mom had Adobo Omurice (P175) - two eggs, adobo rice, roasted adobo chunks, and a petite salad.
When broken apart it looks like this. The verdict? Two thumbs up for this one! :)
Other omurice varieties on the menu include Binagoongan (P185) and Sardine (P165).
Then, my dad sampled their special Father's Day buffet offering, which included items like arroz caldo, tapa, tokwa't baboy, longganisa, salted egg, suman at mangga, and garlic rice among others. He enjoyed every single dish on the lineup. :)
Given the limited dining space and to ensure freshness of the dishes, each one was served upon request.
Here's our main man with his feast! :)
Click on this link to view The Breakfast Table's full menu.The Breakfast Table |189 Maginhawa Street cor Makadios Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City | (02) 433-3597 | Official Facebook Page
