Filipino Food with a Twist
As someone with a sweet tooth, I enjoyed the chocolate shakes given to participants upon arriving, yey for sweet stuff!
Okoy na Gulay (P99)
Okoy na gulay was the first dish served. I'm more familiar with the okoy with shrimp but this dish was good and crunchy. It made for a good appetizer for the main course meals. It also helps to try the sauces that St. Nicholas offers to give each bite an extra kick.
Adobong Crocodile (P299)
St. Nicholas' cook and owner likes to experiment. I have never eaten crocodile before so this was a new experience for me. The adobo style dish tasted like...pork. The meat was hard to chew but I assumed it was the crocodile meat and not in the actual preparation of the food. The dish tasted like any other adobo I had before, except for the crocodile meat.
Tinolang Chicken sa Pakwan (P199)
This tinola dish was the most creative I've had, ever. Tinola for me was always cooked the same way wherever I ate, a neutral dish with papayas, meat and a few other vegetables. St. Nicholas added their own twist by using pakwan or watermelon. This fruit gave the dish a sweet taste that was unique but just right.
Sizzling Pork Sisig (P99)
A little too oily for my taste, the sisig the restaurant served was chewier than your regular sisig, but nonetheless still a good choice on the menu for people on a budget.
Sweet Chili Garlic Shrimp (P199)
The shrimp dish was nothing special but had the right amount of sweetness that Filipinos love.
Paru-Parong Tilapia (P199)
I laud the creative presentation of an otherwise typical Filipino dish. St. Nicholas' tamarind sauce gave each bite a distinctly tangy and sweet taste to an otherwise plain dish. The fish had the right mix of crispiness and softness.
Ebi Tempura w/ Vinegar Dip (P199)
The ebi tempura dish tasted just like any other tempura I've had before, but the sauces that St. Nicholas served gave it a distinctly delicious taste.
Dessert
I'm a sucker for sweet things so I can't say anything bad about the desserts offered, but special mention to the choco lava cake, it was the best one served.
Civet Coffee
I'm no coffee person but am open to new experiences, so I tried their civet coffee. I can't tell the taste apart from all the other types of coffee I've had before.
It was nice of them to give us a treat after the barrage of food served to us!
This is what the table looked like after eating.
Overall, there were exceptional dishes and other that were nothing out of the ordinary. I like the sauces that St. Nicholas provided as it gave plain dishes a different personality. I'd give their restaurant a 4/5 for creativity in creating dishes.Restaurant Atmosphere
I like the thought put into the design of the restaurant as it displayed different places the owner has been to, but there is too much happening with the design. If it were sectioned off into different rooms, the look would've been fine.
Would I recommend St. Nicholas?
Yes, the creativity put into the sauces and dishes is good reason to try their food. The dishes' serving size is ideal for groups, but there are also dishes for single person diners.
St. Nicholas Restaurant
Address: #1 Fatima St. corner San Rafael St. Brgy. Plainview, Mandaluyong
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/st.nicholasresto
*DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.