Dining Snippets: Buenisimo by Café Ysabel x The Beef Barn x Lusso
This week’s Dining Snippets takes on a diverse set of restaurants; from a secluded dining concept of Café Ysabel in the Scout area, to a delicious carnivorous quickservice concept in Eastwood City, and a lux grown-up concept of Margarita Fores of Cibo fame.
BUENISIMO BY CAFÉ YSABEL
Café Ysabel is one of the landmark restaurants in San Juan, churning out well-loved dishes in its picturesque abode for many years now. It has extended its presence in the Scout area in Quezon City through its concept, Buenismo by Café Ysabel. Albeit significantly smaller in size, Buenisimo attempts to embody the service and quality that comes with the Café Ysabel name.
LENGUA WITH CRISPY GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE (P218)
The Lengua with Crispy Garlic Butter Sauce was a delightful appetizer. Its sauce is reminiscent to that of most gambas dishes; thus, expect it to get really addicting. Instead of sautéed shrimps, expect a generous serving of melt in your mouth lengua cubes that you can’t help but love. Although touted as an appetizer, it works wonders with rice.
BACON STEAK (P548)
Don’t be fooled by the size of its Bacon Steak. Although it’s significantly smaller in size than what we’re used to, the slab definitely packs a lot of smoky salty flavor. Temper it with the delicious wild mushroom ragout it came with which is topped with a sous vide egg, and paired with crunchy French beans, and a plateful of yummy potato wedges.
ANGRY SAUCE (P378/P628)
The Angry Sauce pasta sounded delicious, as it promised a spicy take of the classic pomodoro style pasta; however, it definitely failed to make \us happy. The penne noodles were slightly undercooked and the sauce was bland, and completely deviated from the spice level that I was expecting. I recommend skipping this dish in your visit to Buenisimo.
Buenisimo by Café Ysabel is a welcome sanctuary in the heart of Quezon City; escape the traffic and bustle in Tomas Morato, and opt for the quieter ambiance offered by the restaurant.
Buenisimo by Café Ysabel
24 Scout Tuazon St., Laging Handa, Quezon City
Date of Visit: December 12, 2015 with Lily Chua
THE BEEF BARN
BB3 (US Angus Beef + Rice + Tuyo Aglio Olio + Garlic Beans and Carrots)
The Beef Barn is one of the newly opened food concepts in Eastwood City Walk. They may be a grab and go, quickservice concept, but they do mean business. They offer deliciously curated meals, offering a choice of smoked bacon, chicken, or their famed US Roast angus beef; with rice and sides of your choice. Think of it like an offshoot of World Chicken, but capitalizing instead on tender and tasty angus beef as the main highlight of its plates. Its dishes come with affordable price tags of P160 (Meat + Rice), P210 (Meat + Rice + 1 Side Dish), and P250 (Meat + Rice + 2 Side Dishes). Side dishes range from different pasta and vegetable options.
The Beef Barn
2F Eastwod Citywalk 2, Libis, Quezon City
Date of Visit: January 10, 2016 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua, and Jem Chua
LUSSO
Although a die-hard fan of Cibo, I’ve never gotten around sampling its sophisticated sister concept, Lusso; until late last year. I’m glad to say that the wait was worth it, as it did not disappoint.
PEPATO SHORT RIBS (P780)
We kicked off the meal with its Truffle Potato Crisps (P160), which featured a bowl of thinly-sliced potatoes, fried in a non-greasy manner, and subtly flavoured with hints of truffle that did not overwhelm. We were halfway through it until I realized that I failed to take a photo of it. For my main dish, I opted for the Pepato Short Ribs. At first glance, I was certain that dish would not be able to fill me up; however, I underestimated the richness of the delightful porcini-based cream sauce glazed over the tender tasty meat. I was definitely stuffed even before finishing my last bite. Each bite was worth it though; as it featured luscious, and succulent flavors at a quality you expect from any Fores-creation.
Lusso
GF Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St., Legazpi Village, Makati City
Date of Visit: December 15, 2015 with Nick Castro
