Dining Snippets: The Coffee Academics x Golden Rice Hyderabadi Biryani x Tatatito

THE COFFEE ACADEMICS

I’ve always been curious of The Coffee Academics’ extensive coffee menu (its drinks menu items outnumber its food items!!!) but in the end, I decided to choose from its single origin selection, which gives you the freedom to choose your preferred brew method.

EL SALVADOR (P190)

I loved how smooth the brew was and I did appreciate that its price point is quite comparable to other chains’. Although the coffee shop also has quirkier options which command higher price tags such as its Manuka which comes at a whopping P310 tag. Essentially, you can’t hate on it as it tasted as advertised – latte + manuka honey – however, I’m not really a fan of the combination of its flavors so I’d rather get two regular latte’s for that price.

THE ACADEMICS’ BREAKFAST (P480)

My go-to breakfast/brunch would always be the restaurant’s or cafe's breakfast platter/plate – and The Academics’ Breakfast of The Coffee Academics would be one of the best ones I’ve tried! Its portion size is just perfect for solo dining – you’d be filled up just right with its offering delicious honey-cured bacon, sausage, baked pork and beans, mushroom and tomato salad, scrambled egg and sourdough cheese toast - without being so overwhelmed or knocked out into a food coma. All of which are well-cooked quality ingredients!

The Coffee Academics

109 C Palanca St., Legazpi Village, Makati City

Date of Visit: March 5, 2022 with Jolly Aganon and Lisa Manila

GOLDEN RICE HYDERABADI BIRYANI

I was pretty excited to hear about an authentic biryani place that’s just walking distance from where I live! Situated in Devour along E. Rodriguez, Golden Rice Hyderabadi Biryani may be occupying just a teeny tiny space but it makes sure that every single inch of its restaurant is vibrant and colorful – from the beautiful patterns of its cushions, to its trinkets and table decors.

ONION PAKORA

We started with the addictive Onion Pakora which came with a zesty yogurt-based dip which complemented the sweetness of the onions. My sole issue with this dish is that it was really greasy – perhaps a couple of paper towel dabbing would have done the trick. Apart from that, I’m totally onboard with having this as a staple appetizer moving forward.

BUTTER CHICKEN WITH NAAN BREAD BUTTER (P450)

The naan was freshly made and toasted – which made it such a delight to devour. Unfortunately, I found the Butter Chicken to be on the bland side. I ended up pairing the naan with the other sauces that came with the other dishes instead.

CHICKEN BIRYANI (P350/P1000/P1800) and MUTTON BIRYANI (P450/P1250/P2300)

Now comes the highlight of our meal – I don’t think you can beat the value-for-money of their biryani plates. We opted for SOLO sized chicken and mutton biryanis but each seem to be good enough for 3 to 4 HUNGRY people – imagine how many people it can feed with its bigger sized servings! Given, it’s really not the best tasting biryanis I’ve had but they're flavorful enough to be enjoyable! You can always spice these up with the complimentary sauces they come with.

Golden Rice Hyderabadi Biryani

Date of Visit: May 28, 2022 with Lily Chua and Jared Chua

TATATITO’S

The first time I tried Tatatito’s was during a Friday during 2022's Lenten season, which meant that my weekly abstinence from meat proved to be extra difficult in the face of droolworthy meaty options in its menu! In the end, we opted to pair their Crispy Binusog na Pusit with its Squash and Crab Bamboo Rice (P425).

CRISPY BINUSOG NA PUSIT (P890)

The combination was absolutely divine! The squid was perfectly tender and came in an addictively lip-smacking garlic sauce that you’d enjoy drizzling over the Squash and Crab Bamboo Rice!

SQUID INK BAMBOO RICE, GISING GISING SIGARILYAS (P365), GINATAANG SALMON, LIEMPO INASAL (P425)

I couldn’t wait to make another visit and fortunately, we timed it when they had a seasonal menu available which included the Squid Ink Bamboo Rice and Ginataang Salmon (which are currently unavailable in its regular menu). Everything was unnecessarily greasy – which definitely made our dining experience a tad bit unpleasant. The Squid Ink Bamboo Rice was actually really tasty – and I would have liked it better than the Squash and Crab Bamboo Rice if it weren’t super greasy. The Liempo Inasal boasted of stellar smoky flavor which was absolutely divine – fortunately, it was paired with some spiced vinegar which helped cut out the grease. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of their Gising Gising Sigarilyas and Ginataang Salmon – setting the greasiness aside – I guess the gata they used isn’t as fragrant and flavorful as I was accustomed to or perhaps it’s the ingredients they mixed in to this traditional beloved sauce (which made the hues browner than what gata-based sauces usually look like) that spelled out the difference.

Tatatito’s

Dates of Visit: April 8, 2022 with John Cabrera and Norman Gatdula; July 2, 2022 with Lily Chua and Jem Chua