June 9, 2014

The Porch Restaurant by Casa Verde

Another pastime that I love to do is to eat and discover new foodie places and try them out, but of course, it should be affordable. Although I would like to splurge sometimes on food, but most often than not I stick with what fits our budget. Though there are times that I allow myself to go  little over budget especially when there’s an occasion. I read from another blog about this fairly new restaurant that’s gaining popularity because of the mother brand that carries it, The Porch by Casa Verde.




If you guys have been to Cebu and have heard or try eating at Casa Verde, you know very well how good the food is from this restaurant. I was able to visit Casa Verde in Cebu IT Park back in 2012 (related blog post here) but didn't get to try their food except for their famous dessert: Death by Chocolate. Now they have ventured to Manila and aside from the Casa Verde in UP Town Center in Katipunan, their latest addition to their chain of restaurants is The Porch.




The Porch Restaurant is unlikely situated in partially-residential and partially-commercial neighborhood in Anonas Extension, Quezon City, which is also near the infamous Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village, QC; that is jampacked with homegrown restaurants and eateries. You wont miss The Porch, because it’s the only (I think) structure in that street that looks different: white tall pseudo picket-fences, American countryside-inspired house, with a wood-floor porch.




The Porch caters to American comfort food. It’s a semi-self-service restaurant, where you need to go and order by yourself at the cashier and your food will be served by one of the waiters. The menu is written in vintage mock-chalkboard style above the cashier/kitchen room covered by a sliding window that bears the logo of the restaurant. And they only accept cash as of the moment.


 
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They have an al-fresco dining area and an air-conditioned area; the latter though, only have like 4-6 tables. Its seating capacity gets crowded especially on weeknights and weekends. We went there during Mother’s Day, and we had to wait a good 30 minutes before we were able to get a table. I thought we would have a serene Sunday afternoon at The Porch, but that wasn’t the case. Well,  probably because it’s slowly gaining popularity and a lot of people are curious to try it out and they would drive all the way to QC just to try it. Curiosity was also the sole reason why we chose to dine here on a Sunday that falls on Mother’s  Day.


Indoor

Outdoor


These are what we ordered:

Brian’s Ribs - The Porch's best seller, sweet and tangy baked pork ribs served with rice, corn and carrots 



Fisherman’s Plattercombination of seafood: kalamari, tavern shrimps and battered fish filler with The Porch's version of sweet & sour sauce and tartar sauce



Tenderloin Tips and Eggs - USDA beef tenderloin marinated in a sweet & savory sauce, with 2 eggs and rice



Watermelon Salad - watermelon cubes served over lettuce, mango strips, jicama & nuts, drizzled with sesame seed dressing



South West Pasta - chicken breasts serve over penne pasta with Alfredo sauce, onions and bell peppers



Pitcher of Raspberry Iced Tea



Everything was good especially the Watermelon Salad, it was my favorite among all that we’ve ordered, super love the sesame seed dressing! The Watermelon Salad and the South West Pasta came with dinner roll & butter. The butter for the bread is simply amazing, it got a hint of sweetness to it. I wonder what brand they’re using…  The pasta that I ordered tasted like how I would cook “sopas”, the sauce was not thick at all. Good thing I like anything cream-based, but I wasn’t that satisfied with what I ordered. 

Another plus is, that the serving of each dish is also in American-size, which is usually good for 2 persons. Because I didn’t really fully enjoyed what I ordered, I took a few bites from the Brian Ribs that we ordered and from the Salad and Fish platter that my mother-in-law picked.

For desserts, we ordered their best seller: Death by Chocolate, this cake is made of rocky road ice cream with a  chocolate shell on the outside and drizzled with chocolate syrup, yes, it’s like you’re in chocolate heaven!




We had another dessert, the Frozen Pick Me Up but this one was complimentary because it was Mother’s Day. Honestly I liked it better than the Death by Chocolate, because the sponge cake was super soft. I’m not sure if this is a main stay on their menu though.




There’s nothing to not to like about The Porch Restaurant, but I really need to be honest about their service. When we were there, it was a Sunday and it’s Mother’s Day, so it’s expected that many people will visit. Our food was served for around 25 minutes after we ordered, which is kinda acceptable because some restaurants would usually serve food after 15-20 minutes, especially if they need to cook and prepare it just right after ordering.

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But I noticed that there are only 3 service crew/waiters manning the all the tables and one of them is still a trainee. So when you ask for something it took them quite a while before they return. There was one instance that I asked for service water, but the waiter never came back so I just took the liberty to do get it myself. Which I totally understand, because the place was full and there are only 3 of them to attend to everyone. My only concern is they should have anticipated the pour of customers knowing that it's Sunday and there's a worldwide occasion being celebrated. Oh well, I need to give them the benefit of the doubt, it's a new restaurant and maybe someone from the crew is absent.


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All in all, we still had a good time at The Porch and really enjoyed the food that they offer. The servings and the taste were worth the money and the ambiance is superb! And oh before I forget, parking is not a problem here because they have a large parking space with a guard to watch over your car. I'll hope to visit again and try the other items on their menu.




The Porch by Casa Verde
113 Anonas Extension, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City
Contact No: 9527178
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThePorchPH


For more information and restaurant reviews, check out their Zomato profile:
The Porch by Casa Verde Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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5 comments:

  1. The food looked so good! I have never had a watermelon salad before sounds interesting. Glad to read that it was great. I might try some watermelon with my salad in the future (and look for a sesame dressing as well.)

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    1. thanks for the comment Honey :) the sesame dressing was awesome you really should try it, DIY perhaps? :)

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  2. It looks and sounds so lovely and amazing!

    Brigita,
    http://www.lostinpattern.com/

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    1. thanks for visiting my blog brigita! :) followed you via GFC :)

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  3. Hello alyssa sure would love to follow you 😄

    My social media accounts are on the left pane of my blog thanks!

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