I was starving when I got to Cafe Ysabel for a very, very late Palm Sunday lunch. It's good that I was there to eat this time, having driven past this joint a couple of times before when I lost my way in San Juan. From the outside, it looks like an old house from the Spanish colonial period and if not for the dozen or so cars parked outside, one wouldn't know that it's a restaurant. Needless to say, it's the place's exteriors that bear the "come hither" factor that a passerby's curiosity cannot help but be spiked (like me when I drove by a couple of times before).
There were a lot of diners at such a late lunch hour (2PM) so we made our way to our table by the big window. The interiors were very interesting - I was particularly thrown off by the frescoes on the ceiling - women who wore the traditonal baro't saya but drawn with, in my opinion, an Egyptian sway. I liked the dark, rainy-day-but-you-are-warm-inside atmosphere that the the place evoked.
Now having driven from Batangas with no breakfast, I devoured the bread which was absolutely piping hot. The bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar tated so good but I reckon that it's my ravenous (read: patay-gutom) state that made it such.
So anyway, here's what we ordered for lunch:
Appetizer: Jake & Christine's Crisp Smoked Fish (tinapa) Wantons in Salsa Verde. Now this one I loved. Fish and salsa went so well together.
Main Course: Spicy Lamb Kebab. I was a bit disappointed. When I order lamb, I expect that "lamb smell" in my meat but there was hardly any trace of it. I'm not sure if this dish was calibrated to fit the not-too-adventurous Pinoy palate but I would've wanted lamb in my lamb. Also, when the menu says "spicy", it ought to end up with sweat on my brows after eating. Again, if there was any hint of spiciness, I did not get any of it - and I did not have a cold that day.
Add-On: Longganisa Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Risotto. My bad- my brain did not process that there's actually longganisa in it so when the dish ended up as a "sweet" surprise, I was unpleasantly surprised.
If there's anything that I would rave about, it's the price. For a place that has a fancy menu and is oozing with ambience, you will definitely get your money's worth.
The place is also known for it's eclectic coffee concoctions and someday, I might go back for them AND for the desserts that we haven't had the chance to try.
