I’m here for all the yummy ube 😀
Calle Reyes is a new dining concept from the Reyes Barbecue Group, capitalizing on founder Frank Reyes’s family’s culinary heritage. Frank is the grandson of Aristocrat matriarch Lola Asiang.
My raves below 
CALLE REYES OPENS FIRST BRANCH IN SM MARIKINA
I was invited to the grand opening of Calle Reyes last week. This is Calle Reyes’s first branch and it is located on the ground floor of SM Marikina (across from Cyberzone).
The restaurant’s decor evokes a casual street party atmosphere, complete with strung up Edison lights. There is more seating available at the back.
THE FOOD
But we are here to talk about the food!
Calle Reyes is from the Reyes Barbecue Group, so of course, the famous Reyes Barbecue staples are available! Their most popular barbecue is the Boneless Chicken Barbecue. You can also try their other barbecue offerings, and if you want to try them all, check out their Barbecue Platters. Don’t worry, I have the menu available below so you can see everything they offer, with prices.
But more than barbecue, they also have new and unique dishes:
Sarap-petizers
I wish I could try everything! I was able to try the Tofu Sizzle and the Walang Pagsisisig, and I loved both!
The Tofu Sizzle is great for grazing while waiting for your other orders, but also salty enough to go with rice 🙂
I got a small serving of the sisig and I was able to finish it all with some rice 😀 Of the “ulam” that I tried, this was my favorite. Calle Reyes’s sisig is meatier and less fatty than the typical pig ear sisig.
The Parmote Chips and the Salted Tinapa Rock & Roll sound interesting, and I will be sure to try them on my next visit 🙂
Reyes Family Heritage Dishes
I tried the Calle Kare (their version of Kare-kare), Funcit Luglog, and Lola Asianghai (their version of Lumpiang Shanghai). My favorite of this group is the Lola Asianghai – at first it seems like just some blended meat wrapped in lumpia wrapper then fried, but the more I ate it, the more I liked it 🙂 The filling has a meatball texture similar to the Beef Ball dimsum, but Lola Asianghai’s filling is slightly sweet and the taste reminds me a little of Taiwanese sausage, just ever so slightly.
Bagong Bayan Twists
I am so sad that I wasn’t able to try any dish from this group! See, I only have one stomach and I already had a feast in front of me! The Ube Yammy Pork Sinigang looks so appetizing though! I can just imagine the purple taro goodness. It is on my list to try on my return!
I also saw other people ordering the Black Palabok and the Pulang Bulalokaw, nainggit ako hahaha 🙂 Next time! I will definitely go back to try them.
Matamis St. corner Malamig Ave.
Now, we’ve come to Desserts and Drinks! Honestly, I did not expect the desserts and drinks to be the food I fell in love with at Calle Reyes, because in other restaurants, most of us just don’t notice them.
But I absolutely love the Ube Macapuno Shake! Ube Macapuno shakes are still not that common, and Calle Reyes is one of the very few places that offer it. It is a very creamy, ube flavored drink that isn’t too sweet. The trick is the let the ice melt a bit. Once the ice in the shake melts, it gets easier to drink and tastes creamier 🙂 The drink has real macapuno strips. My only feedback I gave about this drink was that the straw they used was a little too short for the tall glass and too narrow to sip the macapuno. They are looking for a way to improve this, so hopefully when you order your Ube Macapuno Shake, this issue will have been fixed 🙂
I also had the Ube Keso Turon a La Mode, and this is definitely 100% the reason I will return to Calle Reyes even if it’s far from home 🙂 One order has 4 pieces of turon – 2 turons are ube keso, and 2 turons are saba langka – and also includes 1 scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
The Ube Keso Turon is the one I love the best out of everything! Imagine a crispy, fried turon wrapper filled with thick and sticky, very purple, sweet mashed ube, and then that flavor contrasts with salty, creamy cheese! Of course, a bite of that is not complete without some vanilla ice cream. One bite must contain all these to achieve the perfect experience! Highly recommend 🙂 I wish they would come out with a turon dish that is all Ube Keso Turon 😀
As promised, here’s a copy of the menu (I edited it to make the text more visible):
SUMMARY
If you’re in the SM Marikina area, check out Calle Reyes. They have the same, delicious barbecue as Reyes Barbecue, but with a mid-range restaurant ambience. Aside from barbecue, they also have heritage dishes from the famous Reyes clan.
My favorites are the Ube Keso Turon a La Mode, the Ube Macapuno Shake, the Walang Pagsisisig, and the Lola Asianghai.
I am determined to go back to try the other dishes, and I will update this blog post when I find more favorites 🙂
Calle Reyes Manila
Ground Level, SM City Marikina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalleReyesManilaBarbecue/
