We were celebrating an occasion so I was tasked with looking for a restaurant that had:
- easy & available parking
- easily accessible to those of us attending
- clean & acceptable surroundings
- good food (?)
- reasonably priced (as much as I’d wanted to suggest the new Gordon Ramsay restaurant, but we weren’t ready to spend that much)
I wasn’t too sure about the good food part, because it was our first time dining at Seven Plates, but we did eat at One World Deli a few months ago (also at Corner House) and the food was good.
The Corner House
The Corner House is a new building? mall? along P. Guevarra that we pass by on the way to Greenhills. It’s a white, kind of open structure where the public spaces are al fresco (not airconditioned), and only the shop interiors are air-conditioned. Lots of stairs, but fortunately, they also have elevators that will be a great help for seniors.
It’s the kind of place where you take your relatives who just want to enjoy an easy, calm, relaxing space, without bumping into a sea of people.
We’ve been there twice on weekends, and so far, it was easy to find a parking spot. They have basement parking. Don’t forget to have your parking ticket validated where you dine.
That weekend, they had some kind of bazaar:
Seven Plates – Taste of Asia and Taste of Europe “unli sets”
I chose Seven Plates because they had these “unlimited servings” sets for P980+ per person. They also accept senior citizen discount. They also had a promo with a credit card company but it was only applicable for Mon-Fri.
Making a reservation was easy by calling them on the phone, and they also confirmed my reservation and sent reminders via Viber and text.
I like the ambience of the restaurant – very relaxed, modern tropical vibes.
Anyway, here are the sets we ordered:
Taste of Asia
Unlimited servings of:
- Pekin duck
- Ribeye Steak
- Bagnet
- Tofu Salad
- Egg Fried Rice
- Plus a serving of (not unli):
- Mango Panna Cotta with Tapioca and Caramel
- Iced Tea
Taste of Europe
Unlimited servings of:
- U.S. Black Angus Beef
- Greek Salad
- Gravlax
- Arroz de Marisco
- Pasta Pomodoro
- Rosti potatoes with bacon
We asked if it was okay to mix the sets, and the said as long as all of us at the table were getting the sets, it was okay. So three us got the Taste of Europe set and the other three got the Taste of Asia set, and we were able to eat/share all the dishes.
Take note that only the Taste of Asia set includes the iced tea & panna cotta. The Taste of Europe set doesn’t include any drink nor dessert.
Food Review
The food was up to par, good but not amazing. We enjoyed the food, and we’re okay with going back to dine there in case we can’t find another place in the vicinity with easy parking, or if I have another steak craving.
I would describe the taste profile of the dishes as “safe”. No bold and strong flavors. Just mild and safe to be acceptable to as many people as possible. All the dishes taste like they are supposed to.
The grilled steak is just the same dish for both Taste of Asia and Taste of Europe. It’s the same steak, but with different sauces on the side. Europe has gravy, Asia is served with a hoisin-based sauce.
The steaks were tender and grilled medium. The steaks are better and more tender than the ones we got from the unli steak at Prime Steak House. Like, if I had a steak craving but don’t want to spend $$$$, then this has become my top spot to go to. They didn’t ask us how we liked our steak, and just assumed we wanted it medium. Well, they weren’t wrong, but it would have been nice if they had asked.
When some of the steaks got cold, we asked them to reheat them.
The Gravlax (salmon) was good 🙂 although I’d have wanted a bit more salt.
The Pekin Duck did not look good, the duck looked thin and bony, but when you eat it, you realize it tastes good, although not meaty. Poor duck was thin.
We actually kept reordering all the other dishes. Like I said, they’re good (just not wow).
The Bagnet was properly fried, crispy on the outside but melty inside. Since we had guests, I could only do quick snaps of the food.
Our guests really liked the Egg Fried Rice and the Paella, we kept reordering those as well.
The salads were fresh. I liked the Tofu Salad more.
The Pomodoro pasta was a bit too al dente for our liking, but the sauce was tomato-ey and tart.
There was nothing we didn’t like. Everything met expectations and was delicious. It’s just that nothing really stood out to me and made me go “this is really delicious!”.
The thing that actually made an impression on me is their iced tea. It’s not your usual plain iced tea or iced tea from a pouch. They’ve infused some fruits in it (guava?). The iced tea was flavorful.
The panna cotta was just a very small serving, the size of those tiny dessert cups at hotel buffets. The sago was also still raw/cloudy. This was probably the only food there I wasn’t happy with. Forgot to take a pic.
Service
The staff were nice. However, for our “reorders”, we kept getting small portion sizes. Like, there were six of us. The first time we were served the food, the servings were big enough for sharing (as in the photos). And then when we requested for refills, we kept being given small servings only good for one person (they use smaller plates).
We kept telling them to just give us bigger servings. Kami napapagod para sa kanila because we have to keep requesting for refills.
Other than that, the service was fine.
We were very full by the end of our meal. The coffee shop we passed on the way to the elevators smelled like really good coffee, but we were too full. Besides, it was outside (no aircon 🙁 ) and we didn’t really feel like sitting there al fresco. But the coffee smelled amazing.
Value for money? Yes, if you eat a lot of steak & salmon 🙂 Matakaw kami lahat so this was not a problem, haha!
I keep getting the restaurant name wrong so I always have to double check, LOL. I keep saying Seven Corners (but that’s a different restaurant!).
Address: The Corner House, 455 P. Guevarra cor Recto St., San Juan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevenplatesmanila/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevenplatesmanila/
4th Street Cafe
After running some errands in the area, we had coffee at 4th Street Cafe (4th St corner Broadway, QC, right beside Mt. Carmel Shrine). We’ve always passed by this cafe but never got around to stopping by in all those years!
As luck would have it, parking space was available, so we stopped and had coffee.
Decor is a fusion of coastal cottage and Filipino elements.
We ordered the Tiramisu. It’s big enough for sharing. It wasn’t too sweet. In fact, it was hardly sweet at all, which is fine if you are trying to keep your sugar in check.
Prices at 4th Street Cafe are really good! Hmm.. must try their food next time. A friend who lives nearby said that this was a neighborhood hangout and loves it because the prices are affordable.
Coffee was just okay.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4thstreetcafeQC
