COCONUTS HOT SPOT — At the First Maginahawa Street Food Festival held recently in Quezon City, we noticed a lot of small restaurants along Maginhawa Street that offer comfort meals — and if you happen to crave for good dessert right after, there are also lots of cafés to choose from. At Round Robin Cakes and Good Eats, you get to have both.
THE LOOK
This homey little nook sits on the far right end of a white commercial building so keep your eyes open as it is easy to miss: Just look for its black and white signage. Inside, the red-and-white color scheme, coupled with the wooden furnishings, exude a warm country-like abode. It can seat about 18 people. I suggest you visit on slightly off hours to avoid heavy customer traffic. On the farther end of the dining area is the kitchen and a vitrine cooler where delightful cakes are displayed.
THE GRUB
We wanted something quick and light so we asked for BBQ Chicken quarter (PHP145/order) and salted caramel cake (PHP105/slice). However we found out that food here isn’t served “quick” and so we waited for about 15 minutes. It was worth the wait. We’d rather wait to have well-prepared food, than have something quick so-so food. One would usually expect BBQ chicken to be grilled, but at Round Robin, they do it differently. The crispy skin — did they fry it? — was drizzled with barbecue sauce. The bottomline: it was satisfyingly sumptuous.
The salted caramel, one of the bestsellers along with the key lime pie, was a good ending to our meal. It had thick caramel frosting outside and fluffy cake inside. Other good eats at Round Robin I saw from the menu were the Sticky Pork Ribs (PHP210) and Mushroom in Cream Pasta (PHP155) which we will certainly try next time. Though Round Robin Café Cakes and Good Eats has some points for improvement, the warm ambiance, and good food make it worth a re-visit.
NOTES:
Cost: Approximately PHP250-PHP350 per person for food and drinks.
Cleanliness: Very good. The place is pleasant and tables are bussed quickly. No restroom.
Service: Small dining area makes it easy for wait staff to spot you. Staff are knowledgeable on their menu offerings.
Sound level: Light mainstream pop is played.
Lighting: Soft and warm. Relaxing
Coconuts Manila dined anonymously and paid for this meal. Round Robin Cakes and Good Eats, Unit-E 168 Maginhawa cor Mapagkumbaba Sts, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City; www.facebook.com/theroundrobincafe, +63 2 4366858. Daily 1130am-10pm.
MORE COCONUTS HOT SPOTS IN QUEZON CITY:
– The Vegetarian Restaurant (Mother Ignacia Avenue)
– Señor Pollo (Scout Rallos Street)
– Grill Bistro The Gu-I (Tomas Morato Avenue)
– Truly Asia (Fisher Mall)
– Café 80’s (Sgt Esguerra
Reader Interactions