When all you want to do is take a trip back in time to see how the elegant people of Old Manila used to dine, then just head on to Cafe Ysabel for that classic old world experience. Jake and I spent our 6th Valentine's together acting like we're a lady and a sir here. From the Spanish architecture to the intricate decor, the place is perfect for couples looking for a romantic place to eat.
Considering it has been around for more than two decades, it seems that they've kept their reputation with impeccable service and extensive menu.
Long live the tradition, indeed.
No wonder this place is tagged as an architectural landmark. It's set inside an ancestral home dating from 1927 with authentic furniture and details. What I love about the place is the glass windows wrapping around one side so you can dine with a view of the garden.
I especially love their complimentary home-made bread which came freshly baked while we were ordering. It's perfect for dipping in olive oil and vinaigrette, and we dipped it while it was still warm and soft.
Not wanting to over-order this time, as we usually do on dates, we only ordered five dishes on the menu. The servings were too big for one person that we ended up too full to finish everything anyway.
Jake had the cream of mixed mushrooms soup while I ordered the gratin of fresh asparagus. It's creamy with huge bits of asparagus but it was the gruyere topping that made it perfect for me. I can order this soup over and over again!
For our main course, Jake had the honey glazed chicken smoked ranch-style and barbecued. I think he had no idea it would be so big given that it's a half chicken. I was too full with my own dish to help him finish it.
I ordered the Lapu-Lapu al graten, apparently cooked the Spanish way with red wine, cheese, and tomatoes. I like how they also added croutons on top of the mix so there was a nice texture with the soft steamed fish and al dente pasta. It was too much for one person or maybe I was already feeling full from the soup.
We also ordered the lasagna al forno made with three types of cheese baked in tomato and meat sauce. I'm a lasagna lover and almost wish I ordered this for myself so I didn't have to share with Jake, or that I tried this first because by then I was too full to eat more than a few forkfuls.
I'm looking forward to where we will be spending Valentine's next year. Maybe somewhere out of town or a picnic? We can order all our favorite dishes from different restaurants again!
On a side note, we went to Cold Rock at Greenbelt 3 for ice cream after and I must say, it was disappointing. I know they've closed down their other branches but where are all their ice cream flavors? They also no longer display all the toppings like they used to. I miss going to Cold Rock and feeling like a kid.
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