Old Manila Coffee House, not a good deal

We went our way to Binan on Sunday afternoon to give our last respect to my dear friend’s father, who passed away last Friday. Close friends P and GP were also there and it was a mini get-together. I had wish we could stay longer however husband and I had already set a previous engagement + we needed to check the mall for some accessories which husband would be needing on his evaluation class.

We opt for Greenbelt 5 which has an access to The Landmark and would be comfortable and distant to our final stopover –the Old Manila Coffee House.

I don’t know anything about this quaint resto until it was offered at MetroDeal. Since I have more than 1000 credits available I am in the look out of a good deal from time to time. The offer was at 50%: P149 instead of P300 worth of Delicious and Mouthwatering Food and Drinks –considering this, I grab 2 vouchers. With its existing two locations, I picked the one in Makati which is well located at Prince Plaza. As always before our scheduled visit, I back read reviews and peeped on their menu at munchpunch.

They serve breakfast as early as 6:30am and famous was their Beef Tapa. Lunch and Dinner offerings include dishes such as Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus, Kare-Kare and Chicken Pork Adobo to name a few. They also have pasta and sandwiches. Despite the vouchers 6-months validity I wanted to make use of it right away to shun any unpleasant happening later on.

The date,

Soon as we stepped inside the resto we were welcomed right away and was seated at the couch, however I feel uneasy especially if dinner would be served at this corner.

Though I have to assent that the setting is homey and welcoming –fixtures are all made in wood creating an old feel. I have to request the wait staff to transfer us to a regular table where I could fully enjoy our dinner.

Christmas was all over the place…

We never had a hard time placing our orders as we both wanted to eat rice paired with meat dishes. The initial order was T-Bone Steaks but it wasn’t available so we decided for this set.

Inihaw na Liempo P175. Pan-grilled, marinated pork belly with pickled papaya. Pork belly is supposed to be tender but Old Manila failed and I don’t believe at all that it was marinated, it was tasteless and pickled papaya is absent. 😦

Old Manila Kare-Kare P255. Stewed in peanut sauce and served with shrimp veggies. Their version is different from the usual because the veggies are not mixed, it was a like a topping style. Anyway, I thought it was good at first bite because I immediately taste peanut however, I later on realized that it was no good because I was expecting a creamy and saucy dish. Apart from it, the dish was cold, and the attempt to re-heat it wasn’t successful at all.

Steamed Rice is P30.

I was ordering soda, Coke to be exact but it wasn’t on the menu book so I asked the wait staff it they have SODA and she was uncertain when she said, “wala po”. That was okay, so I got an OJ instead.

Orange Juice P85

Because I was really hungry it didn’t took very long for us to eat dinner. And I can sense husband didn’t enjoy the dishes we devoured right away. On my case, I feel short so I browse the menu for the second time and ask for Alfredo Fettuccine but then again, it wasn’t available. I wonder what ingredient is so hard to stock for a pasta dish.

I decided for Spaghetti Bolognese P175. Spaghetti in rich tomatoes, meat sauce.

And yes, I got exactly what was described. The smell of it was so delicious; I can tell it was freshly cooked. Even the plating was impressive this time.

As I begin to mix the sauce all over the pasta, I noticed something on it. I am very sure it was not part of the pasta dish. Husband immediately called the wait staff and pointed “that black thing” on our pasta.  My irritation came up when she said, “ay paminta po yan”. Hello! I am very sure it’s not; you see there are teeny legs! It’s a baby cockroach for your information, if you haven’t seen one. I was shaking, almost ready to explode but I don’t want to make a scene. I hand back the plate considerately and ask to cancel the order despite the offer to replace my order. The wait staff was even trying to explain that maybe it flies from somewhere else. Oh I don’t really care where it came from, I am sure it’s from your kitchen! And when things like this happen, you think it’s so easy to accept that it’s a normal thing. A big no of course! Now, if you asked me for photos, I didn’t make an effort. I don’t want this idea to damage the establishment. Ours maybe a single incident but it was something that should be seriously look into by management of Old Manila Coffee House. And I wish your wait staffs could be well-trained, we deserved at least a decent apology. 😦

I allowed husband to finish his Café Mocha despite my inkling to get out of the place at once.

Café Mocha P95 was nothing but lukewarm, I think they need a barista to improve design on coffee drinks, after all coffee should be their specialty.

After paying another P137 aside from the P600 worth of voucher I handed them, we left. It wasn’t an impressive experience to account.

 

 

P.S.  Furthermore to the unpleasant dinner these are the things I observe and wanted to highlight.

• When I was told that there’s no SODA, I believe it however the funny thing is the owner and the rest of her family and friends (?) were drinking COKE at dinnertime and they were just seated next to us. I guess the wait staff didn’t know at all that what I meant when I asked for SODA was softdrinks.
• I thought I entered a family house when we stepped in at Old Manila Coffee House, the conversations were too loud, and a table was occupied because they were repacking coffee beans, there were dogs barking. Yes, there were toy dogs inside probably by the owner. I should be happy at least that the resto is pet friendly nevertheless I find it bothersome to some guests who wanted a peace and quiet place to have coffee and dessert.
• I wonder who supply cakes for them because a slice is pricey compared to Starbucks.
• Lastly, I don’t exactly know how new this resto is to fail customer service 101. And sadly because it does not succeed in creating a unique feel I cannot recommend it to anyone.

 

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Old Manila Coffee House

Unit 9 Prince Plaza 2, Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

T. 02 817-5651