Kubiertos

The Fish & Co Seafood restaurant is one of my favorite dining places in Makati. I accept that their prices are way beyond my daily budget (or even my weekly) but there are times when the craving for fish and chips justifies blowing your budget to smithereens. To satisfy my desire to eat fish and chips, I have devised a plan to convince a friend or even several friends to come and share the dining experience with me.

Because of my memorable encounter with the Philadelphia Fish and Chips with garlic and herb filling, my feet once again led me to the place where it all started. Unfortunately, I was told that they no longer served  the fish filled with garlic and herbs. Awww. Bummer. No worries, my friend and I still decided to stay.

To complement our NY Fish and Chips, we decided on the Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon and the Fried Calamari. 

The fish and chips was as delicious as ever so I will not even attempt to write about the experience unless they change the way they cook or serve it. Here are my takes on the salad and the calamari.

The caesar salad was surprisingly crisp and fresh. (Not to sound biased (although I am) but I already broadcasted that I am in love with CBTL’s Caesar Salad and nothing else can compare to it). Going back… yes I was surprised. I did not really expect anything in particular but the surprise was more on the enjoyment I had eating it than to the salad itself. The dressing was tasty and tangy and I loved the generous amount of smoked salmon that topped the dish. Although great overall, it still did not replace the number 1 salad in my list.

Now fried calamari is a pretty common dish in restaurants around the country. This is served in many places that specializes in grilled dishes. I cannot imagine a beer joint that does not offer fried calamares as “pulutan” (a.k.a appetizer taken with wine or beer). But even if it is common, that doesn’t mean that they serve them as great as Fish & Co does. I must say I have never eaten calamari that is so tender as the one served here. I am actually envious as I have never been successful cooking truly tender calamares at home. It takes skill to actually cook squid without overcooking it and of course lots of free time so you can go to the wet market and buy your squid fresh hours before cooking it.

One thing I appreciate in well-managed dining establishments is the consistent request for feedback of the wait staff and the manager to the diners on the food that they have ordered. Few places care whether their diners feel at home or need anything so it is a great way to ensure returning customers. It is also a perfect opportunity for me to insist that they bring back the Philadelphia Fish and Chips with garlic and herb. I think I talked about it too much that Mitzi, the manager, ensured I met with the director of Operations for Fish & Co - Lilet. They were both very friendly and accommodating and Lilet requested that I call the next time I plan to visit so that they can have the garlic and herb fish and chips available. Thank goodness for that! (Although I really wish you would make it a regular menu item).

Before our stomachs could tell us they were full, we were looking at a deliciously sinful dessert in front of us. The Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake is a dark mass of chocolatey goodness that came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake is too much to be eaten alone but heavenly when combined with a spoon of ice cream. Whoever invented this union should be congratulated. It was absolutely one of the most satisfying desserts I have had that week.

Burp! Oops! Now I am full. Ciao!

** Cake served courtesy of the Director of Operations of Fish and Co.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm and is filed under Fish & Co., Seafood . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.