Recipes by Cafe Metro
In Makati, where affordable dining can be had mostly in fastfood places or foodcourts that serve extremely oily dishes, you are lucky if you find a place that serves a fusion of Asian dishes that are delicious and reasonably priced at the same time.
In Greenbelt 3, there is a small and unassuming restaurant that can easily be missed by an expecting diner. The place is ensconced between Good Earth and the now closed Cascada. Looking at it from the outside, you would not expect that the dishes would cost you just above a hundred bucks. And its easy to share a meal with someone else so that you can split an already low cost meal even further.
This is what my friend and I did when we had lunch the other day at Recipes by Cafe Metro. We ordered their famous Crispy Tilapia, paired it with the Catfish Mango Salad and ordered some spicy squid on the side.
The Crispy Tilapia, although not original, is THE dish I know to be most associated with Recipes. Many rave about how good it is and many others order it in every visit. The tilapia has been coated with corn starch before it was deep fried, I am guessing and this is the reason why it remains crispy long after it has been served at your table. My friend even commented on how the fish was not even warm (like newly cooked) when it arrived but it was indeed crispy. Trust my mom to teach me that corn starch trick although I have never tried it myself.
More than the delicious Crispy Tilapia, I must say that the Catfish Mango salad should be the one that everyone should be ordering. It consists of thin strips of very sour green mango, topped with onions, tomatoes and flakes of fried catfish. Imagine a similar salad topped with crispy pork rinds. Well this is the healthier equivalent (I think).
I will not elaborate on the spicy squid as I have definitely tasted better ones. The squid was lightly breaded and covered with chili sauce. Nothing special. Nothing new. Nothing extraordinary.
But I guess this is what is great about Recipes. It takes the simplest dishes and creates a different concept with it. The best thing about it is that these new ideas will not cost you an arm and a leg. Enjoy!
Recipes by Cafe Metro
2/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. No: 728-0917
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ooh I love the crispy tilapia here. you should also try the beef stew and kare-kare. delish!!!
nice blog
crispy tilapia looks great…
i love their gising gising and general tso’s chicken!
maver - I am interested to try the Kare Kare, simply because I am looking to find greater tasting versions of a dish I so love.
Mikky - Thanks!
bunny - Noted. Although I love General Tso’s at another place, I may change my mind.
Aw, I haven’t eaten at Recipes yet! (I should really eat out more often…) My dad thinks it’s kind of good there, though
But it does sadden me that Cascada is closed. Granted they didn’t have really remarkable dishes but I do feel bad when a business closes. I’ll be waiting for your version of crispy tilapia! 
FYI: pork rinds or chicharon is actually packed with protein and low fat. so long as it’s just skin.
Hi, you can try our very own Cavite Restaurant.
The design and structure of this restaurant is inspired by Cavite history.
Here is the link: Republic of Cavite Restaurant
Thanks!
Manggy - Yes I too am sad even though I had one disappointing experience there, I would miss Cascada’s fried maki.
mikel - Does that mean - its ok to just eat the one thats all skin and not the one with meat (a.k.a chicharon laman)? Hmm… interesting.
[...] filled with cheese and smothered in fresh tomato sauce. Being used to the notion of - anything crispy means salty, I wasn’t expecting such a mild flavor for this busy dish. Maybe that’s the [...]