Adarna Food and Culture is situated on Kalayaan Ave in QC. This restaurant was featured at ABS-CBN’s travel show, Trip na Trip. Adarna restaurant was included in Trip na Trip’s top 10 restaurants in 2010 together with Spicy fingers, Café Juanita, and more.
Adarna restaurant features recipes that were almost a hundred years old, they call it their heirloom recipes. (Pancit 1913, Pancit Anamita 1930, Pancit Tondo 1800 etc.)
Last Sunday, I tried Adarna Restaurant with my travelmates. It is always a must to try the local dishes in every place that we go like the Dinamita in Vigan, rice noodles in Coron, sarabasab in Pagudpud etc. With that, I guess Adarna restaurant is the best place to bring them for dinner because Adarna features different local dishes in most of the places in the Philippines.
 | |||
| checkers inside the anteroom |
Ambiance: There is a Filipino hispanic feel as soon as you enter the restaurant's garden. This thought can be overrated but I thought there was a hint of Juliet Capulet's Garden in it. The anteroom is so Filipino. Classic Sari sari store with the old comics and magazines, old soda cases, long bench with checkers on it, jukebox, antique furnitures. The anteroom is perfect for picture-taking. You know the feeling when you're at your relatives' ancestral house that was maintained by your aunt who enjoys her single blessedness haha that's it! haha
Music: The music in Adarna compliments the ambiance. The songs played were like tracks from The Concert at Paco Park, Filipino musicals like Larawan, etc.
Food: Here are some of the dishes that we tried...
 |
| Batanes Yellow Rice |
Batanes Yellow Rice (as described in the menu): From up north, a rice dish that is so simple but elegant. Turmeric, garlic and a bit of pork flavors the rice for a special treat.
My Take: so...so... not bad. Just like any other fried rice.
Adobong Batangas Ala Adarna (as decribed in the menu):
Shared by the architect's grand daughther from a prominent family in Batangas City.
My take: Every household in the Philippines has their own version of adobo. This is not a must try. I guess you'll say that your mom's version of adobo is better than that.
Pancit 1913 (as described in the menu):
Chinese panciteria popularized this favorite take home one dish meal that working people, rich and poor would willingly queue for as a take home treat for their loved ones after a long day’s work.
My take: Good. My taste buds would prefer pancit than spagetti. I remembered what my Pareng Denotes and I will always say before we try a new version of pancit "teka, baka magbago pananaw ko nyan sa pancit" then we'll wait for a confirmation that it is good before we try it. 1 to 5 spoons (5 being the highest) I'd give it a 3. Of course, I would always prefer my mom's version of pancit.
 |
| Chicken Mole Soup |
Chicken Mole Soup (as described in the menu):
Chicken Chunks with savory coconut milk with pechay and spices. A dish reminiscent of our South east asian heritage.
My take: My friends said it was good. I thought so but I didn't enjoy it. Onion bits makes me sick.
Piassok: (as described in the menu)
 |
| Piassok |
From Mindanao, experience this exotic Sulu dish of beef chunks cooked slowly in smoked coconut cream and ten spices till tender then buttered and grilled just before serving.
My take: This is a must try. I love it. The beef was tender and I thought it was so filipino. I want to try the original version of Piassok in Mindanao.
Gising Gising (as described in the menu)
Smoked pork belly simmered til tender in coconut milk flavored with bagoong and crunchy kangkong. Great on top of hot rice and divine when paired with grilled fish.
My Take: Salty. Kidney blasting. That's it.
Tokwa Rebosado: Crisp tofu patties with fresh tomato salsa
My take: Tofu cooked differently. I always thought that tofu can only be fried but Tokwa Rebosado is something else. I don't know how they did it but the flavors blended well.
Grilled Stuffed Tilapia in Banana Leaves: as the name implies.
My take: Just like any other grilled tilapia in any other filipino restaurant. Nothing extra ordinary.
Tokwa Rebosado: Crisp tofu patties with fresh tomato salsa
My take: Tofu cooked differently. I always thought that tofu can only be fried but Tokwa Rebosado is something else. I don't know how they did it but the flavors blended well.
Grilled Stuffed Tilapia in Banana Leaves: as the name implies.
My take: Just like any other grilled tilapia in any other filipino restaurant. Nothing extra ordinary.
For Dessert:
 |
| Platanillos con mangga |
Platanillos con Mangga (as described in the menu):
Light cream on crepe twirled into a cone and finished with rhum-flavored mango slices.
My take: It was everyone's favorite that night. I don't have a sweet tongue and I thought that the cream inside the crepe is too sweet.
Kesong Puti and langka Fry (as described in the menu):
Original malolos, Bulacan Carabao Cheese and sweetened langka in a crisp wrapper with mango cream
My take: Have you ever had Toron de Saging? The taste is almost exactly like that except for the banana. The langka flavor is too distinct that I almost forgot that there was a kesong puti inside it.
Juices: We tried Guava shake, Santol shake, and mango shake. It was good but my Tatay's version of santol juice is better of cours.
Overall, it was a good experience and I will definitely bring my family there one of these days. I know every mom will love that ancestral house feeling and almost all the food that they serve is worth a try.
 |
| Meet my travelmates |
After a good dinner on Kalayaan Ave the best way to end the night is to go for a few drinks and videoke at Music Bank on Timog Ave.
Thank you friends for a good night. I'm hoping that our El Nido Trip will push through...
