food critic – Purple Curiosity

36 Polaris, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

A cafe and bar, which has also taken up the trend as a community space. Commune is located in a quieter area of the bustling Poblacion, where the result of creative minds is seen through trendy cafes, restaurants and bars. You won’t miss the place, its in a corner of a street and covered in white with wide square windows. Parking looked like it was only available along the street, I recommend walking if you live close by or getting dropped off. You can also either choose to sit upstairs or in the main area.

Came to Commune for dinner, on a Saturday evening and I was surprised to see people with their laptops out in their groups, working. Music was moderately loud, so I couldn’t hear much around me. However, the music did set a young vibe to the cafe and not surprisingly more young to mid-aged people. The inside was decorated with books, a huge blackboard set against a mix of high and low wooden tables and a concrete ceiling. The place was urban, with the counter set in the middle so people can easily walk around and fit more people. The ambience is casual from individuals from all walks of life.

I saw more people ordering coffee, rather than alcoholic beverages that evening. I came without a reservation and was quickly shown to an available table. Open everyday of the week, you can be served breakfast all day, have your coffee fix, brunch and be served a steamy rice bowl. The owner is Rosario Juan, who had envisioned a cafe that not only served great coffee, but to gather people in one place to meet and host events. Commune’s menu is quite extensive, with a wide selection catering for both meat lovers and vegetarians. I was not feeling coffee adventurous that night, but their coffee menu had a wide selection of brew methods, espresso and iced types. Items are moderately priced, where their most expensive panini will set you back at 395 php, cheapest rice bowl at 250 php and their cappuccino (226 grams) is at 120 php.

Ordered that evening an iced camomile tea, spam fries, pork longganisa pasta and a sandwich (forgotten which one I had ordered). The spam fries were seriously addictive, its such a Filipino staple and loved how they included this! The pork lonnganisa was lovely, however they could have added more meat which was seriously lacking. Nothing really special with the items we ordered, but it was filling and comforting. Waitstaffs will come up and take your order from the table or you can make your order from the counter if it’s a take-away. Food came out timely and portion size was perfect for one person.

The mix of Filipino and western items in this cafe, is sure to cover both local and international customers. The wide, clear windows is sure to bring in an abundance of sunlight which makes the place a great cafe to work and meet in. The food were simple tasting, but I can see works well with the coffee and alcoholic beverages. I probably won’t come here for dinner, but will stop by for breakfast or brunch.

Sorry to the lady with the pink face mask… did I look suspicious haha

Level 4, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City

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I had waited for a few days after the grand opening, to avoid the crowds, to finally visit Popeyes in Robinson Galleria. You will either have to be a massive chicken lover, a fan of Popeyes already or be an adventurous foodie. As I fall in the later, I finally had the chance to taste a well-known food outlet in the Philippines! I don’t think I’ll be heading to the America anytime soon, so this was my lucky day.

If you already don’t know, Popeyes is the second-most popular fried chicken fast food restaurant, just behind KFC. The fried chickens come in a variety of mild to spicy flavours. I can’t take spicy food, I’m a plain jane. The chicken skins were super crispy, not oily and was almost dry internally and externally. The chicken were more on the leaner side, so if you like lean, non-fatty chicken pieces, Popeyes’ chicken might make you happy. I wasn’t a fan to be honest, if I get junk food, I expect fluffy, juicy and meaty chicken pieces. The chicken burger was a boring let-down, the sauce used was almost watery and it felt like there was no effort in its creation. You can just make a better chicken burger at home. The honey dip however, gave the signature chicken pieces the needed sweetness, which was a great compliment to its almost bland taste.

The serving size of the meals were average to small, you might need 3-4 chicken pieces to feel satisfied in the meat department. Surprisingly, Popeyes were serving spaghetti, maybe to subtly be able to compete with Jollibee? The spaghetti was less sweet than Jollibee’s version and I feel like that was the only difference. The cajun fries and cajun-style gravy were standouts, it helped set the meal apart from other food chains. I enjoyed the cajun seasoning, it made the fries seriously addicting to eat and they were the thin, crispy kinds. The biscuit was not exciting, it was the poorer, sadder version of KFC’s white bread rolls. The chocolate did not help cover the dryness, very bland taste of the biscuit, after one bite I was bored. The creamy crab soup was not overly creamy and mine had tiny bits of crab. Nothing special, it was a watered down crab soup.

Food came out pretty quickly and since we came when the hype had slowly died down, we were also able to grab ourselves a table. Meals were moderately-low priced, great for a quick fix or a family-day out to get that junk fix. I guess I was expecting a bit of soul out of these meals, but alas might need to actually go to America.