Hunt for the Kitchen

When you see Cookbook Kitchen, you suddenly wonder how in the world can such a place be filled up for lunch when location-wise, it is neither situated in the mall nor is it close by any commercial establishment whatsoever. The restaurant interiors are not even grand and there's not much parking. It violates all the basic requirements of choosing the perfect place for a restaurant.

So we all kept wondering while going through the menu and found our answers as soon as the food arrives.

We ordered what was recommended - Baked Cream Dory with Parmesan crust, Adobo Pasta, Lamb Shoulder Chop with Fennel sauce, Cinnamon Spiced Grilled Pork Belly and Strawberry Shortcake.

Baked Cream Dory with Parmesan Crust

I love this dish because it is rich and delicate at the same time. Perfectly seasoned, the serving is actually good for two and comes with a deep brown crust that covers perfectly cooked layers of tender and melt in your mouth fish.



Adobo Pasta

My benchmark of Adobo is that of my dad's - his version is one with generous amounts of garlic and freshly cracked pepper, complemented with soy sauce and vinegar that lovingly flavors chicken and pork. Cookbook Kitchen's adobo pasta though was rich in garlic and very subtly flavored, it kind of reminded me more of a salpicado than adobo, but very good nonetheless.



Lamb Shoulder Chop with Fennel Sauce

There was a review that mentioned that the lamb served to them was quite tough. That was not in our case. Our lamb was perfectly grilled and the sauce had a the flavor profile of tamarind and fennel combined. And because I have this prejudice with lamb having that "gamey" flavor, it is a pleasant surprise to find this particular dish without such.



Cinnamon Spiced Pork Belly

Liempo, belly, country style pork - however way you call it, I just love this cut of meat. Nothing beats grilling this cut and with this one seasoned with cinnamon, it just keeps you asking for more.



Strawberry Shortcake

This one's pretty and is big enough to feed the entire barkada. Lots of ice cream on a bed of vanilla sponge and generously topped with frozen strawberries. It would have been nicer to have fresh strawberries though.


I have been warned. Find Cookbook Kitchen and it'll be all worth the effort. We found it alright, and boy, are we glad.

Happy hunting!