I got off from work shortly after 1 pm on a Saturday. I had nothing specific to do, no plan in mind, except to get me a hearty meal considering I missed breakfast and haven't had lunch. The sun was finally shining after a few days of scattered rainfall and cloudy skies. Still, not a lot of people were milling around at 1:30 pm. I decided to forsake the mall after having been there the day before to do some retail therapy. Where to? A. BTC, B. IT Park, C. The Gallery.... Well I recently asked a friend to help me out with nice places to eat and The Gallery came up and I have it on good word that I should give The Pantry a try.
Traffic was light en route to The Gallery, again not a lot of people were milling around. People are probably taking their siesta, or decided to head to the beach to take advantage of the vast amount of sunshine that day.
Thank God the place was open. Most restaurants located outside the malls are closed around 2 pm and will be open again at 6 pm. Kinda European, having a siesta break or cost cutting. This place caught my attention since last November but it was closed for inventory. I chose a seat with a view outside the window and the display as well.
Looking at the outside, you get the feeling that the place is a nifty gift shop where you can buy some goodies as presents. But upon entering, it has a homey feel to it except that you have people awaiting to take your order. They have an ice cream bar with FIC (Fruits in Ice Cream) Ice Cream and you can choose your own topping to go with whatever flavor you like. Their menu is written on the chalkboards behind the counter from the different flavors of ice cream, ice cream cake and pies, cupcakes, sandwiches, sausages, hams, and beverages. Their display area shows the different sausages and hams on hand, which are imported from Europe.
Just beyond the display case is where they cook your meals and bake the cake. It gives you a glimpse of the wonderful goodies but just enough to keep secret of their trade. Now on to the chowdown.
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| Goulash |
I started my 1st meal of the day with Goulash (pronounced as "gulyas" but the "l" is kinda silent). It's a Hungarian dish, a soup or stew made with beef, onions, vegetables, spices and paprika. I find that this is to my liking considering that it's spicy. Other soups available in their menu is the tomato soup and pumpkin soup (I think there were 4 but I can only rattle off 3).
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| Rice, Sunny Side Up, English Bangers, Atsara |
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| Pedro's Brunch |
For the main course, I chose Pedro's Brunch in order to be ah, appropriate since I haven't had breakfast and lunch yet. You get several choices for your sausages, such as the Filipino breakfast (too bad the waitress couldn't fully explain by what their Filipino breakfast is, probably they served longganiza or whatever), English bangers and I forgot what the other sausage was. Suffice it to say I was really intrigued and tickled with the English bangers and decided to give it a taste. I wonder if in the near future, they'll be serving some spotted dick! The English really have their own way of naming their food. Makes you have second thoughts on trying it or, you can choke on it while trying to stifle a laugh.
To cap everything off, I ordered one of their ice cream pies, the Butterschotch Espresso. It tasted good, not too sweet, with a healthy dose of butterscotch drizzle on top. At this point, everything was really good.
Cost wise, it's fairly reasonable considering that most of their food items are imported and most likely it's the first time that you have come across and sampled such items. As for the ambiance, it's perfect for spending a lazy afternoon where you can read your favorite book or write a memoir.
I would definitely recommend this place to all the girls out there. If you're going to bring your man, he might have misgivings about the ambiance but he can easily be bribed with the wide array of sausages and hams that they have.
Give this place a try, chances are you might bring home some fabulous pastries and cupcakes with you. Their cupcakes are homemade and they have different themes per day (such as a chocolate day, velvet day, etc). If you do find yourself at a dilemma as to what to give as a present or housewarming gift, I'm sure that this place has something for everyone.
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