Words by: Miko Insame
Photos by: Danes Capuyon
Do you have a memory of going to your grandparents’ house when you were a child and remember being so happy because you were excited to eat what they’ve prepared?
The menu and the design of Katherine’s Cafe is centered exactly around that—the concept of a little girl who loves going to her grandmother’s house because her grandma makes all of her favorite food. In a way, we’re all that little girl—after all, who doesn’t love the warmth and nostalgia of home-cooked food made by people we love?
ALSO READ: Katherine’s Cafe Serves Dishes that Taste Like a Warm Hug
The WIM Squad has been to Katherine’s Cafe before, but now they’ve invited us back to check out their new branch in Glorietta 3. We were excited to visit again, and see if our old favorites are still as good as we remember them.
Stepping into the cafe brought us out of the hustle and bustle of Glorietta. Katherine’s Cafe is a quaint little space. Wooden furniture and flooring, floral designs and patterns on couches and benches, plus a myriad of aesthetic paintings and lighting fixtures—these all made it feel like we had truly come home to grandma’s house.
The place is perfect for chilling around in, having brunch with fellow Titas of Manila, or having a cutesy, chill date if you’re the type of couple to prefer soul food over fancy dinners.
As for the food, we’re happy to see that Katherine’s Cafe is still serving up some of our old favorites like the Pulled Chicken Adobo and Kesong Puti Crostini as well as the Barbecued Thick Cut Ribs. The crostini had a nice crunch to it, accompanied by the pulled chicken adobo and the kesong puti that complemented all the flavors. It put us right in the mood to devour the Barbecued Ribs.
Pulled Chicken Adobo and Kesong Puti Crostini
Barbecued ribs
Tender, smoky and practically falling off the bone, the Barbecued Thick Cut Ribs were such a treat and a reminder that Katherine’s Cafe really does know what to do with ribs. Even more striking was that one of us who went to Katherine’s Cafe wasn’t really a pork eater. Despite that, the ribs made her want to have more and more of the succulent chunk of meat. We eventually devoured the ribs and left only a bone on the plate, and finished off the mashed potatoes that came with it.
Another theme of Katherine’s Cafe is that they offer whole-day breakfast items, from classic beef tapa to what we had, Nana’s Eggs Benedict.
Katherine’s Cafe threw us a curveball and served Nana’s Eggs Benedict with sunny-side-up eggs instead of poached eggs. Nevertheless, we’ll go ahead and describe the dish as harmonious. Nothing too overpowering, the hollandaise was bright and offered a good pack of saltiness. The egg was cooked well with a runny yolk that coats every bite you take. The side salad with a sour dressing offered a good complement to the creaminess of the eggs benedict. Lastly, the breakfast muffin the eggs were served on feature a good hodgepodge of flavors, with savory ham and a dressing of spinach pesto that really brought the whole thing together.
Are you more of a fish lover? Well, worry not because we also got to try their Baked Salmon Rice.
Flaky and delicious salmon served on top of a bed of herbed rice, topped with a cheese sauce, potato strings, and green beans. The Baked Salmon Rice was the chef’s recommendation and we have to commend her for that. She made the right call in suggesting this as we ended up clearing the plate even after we had just polished off the ribs and the eggs benedict from earlier.
Finally, Katherine’s Cafe gave us a parting gift with two of their signature cakes for us to sample. The Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Cake and the Pistachio Lemon Butter Cake.
Both exceptionally delightful in their own ways, the cakes were perfect blends of sweetness that left us happy and full. The Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Cake was everything you could want out of a chocolate cake. As for the Pistachio Lemon Butter Cake, it was a moist, fluffy and addictive piece of cake that was sweet with a bit of tangy sourness from the lemon and a great bite of pistachio.
Katherine’s Cafe makes sure you leave their place full and happy, as it always does for us. We can’t wait to be back again!
Katherine’s Cafe
Second Floor, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City (next to the Landmark entrance)
Facebook:Â facebook.com/KatherinesCafePH
Instagram:Â instagram.com/katherines_cafe/
+63 9279618365
Other location:
Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
+63 9177760928
