Avi: Cure Your Heartbreak with Lime Cheesecake from Heaven and a Tequila Shot!

The Manila roads that are less traveled are usually the ones with the most character for adventure. East Capitol Drive is one of them. Eager to front line this rarely explored part of one of the most popular food trip destinations, Brgy. Kapitolyo, lies a new family style restaurant called Avi.

A mere walk from Pioneer Center in Mandaluyong, Avi has an ‘always-friday-night’ vibe and some humble quirks like light beaming from wine bottles suspended from the ceiling to begin with. Its warm mood makes it the perfect place for when you just want to take a quick break from daily runs and enjoy a meal with family and friends.

As owners Kevin and Dean shared their ideas and vision for Avi and East Capitol Drive, our dinner for the night was placed onto the table dish by dish.

During that time, we found out that beyond the unadulterated charm of Avi’s interiors lies a vibrant menu that takes a turn for the exciting and memorable. This flavorful contradiction turns Avi from a food trip bucket list item into a regular go-to nook.

Tita Terry’s Tasty Tuna TarTare at Php 210, good for 2-3 persons.

Tita Terry’s Tasty Tuna TarTare easily became our favorite. The spices, herbs and hints of a citrus flavour perfectly come together in this dish as the light texture of fresh tuna sashimi smoothly glides onto the palate amidst Japanese mayonnaise. This Tuna Tartare can create an impact sans anything, but as a genius take on ‘fish-and-chips’, we loved it more the second time around with the crunchiness of nachos complementing the softness of zesty tuna!

Papa Jack’s Crispy Chicken Adobo Overload at Php 210, good for 2 persons.

Avi’s Papa Jack’s Crispy Chicken Adobo Overload takes the all-time Pinoy favorite adobo to the next level adding gravy and dark chocolate to the recipe. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Gravy. Dark Chocolate. Yes, Chocolate… yeeessss! The dark chocolate makes the sauce creamy and the soy a little subdued. You might wonder about every bit of flavor from this one-of-a-kind dish, but for now, I’ll leave that to your curiosity. When you order this, get it with mashed potatoes instead of rice, though, so you can enjoy the creamy “adobo” sauce to the very last spoonful.

Sous Vide Hanging Tender Steak at Php 310, good for 3 persons

Precisely cooked at 57.2 degrees Celsius, the Sous Vide Hanging Tender Steak made a good lasting impression to a friend who is anything but a steak lover. Cooked medium rare like most steakhouses would and crusted in pepper, this entree is made even better with red wine. By the Chef’s suggestion, we mixed the poached egg and mashed potatoes, so we could have something to accompany the steak without the wine. From then on, egg and potato breakfasts have been different at my own home.

Seaside Samba Diablo Pasta at Php 265, good for 3-4 persons.

The Seaside Samba Diablo Pasta is the ultimate feast for seafood lovers. Served to us still steaming; the aroma of fresh tomatoes, shrimp, octopus, clam, oyster, amongst other things in spicy marinara sauce filled us with anticipation to feast on it. The light consistency of the sauce and the fullness of the flavor can be likened to an Italian cooking style. It doesn’t fail to satisfy, even for someone like me who doesn’t have much of an appetite for spicy food.

Lovers’ Limerick Cheesecake Lime at Php 150

Last but most definitely not the least, we capped off the night with Lovers’ Limerick Cheesecake Lime. I don’t know how to emphasize this more: this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. Ever. This is what I call comfort food. All of my senses aside from my tastebuds completely shut off in one go! The sweetness of the crust complements the tangy, velvety, moist cream cheese middle and the mildly sour, zesty lime glaze on top. Avi serves this as a chaser for Tequila, as well. For days when emotions are up to the brim, this lime cheesecake and a shot of tequila would definitely do you some good.

The men behind Avi, Dean Dulay (left) and Chef Kevin Jingco (right).

During our brief time dining in Avi, we were stuck in a wide square feet of heaven found in a slice of Lime cheesecake and on a plate of tender steak served in the unlikeliest way that still hit home. Needless to say, home was really brought closer to us, thanks to Avi.

More on the Kapitolyo Food Trip Series : Charlie’s Grind and Grill Kapitolyo

AVI

20 United St., Brgy. Kapitolyo, Mandaluyong

OPEN DAILY from 11:30 AM to 3PM and 5 PM to 11 PM

Twitter: @avikapitolyo

Instagram: @avi_kapitolyo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KapitolyoAvi

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Avi: Cure Your Heartbreak with Lime Cheesecake from Heaven and a Tequila Shot!