Hungry for good food yet limiting yourself to a budget? Satisfy your Chinese comfort food cravings in COCA Cafe located at SM Jazz Mall in Makati, right beside Slappy Cakes. In this restaurant, folks can enjoy a filling meal for less than P250 per person.
If the brand COCA Cafe seems familiar, that is because it comes from the same group that brought in COCA Restaurant, a Thai brand, to the country. COCA in SM Aura highlights both Thai and Chinese cuisines in an elegant setting, while its younger sister COCA Cafe is more laid-back and easygoing, playing more of the Chinese comfort food aspect that the Filipino palate is very familiar with.
A peek into COCA Cafe's menu will show you staples that we are used to enjoying in the nearest Chinese restaurant our office spaces and homes: wonton soups, sweet and sour fish and pork, stir fried veggies, rice meals, and noodles. There are a handful of Thai and Western items in the menu, but expect about 90% of your ever reliable Asian comfort food at this cafe. Everything's reasonably priced, too, for the quality of the dining experience a customer receives.
COCA Cafe is fast-casual, yet ridding of the noisy canteen-like ambiance with their sleek interior and hip in-store music. You won't find on your tables the utensils-in-a-glass-with-hot-water combo here, nor leave COCA Cafe with the smell of your meal clinging tightly to your clothes. This is where the 'cafe' part comes into play–it's a laid back establishment where you can enjoy a snack or a full meal, linger for a little longer, and yes, have some coffee and dessert if you wish.
Here are 16 items priced P250 each (or even less!) that you can try out from COCA Cafe:
Vegetable Spring Roll
Crab Stick Salad
Start with a couple of appetizers: the Vegetable Spring Roll (P150) is recommended–four sticks of deep fried and crispy treats you can dip in the seet and sour sauce. If you're staying away from oily food, order the Crab Stick Salad (P200) for a refreshing start to your meal . Other recommended appetizers include the COCA Chicken Barbecue (P150) and COCA Pork Barbecue (P150).
Wonton and Tofu Soup
Wonton and Cha Siu Noodle Soup
To warm up your belly this rainy season, the cafe's selection of soups, rice soups (congee), and noodle soups are priced affordably as well–you can enjoy a hearty bowl for P200. Wonton and Tofu Soup (P180) is recommended, as well as their Chicken Rice Soup (P200) and Wonton and Cha Siu Noodle Soup (P250). The noodle soup with wonton balls and slices of pork floating on top is a personal favorite, its broth clean tasting and the meaty toppings lending different textures in every spoonful. For a little extra, you can upgrade your noodle soup to spinach noodles.
Chicken Grapow
Spaghetti Chicken Grapow
Chicken Grapow with Rice
I found myself smitten with COCA Cafe's version of the chicken grapow, a Thai style of chicken that is minced and loaded with basil and spices that make the dish fragrant and flavorful. They offer the grapow in three ways: Chicken Grapow with Rice (P180), Spaghetti Chicken Grapow (P200), and as a main course, Chicken Grapow (P250). For a solo eater's fast and filling meal, the chicken rice meal is your best bet, and comes with a fried egg that's a joy to mash and mix with the hot steamy rice.
Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice
Grilled Tuna Belly with Rice
Two other rice plate favorites at the restaurant are the classic Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice (P200), and the Grilled Tuna Belly with Rice (P250) — the tuna dish was introduced during Lenten season, but it became a best seller so quickly that the cafe has decided to include it in their regular menu.
Chinese Pork Sisig
Stir-fried Kale with Oyster Sauce
COCA Cafe's take on the classic Filipino pulutan is quite interesting as well. A plate of the Chinese Pork Sisig (P220) is served sizzling with a raw egg on top cooked as you mix everything around. It is a good blend of sweet, spicy, and meaty, thanks to the pieces of Chinese chorizo, choice cuts of pork, and chilies. Share this spicy entree with a friend and order some rice to cut the heat. If you wish to lessen the guilt of an indulgent sisig main course, pair it with the Stir-fried Kale with Oyster Sauce (P150), as kale is known to be one of the healthiest green leafy vegetables around.
Honey Butter Toast
To end your meal, pair your choice of coffee or tea with either or both of their two highly recommended desserts: Banana and Cheese Spring Roll (P150) and Honey Butter Toast (P170). The first item is more Filipino and familiar like turon, while the latter is a popular Japanese and Korean treat of a big brick of fluffy bread made extra luscious with butter. COCA Cafe's version has coconut shavings, pieces of mango and pineapple, and a dollop of whipped cream as toppings. The Honey Butter Toast is perfect for sharing, already conveniently cut into smaller cubes. But if you want this dessert all to yourself, then by all means, indulge your sweet tooth and sink into its fluffy and fruity sweetness.
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COCA Cafe is located in the Ground Floor of SM Jazz Mall, Makati. Like COCA Cafe on Facebook (/COCAcafePH).
