New restaurant Cena Cervisia (pronounce: Se-na Ser-vee-see-ya) is such a hole-in-the-wall, both Waze and Google Maps failed to lead us to its correct location. What the maps thought was on the commercial end of Scout Santiago near Panay Avenue, was apparently along the residential side of the street near Scout Delgado. It took us a couple of U-turns before we finally found the teeny and unassuming restaurant, sandwiched between a garage and a water-refilling station.
The bikers behind the restaurant (clockwise): Chef Juancho Go, Leo Go, Jovell Cheng, Kenrick Gan, and Ricky Pulido
Normally, one would be underwhelmed with how Cena Cervisia looks from the outside (all those wrong turns just for this?), but its austerity only got us more excited. You see, we went out of our way to seek Cena Cervisia because word got to us that this new restaurant serves hotel-quality food at affordable prices. While we’re used to getting pitches like that, not many supports their recommendation with a statement like “they cook sous-vide, you know.” A hole-in-the-wall that bothered to invest in an expensive machine and cooks using a costly technique? Brave. And maybe it’s really worth a visit.
So check it out, we did. On our first visit, we decided to stick to the basics. During our first course, we figured that Cena’s Caesar Salad (P178) does not veer far from the original recipe. It’s a minimalistic plate, with romaine lettuce, shaved Edam cheese, and a drizzling of homemade dressing. But instead of employing subtle Parmesan, the salad went with the firmer and sharper Edam. In places of cubed croutons, the plate is complemented with garlic-butter slices.
Our second dish, Cena’s Pulled Pork Sandwich (P198), impressed us with its tender, mozzarella-topped, shredded pork, that’s even softer than the ciabatta bread that holds it. With that quality and size, this sandwich is a steal at less than P200.
Our first meal ended on a high note with a plate of fork-tender, extra garlicky Round Steak Salpicao (P285 with rice), cooked medium-well. To those unfamiliar with the sous-vide method of cooking, this dish makes a great education on what this technique can do to a meat. In sous-vide, the food, in this case meat, is sealed in vacuum packs and submerged in a low-temp water bath for hours. This ensures that 100% of the meat’s juice and flavor are retained.
Steak Salpicao
Impressed with our first try, we returned to sample more. We found out that the Manhattan Clam Chowder (P148) is tomatoey, not cream-based. For a good while, we enjoyed munching on our garlic bread slices, dunked in the tangy soup.
For our second shot at sandwiches, we got the Saffron Chicken Steak Sandwich (P198). We thought it was also tender and filling but not as flavorful as the Pulled Pork.
But it got increasingly exciting as the meal went on. The Gambas con Patatas y Chorizo (P268) was one of the chunkiest versions we’ve ever tried. There’s shrimp, there’s chorizo, then bell peppers, and onion in it. Crispy even when left out in the open for long, the skin-on potato wedges that go along with it is also obviously a product of a long and laborious preparation. We found out that they blanch, dehydrate, freeze, and then fry it before serving on the table. Princess Sarah would be proud.
Gambas
The finale, a hefty serving of Lamb Kaldereta (P285), again was an effortless chew. It gets plus points for successfully mellowing down the gamey flavor of the meat.
Lamb Kaldereta
The food at Cena Cervisia isn’t exactly novel, but nonetheless impressive. It thrills us that a small hidey-hole with a residential address bothered exploring a fancy way of cooking despite its added cost. We are awed by the owners’ intent to keep the prices down so more people can try hotel-quality, European food. And lastly, we think that Cena Cervisia makes a pretty good reflection of how much both the restaurant industry and the foodies have matured over the years. We now go outside our comfort zones, try the unfamiliar, and demand quality. Culinary progress is underway.
