La Maripili

Başak Çelik

4.0

Owner, Elena Balaguer, welcomed us with warm smiles and excitement as our website team covered her prized restaurant. She currently has two branches, the other being at the Ayala 30th Mall in Ortigas. This feature was geared towards highlighting La Maripili's other concept recipes, that they are more than your go-to for fine and delectable premium churros. We were served first starters, after sipping on their own curation of Dark Mocha. It had Davao chocolate in them for an extra bold and bittersweet vibe. Every sip was simply divine! A plate of Huevos Rotos (PHP 490) arrived, a Spanish tapas consisting of double cooked fried potatoes and two fried sunny side up eggs, topped with jamon serrano. I like the balance of light and strong savory tastes in this dish. Next was another variety of potato appetizer, Patatas Bravas (PHP 480). This had smoky chorizo drenched with brava sauce, which is made up of spicy mayonnaise, chili, and tomatoes. Artisan Burrata Salad (PHP 600) gave us a preview of their healthier alternatives. It was a refreshing plate of New Zealand cheese, farm to table tomatoes in pesto sauce, olive tapenade, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes and my favorite greens, arugula. Must have, even if you are on a budget! They present soup here with a style and they showed us how they do it. Their Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger Roasted (PHP 260) and Creamy Mushroom Soup (PHP 370, has fresh shiitake, button and oyster mushrooms served with brie cheese and croutons) were laid out in bowls with toppings first and then the soup will be poured into it after. I love the thickness and quality of both. The Carrot Soup is a tad better as it gave me all fundamental tastes in one go. La Maripili now has rice meals! We started shooting their take on classic Arroz a la Cubana (PHP 390). It was artistically plated with homemade tomato sauce, roasted ground meat, sunny side up and plantain or bananas. They also have Home-Cooked Adobo (PHP 590), a Filipino staple of tasty chicken and pork marinated in soy and vinegar. Interestingly, they served this with sweets of mango and banana.Now for more carbs, Pizza! We feasted in three kinds, Black Truffle Pizza (PHP 650, black truffle paste, fontina cheese, curly endives with homemade honey vinaigrette), Cuatro Quesos y Salsa Verde Pizza (PHP 460, gorgonzola, parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella with pesto) and All About Meat Pizza (PHP 560, pepperoni, ground beef, smoked bacon, farmer’s ham, mozzarella in tomato sauce). Each crust had its own character of taste and texture with me loving the crunchiest bite of the Black Truffle Pizza. And finally, dessert. We were served with house popular, Churros that were incredibly satisfying! Each piece was a celebration. I enjoyed every crunch and dips from two sauces, chocolate, and caramel. La Maripili is calling out your name. They now have more choices to lure you! I in particular have erased my notion that they are just a cafe. It is now a restaurant, giving you classic favorites with a modern take on it.

Linan.adrian3

4.0

The interior is really classy with its big doors and big windows. It’s all white with an industrial-homey vibes to it and the ambiance is simple and elegant, which I really love. I’m a sucker for interiors, I know. Plus, the crew is really kind and accommodating. She guided us on what to order.We ordered their classic churros in small, a cup of hot chocolate dip and their European Classic grilled sandwich. We were also served a small pitcher of water and some paper cups.I like their churros. You can eat the churros by itself since it’s already good as is. But the chocolate dip will bring it to a whole new level. The chocolate isn’t that sweet, it has a hint of coffee taste in it which I think put a depth in the flavor of the chocolate, which is really good.Their grilled sandwich is really good, too. I think I like it better than the churros. Haha! There was a perfect balance of flavors between the cheese and the ham. But I guess it was too pricey for a sandwich. But all in all, we really enjoyed this place.

Bon Jocson

3.0

I find this place comfortable and relaxing. You can smell the aroma of their newly made churros as you enter their store. I had a cup of cappucino and some churros just to try it. Tho this is my first time trying a churro without any dip, sugar was offered so i can dazzle it on my food. I did not much enjoy their cappucino as it was a bit blunt and that there werent any dip. But the place looks good tho ;)