Alley

Ana Maria Agnasin

4.0

I think the Year of the Monkey is my website year. Just last weekend alone, I managed to visit 5 restaurants on my must visit list. Among the restaurants I have been eying is Alley, one of the new players at The Grove. Hello, Alley!This adorably designed restaurant serves several light snacks. Or so I thought.It opened its doors just a few days ago but I am already familiar with its offerings thanks to my stalking skills. (Okay fine, it was because of Chef Angelo Comsti’s mouthwatering photos of Alley’s dishes.)I went here after finally visiting Asakusa since I wanted some sweets to cap the night. I was a bit disappointed though that they only have two desserts to choose from, Financier (PHP229) and Caramelized Banana Bread (PHP249). I went with the latter because “house-churned cashew ice cream” sounds so delectable. (I was warned by the server that the banana bread is huge. It made me wonder if it’s because I smell like tempura or if the phrase YOU-MUST-DIET is plastered all over my face.) I also ordered a cup of Cappuccino (PHP139) to balance the sweetness of my dessert.First served was my cup of cappuccino and it was lovely. I got regular instead of decaf and it’s still not that strong making it “night-friendly” if there is such a term. I didn’t get to appreciate the aroma though as I was about to get sick that night. Also, serving size is a tad too small for the price.My dessert was served right after and the server was right. It was HUGE and definitely good for at least 3 hungry fellows.I first took a spoonful of the walnut ice cream and it was scrumptious! I love the nutty taste of the walnuts and the creaminess of the ice cream. You could tell that it’s fresh as it had no icy texture. It was a scoop of creamy heaven.The banana bread was thick and indeed very heavy. I love how dense it was and that it was served warm creating a very nice contrast with the cold ice cream topping. It wasn’t sweet too except the outer part of the bread with a nice caramel glaze and nuts.I can’t wait to go back to try the other dishes! See you again soon, Alley.

Eatingonabudgetph

3.0

Laid back dining still defines the website scene as we know it; Alley takes that a step further, dispensing with fuss and but not the flourish - though I find their food still needs tweaking.Alley starts off strong with fresh, high quality ingredients, from the red ice salad leaves and beetroot in my salad, to creamy, parmesan flavored polenta under a beautifully cooked piece of Chinese-style pork belly.I felt however that the dressing in the salad lacked contrast and viscosity, while there was too little polenta to go with the hefty piece of pork. I respect nouvelle cuisine portioning, so I made do with the pork and the coleslaw and slightly pickled radish placed on top of the pork, so I was full, but not satisfied.But good things end well, and my dessert order of freshly baked financiers, whipped cream on the side, was just perfect. Rustic in style (not quite fine, the crumb), it was warm, buttery, and reflective of the effort the kitchen puts into their cooking.I'm looking for a bit more punch in the flavors - which is ironic, coming from me - but a bit more exuberance would help the cooking style at Alley, which I already like and want to like some more.

Süleyman Koşar

4.0

Wow. A rare gem in the city. This is their one and only location. I love the food. I ordered the Black Vongole and their Reuben sandwich and both was super delicious. I literally devoured everything. Lol. Both dishes are a must-try! Thumbs up for great service as well. Thank you The Cranky website for the reco.

Tommy Suryo

4.0

After brunch we decided to swing by Tiendesitas as i wanted to look at some kittens.  I am planning to get a foldie.  There are kittens alright but no Scottish Fold.  And the siamese breed costs a whopping 12 grand...😰😰😰.  I miss my long lost estranged kittie.  Tiende is near The Grove.  Hmmm, perfect timing to scout some of the restaurants in the area. The Grove consists of a couple of restaurants,  coffee shops and a supermarket.  It is a smaller version of Burgos Circle.  I cant seem to remember which restaurant offers the dessert with strawberries in it.  Went to Precynt first,  i asked the staff if they have a separate menu for pastries,  she said no...and she pointed the counter (which only has a few sad looking cookies).  I am not in the mood to deal with snotty wait staff hence we transferred to the joint next door. I present to you... Alley.  The joint has lovely interiors.  Brick walls,  low ceiling adorned with light bulbs (for IG worthy photos).  I liked the mismatched furniture,  the wooden chairs are lovely.  Even the mismatched throw pillows.  Eclectic x relaxed x modern vibe.On to the food.  We ordered the following:Chicarones with the star anise infused dip.  A healthy take on the famous bat chow.  I didnt like this as making a healthy version of chicaron makes it not less fun to eat.  I prefer the artery clogging ones.  I still give them an A for trying though.  Skip the star anise infused dip.  It's a 10 on the weird taste scale.    Caramelised Banana Bread.   Thick slice of banana bread topped with walnut ice cream.  I have never met a banana bread that i didn't like.  And this one is no exception.... Come on!  Caramelized banana bread...  This one is the king of all banana-infused breads.  The bread is moist and not overly sweet,  top that with a generous scoop of walnut ice cream and you're all set.  The walnut ice cream is white as snow,  smooth like liquid velvet,  entices yout tastebuds on each bite.  The thing with ala mode  desserts is that they tend to be on the diabetes inducing side.  This one isn't,  the light flavor of the banana bread blends well with the ice cream.  You get to enjoy your dessert without slowly succumbing to sugar shock. The restaurant needs to work on staffing as there is only one server on a Saturday.  Hence it took them a while to serve the food,  get the bill and prepare the items for takeaway.  And this place is not for loners,  it can get noisy especially when there's a lot of customers (blame it on the low ceiling)

I Dewa Ayu Chyntia Wardani

3.0

Updated review: Alley was nice enough to invite me back to serve the Pork Milanese at the desired temperature. It was so much better, thank you very much Alley for your good customer service.The place is beautifully decorated, has great wi-fi, and a friendly server that readily gives you suggestions on what to order.

Jason Tan

3.0

Drop by at the groove when I'm on my way to north and found my tummy wanting something new.The ambiance was great. For a resto bar.The service crew were attentive and polite they do make you feel at homeThe food taste-- We ordered pork milanese and crispy pork belly.Butternut squash and fresh juiceThe pork was tender and juicyYummy. It will leave you with a herby taste at the end which for me is nice.Menu was a bit pricy but it matched its taste Coming back here-- maybe 🙂

Afriza Eirina

3.0

If i'm looking for a place to chit chat and just hang, Alley is always first on my mind. aside from it being a good and decent sandwich place, it feels so cozy and "at home". i've tried all of their sandwiches and i like all. :) it is a bit pricey though.. other turn ons would be is that they have wifi and parking is easy!

Drew Uy

4.0

#latepostDuring one of my many, many breaks a few months back, I went out with two friends who live and work pretty near The Grove... Since I'm the visitor in the area, I got to choose which restaurant we were to have dinner at... I picked Alley, a relatively new resto which specializes in sandwiches... It promises gourmet sandwiches utilizing freshly baked bread made in-house... We had our pick of the tables since it was pretty early on a weeknight... I loved the mismatched chairs, beautiful wooden tables, and the cool mural on one side of the store... Even the A/C became part of the mural! A very trendy place for sure!Anyway, we were attended to by a super chatty waiter, who basically recommended everything on the menu!😂 But I liked his enthusiasm... One of my friends and I ended up ordering their Patty Crunch, which is an Angus burger patty in between two slices of potato bread (instead of the usual bun). Our other friend ordered their Pan-seared salmon. I did not notice the wait because of our spirited conversation... But when our orders came, the food was lovely to look at! The presentation was on point, making the food look even more appetizing... The Patty Crunch came with a side of taro/potato/cassava chips, which were also made in house... The Angus beef patty was really juicy and filling! The quality of the beef came thru, definitely... It was layered with Russian dressing (a bit tangy), cheddar cheese, and crispy onion strings... Bursting with flavor with each bite... The only thing is, the bread was very oily and it was messy to eat with my hands... I could only finish half of my order (with the help of tons of tissues)! Same case with my friend! We wished that the waiter warned us about the serving size, so that we could have just shared one order and got an appetizer instead... But we both enjoyed it anyway... I just want to mention that it still tasted great the next day; the bread didn't become soggy after being refrigerated overnight...The salmon was delicious too! Cooked perfectly and served with cauliflower puree, grilled asparagus, and calamansi hollandaise, this dish is great for the health conscious and vegetarians in the group... But the flavors were pretty great, you won't feel deprived... Love the hollandaise! The waiter kept saying that this dish was small and bitin, but we all didn't think so. Good for one person naman!😆We had a great dining experience, though there were some glitches... It's a good place to try, though a bit pricey... I thought the offerings were inventive and that quality of the food was evident...

Süleyman Yılmaz

4.0

Alley has the potential to be your hangout place with its vibrant and cozy atmosphere. Add to this their unusual and creative menu. Despite the difficulty to get here at the Grove, most of their restaurants makes your trip worth it. The place was a perfect fit for my healthy mood. I got their Beetroot salad to start. It seemed like dessert with its abundance of sweetness. Besides beetroot, cranberries and dressing makes this dish sugary but refreshing. Another sweet touch was Alley's Squash Hummus. Its orangey look was not only visually attractive, the palate also delights to it. The multi grain is a perfect match. Green slush includes green apple, cucumber and mint. I had this one without sugar and it worked for this entire experience. There's so much more this place offers. I suggest you swing by and figure out why yourself.

Daniel Kenny

5.0

It's a five for me...Kudos to the waiter who offered us the main menu even if it's past the time of serving those meals..We just really wanted to eat since it's past midnight and the people we were with who just finished performing for their choir's 30th anniv concert were really famished since their last meal was at 11:30 am of that day, maybe the waiter just felt the hungriness in our eyes & faces that all we wanted was to eeeeaaaat. Thank you for going above and beyond even if I saw the annoyance on your colleagues faces (haha). I totally forgot to get his name, so sorry. We know that the food there are really good and delicious that's why that's where we decided to eat at that time and now we have another reason to come back aside from the food, it would be the reliable staff...