Karen's Kitchen

Peter Goldsworthy

5.0

I was really happy that I was able to find that perfect place I was looking for to celebrate my special someone's birthday. It was website that introduced me to this so called hidden gem in Kapitolyo and truely it was. I like how it looked like on the outside. It was simple. It's not something magical. But as I opened the door it seemed as if that the once upon a time stories I used to read on books came alive. I just love every corner of their interior that my imagination started working. So let's say I'm a princess on a food adventure with my prince.The staff greeted us and pointed us to their big menu board. It was kinda hard for me to read how it was presented so we just picked on the pasta (aside from the fact that we were hungry and we needed something to be served right away. Some of their main dishes require time to prepare). I had their best seller Mushroom Truffle pasta and my prince had his Bolognese Meatsauce pasta. I asked the staff for their bestselling crispizza and suggested the Summer Garden. She also advised me that their pink lemonade is on a bottle when I ordered but it was fine. Then I picked chocolate ganache for dessert since a birthday wouldn't be complete without a cake.My prince and I shared everything and we both enjoyed our food. We ended up tummy full and tummy happy. I actually don't prefer angel hair for a pasta but this time I didn't mind at all. The creaminess of the Mushroom Truffle Pasta and meatiness of the Bolognese compensated it. Summer Garden crispizza was perfect. It was green and leafy but you wouldn't realize your eating a healthy pizza. The chocolatey cover and moist filling of chocolate ganache was also a good sweet combination.Overall the experience was different because of the homey and classical ambience. And i love all the verses and quotes planted all around the place even on place mats. Even the toothpick canister has its verse taped on it. I also like the idea of the gate leading to a garden painting on one side of the wall. It gives a feeling that if I enter that gate it will lead me to another happy place. The place is so full of positive vibes. My ears also enjoyed the calmy music played and with some praise songs playing I just felt so at home. Plus we had a chance to witness a guest playing a piece on the piano when Ms. Karen, the owner, asked him and the boy. And yes, Ms. Karen was very accommodating and it was a pleasure to meet the person behind this place. She was so friendly and warm.Surely I will go back to this place and I'm planning to have my sisters whom I'm sure will equally enjoy the place. Hopefully I can try their main dish next time.Indeed it was a short fantasy dining experience for me filled with love and positivity.My eyes, ears and tastebuds were all satisfied. Thank you Karen Young Karen's Kitchen! Karen's Kitchen

Ayhas

4.0

Thanks to website's hidden gems collection I found a must-try restaurant. I never knew that this restaurant stood within Brgy Kapitolyo which is far from the busy eat street, East capitol drive. Just a tip for those bringing a car, parking is scarce near Karen's kitchen.The ambiance envelops you to it's own rhythm of old timey upbeat foreign language tracks. The charming and rustic style of the seats and wall ornaments gave me a feeling of glee and calmness at the same time. We started off with the Summer Garden crispizza that looks intimidatingly healthy. I have never tasted a vegetarian pizza but I can definitely get on board that train if it's as good is this pizza. The cheese definitely helped to enjoy the crispizza a lot more. We were not yet done because the pizza portion is not ideal for 2 persons to call it quits. We ordered the interesting Lughanifue pasta with dried tomatoes, which my gf said we gotta try as per her research. It was served with a sauce on the side but for me it can stand alone and still be enjoyable. I can appreciate the plain taste with accents from the other ingredients. The thin pasta was a great choice for this dish for the texture. We finished our early dinner by sharing the Frozen brazo (vanilla). It was my first time to taste such a desser and looks similar to an ice cream sandwich but had a layer of custard. I liked it since it's not that sweet and addicting and a great exclamation point to a nice meal.My visit to Karen's kitchen was an eye opener to what other types of food I can enjoy. Definitely put this on your list when you're near Pasig and I'm sure you'll uncover a hidden gem from on of their dishes.

Lyrrem Saludar

4.0

A few days ago, I had dinner with my friends at Karen’s Kitchen in Kapitolyo.We had Summer Garden Crispizza, Lughanigue Sundried Tomato Pasta and Mushroom Truffle Pasta. I found the crispizza a little small, however, we really loved the pasta dishes, especially the Mushroom Truffle Pasta. For main dishes, we ordered the Herbed Chicken and the Baby Back Ribs. The Herbed Chicken was quite delicious but a little too expensive for the serving. The Baby Back Ribs was so tender that I didn’t need a knife to get my helping. The meat was flavorful too. The service was excellent (the owner was very accommodating) and the food was delicious. I would appreciate if they have huge servings though.