Sambran

Trish Santos

My wife had been here before and she wanted me to experience this restaurant. We finally had the opportunity to go today.We arrived at 11:15 and we were seated right away. We ordered the Pad Thai of course, and Garlic Prawn and Pork Satay. While waiting for our order to be served we were given a small dish of caramelized peanut which was quite good. After about 15 minutes the Pad Thai was served. I must say it looked different from the Pad Thais in the other Thai restaurants we've been to - and we've been to quite a number of them. This was because it had some scrambled eggs that "surrounded" the noodles. As for the taste - it was the best Pad Thai I had. The Garlic Prawns were delicious and was prepared in such a way that it was easy to remove the skin without having to use our bare hands. The Pork Satay was good, if a bit hard. Thankfully the peanut sauce was not spicy and just the way I wanted it. For dessert we had the Sticky Rice with Mango. There were parts of the mango that weren't that sweet yet.Overall it was a good experience. This place apparently is very popular as it was full by the time we left (a little before noon) considering this was a weekday. My only nit was that they only had two staff members who worked as servers and cashiers. To their credit they both worked diligently and did their best to please the customers.

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Alex Bianca Cuento

Entering the place felt like going back in time. Time when you are invited to a banquet at Maria Clara's house, and everyone there are immersed in the oldness and loveliness of Filipino tradition. Entering Cafe Juanita was like opening your lola's baul -- and then being transported to a cornucopia of memories.It was an ala-Noli Me Tangere experience. The antique ambiance was intimidating. From the old-looking chandelier, to the tables, the chairs, the decor, to the music. The people seated were like a different class of men who were of different culture. But before we get too anxious about our stay, we got ourselves a table and skimmed through the menu.Shrimp Gambas - Cafe Juanita's version of Shrimp Gambas means aromatic mushroom and garlic, and fresh, crunchy shrimps sauteed in a delightful harmony of good flavors.Crispy Pork Binagoongan - Although it's got pretty small serving size, it never fails to give me that blissful moment of chewing my favorite Juanita dish. The pork was fried until crisp, while the Bagoong over it was sweet and salty and just perfect. I'm not really a fan of Binagoongan, but the one at this restaurant was so good I thought I got lost in time.Maya Maya sa Miso - First, they served us soup so we can decide how sour and salty we want it. We prefer a really sour Sinigang, and they indeed served us one. The fish was fresh; I liked it even if I am not a fish-lover. The vegetables were also fresh and the flavor of Miso stuck to the fish, the veggies, and my tastebuds, perfectly.Kare-Kare - With its rich texture, good quality meat, fresh vegetables, and bagoong cooked just right, this is absolutely one of the best Kare-Kares in town.

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