Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel

Alptekin Güler

3.0

I've always wanted to try Buenisimo being that I'm a QC girl who's always on the lookout for great food finds, and today, thanks to celebrity chef, Gino Gonzalez & website, my wish has come finally true!The truth is I always pass by this area but something inside me didn't want to try it because:1. It looked so fancy from its facade that it looked beyond my budget.2. I knew Chef Gonzalez owns the resto and being the A-rated chef that he is, I wouldn't be surprised if eating there would drill a hole in my pocket.Surprisingly, the prices, though considerably not within an employee's daily food budget, are not too steep!For the food, I applaud the styling involed in the dishes. Especially the Crackling Pork Ribs (P448) which looked like a free standing sculpture. The meat was tender, the skin was crispy and juicy, though the fat portion on the liempo was too thick for my liking. The gravy's consistency was too thick too. On a positive note, this is the meal for rice lovers because the 2 large slices of liempo comes with a hot plate full of flavored rice!One of my favorites too was the Salmon with Passion Fruit Hollandaise & Sous Vide Egg (P528). The salmon, about 1 inch thick was served in half portion, which I find quite too small of a size for its hefty price. But it comes with a portion of delicious red sauce al dente pasta - a full meal on its own. Besides, the salmon was juicy too so I guess you're getting your money's worth.Don't leave without trying the Angry Sauce Pasta (P378/P628) The mild spice in the thick red sauce mixed with fresh and generous seafood embellishments was a refreshing course! There's a certain kick to the sauce, but still highly likeable for people like me who's tolerance for chili is very low.The Lengua with Crispy Garlic (P218) would best be served with rice. The tasty oil sauce would blend perfectly with a fresh batch of steamed rice. The meat was very tender, it almost melt in your mouth!If you love pepperoni, then Double Pepperoni Pizza (P438) is just the right dish for you. No spot left without a chunk of pepperoni! This thin crust pizza is smothered with mozzarella which is perfect for the resto's fine chili flakes which you can ask for on the side.Pastrami Sandwich was a masterpiece of its own. For P388, you get a meal that can be shared by 2 or 3. The pastrami meat was thick clenched in Wasabi Mayo and an interesting kind of bread.Don't miss out on the Creme Brulee Sampler which comes in 3 flavors - all equally delicious! The consistency of the Brulee is just right that it melts in your mouth along with the crystallized sugary top!Expect a masterpiece with the Chocnut Cheesecake (P238). It is designed with crystallized sugar as if a red orange nest. Don't except your usual creamy cheesecake. The closest comparison would be Japanese Cheesecake with a hint of chocnut.Chef Gino was very generous enough to let us try our drink of choice. To which I ordered the green mango shake. Honestly one of the best I have tried. No one can really mess up a shake but the mixture of sweetness and sourness was perfect!Though quite small and with classic looking interios, the resto can comfortably seat 30 people and it has no smoking seating options, and have a few parking slots. But not to fret for they have their own guard who can assist you with your parking needs.Overall the experience was satisfactory. I now know why Chef Gino is a master chef in his own right. The flavors are well curated and you will see the passion for food in every meal served. I am definitely going back!

Antonia Junita

3.0

Buenissimo by Cafe YsabelFor a student like me, my first impression would be "damn mahal siguro dito let's go somewhere else nalang"Well I was kind of right. Haha! Met up with my fellow website foodies yesterday, and I had the chance to try a lot of their meals.For starters we had lengua with crispy garlic, pastrami and double pepperoniLenguaNot a fan of their lengua cos I prefer lengua with white sauce and they did some sort of salpicao mix to itPastrami was good. It's like bread with corned beef inside coated with melted mozzarella. It was good but it was hard to cut and chewDouble pepperoni was just okFor the main course we had crackling pork ribs, salmon with passion fruit, hollandaise & sous vide egg, truffled mac and cheese, angry sauce and bacon steak with 65 degree eggThe only dishes I enjoyed were the mac and cheese, crackling pork ribs and salmon with passion fruit. And they were just really "okay" nothing special. The other meals were too bland, fatty and salty. (other foodies had the same opinion)What got me going were the desserts! We had their chocnut cheesecake and creme brulee samplerLoved both so much! The cheesecake and the creme brulee tasted just right. Not too sweet but not too bland. Wish i tried more desserts!Will I go back? Maybe, during a fancy shmancy date or with the fam. Haha! Wanna try their other meals cos I heard that their steaks were good :)

Japagana@yahoo.com

3.0

Last February 24, I was invited by website at Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel near Tomas Morato in QC. As usual, I've already done my research of this restaurant a few days before we had this meetup. And looking from a far, this restaurant looks a bit expensive for my taste. Good thing, website invited us to Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel last Wednesday (Feb 24). Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel is owned by celebrity chef, Chef Gino Gonzales, son of Chef Gene Gonzales which is the owner of the famous Cafe Ysabel. They cater Italian-Spanish dishes.Upon entering, you'll be welcomed with their award as one of The Best Restaurants in 2016. Place is very spacious and they have the perfect ambiance for meetings and dates with your love ones. A list of menu was given to us. I'm not really familiar with the names of the foods listed but I had high expectations when the dishes started to be placed on the table.For starters we were given Lengua with Crispy Garlic (Php218). - I usually don't eat lengua since it's a beef tongue!! I'm not sure if I've tried lengua before but I find Buenisimo's lengua surprisngly good! It was very soft and tasty for me. What I didn't like was the price of Php218 for a small plate.Next is Pastrami (Php348). - Honestly, I'm not familiar with what a Pastrami was but according to my research Pastrami is a meat usually made of beef or sometimes pork. Fan of white sauce, creamy dishes and of course, cheese! So I was delighted to see this dish served to us. The meat along with the sauce was really good! I just find the toasted bread too hard to slice and chew.The last appetizer served was Double Pepperoni Pizza (Php438).- In fairness, it was more of an overloaded pepperoni pizza on a thin crust. I find this good but nothing extraordinary. For main course, we were served a lot starting with the Angry Sauce (Php378/628).- Not a fan of tomato paste nor spicy dishes but hey, this is quite different. This pasta dish isn't that spicy for me and the flavor was very distinct so yup, I liked this one. Truffled Mac & Cheese (Php588).- I'm a big fan of cheese so I really liked this dish. Very tasty and cheesy. Salmon with Passionfruit, Hollandaise & Sous Vide Egg (Php528)- Whew. The salmon was very soft and I like how to eggs were cooked. For the passion fruit flavor, I wasn't able to taste that. Bacon Steak with 65-degree Egg with Wild Mushroom Ragout- I'm like salty foods a lot haha, but sorry for this one. This one's too salty. I even find the sauce too salty. Crackling Pork Ribs (Php448).- This dish comes with the gravy, garlic bits and raspberry gelatin to which I find really good as the combination with the Crackling Pork Ribs. I also liked the presentation though.For desserts, we were given Creme Brulee Sampler (mango, original and dulce de leche) (Php248)- Their creme brulee is very smooth and it just melts on your mouth. I liked mango and original the best. And lastly, we were also given Chocnut Cheesecake (Php238) for dessert.- From the presentation itself to the soft and yummy taste of their cheesecake, this was really the best for me. For the drinks, we had a chance to choose what drinks to be served.Buenisimo! (Php190/230)Watermelon Shake (Php150/200)Buenisimo's White Chocolate Shake (Php148) I ordered their Coffee Caramel Slush (Php195).  - Most of us find most of the shakes served too sweet. I also find this too sweet for my taste. And I think it's kinda expensive for the price of Php195/glass.Overall, most of the meals were good and the quality of foods were there. Though I find this restaurant a bit pricey for my taste, I will recommend this to those who wants to go on business meetings, dates or if you wanna treat your fam. Not my usual go to but will come back to this place for special occasions.