Coca Restaurant

Elif T

4.0

I'm giving a 4 for this restaurant because of its classy design and very good service. The food, however, ranges from 3-3.5. I dined here last week with my family, including my dad and uncle who are visiting from the US. From the outside, the restaurant seems small, but it's actually quite spacious and very elegant. I already knew it's kind of expensive, but thanks to our uncle for sponsoring the dinner! :)For appetizers, we had the shrimp and tofu croquettes and mixed BBQ appetizer. Everyone loved the former as each piece was so meaty, plus the sauces were good. The latter, on the other hand, was just okay. It had 3 kinds of meat: asado, duck, and liempo, which was a bit dry. Papa wanted some vegetables so we ordered their braised tofu with Taiwan bokchoy, and I love the fact that the veggies weren't soggy despite having a thick sauce. For our mains, we tried their squid with salted egg, roast chicken with Khao Man Gai sauce, and Yangchow fried rice. The chicken was kind of dry, but flavorful, especially when dipped in the ginger-based sauce, which did wonders to the chicken. The Yangchow tasted ok, but it tasted even better when eaten with any of the viands. I enjoyed the squid the most because of the very rich salted egg coating each piece. Coca is also known for its signature Thai hot pot. For this, we chose the red fire platter, which had chicken, pork, beef, glass noodles, and assorted vegetables. We chose chicken stock and tom yum for our broth, and we all agree that the latter tastes much better because of the right mix of sweet-sour flavors. Honestly, I wouldn't bother ordering this if I had to use my own money because it's so freaking expensive! Our chosen platter is worth P1400, and only the soup is unlimited. Eh if I eat at Huat Pot, I only have to pay around half of that, unlimited everything na yun! The chicken, pork, and beef had no marinade, so they tasted bland. The vegetable were good, though. I guess Coca's hot pot is more expensive than usual because they use induction cookers and the ambiance is really nice.For dessert, we had 3 kinds: salted caramel cheesecake, coco peanut sundae, and fried ice cream. Since I have a sweet tooth, I think all three were good, especially the fried ice cream, which my sister and boyfriend also enjoyed the most.I commend the staff for being so helpful especially when they saw me taking pictures of our orders at a separate table. I didn't ask for their help, but they started bringing the latter orders to me before setting them on our actual table. :)

Edwin Subido Jr

4.0

4/30/2016 My partner & I decided to explore the corner of the SM Aura resto deck we have not really been to a decided to try Coca. The feel of the place was that of a laidback, family oriented restaurant that can also pass for a place where you can go on a date. Meals were advised as "for sharing" and we agreed on the Stir Fried Minced Chicken with separate servings of rice. We were initially not pleased with the meal's presentation but we took it back as it tasted what we would have wanted it; spicy and authentic. Will most likely try ot their other dishes soon.