Sentro 1771 Restaurant at Serendra, The Fort: Fine Breakfast Selections

When talking about Sentro 1771 Restaurant which has branches both at Serendra, The Fort and Greenbelt in Makati, the first thing that comes to mind will always be their famous Corned Beef Sinigang. There are a lot of Filipino restaurants in Manila serving Modern Filipino Cuisine, but it was only Sentro 1771 that has actually pulled off an innovative twist on a rather western food to turn it to something distinctly Filipino.

While Sentro 1771, a member of 1771 Group of Restaurants is known to dish out Filipino dishes, few of us know that they are also serving mean sets of modern Filipino breakfast fare to boot. I myself was not aware of this until I visited Sentro 1771 at Serendra, The Fort recently.

My visit along with other foodie friends happened one Saturday morning. Although I always believe that waking up really early on a Saturday, or on a weekends for that matter should be illegal, there are some things that are worth giving up the extra hours of sleep for. Just like a fine Filipino breakfast at Sentro 1771.

The ambiance at Sentro 1771 suggests a modern take on Filipino set up. It is actually chic with a few touches of Filipino flair punctuated by wood clad interior, paintings, and other antique knick-knacks peppered around the restaurant. It was a comfortable and well-lit ambiance conducive to eating leisurely meals with loved ones and friends.

Nothing could be more welcoming than a cup of hot chocolate made of tablea. Thick enough to tickle the palate and rich enough that the distinct taste of tablea will linger after every sip. This hot cocoa went perfectly well with Sentro's Homemade Pancakes with Banana (Php185) which we were told was made of sour cream instead of the traditional buttermilk. The shift does not held too much effect on flavor but in terms of size, it came noticeably thick and way fluffier than usual. The banana was an added treat, especially when smothered with butter and honey.

Famous for their corned beef, Sentro incorporated it in a breakfast fare through their Pandesal Sandwich with Ginisang Corned beef (Php210). Whatever it lacks for aesthetic flair in presentation, the taste made up for it. Chunky pieces of corned beef tucked in between whole wheat pandesal, it was a filling meal in itself, but when you're at Sentro 1771, you'd be crazy to pass up trying out other items on their menu, so you take your fair share of this sandwich and man up for the other dishes to come.

Sentro's Hole in One (Php280) may not be Filipino dish by nature, but it was a welcome addition to our feast. It is essentially a French Toast with hole in the middle where a sunny side up egg was nestled.

Served with strips of ultra crisp bacon and pork and beans. It is a hybrid between French and American breakfast made all the special the Sentro way. An order of this comes with hot chocolate or brewed coffee depending on the diners' preference.

The pancakes and bread dishes were all satisfying but Filipino breakfast would feel rather lacking when any rice dish was nowhere in sight. Sentro's Adobo Flakes Fried Rice (Php210) was served with sunny side up egg on top and some sliced tomatoes on the side. True to its name, it suggests a distinct flavor of adobo which Filipinos love. Bits and pieces of meat made the experience all the more authentic and downright delightful.

Baguio Longganisa na Durog (Php 350) was another rice dish that was served. I have mentioned here on my blog how I am not really a big fan of longganisa in any form and my exposure to such delicacy is somehow limited. Having said that, I am not in the position to pass judgement. But by the rate that this dish was swiped in a matter of minutes, it says a lot about the quality of this dish.

When I did not particularly went crazy over the longganisa rice dish, digging into Sentro 1771's Catfish Adobo Flakes (Php300) was another story. I cannot fathom what made me rave about this dish, really. It maybe the interesting texture of the shredded catfish that reminds me of a pork floss only way crispier. Or it could be the notable taste of adobo that blends perfectly well with the distinct taste of catfish. I am not sure, but what I am sure of was that when these delightful flakes of golden hue greeted my palate, it was pure bliss.

Truth be told, when dining in Filipino restaurants, my expectations for desserts was somewhat not as enthusiastic as I hoped it to be. Growing up, I used to adore Filipino sweet delicacies of all sort, but I grew tired of it eventually. Admittedly, I am not big when it comes to Filipino desserts nowadays, but Sentro 1771's flair for adding a twist to a rather mundane dish served as a gateway to reunite me with this long lost love for Pinoy desserts.

For someone who was raised in Antipolo City where mangoes and suman are abundant, it will take a lot to excite me when these two goodies are served as a meal-ender. Surprisingly, Sentro's Fried Suman and Mangoes (Php180) was able to excite me with its impeccable plating and well-executed flavor combination. It was quite obvious that it was a labor of love for the suman (rice cake) held no resemblance to the usual fare in terms of texture, hence it killed the boredom. It has the melt-in-your-mouth texture which I find rather ticklish to the palate. The melted latik that served as the rice cake's sweetening component was equally delightful because it was not cloying as compared to the traditional latik. The innate sweetness of the ripe mangoes was an added treat that lends a refreshing flair to the dessert.

I would be lying if I do not say that Sentro 1771's Keso Flan (Php220) did not made an impact, because truth be told, it was life changing. This Filipinized version of creme caramel boasts of two equally strong flavors incorporated in it; queso de bola and salted egg. The dense creme caramel was so rich and really flavorful that it can do without the pieces of salted egg and queso de bola it was meant to be eaten with. But if you are up for extreme satisfaction in terms of flavor, then by all means combine the three and you won't be sorry. Some says that it's a hybrid of the local Filipino cake called bibingka where the taste of salted egg is predominant and the usual creme caramel with cheese. I could agree with that but personally, it will be a disservice to a wonderful dish such as this to tagged it as just a hybrid. Because seriously, it was so good it is a universe on its own.

The modern Filipino breakfast fares at Sentro 1771 Restaurant proved to be really satisfying. Up to now I am still surprised that they do serve great breakfast dishes and it made me all the more excited to revisit them and try some of their Filipino dishes that everyone is talking about. There may be a lot of restaurants in Serendra, The Fort, but be sure to pay Sentro 1771 a visit one of these days during their breakfast hours and indulge on their impressive line of breakfast menu and be amazed at how well executed their take on modernized Filipino dishes are.