I remember way back my pre-food blogging days, my mother would always talked me into trying East Café located inside Rustans Department Store at Makati every time we visit the area to shop. It is one of her favorite dining destinations when in Rustans because that is where she usually meets up with her friends. I never heeded to such call because in all honesty, I found the feel of the restaurant a bit classy for a taste of a youngster like me during that time. I always wanted my usual burger, soda, and fries so why would I bore myself to death to something that for me only mature women like my mom seem to enjoy?
Little did I know, I was missing on something great. Fast forward to the semi-mature me days, after trying out East Café at Rustans Makati, I would say that I should have listened to my mom and gave it a go even before. The things we learn too late in life, eh?
Good thing though that after a decade in the business, East Café is still standing strong amidst competitors in Makati area so I got to try some of the dishes that East Café is proud of.
East Café’s kitchen is headed by one of the most talented chefs in the country, chef Him Uy de Baron of the famed Nomama. I am a fan of chef Him and I consider him the most artistic chef who could paint a plate with beautiful gastronomical creations that doesn’t just bank on the look but in the flavors as well. His talent that radiates in every bowl of ramen and in every plate of all other dishes he prepares in Nomama is definitely noteworthy and worth celebrating for. His works at East Café is not a different story.
Our dinner started with Spicy Salmon Maki (Php280) and Super Unagi Maki (Php410). The salmon variant boasts of spiced salmon loin with mango, cucumber, and tamyao. Since I have deep affinity with salmon, I took a great liking to this dish. The unagi variant on the other hand lived up to its name because indeed it was super impressive. The combination of unagi, cucumber, avocado, sesame seed, and unagi sauce worked really well. Every bite just screamed that it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill maki you can find elsewhere. Not surprising though, it’s chef Him’s creation after all.
The Salt and Pepper Crab Salad (Php260) boasts of soft shell crab with salt and pepper on top of healthy green salad leaves. It comes with aioli that goes perfectly well with the soft shell crab. The addition of mango chunks and heirloom tomato provides a subtle sweetness to the rather savory composure of the salad making it a beautiful balance of sweet and savory.
The Roast Pork Salad (Php290) on the other hand comprise of chassu pork tossed with glass noodles, cucumber, basil, and cherry tomatoes in Vietnamese basil dressing. If the crab salad features a savory flavor brought about by the soft shell crab, I found this roast pork salad surprisingly refreshing. I guess it had something to do with the combination of cucumber and basil which are both not present on the previous salad. I’ve had only a little of the sliced pork hence it renders in my memory as forgettable but all the other components were impeccably delightful, particularly the dressing that brought a whole new dimension of flavor to this dish.
The Crispy Beef Ribs (Php650) for one almost made me do a standing ovation and applaud while tears roll down my face. This beef short ribs dish was marinated and fried to crisp and topped with a lot of fried garlic. It was the bomb, I tell you. The beef was so tender and a single stroke of fork would make the meat separates from the bone. The flavor speaks that the meat was marinated long enough for all the flavor to penetrate even the single strand of the beef. And the fried garlic was just perfect as it cuts through the savory flavor of the beef, striking just the right balance of pure indulgence.
Another dish that made me want to go back to East Café just 15 minutes after leaving its premises was the Salmon Belly Lollipops (Php380). The belly was so fat I imagined it slapping me with Omega 3 in my face without an apology. The pineapple and cilantro salsa that came with it was a perfect combination as it provided flavors that did not just compliments the flavor of the salmon, but it made it shine as well. I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life, seriously.
Fried Whole Lapu Lapu with Mapo Tofu (Php525) was one big dish I also enjoyed since I love fish dishes especially that of Lapu Lapu. Fried Lapu-Lapu may seem like a simple dish but the addition of mapo tofu was well thought of hence, it came out right.
For the dessert part of the meal we had the impressive Sumaki with a scoop of Pinkerton Ice Cream (Php325). Now this dessert I must say is definitely impressive. It’s like the classic dessert dish with a modern twist. Essentially, Sumaki is Filipino suman (rice cake) topped with mangoes, ube, pinipig, and a scoop of ice cream. It’s a native delicacy we all love made all the more enticing with a delightful twist that only talented chef could execute.
The Molten Chocolate Cake with Pinkerton Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Php205) is your usual molten lava cake only way better. I wish I could have captured the awesome view of it when sliced but since it was so good, the entire thing was gone way before I opened my camera. So, there.
The Caramel Cheese Cake was nowhere to be found on the menu but we were served of it anyway. It’s taste was reminiscent of the comforting homemade cheesecake with caramel incorporated to it without an agenda to kill you with excessive sweetness. It was good.
I was told that East Café have gone through some revamp on the menu so I am not so sure if the goodness of the food reverberates the past years of East Café existence. But then again, if my mother loves it even before, I am pretty sure that it’s been good since day one. I love the fact that it is situated amidst the women section of Rustans Makati Department store because it is perfect for those who wants to take a rest amidst shopping. Next time my mother and I would visit Rustans, I am pretty sure that this time, I’ll be the one who will ask her to join me for a quick bite at East Café.
East Café
3/F Rustans Department Store Makati
Ayala Center, Makati City
Contact no.: 813-3739 local 246 / 812-0233
