The Clubhouse

Just nearby is a new restaurant located in Robinson's Magnolia called "The Clubhouse". Its cool mint green theme and cosy interiors are appealing, and so is the menu, which is comprised of comfort food items (from breakfast-style omelettes to pastas and soups) and rather basic dishes that have stood the test of time. Indeed, any "clubhouse" doesn't stray too far from the norm.

This evening, the fennel bulbs found the Filipino-inspired dishes rather appealing. In the menu were rice bowls mixed with local ingredients like dried fish flakes (tuyo) and local sausages (longganisa). Well, tuna puttanesca (Php185) and Vigan longganisa hash (Php225) were odered.

The tuna puttanesca rice bowl tasted well - the typical flavours of a puttanesca sauce (hinted by the use of mildly pungent capers and acidic black olives) go well with sauteed rice. It was served with what seems to be one of the restaurant's trademarks - the pineapple salsa, which was like a milder version of the Mexican salsa, with less spice, same level of that herby flavor, and the additional pineapple sweetness.

The Vigan longganisa hash tasted well - the mixture of potatoes and longganisa yielded a robust blend of textures and flavours. Together with the scrambled eggs and the rice, it was much like a good Filipino breakfast, upped with a bit of creativity.

Some crisps with three different dips (Php225) were ordered alongside. The crisps resembled Melba toasts and were light, airy, and crispy. The dips were crab and artichoke, garlic and cheese, and spinach. All dips were flavourful, but the crab and artichoke dip did not taste as suggestive as it should be.

On display is a seemingly delectable selection of sweets, which we found difficult to resist. The fennel bulbs tried the carrot cake (Php135) and the lemon square (Php35), both of which are their favourite classic desserts. The carrot cake was moist and tasted deliciously, the white icing done well enough so that it was smooth and there were no sugar crystals. The lemon squares were chewy, as it was probably the intention. However, the citrus component of the flavor was not delightfully citrus enough, and to date, the fennel bulbs would have to say that Mary Grace's lemon squares are still the best in town.

All this goodness was coupled with a lovely cup of coffee (Php85). The Nespresso coffee was brewed well, and the rather touching detail about it was the little cup of steamed milk that went along with it. Unless they're serious about their coffee, only a handful of restaurants would have the sensibility to serve milk, warmed.

Apart from the obnoxious family behind us, The Clubhouse, with its generally good food, impeccable service by a very efficient and friendly staff, and great ambience, is one good place to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner, at a very reasonable price.