Mikuru Eats: October 2010

After a mass one sunny Sunday morning, we headed to Kanin Club in WestGate, Alabang. We usually eat out for lunch every Sunday so my brother suggested this place.

The place is just small, pretty much half of a basketball court in size but there's a second floor. The first thing that you'll notice upon entering are these...

Paintings by Filipino artists (I suppose), stained glass, native handicrafts and there is even native music being played to complete that Filipino vibe. That staircase by the way leads to the second floor. Nice ambiance overall, though it is almost claustrophobic but anyway... the food... ah yes, the food...

Their vegetable curry was a hit! I was a bit worried that the vegetables will be too soft but it turned out just fine, I liked it a lot! I also love their "Sinigang na Baboy sa Miso". (Pork in Miso Soup) The soup was rich and not too strong. The meat was also tender, I had no difficulty scraping all the goodness off the bone.

Ordering Tokwa't Baboy (Tofu and Pork) was not really part of the plan. You see, why would you order something that you can eat elsewhere? I mean, we went here to try different stuff we don't usually get to eat at home but something tells me this dish is special so I went ahead and ordered one. Then it came in a deep bowl, it usually has a dipping sauce comprised of soy sauce and other stuff but this came with none so I asked the waiter for some but he told me it is already IN the sauce. I dug deeper and yeah, hidden under this mountain of crispiness is a spring of delectable sauce! I mixed everything up with a spoon and 3 words - "OMG!". Okay, three letters. Haha! Very delicious!

I got excited with their brown rice, I immediately ordered it when I saw it on the menu. It is said that 2 cups of this is equal to 1 cup of rice so if I'll be eating a lot getting this would be a wise choice.

They offer bottomless iced teas. My family ordered the regular one but I opted for the green tea. They are refreshingly good!

That one on top is a very interesting dish. They call it "Sinangag na Sinigang". Two methods of cooking - "sinangag" and "sinigang". Think about it this way - a sinigang dish that is stir fried. Some of the veggies like the lettuce and okra were lightly battered and fried so they were crispy which reminded me of crispy kangkong. There is also a pork cutlet and it was soft and chewy.

Below is Seafood Karekare! Squid, shellfish, veggies and an unidentifiable sea critter make up this orgy of goodness! It looked too oily for me but it didn't taste like and I assume they used healthy oils. It came with bagoong or fish paste but you don't really need it, trust me.

Above is Pad Thai. I had my first Pad Thai a few days before going here and I like it a lot so I ordered a plate for the whole family to try! This stir-fry is Thailand's most famous noodle dish. It contains cooked rice noodles, tofu, shrimp, crushed peanuts, nam pla, bean sprouts, garlic, chiles and eggs. Unfortunately, it's not their cup of tea so I ate most of it.

And finally, Crispy Dinuguan! This, I have to say is the star of the day! Imagine - lechong macau in pork's blood coupled with spices. Ah! This is heaven! I liked it a lot! You could really hear the crunch and the pork's blood is flavorful!

We had a lot of fun here @ Kanin Club. A lot of dishes were unexpectedly good! We will definitely go back here! The only thing we didn't like is their slow service. We waited for almost 45 minutes! It's worth the wait but mom is unhappy. Just look at her face. Haha!