Having worked and lived in Quezon City most of my life, I’ve seen neighborhoods transform from private, quiet and residential, to accessible and commercialized. This is very much true especially in the Scout area, which has lately developed into a haven of new and undiscovered restaurants.
The edge that some of these restaurants have over their more sophisticated Pasig, Taguig, or Makati counterparts is that the vicinity in which they are located has retained much of its neighborhood feel. No concrete jungles here. Low-rise buildings still abound, and even better, houses have been transformed into attractive and chic establishments. Hence, the vibe is more relaxing and laid back, conducive for those moments where you just want to enjoy a good meal in a pretty atmosphere, and amongst close friends.
One such establishment is LOLA Café + Bar. Tucked away in the non-descript street of Scout Lozano, it is a gem of a restaurant just waiting to be discovered. The restaurant itself is a beautiful, old, restored residence, whose façade is made modern with touches of white paint, huge black pots, metal grilling, and bamboo plants.
The furniture inside is also streamlined and simple, the artwork contemporary. This nicely contrasts the “older” elements of the space such as the staircase and dark wooden floors.
I also liked how old mason jars were re-purposed into light fixtures. Innovative, yet industrially chic! 🙂
On to the food…
For starters, the H and I ordered some Salpicao. The beef was nice and tender, seasoned just right. Unfortunately, it was also swimming in a sea of oil :(. It would have been better if this was drained first, before it was served. Nevertheless, the meat itself tasted very good :).
For our mains, we also decided to go with 2 of their recommended dishes. Their Tartufo Pasta, and Rosemary Chicken.
As expected, the Tartufo Pasta did not disappoint. As it was set down on the table, the wonderful aroma of truffle made my tummy do a dance of joy. Hahaha! And the taste definitely lived up to its wonderful smell–creamy, flavorful, al dente noodles with every bite! Considering there was cream in this dish, it was surprisingly light :). I only wish they added a bit more of the portobello mushroom, and that the serving size was bigger because after a couple of forkfuls, the entire dish was wiped out!!! Hahaha!
The Rosemary Chicken, on the other hand, was a bit unexpected. I was looking forward to half an herbed roasted chicken, but instead got one that was covered in an orange sauce that tasted a bit tangy and lemon-y. Once I got over my initial surprise, though, I enjoyed the juiciness and flavorfulness of the chicken very much. Maybe I would not pair it with the Tartufo again, though, as the flavor profiles did not quite complement each other :).
For dessert, we decided to split a Banoffee Pie. Again, I was (delightfully) surprised to see that it was different in appearance from the banoffee’s that I’d grown accustomed to, yet was every bit as delectable. There was a very thin layer of graham crust at the bottom, another thin layer of banana, then the last layer was thick custard cream with a dusting of chocolate. The custard was light and not nakaka-umay at all. Eaten with a cafe latte, it was the perfect ending to a very flavorful meal! 🙂
The verdict?
Good comfort food set in a wonderful ambience makes this restaurant worth coming back to :)! LOLA also has a lot of other interesting menu items that caught my eye. Three words in particular—Tapa Eggs Benedict—made me do a double take, and made me already want to plan my next visit. Hahaha!
Fortunately for me, not only is my office near the area, but I also work with colleagues who share my enthusiasm for food and eating in new, undiscovered places. Wanna guess where our next lunch out will be?
LOLA Cafe + Bar is located at 99 Scout Lozano Street, Quezon City; Telephone Number +632 501 2620
Images without my watermark/blog name were grabbed from FourSquare
A Dose of Happy 