Restaurant Review: C2 Classic Cuisine

Last Saturday, while walking through Robinson’s Manila (it's sale weekend!  Of course), I came across Classic Cuisine, or known simply as C2.  I’ve been to this restaurant before.  Having an OFW for a husband who is always hungry for local fare everytime he's here on his short balikbayan visits, you get to try almost all the Filipino-specialty restos in the Metro (hey, it rhymes!)  Missing our all-time favorites, or perhaps being a little nostalgic, I was able to convince my mom to eat lunch there.

C2 is a local refreshing restaurant that offers Filipino classics in a homey atmosphere, filled with very attentive and knowledgeable staff.  This is what has made them one of my favorite restaurants to date.  Ask your waiter anything on the menu and he can easily provide you with the proper answer.

We ordered just a few of our favorites:

Tinolang Binakol (P295.00).  Now this is not your ordinary tinolang manok mocked by Padre Damaso of Noli Me Tangere fame, no siree.  This is tinolang manok with a twist -- they include tender buko strips and juice in their version!  It is a fusion of the flavor of the ginger and the sweetness of the buco juice, boiled together with bite-sized pieces of chicken and lemon grass (or tanglad in the vernacular).

Lumpiang Hubad (P160.00).  C2’s version is composed of various vegetable strips accompanied with a sweet and garlic peanut sauce.  It even includes a small pile of crispy deep-fried lumpia wrappers, cut into small tortilla-like pieces.

C2 offers different types of rice as well, but if you ask me, complex-flavored rice just ruins the taste of the main course, which is why their steamed Pandan rice (P65.00) is just a perfect match to our meal.

For our drinks, mom ordered Sago’t Gulaman (P80.00) while I had my favorite Guinumis (P90.00), a sweet drink made up of small tapioca (sago) beads, with crushed ice and panocha syrup, topped with cripy pinipig and a generous serving of coconut milk.  Yummy!

Sago't Gulaman (left) and Guinumis

With stomachs churning, mom and I happily dig in.  We’re definitely gonna visit them again.  Maybe next time we could try their award-winning Bibinka Souffle (P145.00) I’ve been hearing for so long.

***

Classic Cuisine (C2) has branches in EDSA Shangri-la (02 6361510), Megamall (02 7104759), Rockwell Power Plant Mall (02 8978113), Robinsons Place Manila (02 5672402), SM Mall of Asia (02 5563195), The Summit Ridge Promenade in Tagaytagy City (046 4830114), SM City North EDSA (02 3324708) and in Greenhills (02 7232347).

P.S. They also deliver!  Wooohooo!!!