Cooking in Small Spaces: Sunday Lunch at Patio Vera

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Sunday Lunch at Patio Vera

A few Sundays ago, I found myself somewhere in the heart of residential Marikina to have lunch with the hubby's mom and sis.

The Patio Vera entrance viewed from inside

The place is dog-friendly but dogs are allowed only in the outdoor dining areas.

Hachiko: Human food!

There are three outdoor areas, one is a covered wooden patio that bears the memorabilia of the shoemaker who built this house. I find it homey except that the old doll in the corner gives me the creeps!

Then there is the cabana that could fit about a dozen diners.

Then there's the uncovered garden area which I think would be a good spot for couples on clear, cool nights.

We started out with the Chorizo Salad made with Romaine lettuce, walnuts, Edam cheese shavings and chorizo bits. The well seasoned and creamy Ceasar dressing put everything together.

The Kapampangan Mixed Seafood Suam na Mais was also interesting with the layer of seafood added to the corn in the broth. It reminds me of the instant corn and crab soup I usually look for when I have the colds, except you know this one was made with real corn.

For our main entrees we had the very cheesy Callos A La Vera, Pork Spare Ribs and Menudo de Meya. Was told though that their specialty is the Paella de Mariscos.

The tripe of the callos was tender and not chewy but the cheese toppings made it so salty, we didn't get to finish all of it.

The Pork Spareribs was plated really well, making dish more appetizing. The chunky pork was tender topped with extra barbecue sauce and fat drippings, which to me makes all the difference. Who can resist that with their rice?

The potatoes and carrots of the Menudo de Meya were cooked separately. This made stew lack that sweet-starchy body you usually enjoy with this tomato-based dish.