Restaurant Review: The Corner Street Cafe
Tucked away along a busy street and under large beautiful trees, the Corner Tree Cafe is the perfect hideaway in the heart of Makati in Manila. My visit was at the peak of Manila’s treacherous summer season, and this was just the place to cool down and get my grub on. The restaurant is very charming. It has two large windows in front, that let in just the right amount of light. The dark wood floors contrast nicely with the off white painted walls. I feel like if they played a little bit of live music, this could be the perfect spot for a romantic evening. I was my own date for the evening, and the only one in the restaurant when I arrived. I admit I went at a time before the dinner rush would have started. The waiter came with the menu and poured a nice cool refreshing purified glass of water (free by the way). When it came to ordering, there were so many things on the menu that looked appetizing. I decided, since it was just my second day in the Philippines, I would go as Filipino as I could. For an appetizer, I ordered the vegetable lumpias. Similar to a spring roll, these are filled with all sorts of fresh vegetables. The sauce that accompanies it, is the perfect addition. For my main course, I ordered Adsilog, the tofu version of a Filipino classic. It’s essentially an egg over rice, next to tomatoes and, some mildly spicy tofu. This was actually probably one of the most flavorful tofu dishes I’ve had. It’s light and fluffy on the inside, with a little bit of crisp and flavor on the outside. Both of my plates were left clean. I would definitely come back here and try a few more dishes. My only piece of feedback or criticism is that I wish the wait staff would smile. While I could tell they were eager to please, they were there to do strictly do their jobs. They were friendly, however, and like a said a very pleasant visit. 4/5 stars