Modern Classics

Me and my grandmother went to RP one Sunday noon and decided to take our lunch at the mall too. I took her to C2 since I have already decided even before we left the house that we will eat there. Actually, I was already practically drooling over the thought that I can now actually try their food. Yeah, I have always wanted to eat at C2 but just cannot find time to do so. My food trip buddy is not a Filipino food fan that is why I cannot drag her to C2 each time we're out on another food trip mission.

While reading the menu outside the restaurant, I was a little bit skeptic. I mean, seriously, crispy sinigang? Well, my curiosity beat the skeptical side of mine and we went ahead inside. I must admit, I love the interior of C2-RP branch. It is a small place, but is very cozy. The smooth and glossy wood tables and soft couches are perfect addition to the cozy ambiance. They have soft lights all over but the place is neither too dark nor too bright. For me, the lighting and fixtures created the perfect dining ambiance. Plus the attendants were all very friendly and attentive to their customers' needs. The food is quite pricey but I think it is all worth it.

Let's start with the food that we ordered that day. Since it was only the two of us, and my grandmother has a small appetite, we ordered quite simply. We had Satay Bagnet and Aligue Rice for our entree because I think these are enough for the two of us.


The Satay Bagnet was served with fried wanton wrappers around the Bagnet and a little bit of shredded pickled vegetables. And since it is Satay, it was served with Peanut Sauce on the side. The serving was already good for two persons considering it is fried, so you will not want to eat more than you should. Although, you might have to hold back since it is quite tempting to eat this Bagnet bite after bite. The liempo is very crispy outside but very tender inside. Another good thing is that it is quite lean and only has very small part of fat in it. So even though it is fried, it is not too oily. When dipped into the Peanut Sauce, it gives you a jambalaya of flavors. Plus the Peanut Sauce is not too watery nor too thick but just the right consistency for this dish. So first you will taste the salty-sweet taste of the Peanut Sauce clinging on the pork, then you sink your teeth to the crispy outer covering of the liempo only to hear the cracking sound inside your mouth. Then you feel the tenderness of the pork and taste the nutty accent of the Peanut Sauce blending inside your mouth. Ahhh! Heavenly, yet very sinful! The wanton wrappers are also very crispy but quite oily and the pickled vegetables are very fresh. What I do is to slice the liempo in half-bite sizes then get a little of the pickled vegetables and assemble everything together with the wanton wrapper and the Peanut Sauce then put everything into my mouth. I find it good and refreshing with the vegetables thus lessening the oiliness of the combined Bagnet and wanton wrappers.
Then there's the Aligue Rice. That is the first time that I will eat Aligue Rice (yeah, pity me). I have never eaten Aligue Rice yet and I was very excited to try it. It looks so delicious on the menu picture but looks so "deadly" because I know that it is full of cholesterol. But the hell with cholesterols, I want to try it and no one can stop me. Anyway, the rice was so good. It is so flavorful and the rice is cooked perfectly. Although, it is also quite oily but you can totally forget about it because it is really good. I know that the Bagnet Aligue Rice combination is a bad idea because these are fatty foods but it is really delicious. One very small thing though, I would rather like it better if they will add a little bit more of the pickled vegetables to ward off the oiliness when you had a little bit too much of the Bagnet and Aligue Rice. Because for me the pickled vegetables balances the oiliness with its tartness.

And now that the serious part is over, let me share to you the most amazing, and for me, the star of my lunch. The Dessert. I have read about this delicious dessert from a food blog some time ago. I then lust to taste it because the blogger gave it so much credit that the entry made me swear to myself that I cannot miss trying it when I have the chance to. So as not to keep you waiting anymore..

Ladies and Gentlemen.. Please put your hands together for the star of the meal..

Bibingka Souffle!!!Yeah, damn it. IT's that good. When they served the Bibingka Souffle to our table, it shone among the rest. And I mean, it is the only thing that I see. All of the spotlights are focused on her. I think you will regret it if you go to C2 and not order this. And I'm serious. Its as if the Bibingka Souffle is the specialty of C2. Or, on the second thought, maybe it is the specialty of C2 when it comes to the dessert department. Anyway, I think I have held your breath enough so let us now go to the details of the infamous Bibingka Souffle. According Wikipedia, Souffle came from a French verb which means to "puff up" or to "blow up". True enough, when you look at the Bibingka Souffle, its as if you were served a volcano that has erupted, minus the lava. It really is a huge one, and as if it will explode any minute. The Bibingka Souffle has all the glorious toppings of an authentic bibingka that fills the Christmas air during December. It has queso de bola and salted egg that give the Bibingka Souffle the sweet and salty taste. What I love most about it is that it is very light and fluffy. It is so light that it melts in your mouth literally. It is so fluffy that I was almost afraid of digging inside because I think it is very delicate to be dig into. But of course, I couldn't just let it sit there right, so I dug quite softly on the souffle. Careful as not to destroy the perfect dome it has become to. The Bibingka Souffle was served with a coconut cream sauce on the side. What I did was create an opening on the top of the souffle dome and then pour more than half of the coconut cream sauce and then mix it a little then pop a dessert-spoonful of souffle on my eager mouth. I hesitated to pour the whole coconut cream sauce because I thought it would be too sweet. Turned out, I was right. Had I pour the whole coconut cream on it, it will turn out to be too sweet. Since, my instinct told me the right instruction, I ended up with a heavenly, amazingly delicious, sweet and salty Bibingka Souffle. Sound like an advertisement, isn't it? Well I can invest on the souffle just to prove that it is really that good.

The last thing that I entertained to my stomach is the chocolate drink which they amusingly called Tsokolate Eh. Yeah, when I read it from the menu, there's only one thing that came to my mind.. Batangas. I do not know for sure if the chocolate drink really came from Batangas but one thing for sure, it is excellent. It is very chocolatey, and by that I mean it is not watery so it really has the perfect chocolate taste. In short, it does not taste like thickened Hot Milo. It is also smooth and has no residue of whatsoever. But, I found some rice-like pulp, and the consistency made it sticky to look at, like champorado. It is also not too sweet also thus prompting me to give it the title of the "Perfect Chocolate Drink".

The C2 experience is perfect and my grandmother thought so too. There's only one thing that she does not approve of, the price of the food. I admit it is quite pricey for a Filipino dish but I think it is all worth it. I mean, it is not everywhere that you find that one-of-a-kind Bibingka Souffle, do you? And I give it to them when it comes to the creative department. Yeah, I'm still not yet over the crispy sinigang. Next time, when I happen to go to RP, I will make sure to order that crispy sinigang. And of course, the Bibingka Souffle again.

Okay! I will stop rambling about the Bibingka Souffle now!