Sunday Lunch out with friends at Krazy Garlik & SBC

Last Sunday, I went out for lunch and coffee with my college barkada at Greenbelt. Despite the erratic and rainy Manila weather, there was no stopping to seeing my dear college friends. I’ve kept in close touch with my barkada throughout the years after college. Our friend, Sweet, though currently lives in Davao where she is reviewing for the upcoming bar exams. When we learned that she will be in Manila last week of July to fetch Eelai, her French nephew, who will be arriving in the Philippines for the school break, I immediately set up a lunch date with friends. Well, Sweet actually re-booked her ticket to Manila to an earlier date to catch Incubus’ concert. That’s another story.

So anyways, we met around 12ish and decided to eat lunch at Krazy Garlik in Greenbelt 5. I’ve always been curious with Krazy Garlik’s food because of their garlic-themed dishes. Knowing that it is run by the Bistro Group which also runs Italiannis, TGI Fridays, Fish and Co., among others, I had high expectations, of course. 

We were there on a lunch time on a Sunday so we anticipated a big lunch crowd. We were seated in the al-fresco area of the resto so I can’t say much about their interiors except it was relaxed but I find it kinda gloomy because of its dull red walls. 

with my college friends

and my +1

We ordered Krazy Garlik’s house specialties. 

Garlicky Crispy Pata (Php 695)

Looks good right? Yeah, it was. We’ll honestly, I’ve never tasted a bland crispy pata. I expected more from this dish. But why did they named this Garlicky Crispy Pata again?! I didn’t taste a hint of garlic on the crispy pata except if you decide to eat the whole garlic clove on the side or the garlic crumbs. Even the dip was nothing to rave about. This crispy pata was overrated for its price. If there’s one thing I liked in their crispy pata, it’d be that it wasn’t oily and greasy at all.  

Mushroom Matsuri (Php 345)

The sautéed mushroom was cooked in Japanese style. The garlicky sauce was flavorful. The mushrooms are firm and it tasted well with the sauce.  

Hara-kiri Rice (Php 365)

This house specialty mixed rice was actually good with bits of bacon, shrimp, squid, and chili. The ‘for sharing’ serving was good for 2-3 persons according to the menu; that is if you are not a rice eater.  

Shrimp Maramonte Pasta (Php 450)

This is an al-dente spaghetti pasta sautéed in pesto sauce, baby clams, and shrimp. The pasta was perfect to pesto lovers. But personally, I’d still go for Cibo’s pasta.

The restaurant service was okay. Sometimes the manager would personally check if we need something. But they served our dishes late; we had to wait quite long and follow them up. We were ahead in ordering from the other tables but theirs came quite prompt.  

Overall, I would rate my Krazy Garlik experience 7 out of 10. It could have been a better customer experience if not for their overpriced food in small servings. For the bill we paid, we could have eaten buffet at Yakimix. To be honest, I was still hungry after eating at Krazy Garlik.. hehe Oh well! 

Hot chocolate and walnut chocolate cake

We went to Seattle’s Best Coffee for dessert and coffee and for more chikka. I had my favorite Signature Hot Chocolate with dark choco stick. Perfect drink during rainy days.

Six years after college: Ru, Nica, Sweet, and Azzy. We miss you Edgar!

Six years after college.. Azzy is now a lawyer. Sweet is reviewing for her bar exam. Edgar is a French business analyst. Ru is our Japanese-speaking friend and currently enjoying his bum life. And I am doing research and business intelligence work for an infrastructure company. We can’t believe it was that long since we left La Salle!