Second Bite: Sunnies Cafe

Sunnies Cafe has been a favorite dining destination ever since it opened last July 31. With its lovely hues and charming interiors, this place is highly recommended for catch up with friends or friendly lunch or dinner dates. I visited this adorable restaurant on its first week and I was lucky to be invited by its owner, Eric Dee, to sample its other dishes. And I decided to pass by last Saturday. Yes, I went to High Street despite the crazy rain that day. 

Hello again, Sunnies Cafe!

The friendly staff greeted us and ushered us to a nearby table. Eric Dee welcomed us right after and ordered the following for us to try: Crispy Tacos (PHP270), Salmon Poke Quinoa (PHP280), Pumpkin Purée (PHP150), Whole Roasted Cauliflower (PHP340), Pan-Seared Miso Salmon (PHP470), Camarones al Ajillo (PHP460), Spaghetti al Funghi (PHP260), Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie (PHP340) and Chocohoe (PHP400). For drinks, we went with Charlie Golden Ticket (PHP190) and Iced Coconut Milk Latte (PHP170).

While chatting with Eric about how dynamic the food scene is here in Manila, the poke salad was served. Sunnies Cafe tried to add a bit of twist to this Hawaiian dish by using fresh salmon instead of the usual tuna. And it came out to be very good. The fresh salmon had a bit of spice and it went well with the smooth and subtly sweet avocado, mixed greens, and quinoa. The citrus ponzu dressing added character the dish, tickling my tastebuds with its slight tangy taste. 

I was curious with the crispy tacos as it has been raved by foodies. The cute small tacos are made of asado steak stuffed inside homemade parmesan taco shells and topped with cilantro cream sauce and fried quail eggs and such combo did not disappoint. 

The sweet taste of the steak chunks was balanced by the salty and slightly tangy taste of the taco shell and the cilantro cream gave the dish a burst of refreshing flavor. It would have been perfect if Sunnies Cafe tone down the steak’s sauce as it slightly overwhelmed the other elements of the dish. 

Our drinks were served next and I fell in love with R’s rich and creamy milk shake. It was the simple and not overly adorned drink that I love. It was sweet but not to the extent of being at risk of developing diabetes. I loved it a lot and I’m sure that kiddos who like chocolate chip ice cream, molten milk and milo would love this too!

My drink on the other hand was not as sweet and had a faint coffee and coconut taste. This drink is perfect for those who do not like very flavorful beverages and prefer the type that quenches thirst. 

The other dishes soon followed and I got a chance to do a flatly. 

A not so good one at that. *ugly cry*

I first sampled the Whole Roasted Cauliflower and it was really good! Sprinkled with truffle and served with horseradish cream and beet reduction, I felt like I was eating something really healthy and yummy! 

The lovely crunch from the cauliflower was so addicting that I failed to notice that I was already halfway done with the dish. 

The slight tanginess of the sauce played so well with the delightfully battered cauliflower.

I heard that the salmon dish was spectacular during the recent looloo rendezvoos and they were absolutely right! It was divine! R and I loved that the salmon was not thoroughly cooked making it so soft and juicy giving it a sharp contrast with the crisp outer layer. I also liked the sweet miso glaze which added flavor and complemented the crisp greens with tangy dressing and brown rice.

The camarones was pretty good too though the serving size of the fresh garlic butter roast shrimps was a bit stingy for its price. Nonetheless, the flavorful shrimps, black bean purée, salsa and cilantro lime rice combination was delicious. 

The different flavors blended perfectly and the salty and tangy contrast made each bite enjoyable. I’m just not willing to share a plate with someone as I want every single bit of it. 

I’ve had Spaghetti al Funghi and Pumpkin Purée before but I wanted R to try it too. I was thrilled when he liked both dishes as much as I did.

The Spaghetti al Funghi was as flavorful as before and the 65-degree egg gave it a lovely silky texture. The garlic enhanced the taste of the oil based pasta and the mushroom gave it the addicting snap bites. 

The pumpkin soup looked different from before. It was darker in color and it was missing the breaded squid. Taste-wise though, it was the creamy, sweet and salty soup that I fell in love with. Even R was surprised with how thick it was and said that it was bang for the buck as that alone could make one full.

While R was busy trying to get every bit of pumpkin soup off the bowl, I signalled for the desserts to be served. After a few minutes, the mouthwatering desserts were placed on our table. 

I was warned that Chocohoe is very rich to the point of being cloying; that is if you are not fond of rich and very chocolatey desserts. 

It was indeed very rich and dense. I thought that it was hallow inside with melted chocolate gushing all over once cracked open. But it simply a very thick chocolate cake with chocolate ganache served with vanilla ice cream on the side. I think this would have been better if it had a crunchy base or topping for contrast. 

We liked Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie more as it had a variety of textures and flavors. The crushed Oreo and coffee crumble added crunch and were polar opposites to the soft and smooth fresh bananas, cream filling and whipped cream. 

The best part was that it still tasted divine the next day!

It was another lovely lunch at Sunnies Cafe! I’ll definitely swing by again soon for more!

Sunnies Cafe is located at Lane P, Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It is right beside Pound by Todd English.