Love at First Bite: Bistro Kalzada

I always think of fancy and expensive whenever I hear the word degustation. I first had my first degustation experience at the lovely abode of Dedet de la Fuente for her massive Pepita’s Lechon holiday degustation which lasted almost 5 hours. Since then, I tried other degustation menus and some cost an arm and leg. With more and more establishments offering fancy tasting menus, I would have never thought that I’d get to discover a restaurant that would challenge this and at less than PHP600 for two at that! 

Hello, Bistro Kalzada.

Located along the busy Magiting Street inside Teachers Village, this small and homey restaurant is owned by a dynamic chef couple who have professional culinary training abroad. Pursuing their dream of starting their own restaurant, they opened Bistro Kalzada last July this year and have been slowly getting the attention of locals who frequent the area.

A tasting menu was prepared for us when we dropped by a few Sundays ago and for starters, we were treated to a lovely plate of Beef Brisket Enchilada (PHP95). 

I was surprised when I found out that this beautifully plated appetizer only costs PHP95. And it was not just beautiful, it was actually tasty too! The beef brisket bits were succulent making each bite packed with flavor. 

I went crazy with the wonderful blend of sweet and salty flavors of the beef brisket which was well complemented by the soft tortilla and chimichurri.. There was a subtle hint of spice that will make one hooked to this dish. 

Our second dish, Pork Cubano Tostada (PHP95) was served a few minutes after we finished our first plate; and it was yet another fancily plated appetizer.

This one was an instant hit with its fatty content making it so sinful yet oh so delicious. The saltiness of the pork cubano was balanced by the chimichurri and red sauce that gave it a bit of spicy kick (which could be negligible for hardcore chili lovers). I also loved putting it on top of a crisp thin tortilla for texture. 

While waiting for our main dish, we were given some refreshing Pineapple and Lime slush to help cleanse the palette. 

The Peruvian Chicken cooked in two ways (PHP295) is one of Bistro Kalzada’s bestselling dishes and a staple in its ever changing menu. It took me one bite to realize why people fell in love with this dish. It was really good! One half of the dish was confit while the other was pan-seared. R liked the pan-seared version while I remained torn between the two. Both oily (in a good way) and flavorful, the only difference between the two was that the confit leg was seasoned with herbs while the pan-seared chicken wasn’t. 

But what made this dish so addicting is its chimichurri overload! The chicken leg and chicken breast were topped with the delightful green sauce and the rice was mixed with it too. It was a gastronomic orgasm which made R and I battle for the last piece of chicken meat. 

Sadly, there were no available desserts when we dropped by but given the dishes we had, I’m sure that Bistro Kalzada’s desserts are top notch as well. 

Thank you so much, Bistro Kalzada for the invite! Your restaurant has been one of our best finds this year and we can’t wait to go back soon! 

Bistro Kalzada is located at 44-B Marjorie Place, Magiting Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City. It is open from 5 pm to 10 pm daily.