Restaurant Discovery: Cocina Juan

I am lazy on Lazy Sundays. I am even lazy to eat on Lazy Sundays! Given that I hardly go out on Sundays, I eat really late. I normally skip breakfast so that I’ll just have a big lunch. It became a habit that I find difficult to break. Hence, whenever I go out on Sundays, I’d leave my place with an empty stomach and just a few minutes away from being grumpy. (Unless I bring a carton of milk with me to last me an hour or two.)

A few Sundays ago was supposed to be a Fishing Day at La Mesa Eco Park. But V and I were surprised to be greeted by a fishing pond that seems to be owned by Shrek. We cannot see a single fish. Well, there were a few kids “fishing” but I bet these kids were there for hours. Plus, there were falling branches that made things quite scary for us. So after a few minutes of staring at the pond/Shrek’s swamp, we decided to go to Maginhawa instead.

 

I was 10 minutes away from being a “hANGRY” cat lady when we finally decided to go for Cocina Juan. The place looks charming with its bright red wall and there were only two tables occupied.

The server assisted us to our table and promptly gave us the menu and recommended some dishes. We went for the Churrasco Nicaragua (PHP439) as the server mentioned that this one isn’t spicy. I also got a glass of Cucumber Lemonade (PHP65) simply because it sounds so refreshing. Since I was really hungry and starting to show some symptoms of bratinellism, I asked the kind waiter to choose an appetizer for us as I do not want to think anymore. He chose the Quesadilla Con Tomate (PHP189).

Service was quite quick and we immediately attacked the Quesadilla Con Tomate. The quesadilla was generously stuffed with cheese and tomatoes which was delightful. I didn’t even have to add salsa as it was already tasty as is.

The Churrasco Nicaragua was indeed made for sharing. It was served on a long plate with roasted beef, pork sausages, chicken, Gallo Pinto Rice with salad as a side dish. It was also served with the parsley-based sauce they call chimchurri. (The other version of this has Chimal sauce which has pepper flakes.)

It sure was value for money. The meat were flavorful and even the salad was great! I also enjoyed munching the fries.

 

True enough, the Cucumber Lemonade was refreshing. I love cucumber! (Trivia: Did you know that the cucumber diet is one of the best diets around? But make sure that you don’t end up just with cucumbers as it has low calorie content.)

I would definitely go back to Cocina Juan if I want some affordable quesadilla. I’ll also give Cupcakes by Gremlins a try.

Cocina Juan is located at 100 Maginhawa, Teachers Villlage, Quezon City.