First Bite: Spice & Cleaver

I was overwhelmed by the new restaurants in Estancia. There are more options now and some of which are fairly new and I have never visited before. One of which is Spice & Cleaver. I spotted this new joint the night I had dinner at UCC Clockwork. And since I can’t wait to try it, I set my sister’s birthday lunch there.

Hello, Spice & Cleaver!

The place had a few seats left when we got there. But we managed to get a couch at the far end as the ones on the sides seem to be set for large groups.

While waiting for my sister, R and I ordered Fish and Chips (PHP499), Wild Mushroom Tartuffo Pasta (PHP350, PHP430 with prawns), Lamb Sausage (PHP280 for one piece) and house blended iced tea (PHP120).

First served was my iced tea which was served in a small glass. It had a nice sweet lemon taste but for PHP120, this is an expensive drink.

Next served was the lamb sausage with mashed potato base. It was juicy and meaty and I loved it with sauerkraut for that extra flavor and different texture.

R was slightly disappointed with the fish and chips. He ordered it primarily because of the fact that Spice & Cleaver uses halibut fillet. But the beer battered fish fillet served wasn’t something at par with what R expected. It was the frozen kind, he said. It was okay though I prefer Chelsea’s or Fish & Co.’s.

My wild mushroom tratuffo pasta seemed like a crowd favorite while we were there as several other tables ordered the same dish. 

It was creamy and definitely one heavy dish. The creaminess of the sauce covered the truffle’s taste. I didn’t even get a hint of it. The additional PHP80 for two prawns was also a bummer. It wasn’t as fresh, big or many as I pictured. If ever I crave for this dish, I’ll skip the prawns.

Overall, I liked the sausage while the other two dishes are just okay and the iced tea is overpriced for its serving size. But I’m willing to visit this place again to try the other sausages and pizza.

Spice & Cleaver is located at Lower Ground, Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig City.