First Bite: Eighteen Bistro

I had no idea that Friday traffic would be this crazy. I had to rush from Greenhills to Tomas Morato before 6 p.m. but I failed. Hence, I had to go back to Tomas Morato the following day to complete my task. And I’m not complaining from working on weekends when I get rewarded with food. After all, Tomas Morato is a foodie destination and thanks to the ever trusty foodie app, looloo, I found out that three restaurants on my must visit list are just a couple of blocks away. And for stop #1, R and I went to Eighteen Bistro.

Hello, Eighteen Bistro!

I have been eying this restaurant ever since I saw a post or two of its PHP18 cocktails on Facebook. I’m not an alcoholic. I just love scoring great deals!

We got to the place around 5:45 p.m. and the place was empty. We ordered Tomato Cream Soup (PHP180), Beef Bourguignon (PHP350) and Spicy Portobello and Cream Cheese (PHP310). We also wanted to avail of the PHP18 cocktails but the bistro was quite strict with the deal and we could only order when the clock strike 6:00. And so we waited. 

The tomato soup, despite its description of being a slow cooked stew, was served fast! (Okay, corny joke.)

It was served piping hot but it had a stench that R negatively reacted to. The server said that it must be the balsamic vinegar. But R felt that it was something else, like a poorly dried dishwashing towel or something.  Despite the smell, the soup was delightful.

It had a thick texture and I loved the sweet yet tangy taste of it. It was like slurping spaghetti sauce with a borderline Filipino and Italian blend. The toasted baguette with cheese was a nice touch.

The slow braised beef in red wine with potato terrine on the side was also good. The meat was succulent.