Sérye Restaurant and Café (Quezon Memorial Circle)

Sérye Restaurant and Café is one of the few dining establishments inside Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

Sérye Restaurant and Café offers a Filipino menu that is a mix of old and new, which retained dishes that Pinoys love best and added new dishes that are improvements on old recipes.

I have been to Sérye Restaurant and Café four times, two of which happened quite recently, and I have tasted over a dozen of their dishes and a handful of their desserts. I can say that their dishes are plated well and consistently at that. In terms of flavor, the dish I enjoyed the most was bangus belly ala bistek, for being flavorful and hardy. It gave me the sense of satisfaction that only beef could have given without the doctor’s appointment. It was closely followed by tortang alimasag. Despite the fact that it was gorgeously presented, the dish that was that biggest letdown was the boneless crispy pata. It was too dry and too bland.

I would be remiss not to mention that Sérye Restaurant and Café had the most accommodating dining specialists. They were attentive and friendly. I cannot remember the name of the dining specialist who gave me two scoops of ice cream (I think it was Rico) in separate bowls because he knew that I would end up sharing them anyway (he saw me share the decadent Sérye Chocolate Cake), and the intern who cheerfully chatted with me while she cleaned the bar area. Maraming salamat. 🙂

This entry focuses on the the main dishes. Desserts and drinks will be featured on the next entry.

For related entries, please read Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon Heritage House, and Quezon Memorial Shrine.

*Here are photos taken at Sérye Restaurant and Café in Quezon Memorial Circle:

Sérye Restaurant and Café in Quezon Memorial Circle

Sérye Restaurant and Café spacious interior. The glass double doors lead to more dining áreas. To the left of which is an area that can be converted into a meeting place.

Sérye Restaurant and Café dining area is no-nonsense and very basic.

Sérye Restaurant and Café dining area that faces the parking lot

Sérye Restaurant and Café dining area near the shelves of desserts

Bangus Belly ala Bistek, P395.00 (US $7.52). Fried milkfish belly and onion rings in soy calamansi. Yum! I have been eating a lot of milkfish for several months now, especially the belly area, and I dig this dish. The milkfish slices were on the sturdier side imitating beef but without the chewiness that usually comes with it. The flavor was balanced because the soy calamansi did not overwhelm the dish.

Beef Caldereta, P385.00 (US $7.33). This traditional beef stew had tender beef, not overcooked vegetables, and sauce that made me sing with praises.

Fried Chicken-in-a-Basket, P655.00 (US $12.47). This basket had six (6) pieces of chicken, three (3) legs and three (3) breasts, with kamote (sweet potato) chips. I did not eat the chicken but I had some kamote chips. The kamote chips were crisp.

Pinakbet, P195.00 (US $3.71). Native vegetables stir fried in Sérye’s own special bagoong (shrimp paste). Look at those gorgeous vegetables! They tasted as good as the looked.