Classic Cuisine (C2)

My buddy Orio celebrated his 32^nd birthday at Classic Cuisine in Shangri-La Mall. We were both craving for pinoy gastronomy and found this restaurant online which offers Filipino dishes with a twist. We enjoyed our lunch at C2 so I returned with my family a week after to celebrate Christmas. My family does not appreciate any dishes other than Filipino. We dined out at some French, Japanese, and Italian restos a few times with no success.

Information

Classic Cuisine (C2) is located at 6^th floor of Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong. It opens from 11 am to 9 pm (Mon-Thu), 11 am to 10 pm (Friday), 10 am to 10 pm (Saturday), and 10 am to 9pm (Sunday).

Ambience

Classic Cuisine (C2) in Shangri-La Mall can accommodate around 80 people. The area is fairly small and tables are very compact. The kitchen can be seen from the dining area, which is a very clever idea to give customers a clear view on how the foods are being prepared.

Price

Classic Cuisine (C2) offers a list of popular authentic Pinoy dishes with a twist. The prices range from Php 200 to 700. Each serving is good for 4 people.

Taste

Kare-kare is my all time favorite Pinoy food. Classic Cuisine (C2) offers two versions of Kare-kare, one which uses the usual beef tripes and the other one, C2’s signature dish Crispy Kare-kare. This is not the traditional Kare-kare as the peanut sauce, vegetables, and meat are served separately. The beef tripes are substituted with Crispy Pata, which makes the dish sinfully delicious. The serving was enough to feed 4 hungry stomachs. The meat was very tender  and cooked to perfection. This is a must-eat dish.

Crispy Kare-Kare - Php 695

Another popular Pinoy dish is Monggo. My mom usually prepares this dish during Fridays, a tradition that is still being practiced by many Filipinos. C2 makes an interesting  version of this dish by adding pork cracklings and serving it with fried mackerel fillets in paksiw sauce. I’m not a huge fan of monggo but this dish totally consumed me.

Chicharong Mongo at Crispy Paksiw - Php 355

My mom loves shrimps so we ordered Seafood Inasal. It’s a platter of mouthwatering sea creatures served with classic inasal sauce. The squid, fish, and shrimps were fresh and the inasal flavor was not too strong, complementing superbly to the rich savor of the dish. Another must-eat dish.

Seafood Inasal - Php 385

C2 also offers two versions of Bulalo. We already know what Batangas Bulalo taste like, so we ordered the other version for a change, Sizzling Bulalo Steak. The tender beef shank was smothered with creamy bulalo sauce and served with sweet corn and native pechay. I prefer the traditional Bulalo mainly because of its warm, tender shank soup, but this dish is still highly recommended.

Sizzling Bulalo Steak - Php 425

Our classic Filipino lunch wouldn’t be completed without the popular rice. C2 offers a wide variety of rice options from regular pandan rice to bizarre salted egg rice. Each serving can feed 4 people. Pandan Rice costs Php 70.

A perfect way to celebrate Christmas at C2 is to try their award winning dessert, Bibingka Souffle. This is not your typical Bibingka which is made out of rice flour. C2 has mastered the art of creativity by preparing this dessert using light and fluffy blend of coconut custard and adding the classic Bibingka ingredients (salted egg, quezo de bola, and toasted coconut). Bibingka Souffle costs Php 175

Rating

We really enjoyed our lunch at Classic Cuisine. I’m a huge fan of authentic Pinoy dishes but C2 has transformed every dish to something sensational and interesting. I would absolutely return and try other dishes on their menu. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Left to Right: Juliet, Tess, Melody, Siony, and Myself