Where to Eat in Quezon City: After Twelve Kitchen + Bar
What’s the real secret behind great cooking? Skill and knowledge? The complexity of the dish? The quality of ingredients, perhaps? Well, I think all those matter a lot but I think at the end of the day good food are mainly fueled by two things: passion and love. And that’s something that I’ve learned the owners of After Twelve Kitchen and Bar share. Located at the newly opened food + lifestyle complex Calle Bistro in Quezon City, my family and I got to taste the passion and love of its owner translated into good tasting, comfort Filipino Food.
All-Day Buffet at After Twelve Kitchen + Bar
While I enjoy eating my food slow, I also have a sweet spot for buffets. Why? Well, mainly because of the variety and the instant availability of the food. Before indulging in their bestsellers, we were invited to sample After Twelve’s All-Day Buffet. For only Php 350.00 per person, savour on a good spread of classic Filipino favorites. It runs all-day from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM, everyday. There’s a 2-hour eating limit, however. But I personally think 2 hours is more than enough to get you stuffed, right?
After Twelve’s Buffet might be smaller than usual but the quality is surely value-for-money. Here’s why.
For starters, choose from either of their 2 bestseller mainstay soups: Arroz Caldo and Papaitan. I liked how flavorful and thick the arroz caldo was, even without the condiments. While the Papaitan had a mild yet tasty sourness to it. My mom and sister liked the lumpiang sariwa, which I didn’t get to taste. But I believe them, hehe.
For mains, there’s usually noodles, and 4-5 meat selections. That night, we had their beef caldereta, grilled liempo, sweet-spicy wings, fish fillet, and lengua. Apart from being perfectly seasoned, each meat dish was 100% real meat with no extenders.
With the beef caldereta and lengua being our favorites. For desserts, they served turon (would have been better if crispier) and an assortment of fresh fruits. Thirsty? There’s free unlimited coffee, while bottomless juice is just Php 50 additional per person.
After Twelve Kitchen and Bar Bestsellers
Honestly, it was hard to hold back from eating from the buffet. But we had to as we were expecting to be served After Twelve’s bestseller dishes.
Balbacua (Php 180.00)
A dish of Spanish origins, the Balbacua is a beef stew dish typically made with ox skin and tail, cooked very slowly on an open fire for several hours. Which actually happens to be one of my mom’s favorites.
After Twelve’s version had a thick texture with a deep and appetizing smell and color. Sadly, I’m not a fan of ox skin and tail so I had to skip this one.
Kalderetang Baka (Php 280.00) – HTD Favorite!
Also present in their buffet spread, After Twelve Kitchen and Bar’s Kalderetang Baka is one of the best I’ve tried for the price. The serving portion was generous, was meaty, and had my favorite cheese on top. Taste wise, I loved the consistency of the sauce and the savory-sweet flavor of it.
Adobong Kambing (Php 295.00)
Okay guys, I hope you won’t judge me. I may be a food blogger, but I am sadly not as adventurous with food as I should be. There have only been two times in the past that I was able to meet goat meat. First was during a clan reunion 20 years ago, which I have eaten unknowingly by the way. And second was when we ate in a Greek Restaurant called Zaytinia in Washington DC last year. But only because one, the food was expensive and two, it honestly looked very appetizing (which it really was!). And now, here at After Twelve Kitchen + Bar.
Looking at it, After Twelve’s Adobong Kambing actually looks more like tapa because of the texture and color. Taste-wise, it was well-seasoned (like tapa/bistek), albeit the gamy texture (which is normal for goat). I really wanted my family to taste it so I immediately forced a small bite into my sister’s mouth. Fortunately, she liked it and found the dish tasty. Or else…. 🙂
Baked Oysters in Cheese (Php 280.00) – HTD Favorite!
Right off the bat, I knew I had to eat these as they were arranging the dinner table. I’ve always found eating oysters a real treat. Much more baking them in overflowing cheese and garlic. OMG, the best appetizer (and aphrodisiac?) I loved how generous each order of baked oysters was and had a good color-melt of the cheese. Which translated really well into the dish’s flavor, while having the subtle slimy-feel that fresh oysters are supposed to have. SARAP!
All in all, I would totally recommend a visit to the After Twelve Kitchen + Bar. Filipino favorites, done right, with love and passion. With a price that’s very pocket-friendly! KAIN!
P.S. After your visit to After Twelve, why don’t you also check out the other great eats at #CalleBistro? Or get into the yuletide spirit by visiting the Holiday Goodies? A Food Bazaar featuring well-loved holiday cakes, pastries, and other perfect gift-giving treats by #WeekendGourmetProject. Runs from December 17 until January 4!
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