Chef Arch’s Lime: Street Food na Pinasosyal

This is the go-to place for those who are looking for an upgrade to their regular favorite street food.

Chef Arch’s Lime offers a complete package of ambiance, food, and food presentation. Even a simple street food can reach new heights when a twist in cooking is added.

 

THE AMBIANCE

From the outside, it looks like a regular home. As we entered through the gates, the open area was turned to a casual dining restaurant and bar with its tables and chairs.

Aside from its homey feeling, it is also a great place to hang out at night and enjoy a wind down from work with your friends.

 

THE FOOD

Chef Arch’s Lime mainly serves their re-invented take on street foods. From the upgraded version of Balut, Kwek-kwek, and Isaw to favorite Filipino dishes, they have it.

They have a wide selection for their entrée, and they also serve noodles, pizza, and even cakes.

If you want to eat with rice, you can choose the usual plain rice or opt for garlic, tinapa, dinakdakan, or Street Style Rice.

For the drinks, they have the usual juice and soft drinks. But since they are only open at night, they also offer alcoholic drinks on their menu. They have an available full bar where you can order beer, shooters, wine, or even a cocktail.

The best part is that all of these are not too pricey.

 

THE FOOD THAT WE TRIED

Quail Eggs Tempura (Php 150)

 

Instead of using the usual orange batter, Chef Arch’s Lime used a tempura breading to give this well-known street food an upgrade.

The Quail Eggs are served with Soy-Mirin Glaze and Sinamak. Mirin is commonly used in Japanese cuisine, while the sinamak is the Ilonggo’s rendition of spicy vinegar.

I personally liked the tempura style they incorporated to the quail eggs. It really goes well with the sauces.

 

Balut in Red Wine Sauce (Php 220)

You won’t know it’s balut until you crack it.

It really doesn’t look like balut when we first saw it. The food resembles potato balls that were deep fried. But once we got our utensils on it, we laughed a bit when we realized it was the Balut in Red Wine Sauce that we ordered.

The chef definitely upped the level of balut with the red wine. It’s like having a drink and a pulutan at the same time.

 

Street Style BBQ Platter (Php 250)

Favorite Filipino street foods on a stick are all in this platter. It has Isaw na Manok (chicken intestines), Isaw na Baboy (pig intestines), Betamax (pork blood cubes), Adidas (chicken feet), Baticolon (chicken gizzard), and Atay (pork liver). Eating it with their sauce is definitely tasty.

The sauces that come with it are sinamak and satay sauce. Eating these with or without the sauces are delicious. But if you want to try a different flavor, then make sure to try it with their sauce.

It was also worth the price since they serve the platter with drinks.

 

Deep Fried Tuna Sky Flakes (Php 160)

This one is simply amazing that I would have preferred to finish the food by myself without sharing.

It is common for some people to pair sky flakes with tuna but Chef Arch’s Lime decided to up the game by cooking it together.

It’s crunchy outside and truly delicious as a whole.

 

Hot Spicy Chicken Wings (Php 250)

I love it. It is one of the best spicy chicken wings that I have ever tasted.

The chicken is tender and the spice is just the right amount which makes it easy to eat.

And really, to have binatog (boiled corn) on the side makes it even perfect. I’ve never thought that it would complement each other.

 

Osso Bucco Kare-kare (Php 280)

This is a fusion of Italian and Filipino dish.

Osso Bucco refers to the Italian dish that is made with veal shank that has marrowbone and braised with wine, vegetables, and seasonings. While in Kare-kare the main ingredients are stewed in peanut sauce.

Unlike the usual Kare-kare, the peanut sauce is only served on top of the beef shank and vegetables. There is also bagoong or shrimp paste on the side to enjoy the dish.

It is so savory that this dish should be eaten with rice.

 

Chicharon Bulaklak Isaw Pizza (Php 290)

Pizza with chicharon and isaw as the toppings, this is truly a great combination of a classy dish and street food.

The crispiness can be easily heard through bites and the taste would not disappoint you.

This is a legit Pinoy-styled pizza!

 

Creamy Garlic Tuyo Pasta (Php 250)

I loved this dish a lot.

It has a creamy white sauce, and the salty taste of tuyo really complemented it. I also really liked the hint of spice on it and the garlic that adds to the delicious flavor.

 

Four Cheese Caldereta (Php 320)

Adding four kinds of cheese in this tomato-based dish is definitely a hit for me.

The melted cheese on top brought out a new twist to Caldereta. And the meat is so tender!

This combination of flavors makes this dish so splendid.

 

Embotido Stuffed Crispy Pata (Php 450)

Crispy pata and instead of bone, there is embotido on the center of it. This combination is another winner!

Even without the sauce, this dish is deeply gratifying. The sauce adds a variety of flavors. It is a must-try dish for Crispy Pata lovers.

 

THE LOCATION

You can find Chef Arch’s Lime at 160 Rafael Street, Plainview, in Mandaluyong City.

Their place is open from 6 PM to 2 AM every day so it’s perfect for a hangout place after a tough day’s work.

 

KANTO FREESTYLE 65°

Prior to our visit to Chef Arch’s Lime, we visited Kanto Freestyle 65° in San Juan.

Chef Archie Juanta is also well-known for the Kanto Freestyle Breakfast chain of restaurants.

If you want more innovative food creations, head to Kanto Freestyle 65°. The restaurant serves as the innovation hub where you can taste some of the new food products that are not yet in other Kanto Freestyle Breakfast restaurants.

For more info about Kanto Freestyle 65°, you can check my review here

 The creativity behind the food of Chef Arch’s Lime absolutely astounds me. I can only imagine how hard the process it took to come up with their kind of menu. Nevertheless, this is the kind of ingenuity that makes customers like me fall deeply in love with the wonders of food.