We’ve all tasted Filipino food before, but have you tried Filipino food at Kusina Moderne in Poblacion yet? It’s a different take on our classic favorite Filipino dishes.
Ambiance
With its no-nonsense industrial interior design mainly of wood and steel, the place is clean and open. Bright, warm lights light up the place. And really, the place doesn’t need any frilly decorations, because I think they want you to focus on what really matters: the company of friends, and most especially their delicious Filipino food.
Service
Their staff is very attentive and kind. You’ll feel right at home with their warm smiles and hospitality. And everything arrived just on time. I think maybe they were just as excited for us to try their dish as we were.
Food
For their food, we were able to try a lot of their dishes. Their food was prepared in creative yet elegant plating. I wanted to get a picture of everything because they all looked so nice.
Kesong Puti Salad
We started with the Kesong Puti Salad (P295). The kesong puti was seared for a toasted char on the sides. We also had their popular Mechado Tacos (P195), where they used crunchy wanton wrappers to cradle the soft mechado braised beef. We also had Adobong Pusit (195), baby squids in squid ink tossed with a few vegetables.
My instant favorite was the Embutido (P195), which was an oval meatloaf cut in half to reveal a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg in the center. It was really good and delicious. Both Alex and I enjoyed it so much we even asked for more of this!
I loved their Tanigue (P395) too, which was extra tasty and seasoned to perfection. They pan-seared the tanigue and placed it on top of a mix of colorful vegetables, papaya, and calabaza puree. It sounds like an odd combination but that’s how Kusina Moderne works—they make each flavor work well together.
One of their best sellers is the Binagoongang Baboy (P395) and right away I could tell why. Instead of throwing everything into a pot mixture, you get this pretty and colorful dish. The roasted pork sits in the center of a binagoongan sauce, and there is green mango salad and roasted eggplant beside it to complete the meal.
We also had two different kinds of soup. First was the Halaan Soup (P395). There were plenty of clams in the pot and it was impressive how fresh they were. Our second soup was Sotanghon Soup (P395), and it was bursting with toppings like chicken, vegetable, egg, and, you guess it, sotanghon noodles. I thought both soups were refreshing and soothing. There’s nothing like piping hot soup to soothe and relax oneself.
To cap off our feast, we were served three delectable desserts. Their famous Cheesecake Flan (P175) is a caramel leche flan topped with sweet mangoes. To give additional texture to the creamy custardy dessert, there was also crunchy crushed Marie biscuit bits. The Chocolate Bar Brownie (P315) is similar to a mousse with its soft creamy chocolate layer with a moist brownie base. I’m sure it’s every chocolate-lovers’ dream. And finally, the Sans Rival (P215) were cute little balls of meringues with a belt of crushed nuts around it.
The Verdict
The food here is really good. Every dish is prepared with skill and designed beautifully like a piece of art. If only pictures could also capture taste, I would do it. But trust me when I say each bite was a delicious treat with interesting combination of flavors. They also used fresh ingredients too, a big plus for me.
The ambiance is simple yet classy, very appropriate Poblacion-vibes. It’s a good place to eat at with friends because of its chill vibes. I think it would also be fun as a date place because of the elegant and pretty dishes. The modern twists to the cuisine will definitely be a conversation piece for everyone.
I would most definitely come back and eat here again. Even though the restaurant is fairly new, it just keeps on giving and reinventing the classics. Kusina Moderne is a Filipino restaurant, yes. But with a twist that will surely build your excitement with each plate and flavor.
Address:
Bel-Air Soho, Caceres Street, Poblacion, Makati City
Operating Hours:
Sun-Thurs: 11AM-10PM
Fri-Sat: 11AM-12MN
Monday: Closed
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