Maginhawa Food Hop

I spent four years (a.k.a. college) studying next to Maginhawa Street in UP Village and yet, I’m still always excited about ‘the next big small restaurant’ that will call Maginhawa Street its home. I daresay it is one of the best streets in the Philippines. Naks.

Maginhawa is comfortable in English, and Maginhawa’s name suits it well for I can always count on comfort foods in a comfortable ambiance at comfortable prices here!

First stop: BRGR: The Burger Project on 122 Maginhawa.

This is where the old and smaller Pino was first located. Pino’s now in Malingap Street and BRGR: The Burger Project calls 122 Maginhawa its home. And surprise surprise, BRGR: The Burger Project is part of the Pino Group of Restaurants.

I felt the need to say 122 Maginhawa twice (oops that’s the third time) because ze Tenggamates / food buddies that day Sotto and Meyds made me wait for almost two hours while they were looking for 22 Maginhawa Street. I repeat gais, it is 122.

You can order their DESIGNR BRGRs, which have awesome names by the way.

They’ve written what’s inside their DESIGNR BRGRs on that blackboard.

Or you can build your own BRGR! Yay! You even get to name your own BRGR, I called mine the AGIT BRGR. Yes, agit as in agitated (because I was still not over the fact that Sotto and Meyds made me wait for two hours.)

They’ll give you an order form where you’ll tick off what you want them to put in your BRGR. You can go crazy and tick off everything but they put the price of each additional BRGR component beside it so that ought to keep you grounded.

Oh the latecomers, Meyds and Sotto.

Their BRGRs, mine wasn’t as pretty as theirs.

Second stop: Cha Dao Tea Place.

Milk tea places have sprouted like shrooms along Maginhawa. We chose Cha Dao Tea place for two reasons, (1) it’s about fifty paces away from BRGR: The Burger Project so we don’t have to look for another parking space and (2) none of us have tried it before.

I ordered what I usually order in every milk tea place I go to, their very basic milk tea – Pearl / Classic or whatever they call it at that particular milk tea place. No fancy milk tea for me, I’m a ‘give me milk and tea and pearls and please let it taste good’ kind of girl.

Cha Dao Tea Place’s classic milk tea is surprising. Its taste is unlike all the other milk teas I’ve tried, I may be wrong but I think they use condensed / evaporated milk. I’m not sure if I love it but it’s definitely interesting and will set this milk tea place apart from others I’ve tried so far.

And they have pretty chairs and lights outside, perfect for catching up with dear old friends.

Third stop: Gayuma Ni Maria.

I’ve loved Gayuma Ni Maria for a long time. I used to bring my dates here, plus beloved friends. It’s pretty secluded, has an interesting menu and wicked interiors so yes, interesting first date place. But sadly, I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon since the food is just oh so so-so nowadays.

We went there for desserts since I remember that the last time I went there the desserts were still pretty okay but that night, almost half of the items in their desserts menu weren’t available and these ‘bestsellers’ that they served us didn’t help at all in redeeming Gayuma Ni Maria’s not-so-good-food-anymore reputation. Sad.

My dessert, I forgot what it’s called, maybe pa-cute or pa-something but this is actually the ‘best’ dessert of the night. Please take note that ‘best’ is relative. And Sotto thinks that they used actual cheese (not cream cheese) in making this cheesecake so what is anlakas ng umay factor?

Look at Meyds and Sotto sampling each other’s dessert and look at how no one’s smiling.

They still have beautiful interiors though.

I’ll definitely miss Gayuma Ni Maria, but unless I hear that their food has improved I don’t think I’ll be coming back anytime soon. They’re in Maginhawa after all, and there will always be a new place to try out in Maginhawa.

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