Date Budget: PhP 400Actual Spend: PhP 400
Quality: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Accessibility: 4/5
Fun Factor: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5
Highlights
- A bright sight in the usually gloomy Balete Drive
- Top-class food at reasonable prices
- Great tasting Peach Iced Tea!
Update (11/24/2014): This shop is no longer open for business. :(
The Experience
This place is definitely one of the brightest spots in Balete Drive!
A few years back, I met Sheryl in DLSU. I was their substitute teacher in a financial accounting class. Recently, I got an invite from her to go check out her resto. Yes, she is now an entrepreneur!
Kirsten and I went to her restaurant expecting nothing much. Honestly, I felt I just had to do it for friendship's sake. We were bound for Gilmore to scout for a budget laptop, so I thought it would not take much to drop by her place. When we got there, I was surprised to see Sheryl's classmates, Kylie and Kristianne... and surprises were far from over!
We ordered two dishes that did not contain chicken or seafood as my allergen level was on a high that day (which was sad as their specialties had these two blushers). Nevertheless, both orders were great!
The Mustard Rubbed Pork Chops was really juicy, tender, and tasty. The presentation was also great. The mashed potato side is the best we have tasted so far! It's miles away from your average fastfood mashed potato. You'll find stuff of the same quality in plush Makati restaurants and hotel at the double the price.
Our pasta order, Giada's Carbonara, was also good but what drove us nuts was the mysterious fried pasta topping! Sheryl didn't want to reveal what it was. Until now, it is still a great (and tasty) mystery to us. Also, the crispy basil leaves made the dish a wow! It was crispy, but not oily. Now how did they do that?
To top off, we were served complementary Peach Iced Tea. Just like the rest of the stuff in this post, we thought this would just be plain iced tea. Like everything else, we were surprised to taste the best peach iced tea ever! Their home-made drinks are priced right at PhP 50 each.
Photo credits to Kylie. Thanks for taking our picture!
The place is also fairly accessible. We just walked a few minutes from the LRT Betty Go Belmonte Station.
You may visit Secret Oven Ristorante's Facebook Page or see this flyer for more details.
Thanks for the free drinks Sheryl. Good luck in your new venture!
Spend Breakdown
| Mustard Rubbed Pork Chops | 205 |
| Giada's Carbonara | 195 |
| Peach Iced Tea (c/o Sheryl) | 0 |
| Actual Spend | 400 |
How to get there
- Take an LRT Line 2 (Purple Line) train.
- Go off at LRT Betty Go Belmonte Station.
- Walk to the corner of Balete Drive. Turn right and you will see Secret Oven Ristorante to your left after walking a few meters.
Landmarks: LRT Betty Go Belmonte Station, Balete Drive, Petron Gas Station Aurora Blvd. cor. Balete Drive.
Address:
Secret Oven Ristorante
25 Balete Drive, Quezon City
Philippines
Contact Number:
(63915) 113-8385
Operating Hours: 11am to 9pm
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