It all started with a tweet, “Any suggestions for a restaurant to try out in Tomas Morato, QC area?”. A tweep suggested that we try out H Cuisine which is just near Tomas Morato circle and is around the corner of the first street. She added that we should order their famous beef belly.
I followed her advice and texted my girl friends that we’d be having lunch at H Cuisine. They all agreed and coincidentally, all of us never tried the restaurant. We were all excited to try H Cuisine out! I mean, why would they name their Angus Beef Belly with ‘Most Awesome’? That’s totally a very strong statement and I’m not sure anyone would like to add the ‘Most Awesome’ words to their menu or even as their restaurant tagline if it wasn’t any good.
My first impression when I arrived at the restaurant was the challenge of finding a parking space. Good thing we ate on a weekend. The warehouse in front of the restaurant was closed so we were allowed to park in the driveway.
H Cuisine is a small restaurant. I was actually expecting a fine dining type of place but apparently, H Cuisine is just a simple cozy restaurant with two floors. The second floor is mostly for big groups and private functions/parties. We stayed on the first floor. There was a family who reserved the second floor so I didn’t bother going up to take pictures.
By looking at the articles, photos and chalkboard hanging on the walls of the restaurant, it was pretty obvious that H Cuisine’s Most Awesome Beef Belly is their pride and glory.
The chalkboard got my attention. Apparently, H Cuisine also sells their Angus Beef Belly frozen for customers to bring home and prepare. One kilogram pack can serve 6-8 people and cost about Php 1,300. The Angus beef belly was pre-sliced already and include the demiglace gravy (500mL) and reheating instructions. I guess with so much fat in that meat, there’ll be no need for oil to cook/heat it.
Chef Hannah Herrera-Bagatsing was the person behind H Cuisine. I heard that H cuisine is a well-known caterer that became so successful that they ended up opening a restaurant.
Stef and I ordered food already and didn’t wait for everyone to arrive. Good thing that when our orders came, our other friends arrived so it was good timing for us 😛
- H Cuisine Beverages
I always try to drink fresh juices as much as possible. I do want to lose weight but I can’t change drastically so I do baby steps starting with healthy drinks! I ordered H Cuisine’s fresh dalandan juice (Php 88) while my other friends ordered big raspberry iced tea (Php 78). I love that they served it in big glasses.
- Loaded Taco Salad (Php 188)
When the taco salad was served to us, my immediate reaction was, “wow!”. Wow in the sense that it was truly loaded! There were lettuce, nachos, salsa, beef, grated cheese and aioli in it. It tasted delicious and I really liked it. I think we were satisfied with H Cuisine’s loaded taco salad considering that we finished it immediately after it was served. I think it won’t taste as good if we left it for over 30minutes in the table – the sauce could have soaked the tacos completely and without the crunchiness, the salad won’t be that delectable.
- Pumpkin Soup (Php 108)
My friend ordered the soup of the day which was pumpkin soup. It was served hot with garlic bread. It seemed that this is one of the bestsellers in H Cuisine as it was homemade (fresh ingredients & no artificial flavors perhaps).
- Tofu Steak with Sweet Shitake Sauce (Php 168)
I ordered tofu just for the sake of it. I love tofu and whenever I see that item in any restaurant’s menu, I will always order. H Cuisine’s was cooked Japanese style- soft tofu and katsuoboshi on top served with sweet mushroom sauce. I felt it was nothing special though.
- Oven Braised Herbed Chicken (Php 188)
I was too anxious on the angus beef belly that I failed to taste our order of oven braised chicken! When I finally remembered it, the plate was already empty, hahaha! The order came with a cup of H. Rice (Php 48), which can be ordered separately too. The meat was poured with roasted garlic sauce. It definitely looked yummy! I’ll see if I get to try it the next time I go to H Cuisine.
- Most Awesome Angus Beef Belly (Php 428)
The server put a tea light candle on the table which basically meant that our order of most awesome angus beef belly was coming! I was too excited, wondering how it might taste like. The candle was meant to keep the Angus beef belly warm which I totally understand because beef belly are full of fats. When it gets cold, it won’t be a good sight to see & to eat (i.e., greasy)!
Beef Belly on the table and my eyes just went big! H Cuisine’s beef belly was definitely mouth-watering! I immediately took one piece and ate it. The meat was soft, tender and super flavorful. I didn’t bother eating the side dishes (string beans, corn and carrots). The Angus beef belly was more than enough for me to enjoy and finish. The gravy was a perfect match and I asked for additional sauce! Boy, we even ordered the same dish again as it wasn’t enough for the 5 of us. Actually, I think our friend Janella wasn’t able to try it as we finished both orders before she arrived.
After having tried H Cuisine’s most awesome angus beef belly, I now believe that the dish does indeed deserve that title. I, however, think that it won’t taste as good if we didn’t eat it with the gravy. It was a perfect combination.
The secret they say was how chef Hannah cooked the dish. She marinated the beef belly and slow-roasted it for 12 hours! Wow! Those long hours must be worth it as we customers, are completely satisfied with the food. The dish can be ordered single with rice (Php 288) or sharing for 2-3pax without rice (Php 428).
- Decadent Chocolate Cake (Php 88)
I’m not a fan of chocolates so I won’t say anything to describe it. You be the judge. Look at the photo! 🙂
We all had a good first impression of H Cuisine. For me, it was really all about their Angus Beef Belly. I now understand what the letter ‘H’ in ‘H Cuisine’ is… H = Home of the Most Awesome Angus Beef Belly.
——————–
H Cuisine
64 Scout Rallos St. Near Tomas Morato Quezon City, Quezon City, Philippines
+63-2-4130347
Leave a Reply