Zarzuela: Tasty Moderne Filipino Comfort Food at Shangrila Mall

Being of Spanish descent, the word Zarzuela is but second nature to me. I know how then, the Spanish era had influence on what we had as Filipinos and "Zarzuela" was their form of entertainment. It was a play on lyrics and drama. From Baroque to Romantic - all that Filipinos adore. At the posh Shangrila Mall located in Shaw, the new East Wing houses that same name. Zarzuela, and it promises now to be a play on Filipino cuisine. We tried this out a few days ago.

The Interiors

It was a sunny afternoon and the windows provide ample ambient light. It was like spending your lunch time in a sunny LA Cafe but inside the mall + it's air conditioned. You can opt to have the bunker chairs near the window or these single wicker ones over light classic wooden tables. Everything's sturdy and lines, colors and aesthetics are simple. Not too fancy, and without runners or table cloth.

There were simple art work framed in walls and small flowers on each table. I would have loved to have fresh ones but that would probably be a little pricey so that's given. Men and women serving were clad in Orange and Beige ensembles, the place was spick and span. Very classy, muted music was also played in the background. Quite nice.

As for outside seating, they have these tables adjacent to their restaurant but it's not really outside per ce. It's still inside the mall. If you prefer a relaxed setting and do my favorite activity called "people watching" then this is probably the best place you could dine. Overall, the interiors are simple and clean. Nothing too out of this world and classy. Now let's talk about the food. ☺

My Singapore Food Street

I've been in this place a couple of times and even if it's a little far from where I work and where I live I still end up shopping in SM Megamall. Now there's an even better reason to come back because for people like me who crave something from another country, particularly Singapore... I need my fix of what I've been eating in that part of the world at an affordable price. I love their hawker food and the ambiance of eating with the locals. But it would be a pain to go to Singapore every week, not to mention quite expensive. Good thing there's an easy alternative, might be even better than what we got in Singapore. Care to taste something from "My Singapore Food Street?"

Pretty and proud part owner of this establishment is true blue Singaporean native Vivien Tan. She's partnered with mogul Jean Henri Lhullier putting up this establishment which aims to serve authentic Singaporean dishes right in the heart of Metro Manila. I used to only see her put up urban parties in Asian Food Network but this time she was introducing to us what hawker food was all about. I've eaten some of it for days when I was in Singapore so I think I can tell if it's authentic or not. We got first dibs on their dishes; I was impressed.

Char Kway Teow was nice. It's got noodles, seafood, bean sprouts and spring onions on top. It is best eaten hot so if you are going to eat this, better make sure you take time doing it right after they put it on your table. I've seen them cook this with flames, showing off but it is quite good. Makes you warm and fuzzy.. comfort food. :)

Crispy, sweet, savory and salty. This is their 5 spice tofu. I have yet to compare this to the real one but in general, you need some crunch when you are dining in on this restaurant. This is one of them and I'm sure there's more on their menu.