Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Que Pasa Naga City; Bicol’s Must Visit, Must Dine Restaurant.

Que Pasa Naga City 
Bicol’s Must Visit, Must Dine Restaurant.

We returned to Que Pasa once more and we
were in early at 6 PM on a Saturday Night, so
there were very few people in the restaurant.



It is located right across the Porta Mariae,


…and was built in a. old Hispanic house ruins,

 

...whose original arched entrance was preserved,

 


…that leads to and vaulted welcome foyer that greets
the diners in Spanish with “Beinvenido A Que Pasa”.

 

The foyer had an artwork on a brick wall
of two men with painted faces on one side,


…and a quaint souvenir stall on the other side.

 

The foyer leads to a beautiful open courtyard
that resembles an old colonial market street,


…lined with various stalls where
diners could order their food.






First on the line was the barbecue stall where one
could choose from various barbecued meat and fish.


Second is the ‘Toro- Toro’ stall, a Hispanized
term for the Pinoy ‘turo- turo’ where one could
choose the type of sauces and dips and various
side dishes to go with the main barbecued meal.


Next is the salpikaw stall whit was stylized
to a more Hispanic sounding ‘Sal P.I. Kaw’,
where one could have a choice of either beef,
chicken, tuna, shrimp and vegetarian salpikaw.


The fourth stall is ‘Naldo’s Caldo’ reminiscent of
the goto served at the former Nald’s, the predecessor
of the popular Biggs’ Diner that also owns Que Pasa.

 


There is another stall being built, and a signage
of  ‘que not wait for more’ was posted on it and
indeed it gets everyone excited of the new offering.


The cashier’s booth is located at the far end of the
courtyard, and it is where the dessert bar is found,


…that leads to the breathtaking and
massive indoor main dining hall.




The restaurant is surrounded with seven portals, 

 

...each painted with works of art of talented Bicolano artists.


Every nook and corner of the restaurant is
instagrammably beautiful and photogenic,


…and the walls are painted with various
Spanish themed and inspired masterpieces.


It is a gallery that showcases the artistry of
local Bicolano talents that event the restrooms
were not spared from the creative toilet humor.

 

The same thing with the water dispenser that had classic
Spanish themed paintings but with innovative Spanglish
(Spanish/English) and SpanBic (Spanish/Bicol) language.



The Engkanto Bar is located at the main dining hall
and serves both alcoholic and non- alcoholic beverages,


…as well as imported Spanish and Mexican beers.


Hovering above the Encanto Bar was a huge,
bright Broadway style signage of Que Pasa,


…that reminded me of the hit- musical play
Chicago that had similar glittering signage.




One would also get to dine with the view of
the massive Porta Maraie on the background.


We did not get to appreciate to food during our previous visits
and assumed that we may have not chosen the right sauces for
their barbecues, so this time, we decided to dine sauce free-
.and to our surprise, everything tasted well without the sauce.


The Chicken Barbecue was tender,
juicy and tasty just that way it was.





The Pork Barbecue without any sauce was
also very delicious. I tasted naturally meaty
devoid of any artificial flavoring and not the
typical sickeningly sweet Pinoy barbecues.


I love the Tuna Barbecue as it was moist despite being grilled
and being sauce free, it was tender and not chewy. Grilled fish has
never tasted this good and I could thrive on this dish alone- forever.


The Roast Beef was one of the newest item in the menu
and it was a revelation. It was greasy but who cares, as it
was juicy, tender and very delicious even without the sauce.


The sidings from the Toro Toro were all
very delicious from the Mac and Cheese,


…to the Roasted Vegetables and Potatoes,

 

 

…to the all time Bicol favorites like Laing,


…and Pinangat.


We also ordered two goto versions of Naldo’s Caldo,
the first one with everything on it, which was delicious-



…and the plain rice porridge with was just as good.



The drinks from Engkanto Bar were delicious and
refreshing like the healthy Cucumber Lemonade,


…and I was able to try their alcohol spiced Triangulo,
which was invigoratingly smooth and one need not
wonder why it is their bestselling alcoholic beverage.


Dining is Que Pasa is an exhilarating experience,



…as it is a feast for the senses 
and as well as for the palate.


It is a one of a kind attraction, 

 

. a must dine, and must visit restaurant,

 

….for anyone visiting Naga City.

Read on the link below for related post:

 Que Pasa: Ay Que Bonita y Deliciosa 

No comments:

Post a Comment