I’ve been hearing “Kanin Club” restaurant from cliques in the office for quite a time now, and I thought to myself, I just gotta try the buzz. Since I haven’t got the slightest chance of snitching’ a good seat within regular lunch hours (notwithstanding, the “standing” time) I decided to skip the office bother and drop in on Kanin Club restaurant at its UP-AyalaLand Technohub branch on a weekend, lunchtime last Saturday, to be exact, after my brief affair with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s blended organic Gen Mai Cha Green Tea.

Picture this: Kanin Club’s quaint joint boasts of falsetto-rendered kundiman songs, wooden parquet flooring, capiz window panels, colourful old Manila-inspired avant-garde paintings, hardwood furniture, ampalaya, super crunchy tilapia, crispy pata, sinigang, kare-kare, scrumptious seafood, and heapfuls of aligue rice. Wasn’t that your tropical Filipino culinary fantasy?

If you are planning to have a hearty weekend lunch at Kanin Club restaurant (the branch located a

t UP-Ayala TechnoHub), the best time to hit it is around 11:30 AM – anytime after that and you’ll be melting at the gates, since the place should already be swarming with hungry bellies. While waiting, however, you might as well go see other joints in UP-Ayala TechnoHub.

   

 

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City

Kanin Club restaurant is indeedy a good family place. Lucky me, I happened to find a two-seater corner by the window. That gave me the vantage point of the Kanin Club restaurant mess hall before, during and after its packed, and the landscaped greens wedged in between the IBM building and the UP-AyalaLand Technohub food arena where Kanin Club sits.

Cosy Corner, Green Relief!

The Kanin Club restaurant menu is easy on the eye, easy on the pocket, and deng, was it easier on the tastebuds. I am a picky eater, but I was tunnelled on trying something queer that day – I tried the Ampalaya Salad, and boy was it delicious! My sense for adventure was indeed whetted. Some elderly folks from perhaps the neighboring villages chose the table beside the one I was occupying, and I happened to overhear their appreciation for my first towering entrée: choice ampalaya (bitter melon) in its freshest green colour, slivered paper-thin and topped with sliced tomato and onions. I happily offered them some, but they politely declined and became content with their Dinuguan, Crispy Pata, Kare-kare, Liver Steak, Binukadkad na Tilapia, and needless to say, abundant steaming white kanin or rice.

Interestingly, my tossed, tart ampalaya only hinted of bitter. I was happy to have had more of its crunchiness, and its fusion with the sweet and salty vinaigrette, which I guessed was simply cane vinegar, a dash of sugar, salt and freshly ground black peppercorns. In this picky eater’s humble opinion, the Ampalaya Salad should go well with the Pinaputok na Tilapia, the oh-so-crunchy, oh-so-delicious fish staple. The cat now has fierce competition: only in Kanin Club was I able to munch on fish bones with gusto! Kudos to the Kanin Club chef!

Pinaputok na tilapia

That wasn’t all in my menu, I also tried Pad Thai. Kanin Club’s version of this foreign dish doesn’t taste so foreign, which was a good thing for a picky eater. It also sported the works: prawns, peanuts, whipped egg, bean sprouts, parsley, tofu, the ubiquitous vermicelli and a slice of lemon for added zing. I had the Pad Thai “to-go”, but it was still warm after an hour’s trip home.

What I appreciated, too, was Kanin Club’s take-out packaging – I liked their conscious effort to leave less carbon footprint with the use of the food-grade paper carton and good the ol’ brown paper bag.

All in all, the hubbub for Kanin Club restaurant at UP-AyalaLand Technohub proved to be true and worthy of my effort – I woke up earlier than usual for this gastronomic experience! You too should jump in on the bandwagon and earn yourself a good dose of kundimanly melodies and bagoong alamang. Yum!

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City

Kanin Club Restaurant Menu

For first-timers such as me, you might want to sample in on the following Kanin Club restaurant fares (I chose the ones I fancy for their names or popularity among the general Filipino public)

Dessert (this ALWAYS comes first!):

Turon Kanin Club (fried banana crepe) – 90Php

Maruya with Ice Cream (banana fritters ala mode) – 127Php

Appetizers:

Kinilaw na Blue Marlin (raw Blue Marlin slivers marinated in vinegar) – 271Php

Maning Burles with Roasted Garlic (Kanin Club serves naked “roasted highland legumes”) – 97Php

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City

Soups:

Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour soup, a Chinese viand) – 366Php

Hototai (also a Chinese brew) – 224Php

Salads:

Thai Green Mango Salad – 172Php

Dilis Salad (anchovies tossed in veggies) – 149Php

Ampalaya Salad (bitter melon in vinaigrette) – 149Php

Rice:

All-You-Kanin (a play on “all you can”, but this is “rice-till-you-drop” for me) – 60Php

Loaded Fried Rice (the Kanin Club special) – 179Php

Tinapa Rice (fried rice with “tinapa” or smoked fish flakes) – 149Php

Main Dish:

Crispy Dinuguan (a local provision, blood is edible here) – 261Php

Liver Steak – 164Php

Lemon Chicken (see my recipe for Lemon Chicken here) – 224Php

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City

Noodles:

Pancit Canton (egg noodles sautéed in veggies and soy sauce) – 246Php

Lomi (soba/udon noodles in thickened broth) – 239Php

Pad Thai – 276Php

Seafood:

Kare-Kare (seafood and veggies in peanut sauce, served with salted shrimp fry or “bagoong”) – 298Php

Binukadkad na Tilapia (deep-fried super duper crunchy tilapia fish) – 246Php

Sizzling Squid (gummy squid on a sizzling plate) – 224Php

Certainly, Kanin Club restaurant is one of the finest dine in restaurants that offers great taste of food and drinks you will surely enjoy. Bring your whole family, whether there’s an occasion or just drop by to eat with your loved ones, friends and relatives, this is one of the best restaurants for you.

Kanin Club restaurant UP-AyalaLand Technohub branch is located along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City Kanin Club Restaurant UP AyalaLand Technohub Quezon City


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