Habanero Just Opened its Second Space and it's More Tita-Friendly
We paid their new address a visit recently and here's what we found out.
(SPOT.ph) Habanero has long been one of the best restaurants in Quezon City, its inventive, modernist approach to Filipino food drawing in crowds that consistently fill up its modest space in Cubao Expo. People might wait an hour to get a table at Habanero, which is really saying something considering that it isn’t exactly the most comfortable space.
The new branch, located at 97 Don A. Roces Avenue, just a little off the corner of Scout Tobias, is a lot more tita-friendly. The space was designed by Larawan Ink, probably best known for the interiors of Wildflour. The new restaurant still only seats around sixty, which means this branch will still probably have lines of diners waiting, especially around dinner time. But at least this time, when you get in, you’ll be in a lovely, air conditioned space with its own bathroom.
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Your old Habanero favorites are here
They are now on soft opening, and at least until December, will be opening every day at 4PM while they work out the kinks on the new space. After that, they’re planning to be open for lunch. The food, at least for now, hasn’t changed. The standbys are all there: the Lechon Habanero, the pizzas, the lengua spring rolls. There are plans to develop new dishes, perhaps even leading to the restaurant offering a tasting menu in the future.
Chef Ryan Patrick Dimapilis is already hard at work tinkering with all the new toys in his kitchen. Recently, he’s been playing around with a freeze dryer, turning fruits and vegetables into these desiccated forms that are still packed with flavor. Young corn becomes a crunchy snack. Okra surprises with these bursts of umami. He’s turned guava into a powder that could allow him to make sinigang sa bayabas even when the fruit is out of season. Or maybe he’ll just toss it on fries. He hasn’t quite decided yet, but this is where he thrives as a chef: experimentation.
Only the drinks are new—for now
For now, the only new things on the menu are drinks. A recent trip to Japan has apparently gotten the chef obsessed with the flavor of yuzu, and this has resulted in Habanero’s yuzu whiskey sour. It tastes intensely of the Japanese citrus, with the fruit infused into the whiskey, and a yuzu liqueur added as well. It is definitely a cocktail that reflects an obsession.
They’ve also added the Habanero Piña Colada to their roster of cocktails. Their version uses a chili-infused spirit to add a kick to the normally just sweet and creamy drink. Those looking for something non-alcoholic will be pleased with their fresh squeezed lemonade, which they force-carbonate and make fizzy. The carbonation intensifies the lemon flavor, making this a cut above what you can get at most places.
It’s fun to imagine what this space could be. Right now, it’s a new branch of one of the best restaurants in Quezon City. But it’s also a space designed specifically for the needs of one of the most exciting chefs in the country, with a kitchen equipped to serve his needs, and more space in the back with which he can carry out his various experiments. Chef Ryan is already talking about making his own bread, about playing around with a bingsu machine, about all the new toys he’s got stashed in the back that he hasn’t even had time to try out. He’s talking about all the possibilities, which feel endless in this new space.
Habanero Kitchen + Bar #2 is located at 97 Don A. Roces Avenue, Quezon City. Now on soft opening, they're open daily from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Starting December, they're open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.