Geluk Gentri/ Cloak and Dagger
77 Scout Alcaraz cor. Banawe Street, Quezon City
Contact: 09453348346
Instagram: instagram.com/gelukmnl
Facebook: facebook.com/gelukmnl
Operating hours: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. (Sunday to Thursday) and 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Friday to Saturday)
(SPOT.ph) Banawe, Quezon City is known to many as the “car center” of Metro Manila due to all the car supplies stores in the area but lately, it has also been developing a steady food community mostly specializing in Asian cuisine. Tucked away in this mini-Chinatown is a European restaurant called Geluk Gentri that hides an exciting secret many of you would be surprised to know.
Geluk Gentri is the brainchild of Hans Alcanzare, an engineer with a passion for food, pastries, and coffee. Geluk, pronounced as huh-luhk, is actually a Dutch word meaning happiness and this is something Alcanzare is passionate to share with others through his food. According to him, he has been inspired by his travels and his personal taste when he came up with the concept for the restaurant. He wanted a chic, casual fine dining experience that would allow more Filipinos the chance to experience European dining at a more affordable price point.
Here's what you can expect from this Banawe restaurant.
Entering Geluk Gentri it quickly becomes evident that they really didn’t skimp on making the dining experience feel high-end. Its sleek, modern-looking yet warm and inviting interior would have you think that you’re in some fancy upscale restaurant in the business district. You can choose to sit on their plush benches indoors or go al fresco and sit on the balcony. You’ll then be presented with a large menu with selections from all-day breakfast, soups, sandwiches, pizzas, pasta, meats, coffee, cocktails up to dessert—talk about a smorgasbord of food. It’s such a large selection that you would be worried if they could really execute the dishes well enough given the size of their kitchen space but boy, were we surprised when dish after dish came out of the kitchen at a steady pace and that they were well executed, seasoned and plated nicely. Alcanzare makes it a point to tell us that all their ingredients are fresh and that all seasonings and sauces are housemade. He also notes that they revise their menu every six months to weed out items that are not performing well and make room for new items that might better fit the Filipino palate.
Despite revisions to the menu, some items have passed the test and are mainstays if not best-sellers. Visiting Geluk for a light meal? We recommend trying their Crab Eggs Benedict (P420) for a light, fresh and buttery snack. The crab meat’s briny taste plus the ham’s savory but familiar flavor topped off with a velvety creamy hollandaise amplified by the creaminess of the avocado makes this item a must-try. What’s a European restaurant without its take on pasta? Well at Geluk among many pasta choices, one that stands out the most would be the Shrimp Chimichurri (P350) which is, to say the least surprising—take note that chimichurri is usually more South American than European but Geluk’s take on it makes it taste more like a sweetened fresh tasting pesto rather than the spicy sauce we know. Another must-try is the Shrimp Shakshuka, a shrimp, chorizo, and egg dish on a tomato reduction bed topped with mozzarella cheese. A whole different level altogether, this dish is the perfect marriage of savory, sweet, tangy, and creamy. It’s served with sourdough bread which you use as a vessel for the shakshuka and is very reminiscent of the vibe that tomato soup on a rainy day gives. And if those dishes don't whet your appetite, take a peek into their meat entrées.
Arguably the best items on the menu are the meat dishes. Each dish not only carried its own with its signature flavor profile but was also scrumptious in the way that they were all fork-tender. Must-tries include the Iberico Ribs (P850), Steak Au Pouvre (P1480), and the Smoked Black Angus Brisket (P1680). The Iberico Ribs were sweet but flavorful to the bone, they’re served with a side of fries and coleslaw which add a sharp and crunchy element to the dish. The Steak Au Pouvre, on the other hand, is a classic take on the pan-grilled steak but with a chimichurri which gives a sweeter rather than heat-filled profile to the beef. Last but definitely not least is Alcanzare’s favorite, the Smoked Black Angus Brisket. The brisket—smoked for 12 hours and is the most tender—melts in your mouth and gives a smoky flavorful barbeque taste profile that is best complemented by its side dish of creamy buttery mashed potatoes.
To refresh yourself after a hearty meal or just to beat out the humid weather, you could also order their Lychee Lemonade (P140) or the Houseblend Iced Tea (P130), both are fresh-tasting cooling drinks that match most if not all the food items in the menu.
We could go on and on about the food at Geluk but one thing is for sure, this new restaurant is one to watch. It serves quality good-tasting food with decent portion sizes and oh yeah, one more thing, this restaurant hides a bar.
Yes, you read that right, aside from being a quality food find, you could also spend your nights here and drink your worries away (responsibly of course). Geluk Gentri is home to a secret bar called Cloak and Dagger. You just have to ask the staff where the bar is because it’s hidden so well in plain sight. Sorry guys, we won’t reveal the secret location of this bar (they made us promise) but just know its entrance is visible the moment you enter the restaurant. It’s a pretty decently sized bar with some couches and neon signs that give it that dark cool vibe.
Your best bets for a fun fruity drink would be the gin-based Pink Lady (P260) which is a sweet-tangy drink with a little bit of heat courtesy of the cayenne pepper rim or the Tom Collins (P240) which is a smooth tasting sweet like nectar drink perfect for people who don’t like the sting of alcohol. You also couldn’t go wrong with the classic blended Margarita (P310) for a cool refreshing drink with a kick or an Amaretto Sour (P260) which is like an alcoholic lemonade.
All in all, after having a fill of the food and the drinks, we could see why this young restaurant is gaining a loyal following. It’s a surprising little nook in an unexpected location that serves quality food and drinks. When asked about his next plans for Geluk Gentri, Alcanzare remarks that he hopes to expand and open a new location sometime next year, possibly bigger and closer to the city’s party center. With that being said, all we could say is we’re already excited for his next new concept and we hope to get an invite when it opens.
Photos by Vincent Coscolluela
Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.