Taste Bud Tickler: Coco Hut's Kare-Kare Pasta

CocoHut in the Bonifacio Stopover in BGC.

Bilang isang karaniwang employee sa isang opisina sa BGC, Taguig - curious ako sa ilang pagkain na abot kaya ng bulsa ng mga katulad kong -- hindi naman mayaman.  Mejo affordable naman ang CocoHut sa may Bonifacio Stopover sa BGC (malapit sa St. Luke's Hospital) --- kapag may sweldo.  Pag wala pang sweldo at mejo CWD - Critical Wallet Days na, wag na lang. 

In any case, may mga konting extra pa naman ako today so I decided to try their Kare-Kare Pasta.

Lemme just tell you though that around 3 weeks ago, kumain na ako ng Kare-Kareng gulay - na luto ko naman.

So, let's go!

May 2 "variants" - if that's what you call them - ng Kare-Kare nila - seafood and lechon kawali.  Though I love seafoods, I ordered lechon kawali.  The order taking is done at the counter.  Pretty cool to note though that you can see the kitchen, how your food is prepared and cooked (without the glass) from the dining area.  I paid a good Php250 - no soda - tubig lang ako.  Ayos na yun.  Remember: Magtipid.

After being handed the receipt and change and the serving number, I was seated and waited for about 10-15 minutes for my food. Yes, it was served hot and steaming. Can't wait!

It is pale orange in color reminds me of Aligue ng alimango.  Kahit di pa ako nakakatikim nun - pero nakikita ko naman na nakabote.  there were a few bits of Lechon Kawali.  Kinda disappointing though kasi sa picture nman malalaki ang nakalagay na Lechon Kawali - pero sa totoong buhay - maliliit lang pala.  May mga bits of bagoong -- oh yeah - ano pa nga ba ang the best partner ng Kare-Kare?! 

Behind my brain I was thinking of a nutty taste - like what Kare-Kare should be. Yung tipong - feeling mo kumakain ka ng peanut sauce sa pasta. Yung lasang - nagaagaw ang alat at ang lasa ng peanuts na nagpapalinamnam sa pagkain.  dagdagan pa ng crunch ng Lechon Kawali.

Nananaginip lang pala ako.  That was just something at the back of my brain.   It tasted ordinary - parang ready-mix sauce Kare-Kare sauce ng Mama Sita or a cheaper version of the powdered mix.  Nothing special, really. Mas masarap pa ang palabok.  Maybe you can try to buy a powdered mix, lagyan mo ng tubig tapos pakuluan then pag mejo thick na ang sauce - ilagay ang cooked pasta - siguro yun na yun mismo.  The nutty Kare-Kare taste is not really dominating the dish.  

Save perhaps for the Lechon Kawali bits and the small bagoong "dots" that they put on - nagkalasa naman siya.  Lemme Tell you though that the Lechon Kawali is not the big chunky, sizzling, crispy kind.  Sapat lang.  Para na rin ako kumain ng sabaw ng cheap Kare-Kare sa kalye na nilagay sa kanin - kaso sa pasta lang pinatong at hinalo. Ganun.

My verdict, #umay.  Your 250 pesos will serve you and a companion.  If you eat it alone, #umay talaga.  Di ko naubos. Malamang ako lang kasi mag isa.  If split nyo ang bill to 125 each, mejo mahal pa rin para sa akin. To cut the long kuda short - hindi siya worth it para sa akin.  Ewan ko lang sa taste bud nyo.  

The Lechon Kawali Kare-Kare pasta tickled my brain - but it really failed to tickle my taste bud.



UPDATE:
Too bad ... this resto is closed. probably there are other branches.