New Malate Restaurant Gives New Twist to Longganisa and French Toast

What comes to mind when you say Malate and Ermita in Manila? 

The easiest answer would be the parties and the night life. Boys and Girls, young and the not so young going in and out of bars with fancy and dazzling signages, enjoying the trance of EDMs, having the time of their life.
Because of their image as red light districts, the destinations would not typically fall into the average millennial's go-to places for food trips. Yet Manila is home to some of the best and cherished family restaurants. Together with these old favorites, newly opened restaurants like Braska help to cast a new light on this part of Manila especially with some interesting dishes like Longganisa Meatballs and Guava Jelly and Bacon French Toast.


Braska is a cosmopolitan Filipino restaurant the exudes a café vibe during the day and a chill lounge ambiance at night. It's an ideal place for your dining out, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The name of the restaurant came from Calle Nebraska, which is the old name of the street where the restaurant is currently located.


We started our dinner in Braska with the Shrimp and Avocado Salad. There are only two kinds of salads to choose from, and I immediately went with the seafood. I like that there were a lot of shrimps on the salad, complemented well by the lime cilantro dressing.


You are not a Filipino if you don't have rice on the table. We tried the restaurant's version of Paella, a rice dish with squid, shrimp, mussels, chicken thigh, chorizo, and egg.


One of the highlights of the dinner was the Short Ribs Caldereta. I remember that my family would cook this dish at home especially when there is an occasion because this is a best partner for beer. Their caldereta sat well with my taste buds because it was not too spicy. The meat was so tender that it would separate from the bone easily. More rice please!


The Wild Mushroom Pasta of Braska used mixed mushrooms, shallots, and fettuccini pasta in white sauce. This dish is generally lighter and healthier than carbonara. But, pasta is pasta, and I am a big pasta lover!


This Guava Jelly and Bacon French Toast is not really a Filipino food, but I guess it reminds us how local cuisine has absorbed various culinary cultures, adopted their best parts, and made them our own. This French toast can be consumed anytime of the day, and you can also consider this as a dessert. With Kamote Hash on the side, the combination of guava jelly, bacon, and the French toast in this dish was perfect! 


Included in the bar chow menu is the Longganisa Meatballs. This is not your typical meatball because they use house made sweet and savory sausage wrapped around an egg. This dish reminds me a lot of the famous Ilocos empanada epecially with the vinegar sauce for the meatball. The meatball is breaded and deep-fried, giving that crispy golden brown covering but a very chewy meat.


This Chicken Skin Chicharon is the perfect partner of beers or alcohol fix during your barkada night outs. It tastes really good that you would not notice you have already consumed a lot. Just watch out for your cholesterol because this crispy goodness is packed with that.


If you want to try this restaurant, note that they are currently offering  a Buy 1 Get 1 promotion on cocktails and beers from 5 pm to 7pm. Also included in the Happy Hour is a 30% discount on their Bar Chow.


I suggest to bring your family and friends when you dine-in because they are also offering a 20% discount when 5 or more people will dine. What a great way to celebrate father's day right?

Braska is located at 1667 Bocobo Street, Malate, Manila. 

Written by Bien Tomas
Photos by Ed Joseph Co

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About Outrigger Media

We are a Filipino media group for millennials in search of destinations and experiences outside mainstream travel. We publish a digital magazine monthly, and we post our adventures on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For more info, drop us a message at outriggermag@gmail.com

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