Cebu Secret Chows: Simply J's -- the justice post! :D

Hey hey foodies!

          Sorry for the blog's silence. I've been away on a trip to Hong Kong for 5 days and I just got back the other night. I'll be telling you about that in another post though and I can't wait. These fingers are itching. But anyway, there's something I'd also like to share with you before I had left. 

          Simply J's, that quaint little white house-turned-resto along Escario St. that I've visited a while back last year (click this for that last post), has recently expanded their resto to the second floor and the other half of the house where they used to display their home decor items for sale. The second floor is now a function room which you can reserve for meetings or special occasion celebrations. 

           This is a justice post because my last and only post about this cool resto did not do  any justice for the great food, service and ambience it had. So, I was here for lunch with my good friend, Luis. I was delighted to find that the resto has kept its warmth and charm since my last visit. However, the menu has improved. There were several new items such as a crab cake salad which I wanted but was out of stock, and a seafood lasagna which we got, to name a few. What I liked about their menu though, was that there were precise descriptions for each dish. It helps a lot in selection of choices. 

           The ambience really is pretty much like stepping into a house with a huge dining area that invites you to take a seat and be assured of a good meal. Only the original dining area was occupied by diners that day. We took a look around while waiting for our food. 

the expansion

the original dining area

restroom

Hey, Luis! :D

            Reading the interesting new menu, my eyes caught lines like "deep fried" and "breaded". These words usually do not appeal to me at all but reading on, it sounded outrageous and spectacular, especially the sauce: red wine reduction shiitake mushroom sauce. I read it aloud and Luis even thought I was making it up to tease him because he loves anything fried and fatty. The dish described was "Stuffed Rack of Pork". 

hallelujah! Me thinks this piece fell from the sky!

Deep fried breaded rack of pork stuffed with pesto and served with potato gratin and red wine reduction shiitake mushroom sauce

              It sounds like a complex dish but each component complements each other very well like how each instrument in a band significantly contributes to a melody. This has got to be the queen of the menu. This was insanely good. The sauce, oh, it just hit the spot. I love red wine reductions. The shiitake mushroom infusion was not overwhelming as well. Luis and I instantly agreed that this was something anyone would crave for and come back for once they've had a taste. I could probably  finish the whole thing alone despite the huge serving. 

            But first, we had their Asian Mandarin Salad for our appetizer. I badly wanted to try their crab cake salad but as I mentioned earlier, it was unavailable. Oh well. I only like vinaigrette-dressed salads (but Caesar's is an exception) so this was the next choice. I always get disappointed when resto's only use iceberg lettuce though. I don't think I'd order this again.

             The seafood lasagna appealed to me because I read from the description that it had SEA URCHIN. Wow, that sounded extravagant. It sure drew my curiosity because I haven't noticed something like this served in other resto's. 

layered lasagna noodles with sea urchin, shrimp, fish, squid and white wine cream sauce

    
         It looked to be a solo serving but when we tasted it, it was actually very rich. It was also my first time to try cooked sea urchin because I've only had them fresh. Not bad though it was a tad too salty for our taste. We couldn't finish this. I must say, the first spoonful was like having a hefty serving of the ocean in your mouth. Maybe it lacked a little more white wine. Hehe. For seafood lovers, this is a go.

           I had Sola raspberry iced tea for my drink and Luis had Nestea iced tea.  Raspberry is my favorite flavor from Sola. Luis' iced tea was too sweet. He felt that it was a whole liter's pack poured into his glass.  

           Like my last visit, I left with a happy tummy and still dreamt of going back for that stuffed pork rack sometime SOON. It's seriously THAT good. Another thing I love about this place is the service. Waiters are welcoming, friendly and service is prompt. Definitely one of the coziest dining places in Cebu. :)

What we had:
Asian Mandarin Salad - (sorry, forgot to take note of the price for this)
Stuffed Rack of Pork - P220
Seafood Lasagna - P220
Sola Raspberry Iced Tea - P60
Nestea Iced Tea - P30

Simply J's Cafe/Restaurant
10 Apitong St. Cor. N. Escario, Cebu City
(beside Diamond Suites)

Operating Hours:
Mon to Sun
11 am - 2 pm
6 pm - 10 pm

Contact: (032) 505 8315

*Reservation is highly recommended. Though they've expanded, it still gets just as packed. ;)

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)