Busog chibog at The Plantation

Chillin'

My college best friend and I have been trying to see each other more often, especially this year. Since I'm back in the city, I met up with her on my very second day. I consider it very special because I was actually done with work two hours before we were supposed to meet up. On any other day, I would have just gone home, but since I missed her too, I decided to wait for her.

One side of their coffee menu

The Plantation has a free socket that you can use if you're lucky enough to sit by the socket, and they also have free WiFi. Since I had to charge my phone, I wasn't able to play or surf as much as I liked.

I think the people at The Plantation thought I was a journalist or 'mystery shopper' because of my notebooks. The service was pretty efficient (to be fair, there were only about five groups of diners, me included) at that time. But they were a little noisy and kept shouting around. The music was good, though, and definitely kept me company as I worked.

The night before, I saw Click the City's very helpful The Hungry Guide: Legaspi Village Food and Restaurant Map (they also have one for Salcedo Village) and after consulting with food-buff Dastine, I suggested The Plantation to Mi. Since she's pretty much game, as long as it's somewhere nearby, she agreed. To aid my pitch, I also sent her a map. (Being geographically-challenged, of course she got lost, hehe!)

The Plantation is right beside the street, but being vertically-challenged, I did not notice it immediately. I had to backtrack and by accidentally glancing up, I found it. I wasn't aware much of what they had offered, only that it fit our P250 meal requirement and that it was midway between our offices.

Chicken fingers & potato wedges (P165)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they also served coffee and cakes, as well as the usual Pinoy and American favorites, and other The Plantation creations, too. Oh, and did I mention the 3pm-9pm happy hour everyday? Yep.

The Plantation is chillax, and the perfect spot to hang out with friends, or even just eat by yourself. There were officemates hanging out, a businessman eating by himself, other official-looking men, just buddies enjoying the booze, and some other girls enjoying the good food. I think it's perfect for groups because the serving for some dishes is good for sharing, and their menu is extensive and can cater to the health conscious to the meat-lovers like me. Also, they have tables for two up to six people.

I only read one online review to find out their notable dishes, and I was expecting good things.

I ordered chicken fingers with potato wedges and ate it while I was writing my notes for work, because I forgot my tablet and didn't have anything to read. The chicken fingers was...sad. It looked so pale, and definitely tasted a little bland for me. The honey mustard sauce was its saving grace, but I enjoy my food more if I could enjoy it without having to resort to the sauce. I was expecting the food to be a little more brown. But then again, I was so hungry so I almost polished it off before my bff arrived.

Chicken cordon bleu on pesto rice (P230)

 The bff ordered chicken cordon bleu on pesto rice. To be fair, The Plantation had a lot of delicious-sounding food so we had quite a time choosing which dish to really order. Mi enjoyed her dish, and it fit her P250 budget.

Dory Thermidor on pesto rice (P230)

Me, on the other hand, was salivating for The Plantation-original dish Dory Thermidor on pesto rice. It's described as having hollandaise sauce, and the review I read was raving about it, even though it admittedly does not look that appetizing. Ugh. Kind of a letdown. The fish was creamy only in some places, the hollandaise sauce was almost non-existent. The pesto rice tasted bland. I had to slather on honey mustard to enjoy the dish.

I actually don't order fish often because I find that they don't meet my expectations, and this one just added belief that my mom's fish is the best.

Tiger (P150/bottle), 2 + 1 free (P300) San Mig Light 1 + 1 (P80)

We could have totally fit into our budget (although I did have that extra chicken fingers dish) if only we hadn't decided to throw our waistlines out of the window. We decided to enjoy their happy hour. Mia ordered San Mig Light while I went for the Tiger beer, which I enjoyed the last time I was in Singapore. By this time, the place was noisy and the trio of men beside our table were so irritatingly loud! They were louder than the band who started playing around 8PM.

One beef I have with The Plantation was that the waiter explained to me that the 2 bottles + 1 free bottle of Tiger beer was only P150. But when we asked for the bill, I was charged P150/bottle so I ended up paying P300. I was so full from the food that I just brought home the unopened 'free' Tiger beer and gave it to my father as a pasalubong. I paid P5 deposit for that.

Mia, on the other hand, only paid P80 for two San Miguel bottles. That's actually already a rip-off because I know beer is super cheap when you buy it in supermarkets. Ah, the price of chilling out in restaurants.


Aside from the beer, we also ordered nachos with melted cheese. The melted cheese was so delicious, and we could probably have polished it off if we weren't super full. We decided that the next time we can just eat their nachos if we wanted to drink beer.

I'm always on the hunt for good cafe mocha or ice-blended mocha drinks, so maybe I'll try their espresso-based drinks next time. It's also a good thing I arrived there early because the place was packed by 7pm.

They also have a single-toilet bathroom that's a little cramped. At night, it's better to bring your own supply of tissue to make sure you'll have some to use.

Midweek fun with one of my best, Mi. Love you :*

The Plantation has affordable food and has that just right chillout vibe, but I was disappointed with the taste of most of the dishes I ordered. I'm not sure if and when I'll be back, but I just might be back to try out their coffee and other dishes instead.


The Plantation Bar & Bistro
106 C. Palanca Street,
Legaspi Village, Makati City
(02) 501 5727
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