What a wonderful way to start 2013 with a cozy lunch date with my wife Ruth Floresca at Sentro 1771. Sentro 1771 is the sister company of Chateau 1771, a popular posh resto quite famous for their fine dining European cuisine. Sentro, on the other hand is best known for its authentic Filipino cuisine with twist of original recipe of their resident chef, no other than Chef Vicky Rose Pacheco.
Among the best sellers of Sentro is the most sought after dish, the Corned Beef Sinigang. I’m a very big fan of Sinigang and I love cooking them as well at home. Unfortunately, some Sinigang I’ve tasted around don’t quite get the right balance of the flavors I’m looking for. My version has been my bench mark in terms of getting the right Sinigang. However, the Corned Beef Sinigang of Sentro tops everything else I’ve tasted including mine. So when you visit Sentro, don’t fail to order this dish.
This dish is served in two variants, one is the solo size and the other one is for sharing size that is good for three to four people, served in a Palayok-pot with burner to keep it hot. They are priced at P310 and P595 respectively.
For starters, one great dish to try is the Fresh Smoke Spring Rolls – Fresh Lumpia of Tinapang Bangus. These are small maki-like rolls, with strips of Tinapang Bangus, veggies, salted egg and flavorful herbs and spices, rolled in small lumpia wrappers. These rolls are best dip in vinegar. Each serving is a set of eight rolls, individually placed on ceramic saucers on ceramic slab. The rolls are priced at P270 per serving of eight.
A must try drink Sentro is offering which was suggested by the waiter is the Lemon Pandan Juice. This drink is a special house blend of Pandan extract with a mix of Lemon juice and natural sweeteners. It is best to order a pitcher size to get the most of the taste and flavors of this thirst quenching drink.
A side dish that best matches the Corned Beef Sinigang is the Bangus and Egg plant Torta with Hawaiian Palm, another Sentro Cuisine that is authentically Filipino. At first, I never thought it was Bangus because it doesn’t taste like at all fish. All along I thought it was ground pork, not until I saw the menu for the second time. The presentation was also superb, getting the almost perfect round shape of the dish. At the edge of the serving plate, is small side-dish salads consist of ripe mango strips and shredded green veggies and pickled dressing.
If you eat at Sentro, never fail to complete the meal without getting a dessert. I, for one is not much of a dessert individual but the dessert I’m about to mention is definitely an exceptional one. I’m talking about the famous Banana Tart. It is a pastry cremebrulee with caramelized custard with banana slices on top. At P150 each, this dessert is definitely a treat for the gods.
Another dessert that is worth giving into is the Keso Flan. It has all the ingredients of a Bibingka but it’s not. In Tagalog, Parang Bibingka pero Hindi. It is a special kind of cheese cake with keso de Bola and salted egg on the side, so you can have the feel of the typical Bibingka pudding, only it’s better.
The portion of the dishes that was served to us was small but more than enough for the two people can share. The lunch date was certainly a very filling one and I’m hoping to visit Sentro again very soon.
Note: All photos courtesy of mommywrites.blogspot.com
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