Arroz Ecija Cafe is the first restaurant you’ll see when you enter the annex of Robinsons Place Dasmarinas. That branch opened last October 2018. It’s a stall that looks like an old traditional Filipino house.
I and my family went there at around 7 in the evening. We were the only costumers there. Well, there are some people who buy some snacks for take out.
Although Arroz Ecija claims to be the the Home of Manila’s Best Pancit, Pares, and Kakanin, we tried their other meals for dinner.
Hacienda Style Arroz Caldo
The Arroz Caldo tastes like the usual food you can buy in carinderias. I was quite disappointed because they don’t have chicharon on the toppings. I expected a lot because it’s worth 139 pesos. It’s thrice the price of the Arroz Caldo people can buy in small time eateries. The good thing is that the serving is big and there’s puto on the side.
Bistek Tagalog
The Bistek Tagalog tastes good. The meat is tender and the sauce fits my taste. My dad said that it would be better if there’s more calamansi. I think it’s fine. Moving on to the rice, it has fried garlic on top and fresh garlic mixed on the rice. What I know about Basmati rice is that it has longer grains. I think the rice variant served is the usual rice. Anyway, I’m surprised with the amount of Garlic Basmati Rice. The serving is good for two people so I think it gives justice to the price (199 pesos).
Pinakbet and Bagnet
The Pinakbet and Bagnet (189 pesos) is served with Brown Rice Bagoong. Although I’m not a fan of bitter gourd, I enjoyed the freshness of the string beans. The Bagnet also tastes good! As for the Brown Rice Bagoong, I think it’s too salty. Probably because there’s too much bagoong. In my opinion, the serving is also good for two people.
Beef Bulalo
Among all the food we ordered, Beef Bulalo (198 pesos) has the smallest serving size. There are only five pieces of match box sized beef in the soup. The vegetables are half cooked which makes them crispy. The Bulalo Beef tastes good for me but my dad still asked for extra sili, calamansi, and patis to make it taste even better.
Arroz Ecija Cafe Menu
They offer wide range of Filipino Food: Pampagana (Appetizers), Altanghap (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), and Merienda (Snacks).
They also have Palamig (cold drinks), Panghimagas (desserts), and Kakanin (native delicacies).
The staff greeted us and gave us a menu right away. Mom told me that she went there before and she mentioned that the waiter usually speaks in Filipino when taking orders. When he took our order, he didn’t say their signature phrase. Anyway, we are quite unsatisfied with the service because we had to ask three different people before they refilled out cucumber infused water. The service is a bit slow knowing that we were the only customers there.
Arroz Ecija Cafe is on the Upper Ground Floor of Robinsons Place Dasmarinas Annex. It’s across Decathlon.
I would recommend Arroz Ecija Cafe if you’re craving for a Filipino Cuisine inside the mall. The price of the meal is above average but I think the serving size gives justice to the price.
If you’re looking for other restaurants with Filipino cuisine, you can try D’ Banquet, Cabalen, and Balinsasayaw.
Love arroz caldo. Hahahaha parang nag-crave tuloy ako ngayon kumain ng gulay. Hehe
Asian cuisines are a similar yet different. They have distinct tastes that differs from other Asian countries.
I have never tried such food before. From the looking they have similarities with other Asian cuisine.
Nice to have more comfort food! I just hope it is more accessible from BGC. We need this kind of resto here.
Looks delicious. I can assure you that mall food in Canada doesn’t even come close to being that good.
OMG Can I just say, I can’t help but drool over the picture! Who would not love to taste a Filipino cuisine!
As a foodie this excites me, i love trying new foods
I love the sound of this cafe. The dishes look really tasty. I bet you had a lovely time dining here.
Lovely ambience. The pool looks great and some awesome food options. Great place to be in.
Oh wow the food looks amazing, definitely somewhere to visit if you are in the area x
Wow, really looks good here. It really ensembles an old Filipino house. I would really love to eat Filipino dish in an ambience like this.
I have few Filipino friends. I had been looking forward to try their cuisines. When I visit that place, I will check out this restaurant .
The place looks clean and have great variety of foods. That arroz is callin meeeeee
This looks super delicoius. I love the idea of trying new foods ?
I think it’s trying to be like XO Heritage Bistro but is failing in their effort. Food looks good but quite ordinary. I agree that the Arroz Caldo is much, much overpriced.
All those dishes are so mouth watering! Pakbet and bagnet looks really good! This is a good restaurant and I am glad you shared your dining experience with us.