Balkan: Yugoslavian Home Cooking

When you enter a restaurant for the first time to try a dish for the first time you really cannot set standards, just expectations. In this case the only basis I have is service, price, ambiance, and personal taste. I am absolutely clueless with anything-Yugoslavian. I wanted to order something I couldn’t pronounce, and I was also in the mood for crepes. So I ordered crepe which name they fancied up as Palacinke claiming that it’s a traditional Serbian crepe filled with chocolate. The server guy said they used Goya chocolate…not a fan. Then they call their creampuff Princes Krofne, which we also ordered. Apparently it’s simply the Serbian translations for crepe and creampuff. The price was as average as their fillings, but I did like their crepe though because they were chewy and porously good.

I like the big light bulbs and the simple white-washed setup with splashes of colors from knickknacks.

Princes Krofne (Php150.00)

Palancike (Php140.00)

Then we wanted to try something new, so we asked what their specialty was and the server said it was Kobasica, a 100% homemade pork sausage served with the choice of boiled potato, mashed potato or French fries. Or was it the Cevapcici? Thirty minutes later, way after the supposed desserts were served the server said he didn’t take the order. He assumed it was just a question of curiosity because there were a lot of revisions to our order, so he decided to cross out the item and give us just the crepe and the puffs instead...so I never got to taste their supposed specialty because we decided to save our cash on another meal at a different restaurant instead.

Some clear chicken noodle soup with a carrot (Php110.00)

I also decided to try some soup since it was only Php110. Basically, it tasted like Maggi’s Instant Chicken Noodles. If you imagine their yellow powder flavoring added to a pot of actual chicken broth, add some thin egg noodles and a big chunk of carrot, that’s what it is. It did taste homey in a way that it tasted like instant noodles…I don’t really know how authentic it was. Remember, I don’t really know what Yugoslavian food is.

The place was pretty cool with pop-items and a lot of photos on the wall. We left the place empty…but when we arrived it was also empty. What I consider bad about the place is the service. I mean, seriously…our server was unenthusiastic with us being the only costumer, so he made sure we didn’t have to come back a second time. He was quite slow and a little mocking when we asked what kind of food they were serving. Sorry na gutom lang!

These days verbal conversation is optional.

I liked this part of their wall.

They have a pretty big space filled with empty seats. I don't know if it gets full.

Bottom line, I don’t really find a reason to come back he unless necessary. 

And I still don’t know what Yugoslavian food is.

2ne Flr, Crossroads, 

Bonifacio Global City (at 32nd St & 7th Ave)

It's hidden right above the Army Navy-Yellow Cab area.