Old favorites, new thrills on Banawe (Eat) Street

Known for its numerous car repair, spare parts and accessories shops, Banawe St. in Quezon City has slowly evolved into an “eat” street where one can find some of the most interesting resto concepts, reasonable buffet restaurants, delicious streetfoods, milk tea houses and family-owned Chinese eateries on just about every corner.

The culinary scene in this area is so dynamic even QC residents like me have a hard time keeping up. Banawe is just a short drive away from our place, but every time my husband and I go there to have our car checked, we would always end up having a dimsum fix as well. Here, there’s always something new to discover — especially the food it offers.

Inspired by the street’s vibrant food scene, Ayala Land organized a food crawl on Banawe (eat) Street for food writers and bloggers to get the lowdown on what’s good in this part of Quezon City.

The country’s leading real-estate developer is developing an 11-hectare master planned mixed-use development — Cloverleaf Balintawak — right at the juncture of North Luzon Expressway, EDSA and A. Bonifacio Ave., which is just a short drive away from Banawe.

“Cloverleaf Balintawak, Ayala Land’s first venture in Balintawak, will also be home to Avida Towers Cloverleaf,” said Avida Land corporate planning manager Caren Rebenito.

There will be retail shops, a shopping mall, office buildings, residential towers — Cloverleaf Balintawak — and a hospital (QualiMed Hospital).

“An Ayala Mall along the side of A. Bonifacio Ave. will be the first phase of development,” noted Caren.

The new Avida Towers Cloverleaf will be a three-tower development offering right-sized units.

“We organized this food crawl in Banawe to showcase the thriving food hubs that await unit owners of Avida Towers Cloverleaf,” added Caren.

Cloverleaf Balintawak is an exciting development that offers convenient proximity to lifestyle destinations in the north. And so, on board a tourist bus, we crawled our way to Banawe’s old favorites and new thrills: G’s Cafe, Lam Tin Tea House, Fook Yuen, Eat Fresh Hong Kong Streetfood, King Chef and Caffe Dolce.

• G’s Cafe (Gears Cafe). Located on the mezzanine floor of Gears, a car parts and accessories shop, this car-themed cafe was conceptualized as a hangout place for Gears’ loyal customers. Here, they can have a sandwich or pasta, while waiting for their rides to get pimped or fixed.
Must-tries: Camber Crispy Bacon and Radial Roast Beef sandwiches.

G’s Cafe is at 802 Banawe St., QC. For reservations, call 516-3352.

• Caffe Dolce. Caffe Dolce is more than just a desserts place. It’s actually a vegetarian restaurant that serves healthy and delicious meals prepared with so much love and passion. Each dish looks like a work of art — so yes, the iPhone eats first.

Must-tries: Chocolate Fresh Lumpia, Egg Roll Salad and Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea.

Caffe Dolce is on the mezzanine level, 848 Banawe St. Call 742-3579.

• Eat Fresh Hong Kong street food. Eat Fresh has a wide range of skewered street food such as lobster balls, breaded scallops and bacon-stuffed crabstrick, asparagus and mushrooms drizzled with the sweet and tangy house sauce. But it had me on the fresh strawberry and almond jelly shake.

Must-tries: Breaded scallops, stuffed tofu, lobster balls.

Eat Fresh is at 100-A Maria Clara St., Sta. Mesa Heights, QC.

• Lam Tin Tea House. This no-fuss Chinese tea house lets you indulge in delectable Chinese fare — fish fillet in tausi sauce, sweet and sour pork, congee, dimsums, among others — without breaking the bank. The Noodle Feast, flat noodles with different meat toppings priced at P220, is good enough for a family of four. The resto is full during lunchtime, especially on weekends. So swing by early to get a table.

Must-tries: Crispy Chicken, noodles and dimsums.

Lam Tin Tea House is at 30-U Banawe St. cor. Cuenco St., Brgy. Sto. Domingo, QC.

• Fook Yuen.  Fook Yuen specializes in Cantonese-style Chinese food, but takes pride in its crab dishes — a bit pricey, but it’s worth the money. Its owner, Eufrocina Ong, personally attends to diners and regales them with stories on where she gets the tastiest crabs and the famous personalities who frequent her resto.

Must-tries: Salt and pepper crab, oyster omelet.

Fook Yuen is at 558-Banawe St., Sta. Mesa Heights, QC.

• King Chef Fine Dining. Known for its herbal soup, King Chef Fine Dining teases the taste buds with its delicious Cantonese comfort food — steamed suahe,  sauteed squid in XO sauce, sweet and sour fish fillet. But what diners look forward to is the dimsum, which is offered at 50-percent off from 3 to 5 p.m. and 9 to 12 midnight daily.

Must-tries: Seafood with spinach soup, French beans with salted egg and sauteed squid in XO sauce.

King Chef Fine Dining is at 989 Banawe St., QC.