Even More Reasons to Love SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE (SKOW)

As young as this cafe may seem, it sure has taken a remarkable spot in the Marikina dining scene. Barely five months old, Some Kind of Wonderful Cafe (now more popularly known as SKOW) continues to update their menu with the most palate-delighting dishes and maintain the one of the coolest playlists for their diners (80s hits, oh yeah!).

I was there again last weekend with my sister and Sweetie, to check out their new menu. SKOW closed for a couple of weeks for maintenance repair and menu updating, and we were very glad to discover that they now also have a menu for Japanese cuisine!

I like this picture a lot, hehe!

As usual, we wanted to try everything, but since we had limited stomach space, we got to try only two items on their Japanese menu:

 Prawn Tempura and the Kani Tempura (130 PhP each) (I am IN LOVE with the Kani Tempura - shreds of crab meat, oh my!)

 Stir-fried mixed veggies (80 PhP)! So fresh and crisp!

This is me devouring the tempura plate. And what is that brown, inviting, beautiful slice of something?

A moist, delicious slice of chocolate caramel cake (75 PhP). This is the first type of cake I've tried in SKOW, and I'll definitely come back for more (specifically, for the Strawberry Shortcake!)

The cake slice's mother, hehe. Anyway, I can't even aptly describe how moist the chocolate cake is!

I am now about to feature the other dishes that we had that night. At the end of this post, you will see SKOW's flag carrier. They say that every restaurant offers a signature dish, and for SKOW, I believe that's the one dish that I can order every single time I go there, and not get tired of it.

On with their other great dishes first:

Our SKOW staple: Tender, sweet and spicy BARBECUED SPARE RIBS (140 PhP)

FISH AND CHIPS (170 PhP). Fish fillet deep fried with its flavorful batter, served hot with their special tartar sauce and French Fries.

 Buttered Prawns with Aioli (180 PhP)

Tell me, WHO CAN RESIST A MILKSHAKE LIKE THIS? No one!! (95 PhP)

Me and Sis enjoying all the great things SKOW has to offer (Thanks for this shot, Sweetie!)

And now, for their dish that stole my heart and relinquished it with so much joy:

SALMON STEAK IN LEMON CAPER SAUCE (195 PhP). The Salmon was moist, tender, flavorful. The Caper Sauce tangy, creamy and silky. The potato salad perfectly complementing the whole dish. This is one of SKOW's best dishes. This is their flag carrier, like I mentioned. 

So, what are you waiting for? Experience these dishes and visit Some Kind of Wonderful Cafe in Marikina today! (Except on Tuesdays, they're closed.)

To view my first ever (and most popular, at that) post on SKOW, click here.
For my second visit, click here.

SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE (SKOW)
Rainbow Street, SSS Village
(Right across St. Paul Parish, if you're commuting, take the SSS jeep or FX and ask Manong Driver to let you off near Saint Paul Parish)
Marikina City, Metro Manila
(02) 409-1242 / 09282714998
OPEN everyday EXCEPT Tuesdays FROM 12nn to 10pm
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

More Reasons to Love SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE (SKOW)

Okay, so this is crazy: Only a couple of weeks after posting my Some Kind of Wonderful Cafe (SKOW) feature, it has received most views and has surpassed all the other stats in this blog. WOW. If you look at the side bar of this blog, it is now the most viewed entry! Congratulations SKOW!

And thanks of course to all you visitors who keep on checking in, thanks for all the views and comments. Please visit Marikina for all your food trippin' needs, I promise to feature more foodie places for you to check out. :D

Anyway, last weekend, I was back in SKOW, this time with my family for an extended birthday celebration of my sister. I raved so much about the place that in the end they were the ones insisting we go there!

I tried their pasta, which I wasn't able to order last time I was there because we already had too much to eat. I ordered the puttanesca (120 PhP) which I ALWAYS order in all restaurants I go to that has Italian cuisine on their menu.

Three words: IT. WAS. FLAVORFUL. Order this!!! I actually believe all the pasta dishes are good, so I'll try another one on my next visit.

My bayaw (brother in law) ordered the cheeseburger (140 PhP) according to my high recommendation.

Of course, he LOVED it. I know, right? :)

Now, introducing the star dish of the night: BARBECUED SPARE RIBS (140 PhP). Served with potato salad and rice, it was a hit with everyone. I'll order this next time too, all those ribs to myself! Hehehehe!

FLAVORFUL FOOD, HAPPY PEOPLE. :) (Do you see those big oatmeal cookies on our table? They're really good too!! Must-try!)

The service, as always, was impeccable. I love these guys! (That's co-owner Dennis at the counter, if I am not mistaken.)

Told you I would order buffalo wings (135 PhP) again.

SKOW is operated by brother-sister tandem Dennis Malonzo and Chef Graciela Malonzo, with Chef Suzie Reyes actively helping out with the improvement and formulation of their recipes. No wonder their food is sooooo good!!

And oh, when I was there, they were playing SEONA DANCING!

Visit SKOW today! (Except if you're reading this on a Tuesday.)

SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE (SKOW)
Rainbow Street, SSS Village
(Right across St. Paul Parish, if you're commuting, take the SSS jeep or FX and ask Manong Driver to let you off near Saint Paul Parish)
Marikina City, Metro Manila
(02) 409-1242 / 09282714998
OPEN everyday EXCEPT Tuesdays FROM 12nn to 10pm
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Visit this post to see my map: Click me!

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE

"Some Kind of Wonderful" is a hit film in 1987, a cult classic during the "Brat Pack" era with a soundtrack that sticks to your head (I am actually downloading the OST right now). Read more about the film here.

In Marikina, we have this too, 'ya know. SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL cafe opened last November 2010 - yep, quite new - and as you can glean from its name, it is an 80s-themed hideaway!!! My heart jumps for joy. :D

We went there earlier today for snack (err, late lunch), and as soon as you enter you will be greeted by the 80s:

On the left wall panel, they have mounted albums of all 80s hits! I love it! And to the right, you will see a collage of 80s films, which of course includes the film SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL (torrent, torrent, torrent, seed, seed, seed...who has a copy? please?!)

They have the Go-Go's, RUN DMC...and beside RUN DMC...

THE SMITHS!!! (Roni sings her favorite song: "...to die by your side...is such a heavenly way to die...")

So there I was inhaling all things 80s. You can also see stuff like Care Bears stuffed toys, action figures, Rubik's cubes...

Aside from its some kind of wonderful 80s theme, I was also drawn to this restaurant by word-of-mouth reviews that they have (one of) the best cheeseburgers in town. I vowed to munch on a cheeseburger today, oh yeah baby. So here is what we ordered:

SPICY BUFFALO WINGS WITH VEGGIE STICKS (135 PhP). Yummy. I loved the dressing. I wish I had a liter of their buffalo wings dressing at home. The wings were spicy, cooked just right. I'll order this again when we come back.

CHEESEBURGER (140 PhP). I have to tell you, those word-of-mouth-guys were not kidding!!! Now, this is actually MY FAVORITE cheeseburger. Sweetie and I unanimously say, this one hits the spot. The patty was cooked well, juicy and very tasty! I loved the texture of the wheat bun, the crunch of the onion, the flavor of the tomato and most of all, the mustard and the CHEESE. I can imagine them serving this with blue cheese too, oh that would be heavenly. YOU HAVE TO ORDER THIS, promise me. Hehe! :D

CHICKEN FILLET WITH CREAMY TOMATO OLIVE SAUCE (140 PhP). I had already closed our order but skimming through their menu, I asked for this dish to be added to our carte. My oh my were we bochogs today, haha! It's just that I love olives (he doesn't, so more olives for me), plus a creamy tomato olive sauce appealed to my imagination. Imagine crispy chicken fillet with creamy-buttery dressing with tomato chunks and olives, served with Jasmine rice and potato salad. Okay my mouth is watering now.

CHICKEN QUESADILLA (115 PhP). When they served this, my first question was, where's the sauce? Maybe I might have been used to having sauces like sour cream served with quesadillas I've tried before but for today, I just dismissed the thought of sauce and decided to try the quesadilla in all its simplicity. After taking a huge bite, you know what? You don't need a sauce for this. Like the cheeseburger, this will definitely be a reorder for me when I get back. They have stuffed the pita with generous amounts of chicken, cheese, tomatoes and onions. Yummy yummy yummy. Goes straight to my tummy.

Like I always say, I enjoy eating in a restaurant for its ambience, food and value for money. To add to that, the service. In SKOW (that's the resto's acronym), the servers were very friendly, and very attentive. Our dining experience was very pleasant.

Dining with great and AFFORDABLE food while listening to 80s music has never been this fun! I am definitely bringing my family and friends here, maybe we'll chance upon Seona Dancing or Duran Duran next time, too! :)

And oh, they gave us a free oatmeal cookie!!!

Visit SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL now, all you 80ists out there - or people who want great food at great prices. Foodies + Eighties = One of the best ideas ever!

More reasons to love Some Kind of Wonderful Cafe here.


SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL CAFE (SKOW)
Rainbow Street, SSS Village
(Right across St. Paul Parish, if you're commuting, take the SSS jeep or FX and ask Manong Driver to let you off near Saint Paul Parish)
Marikina City, Metro Manila
(02) 409-1242 / 09282714998
OPEN everyday EXCEPT Tuesdays FROM 12nn to 10pm
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

My SKOW map made with love as requested (Just click on the image to enlarge):

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni