Bistro Luneta - brunch review

Bistro Luneta in San Mateo, CA has been known to be the Filipino-French fusion cuisine mecca of the Bay Area. I had the chance of trying out Bistro Luneta a few years back and while the food is tasty, unique, and served as single servings (not family-style), the items are a bit pricier. The restaurant is simple with high-ceilings and blown-up replicas of photographs of Manila from times past that line the walls. The open kitchen is very modern and there's even seating at a small bar where you can literally watch the chefs at work. Most patrons of Bistro Luneta are Caucasians. I have witnessed this a few times already, so it can only mean that whatever they're doing is catering to more than just Filipinos.

I met up with an old friend for brunch here and the weekend brunch menu was typical, and again, with a twist. I had the tapsilog or tapa (thinly sliced seasoned beef quickly fried) plate pictured here. The tapa was made with ribeye steak and it was oh-so-tender. To the right is a jelly version of the "suka sawsawan" or vinegar dipping sauce. The garlic rice just nice and running in the middle was some chopped up red egg with tomatoes and cucumbers. I had two (smaller-sized) eggs done over easy to complete my plate. It was delicious! My only complaint? Not enough beef!

To finish off my brunch, I ordered Bistro Luneta's barako creme brulee. I had to order this because it's at Bistro Luneta that I first saw this on the menu and other restaurants who try to have this on their menu never seem to ever have it when I order it (Intramuros). This dessert is different than I have ever had. It's creme brulee based, but flavored with "barako" which is comparable to espresso! The strong coffee was just right and kept me on my toes for the rest of the day. I let my friend have a couple of spoons, but if you were to ask me, I probably could have finished off another order.

The weekend brunch menu also had Filipino versions of brunch staples such as eggs benedict and mimosas, but I stayed away. On the menu, it stated that the eggs benedict were made with pan de sal (so probably, two inches across is generous?) and the mimosas were made with calamansi juice and bubbly. Maybe next time when I'm not so hungry. :)

All in all, Bistro Luneta is "just fine" for a brief brunch meal. My friend would probably not agree so quickly. She found nothing she liked off the weekend brunch menu (because we were accidentally given the weekly brunch menu where she already had picked out her order but the chef said we could not have) and for coffee, well, they didn't have any cream choices but half and half. My friend ended up ordering bachoy (soup with pork and noodles) and she actually shared some with me. Within minutes though, I found the soup and noodles cold. Maybe the high ceilings had something to do with it or maybe the cool winter weather. Whatever the reason was for that, I don't know, but I tend to like my soup on the hotter side.

There's just one thing to do: try Bistro Luneta for yourself and you can make your own judgment...