Van Marley's

van Marley's
Address: 10-A Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Cuisine: Dutch 

I asked a friend who went to study and finish his second Master's degree in Amsterdam about the typical Dutch food that he had. And apparently he subsisted mostly on eggs and noodles since his scholarship stipend is below the minimum wage. As he likes to put it, he's way below the poverty line.

So last night, BF and I heaved our butts to van Marley's. It is situated along Xavierville Avenue and is a bit of a travel from Katipunan. Basta, it is way further down the street from Ababu. I'm not sure if it is easily accessible since I am not familiar with the public transportation there. Tricycle, perhaps?

van Marley's only have a ramp in front of the restaurant as a parking space for their customers. But then, this could be the sidewalk that is common in QC. The place can sit around 20 people. We got there after my class, so we almost have the whole place. We also spied the van Marley's owners (cute, metrosexual looking guys! teehee) there. The whole place is dimly lit so you have this different vibe/aura of the restaurant. And walls were adorned with pictures like that of a canal common in Amsterdam.

We had Flying Dutch Wings (Php155) partnered with a Blue Cheese dip (L - Php40), Drunk Dori (Php135) with Turmeric Rice (Php30). And for desserts, combination of Whipped Berries Cream Cheese and Lemon Cream Cheese Dutchkins (Php127.50) with ice cream (Php12).

The Drunk Dori and Turmeric Rice came first. The fish was tasty and the flavor was further emphasized with cheese filling. It's like the fish version of the cordon bleu. And the good thing here is that it came in two slices so it was easy for BF and I to take a pick on which fish to eat. The rice was just plain good. I'm used to eating turmeric rice with kabab but this is not a Persian place so, I'll just hold off with my judgement. Before taking on the rice, the wait person informed us that it is more than one cup and advised us that we can order one serving of their Turmeric Rice and see how we would like it instead of ordering two servings of it.

The Flying Dutch Wings were hot. And just like any other buffalo wings, it went well with the blue cheese. We enjoyed nibbling on these and it was a good thing that the wings came after the fish because if not, we would not be able to appreciate the taste of the fish. The wings would easily overpower the dory.

Since it was our first time to go to van Marley's, the wait person advised us to try a combination of the Dutchkins, so that we can get more options. Dutchkins were like mini pancakes with fillings inside. Perhaps, the name was derived from Dunkin Donut's munchkins. We chose the mixed berries and lemons combination since the other combination that she offered was a bit redundant, both having nutella in their filling. BF became partial with the lemon flavored Dutchkin while I to the mixed berries. But we still halved each flavor.

We were so bloated after eating everything that we ordered. Their servings were good for one, so ordering two main course and a dessert was a bit of a stretch for us. But we just had to try van Marley's Dutchkins because this is something new.

I am not sure if it is recommendable to travel all the way to van Marley's location in Xavierville since you can get an equally good buffalo wings and fish in other restaurants. But I think you should at least try the Dutchkins, if you're within the area. How often would you see a dutchkin in a menu, right?