Kanin Club

The UP-Ayala Techno Hub along Commonwealth Avenue and near UP-Diliman has recently opened its strip mall and a number of restaurants have finally opened. One of these is Kanin Club, a Filipino restaurant that had its first store in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Wanting to avoid the huge crowds that usually follow this restaurant once word of it gets out, dad, mom and I wanted to check it out. The place is a bit small, but then again, the area doesn’t really attract huge crowds of people. (I hope it stays that way.) Upon entering, you notice the Filipino motif of the interiors, with the glass-stained windows, capiz decors, wrought iron and wooden furniture. It takes you back to the colonial days. Filipino singers singing traditional choral pieces are heard in the background. Nice.

We soon got down to business. First up was the Binukadkad na Tilapia, which was really just 1 piece of butterflied breaded Tilapia. I must say that it was good. The flesh was firm and did not have that fishy taste. The crunchy breading complemented the soft succulent fish meat. Mom said that this was even better than the butterflied fish served at Abe. My dad, who has a very discriminatory palate for fish, actually liked it. I could just see my cousins eating this.

In San Francisco, I loved the fried giant Tilapias from the oriental groceries. I even learned to pair it with bagoong and suka. My tita and tito would just look at me with puzzlement as I happily ate the fish. They’d even say that the Tilapia in the Philippines was much much better. In this case, with the Binukadkad na Tilapia, I would have to agree.