Who says eating crocodile meat here in the Philippines is forbidden? And aside from that, who would have thought that you can enjoy eating crocodile meat as good as eating a regular pork, chicken or even beef? I found a hidden gem at Visayas Avenue in Quezon City that offers delicious delicacies infused with crocodile meat - The Urban Cafe is one a places to visit for foodies who are looking for something different and exotic.
The Place
The Urban Cafe is located at the ground floor of Wilcon Shopping Center at Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. I personally like the ambiance of the whole place because its very cozy, well lit and comfortable at the same time.
The place can accommodate around 15-20 people (or more). The high ceilings plus the lovely interior of the place is really superb. (If this place is just near in my area, I would love to visit this place often and have a nice cup of coffee while doing some of my blog related duties).
The Food
Like the usual cafes around, The Urban Cafe offers wide selection of drinks and pastries. From plain black coffee to their delicious frappe, to cookies up to their delicious cake slices is in here. Aside from that, they also offer wines which is available per glass or per bottle.
But the food adventure doesn't end here. The highlight of The Urban Cafe is their delicacies with crocodile meat. Yes you guys heard it right. And its not just about plain crocodile dish because they replace and re-make the well-known comfort food meat dishes into something with crocodile meat in it.
Before I proceed with my food review, I would just like to give some facts about eating crocodile meat. Personally at first, I think eating croc meat is not allowed because they are endangered - but its actually not. Here in the country, eating croc meat is allowed as long as its not the crocs which are endangered and living at the wild and as long as it is cultured. The Urban Cafe has their own place where they get their croc supplies and also a place where they cultured their crocs.
There are more info that I have learned about the crocodile meat. And the most important is the croc meat is healthier than the other meat. I had a chance to taste some of their dishes and as a person which are not adventurous for anything exotic, I didn't have any regrets of trying out these dishes:
Farm Bred Croc Tapa
Farm Bred Croc Tapa (Php 195.00) - Introducing their version of Tapsilog (tapa, sinangag, itlog). But instead of the usual beef tapa, it is served with croc tapa with rice and fried egg. I really like the flavor of this dish because it was like you're eating your favorite tapa meal, but without the beef fats because croc meat has less fat compared to others.
Sousvide Croc Tocino
Sousvide Croc Tocino (Php 195.00) - This is one of my favorite dishes here. It is like your favorite tocino but instead of regular pork meat, enjoy this dish with the soft and flavorful croc meat. It's absolutely yummy!
Dauntless Sisig
Dauntless Sisig (Php 195.00) - This dish is my ultimate fave here. Who would have thought that you are actually eating croc meat? Well actually all of their dishes here gave me that kind of thought because all of them are well-cooked, well-marinated/mixed and everything. For me, this dish stood out because of its kick of spiciness and flavor.
Sousvide Croc Crossbone Steak
Sousvide Croc Crossbone Steak (Php 195.00) - If you are looking for a dish on which you want to feel the croc meat, this dish is for you. Aside from the flavorful steak, the meat cut of this dish is really different.
Croc Cigar
Croc Cigar (Php 180.00) - They add a twist on the usual dynamite appetizer. Inside the wraps are the green chili finger and shreds of croc meat.
American Croc Rib BBQ
American Croc Rib BBQ (Php 195.00) - If you are looking for some BBQ-flavored rice meal, this dish is absolutely perfect for you. I really like the barbeque flavor because you can even taste it inside the croc meat - well-marinated and well-cooked.
Croc Sausage Silog
Croc Sausage Silog (Php 180.00) - Croc sausage with fried rice and egg is one of the must-try here. The sausage is really big (like you'll need another cup of rice) and well-cooked. If you've tasted this croc sausage from their sister company Hero Sausages (they are usually located on different conventions and events around Manila), it is the exact same sausage that they served here.
The Urban Croc Burger
The Urban Croc Burger (Php 170.00) - Perfect for snack time! Their croc burger patties has absolutely no extenders. It might be a bit messy to eat since the patties crumbles so easily but if you are up for some heavy snack, I highly recommend trying this dish.
Frappe
Like the usual cafes around, you can enjoy these delicious frappes here. They are available in three flavors: caramel, chocolate and mocha.
Watch my short video as I tour around and tasted their dishes!
The Price
For me, I find the prices as neutral. I find some of their dishes are absolutely affordable since they are using a different kind of meat. Some of course may find some of them as expensive but we should take a consideration that the preparation for this kind of dishes are not the same as the usual pork, chicken and beef meat that we are used to.
Verdict: 4.5 / 5.0
As I mentioned above, who would have thought that you are actually eating croc meat? You can even give it to someone to let them eat then once they are done, tell them that they actually eaten a croc meat. The Urban Cafe did a great job for the dishes. Highly recommended for those who loves to eat something exotic on a usually served dishes.
If you can't get enough of their dishes, you can order their available frozen croc meats.
Be sure to visit The Urban Cafe!
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Food Review