I heart Uno Restaurant (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)

Uno Restaurant (or Restaurant Uno, depending on how you choose to read the sign that hangs outside its quaint glass and dark wood façade) has been one of my favorite restaurants in the Tomas Morato area since I started working for ABS-CBN twelve years ago. It is a favorite among my work friends as well.

There are many things to love about the place. First off, there’s the (free) store-made bread that they serve almost immediately after they seat you. It’s usually freshly baked, and you can ask for basket after basket without being charged an extra centavo. Then there’s the bottomless iced tea and brewed coffee. Sometimes, when I’m having an intense conversation with a friend in the restaurant, I mindlessly eat the bread and drink iced tea until I’m almost too full to eat any more when the main course arrives.

Another thing I like about Uno is that they change their menu every so often (every quarter, if I’m not mistaken). This means a regular customer never gets bored of their dishes. The obvious downside of this is that if there’s a particular dish you love, it might be gone in a few months. Sometimes though, if you ask nicely, and if they have the ingredients on hand, they will whip up the dish for you, even if it’s off the menu already.

Spinach tortellini

I went there a couple of times recently to get together with some old friends from work, and I ended up very happy with my selections. One time, I had the Spinach Tortellini, while my friends ordered two other kinds of pasta. We all had a taste of each other’s food, and the tortellini that I ordered was declared the winner of the bunch (or, as I like to call the winning dish in these informal contests, Ms. Universe).

Another time, I ordered their lunch special, Sashimi-grade Seared Tuna Steak, which came with a salad. I enjoyed this meal as well. The fish was fresh, and the couscous went perfectly with it.

Sashimi-grade tuna steak with couscous

A visit to Uno for me is never complete without ordering dessert, and the choice is usually Fallen cake, their version of the flourless chocolate cake. For some reason though, that time, the cream that usually tops it was liquid, running down the sides of the slice, instead of the whipped version, crowning the cake. No matter. I still loved it. I’ve started ordering their brownie though, and I like this as well. Both go perfectly with coffee.

Fallen flourless chocolate cake

Uno, because of its ambience, its helpful and loyal staff (some of them have been around since my first visit there), and of course the food, is a perfect choice for having an extended lunch with friends. Just make sure you have a LOT of time to linger. If it’s a regular workday, you are highly likely to stay longer than the one hour your company usually allows.


Uno Restaurant
195 Tomas Morato cor. Sct. Fuentebella
Quezon City
Philippines
Telephone no. (02)374-0774

Comments

i love your blog! and i love UNO!
:)
we always eat there like once a week, my folks love love that place
Alex A. said…
thanks for visiting, little cooker :) i can't keep away from uno either!
Anonymous said…
love this place also
Alex A. said…
thanks for dropping by, gourmand tales :)
Ms. Dolo said…
i'm so happy to know that UNO never sacrifices the quality of its food and service. through the years it has always delivered. i'm an old fan of UNO. i miss going there with my College barkada.
Ms. Dolo said…
i'm so happy to know UNO is still around. i miss going there with my College barkada...for some reason, the food there always tasted 'clean'. keep it up, UNO.
Ms. Dolo said…
i love UNO. i miss going there with my College friends. i'm so happy it's still around. for some reason, the food there always tastes 'clean'...and the freshly baked bread yum!
Alex A. said…
Hi Dolo! Yes, Uno continues to be excellent. It's also amazing how the staff have been there for years and years. A sign that they have been treated well. If I published all my pending entries for Uno, I'd sound like their PR manager :-)