Marikina is the city of shoes, but it’s slowly building up to be a city of food. Good food at that!

I don’t wander off to this part of the metro so often, so when FR friends invited me to join them, I didn’t think twice about it!

First stop was Patio Vera for dinner. With candlelight. With bits and pieces of antique things and shoes. I heard that the family business was shoemaking until they turned the place into a restaurant because of poor shoe sales. I haven’t confirmed if it’s true, but that’s how the story goes.

I will let the photos do the talking.

I like how rustic the place feels. They just put all of their old stuff together and you feel like you’ve travelled back through time.

On to the food –

Escabeche Klasiko doesn’t taste like your usual escabeche but it is equally good. Fish is so tender, which goes well with the mild taste of the sauce.

You never fail with Crispy Pata. Death by Crispy Pata. This was sooo good!!!

The specialty of the house is their paella. We ordered seafood paella, and true enough, it was one of the more memorable paellas I’ve tasted in my life.

To complete the Marikina experience, they give you your bill in this –

We spent around 3,000 pesos for a meal for 7. Not bad at all!

After eating, you can explore the interior of the house for photo ops with their antique stuff. 🙂