as manila becomes more cosmopolitan, it’s just right that there be a place serving food from eastern europe. and while the balkan express doesn’t really have a wide spectrum of dishes as yet, it is a good enough start.
the most familiar dish on the menu was goulash (P230), so we had that
a hungarian beef stew with lots of paprika. pasta optional – but the balkan express version has. the broth was quite tasty and it is a very filling meal. my only comment was it may have helped if the meat were pre-seasoned and more tender. it was a little disappointing to go through that very flavorful broth only to encounter these hunks of meat that were not as tasty.
we also had the cevapcici (P180)
this was like a grilled chicken sausage. it was served burger-style in a bun with fries on the side. what i really appreciated about this dish was the onion relish on top of the chicken. that was perfectly zesty.
last dish was balkanski kebab which was grilled chicken wrapped in bacon – a dish hailing from serbia. it seems that the realization that bacon will make anything good is universal
this dish was also very tasty – with bacon wrapped around grilled chicken how could it not. but rather overpriced at P330.
in general i actually did feel the place is overpriced. these are not complex dishes. but they serve as an interesting peek as to what may constitute eastern european cuisine. they had on their menu a dish of pig knuckles that i saw featured on anthony bourdain’s no reservations in prague. it’s on special order for P1,400.
i will think of returning once this menu has been greatly expanded. it is a good start, but right now that’s all it is…
Because There Are Always Places to Go and Things to Eat 