Being just across the street from where I work, the Frazzled Cook Restaurant on Luna Mencias in Mandaluyong quickly became a watering hole and go to resto for me and my ilk in the ad agency. That it was quaintly put together in contemporary shabby chic, with mismatched crockery and knick knacks and odds and ends, was a pleasant bonus. That it served below zero ice cold beer especially after a long and stressful day, was a game changer. That its chef cooked very delectable fusion dishes such as Wagyu Salpicao with garlic rice, for example, sealed the deal! Frazzled Cook was officially an excellent default choice for treating clients, staff, the self!
But it could not survive on my habits and the discernment of a handful of loyal customers alone. The ubiquitous traffic problem of the curiously one-way street, the limited parking spaces available, and the occasional flood that resulted from a sudden downpour, forced it to close after five years.
Down...but not dead, definitely NOT!
Happily the Frazzled Cook, with its unique je ne sais quoi flavors and dishes, reopened this April in Quezon City, on 78 Scout Gandia to be exact, and from all indications, unlike its stop-and-start beginnings in the other location, it is gearing to be an unmitigated success!
Consider the following factors...
Parking is NO PROBLEM!
The entrance way is a geomancer's dream: it's shaped like a circle, like money money money!
There are FOUR, count 'em FOUR function rooms in addition to the main dining hall. The whole restaurant can seat 60 comfortably, and each function room can seat from 12-24 just as well.
The shabby chic signature in decor and crockery is still there, albeit cleaned up and toned down.
The cutlery and flatware are still imprinted with Hello Kitty....
And despite the rains that came and went this past quarter, it was FLOOD-FREE!
But most important, the cooking was as good as I remembered it, if not better! The storybook menu revealed that the old time favorites were still there...but there were new dishes besides...all put together in the unique frazzled fusion fashion that it was known for.
Must try the Sizzling Squid served in a cast iron skillet... The ole'-picante buffalo wings... The Pizza Caprese in the easy size... And of course the melts-in-your-mouth Wagyu Salipicao! My companions tried the Lamb Shank(veddy good)...and the fried cheese...but these were gobbled up before I had a chance to snap up a picture.
Kudos to Zzelleen Lee, a successful investment analyst-adviser at SunLife, and her equally young, equally sassy partners who knew they had a good thing and refused to give up the ghost to see this dream resurrect and come true...to the delight of gourmands like me and you!!!
Photos courtesy of http://preen.inquirer.net/6633/regular-gives-shuttered-restaurant-a-second-chance
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