The cozy little place in Banilad, Cebu City, known as 30 Kitchen + Bar has a diverse menu with at least something for almost anyone to enjoy. An article on circuitmag.net mentioned that the eclectic menu is due to owners Quinito Moras and Jennise Mesina basing it on food that they themselves would have in their own kitchens.
Since the menu at 30 Kitchen + Bar has been described as eclectic, you probably would like at least some idea of what to expect. The menu is divided into the categories below:
appetizers
salads
soups
“heavy belly” meals (with a choice of plain or garlic rice, toast, or fries)
sandwiches
pasta
desserts
You can see some customer photos of dishes from 30 Kitchen + Bar uploaded onto the foodspotting.com Web site. The mouthwatering photos feature some of the “heavy belly” meals like chicken tenders, herb-crusted chicken, Cyprus chicken, Swedish meatballs, tenderloin steak, and pan-seared pork steak with demi-glace sauce.
At 30 Kitchen + Bar, the menu includes sandwiches “for those days when you just can’t make up your mind.” If you’re the type who’s fond of bread with some chunky, substantial fillings, circuitmag.com recommended the Constantine, which is a large sandwich consisting of thinly sliced US Angus beef, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber with creamy garlic, barbeque sauce, and chili sauce, all stuffed into panini-style bread. The resto-bar’s panini selection thoughtfully included a vegetarian option: eggplant, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, onions and cheese in grilled focaccia, with a side of homemade potato chips (these are actually included with all orders of the resto-bar’s paninis and Monte Cristo sandwiches). You’d probably be able to figure out that the resto-bar’s particular specialty is its French toast, because of the number of scrumptious variations formulated for it:
strawberries and cream
strawberries, chocolate and cream
banana, caramel and cream
apple-cinnamon and cream
apple-cinnamon, chocolate and cream
apple-cinnamon, caramel and cream
chocolate and cream
mangoes and cream
chocolate, mangoes and cream
Nutella and cream
Nutella, mangoes and cream
Nutella, bananas and cream
Nutella, strawberries and cream
banana, mangoes and caramel
The menu at 30 Kitchen + Bar states that only homemade fruit jam is used for the French toast. If you want to add a scoop of ice cream to the already rich dessert, you can do that too, for an additional fee. Admittedly, the menu is not really for dieters, but that’s just the way it is sometimes.
People on the Web site foursquare.com shared their suggestions for menu choices from 30 Kitchen + Bar. For pasta dishes, the top three seemed to be
sausage and spice pasta (penne and spicy sausage in tomato sauce)
à la casa pasta (with Spanish sardines in olive oil with chili flakes)
Temptation pasta (with bacon, ham, and mushrooms in white sauce)
À la casa pasta also seemed to be called Pasta 30 by some people since it’s evidently the house pasta. Incidentally, the resto-bar’s menu claims there is a pasta dish for every mood. As for entrées, Cyprus chicken (pan-seared breast fillet with olives in tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella) and champignon pork (pan-seared pork chops with peppered mushroom sauté) got the most mentions. An additional tip from foursquare is to look for Tata and request for your potato wedges, buffalo wings, or even chicken-fried steak to be served Don Que style. This style apparently involves pairing some extra spicy gravy with these appetizing treats.
Since the place is also a bar, as stated clearly in its name, it serves beer, cocktails, shooters, and shots as well as coffee or tea and other refreshments. In spite of the perfectly adequate alcohol selection, many of the foursquare.com users are quite fond of the bottomless iced tea at 30 Kitchen + Bar. The drink has been described as having just the right sweetness that is not cloying.
The resto-bar opens at 3 p.m. for afternoon coffee and closes around 1 p.m. so you can drop in for a late dinner if necessary. If you’re going there for the very first time, you might in fact go past this place without even knowing it since you can’t see the signage unless you’re already right in front of it. The location of 30 Kitchen + Bar is before the entrance of Paradise Village, Banilad Road, Cebu City. Look on your left before you get past the village guardhouse and you’ll see 30 Kitchen + Bar next to the Caminade pet shop. For inquiries, you may call telephone number (032)518-8975 or 239-0057.
As of September 2012, a newer 30 Kitchen + Bar location had opened at The Gallery, in Mabolo, Cebu City. This space is located next to the Yu-Yu-Tei Japanese Restaurant.
