Pinakbet Pizza, Pinatisang Fried Chix, Sausage Dinuguan, Bibingka Cheesecake and Shepherd's Pie with Beef Kaldereta. It's comfortingly familiar flavors reinterpreted in fresh, creative and even surprising renditions in a quiet Quezon City neighborhood that make Papa George Bistro a gem of a find...
A sumptuous meal or a hearty snack, Papa George Bistro is ready to tease and delight your palate with its array of comforting dishes. Inventive and even unexpected, the menu at Papa George Bistro takes the familiar and transforms it in new culinary executions for a unique and flavorful experience. Step inside Papa George Bistro and rediscover the flavors you love with a cool twist...
Tucked away along 12th Street in New Manila, Papa George Bistro is truly one of those hidden gems this side of the metro with its take on classic local flavors...
...served in a cozy spot far from the usual crowds. Open from Monday to Saturday, the bistro café is the logical next step of a long running bakery with the Bibingka Cheesecake, catering and food tray delivery operation that began after the long days of the quarantine experience during the pandemic led by Lara Villar and her culinary team.
In setting up a traditional brick and mortar format to fully showcase her culinary offerings, Lara Villar drew inspiration from the flavors her dad loved as the starting point. From there, the base of comforting flavors were then infused with some creative tweaks defining the brand's personality and culinary philosophy. The result? Surprising and unexpected spins that complement without changing the character of the original dish. Culinary traditions are still respected at Papa George Bistro while presenting new ways to enjoy familiar dishes.
Inside Papa George Bistro, one feels immediately at home with its casual vibe and eclectic pieces inspired by a love and passion for music. The fragrant aroma of coffee teases the senses...
...along with the tempting display of their specialty Bibingka Cheesecakes inside the chiller. These unique Bibingka Cheesecakes jumpstarted the culinary ambitions of Lara Villar which remains a key component of the daily operations supplemented by a successful catering and food tray delivery business. Lara Villar seamlessly combines all these at Papa George Bistro, named after her dad whose love for both food and music continues to guide her since its formal opening back in 2022. Today, Papa George Bistro is a culmination of all of Lara Villar's culinary projects in one location at the heart of the quiet New Manila neighborhood.
That day, Papa George Bistro served their new menu additions inspired by familiar local staples and flavors expressed in creative and innovative dishes...
...like the Bagnet Kare-Kare (P 255) with crisp and juicy slabs of pork belly and vegetables on a thick peanut-based sauce served with shrimp paste. Each bite brings delectable textural contrasts and flavors into play smoothened by the savory kare-kare sauce. Extra rice? Absolutely.
Juicy pork slabs capped by a crisp layer of crackling, Papa George Bistro knows their bagnet, and they do it exceptionally well. You'll find their specialty bagnet and variations of fried pork in a variety of savory dishes in addition to the Bagnet Kare-Kare like the Binagoongang Bagnet (P 245), Crispy Pork Sinigang (P 249) and Crispy Pork Adobo (P 225).
The Pancit Sisig (P 245) levels up the ubiquitous local noodle staple with the addition of crunchy pork sisig for another creative rendition taking both contrasting flavors and textures up a notch. The medley of fresh vegetables complete the play on flavors.
The pork sisig transforms the noodle dish with its savory richness and delectable crunch tempered by the red onions and a fresh squeeze of calamansi for that balanced finish.
The Kaldereta Casserole is another refreshing twist with the classic beef kaldereta cooked for over two hours until fork-tender and topped with a mashed potato crust and baked with cheese for a novel take on a local version of Shepherd's Pie. Each component complements the other with each spoonful draping the palate with a lingering savory richness finished by subtle buttery hints from the mashed potato crust and bold cheesy notes for a festive burst of flavors. A meal in itself, this localized Shepherd's Pie hits all the right notes for a satisfying meal at Papa George Bistro.
Fried chicken, masterfully executed for another must-try at Papa George Bistro with the Pinatisang Fried Chix (P 199) is one of their popular offerings already with its own loyal following. One bite and it's easy to see why. Juicy and moist chicken with just a whisper of salty hints from the fish sauce capped by a delicately crisp layer of chicken skin combine for a simple yet hearty meal indulgence at Papa George Bistro. Each bite brings perfectly balanced notes and textural contrasts to the palate for another satisfying meal option at Papa George Bistro.
But Papa George Bistro has even more flavorful surprises from their kitchen. In addition to their popular pizza offerings like Pepperoni (P 399), Hawaiian (P 425) and Chicken BBQ (P 445), Papa George Bistro changes up the pizza game with their creative Pinakbet Pizza (P 425). That's right, imagine your local vegetable dish on a pizza. And surprisingly, this pizza works...
The blend of mild sweet hints from the assorted vegetables are kicked up by the sharp hints of fermented shrimp paste elegantly smoothened by the cheese. All this on a crisp crust remains one of the most interesting pizza finds yet. And you'll only find it at Papa George Bistro.
If the Pinakbet Pizza intrigued you, the Shrimp Laing Pizza (P 425) just seals the deal...
Papa George Bistro pushes the flavorful boundaries of pizza with another twist on local flavors transformed into a cheesy and crisp crusty baked creation. The nutty notes of the laing along with the briny sweetness of the succulent shrimps combine for a comfortingly familiar yet refreshingly new flavor experience rounded out by the richness of cheese on a crisp crust.
For lighter meal options, Papa George Bistro offers a line of savory sandwiches bannered by the Chorizo Burger (P 210) with a side of fries. The bold savory notes and pronounced sweet finish of the chorizo becomes the dominant flavor theme of the sandwich, followed by the contrasting notes and textures from the special sauce and veggies. Other specialty sandwiches at Papa George Bistro include the George Cheeseburger (P 199), Karaage Teriyaki Burger (P 199), Fish Burger (P 195), Pulled Pork BBQ (P 225), Montecristo (P 165), Reuben (P 180) and Grilled Tuna Sandwich (P 165).
But there's more game from the kitchen at Papa George Bistro with the Sausage Dinuguan, yet another twist on a local staple using homemade sausages. The subtle smoky and sweet finish of the homemade sausages brings a whole new layer of flavor to the local dish. The thick pork blood sauce brings its own unique richness to the dish, perfectly complemented by the sausages. Time to go for that extra serving of rice beside you...
The Mix Seafood in Salted Egg Sauce brings the day's freshest catch to your table with succulent crab, mussels, clams and shrimps along with sweet corn slathered in a rich salted egg sauce. The creamy and salty notes of the sauce pair well with the briny sweet hints of the assorted seafood for another must-try dish to add to your growing list of options at Papa George Bistro. Fresh, clean flavors with the distinct notes from the salted egg sauce is one combo you just can't pass up.
One more chicken dish brings another flavorful surprise from the kitchen at Papa George Bistro with the Baked Chicken Inasal (P 199). Baking the chicken instead of the traditional grilling method then seared for the smoky charred lines, the Baked Chicken Inasal is juicier than the usual resulting in more savory notes. Paired with Java Rice and the usual cast of condiments, it's another winner chicken dinner at Papa George Bistro.
Papa George Bistro also offers a variety of pasta dishes to satisfy your noodle cravings like the Bacon & Truffle Pasta (P 235), Hungarian Pasta (P 215), Classic Bolognese (P 245), Seafood Pomodoro (P 265), Spanish Sardines Pasta (P 215), Pancit Bhon/Canton (P 195) and La Paz Batchoy (P 185) in addition to the Pancit Sisig served earlier. The Heartbreaker Pasta (P 265), a seafood pasta dish with shrimps and noodles draped in crab fat is one indulgence you need to complete your day at Papa George Bistro.
Comfort food with inventive and flavorful twists, that's what you can expect at Papa George Bistro tucked away deep inside the quiet New Manila neighborhood.
For dessert, Lara Villar presents her signature Bibingka Cheesecake. In a circuitous loop, her Bibingka Cheesecake is what started the ball rolling leading to the eventual opening of Papa George Bistro. Taking the traditional rice cake as the inspiration, Lara Villar takes it further with a unique dessert hybrid in cheesecake form. And now, Papa George Bistro offers three variants with the Original Bibingka Cheesecake (P 165), the Puto Bumbong Cheesecake (P 165) and the Cassava Cheesecake (P 155).
Combining two distinct desserts in one is often tricky, either it's a cool hit or a sorry miss but Lara Villar and Papa George Bistro pulls it off perfectly in a seamless fusion of pure indulgence. The distinct notes of the local rice cake with its salted egg pairs well with the creamy finish of the cheesecake...
...while the Cassava Bibingka Cheesecake (P 155) brings its own unique blend of flavors in another creative dessert expression finished with the nutty hints of the local root crop. Papa George Bistro also offers cakes like the Sansrival (P 245) and Chocolate Chocnut (P 245), best paired with their coffee selection.
And this is just the beginning of the story as Lara Villar and her team continue to cook up even more creative dishes at Papa George Bistro to tease, delight and even surprise your palate at a quiet spot in the New Manila neighborhood.
Pinakbet Pizza, Pinatisang Fried Chix, Sausage Dinuguan, Bibingka Cheesecake and Shepherd's Pie with Beef Kaldereta and so much more. It's the flavorful building blocks to the comforting cuisine of Papa George Bistro making this homey QC dining spot one more gem of a find to add to your list of options. Come on in and feel at home...
Papa George Bistro is located at 15 Catalina Building, 12th Street, New Manila, Quezon City, 1104 Metro Manila. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Papa-George-Bistro/ for more information and updates or call 0917 777 2022 for inquiries.
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