Cocina Juan is one of the pioneers in Maginhawa since its onset of being an eat street in 2008.  


Before Cocina Juan, I don't think I've encountered any establishment serving Central American Cuisine before.  Although it's similar to Mexican and Tex-Mex, it is from a completely separate region (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Costa Rica).

With limited spacing and an al fresco area, this is Cocina Juan's interiors.


Love the color matching bottle-turned-vase and plates. =)

Food

Aperitivos (Appetizers) Inspirations

Nachos Supremo Todo (249 php)

The Nachos Supremo Todo is loaded with nacho cheese sauce,salsa, jalapeno, grated cheese, chili con carne,  refried beans and aioli sauce (mayonaise with a hint of garlic).

Dinamita (139 php)

The Dinamita is really explosive!  The cheese is not as much as expected so I was surprised upon first bite at how fiery this is.  This is the spiciest dynamite I've ever encountered.  Good thing it is served with aioli sauce that neutralized the spiciness.


Taco Inspirations

♥ Quesadilla Mixto (Carne) (169 php)

The Quesadilla Mixto (Carne) are filled with cheese and beef.  It's served with salsa cruda.  This is really hearty especially for meat lovers.

Quesadilla Con Tomate (149 php)

If you want something light, go for the Quesadilla Con Tomate.

Tortilla Inspirations

Beef Burrito Grande (199 php)

The Beef Burrito Grande is a hefty burrito filled with grilled beef, grated cheese, tomatoes, aioli sauce and lettuce.

 

♥ Chicken Burrito Grande (199 php)

The Chicken Burrito Grande is an alternative if you prefer grilled chicken.  Both are equally good.

La Parilla "Grilled Meats" Inspirations

♥ Churrasco Fiesta Platter (549 php)

The highlight of our meal is the Churrasco Fiesta Platter which is a gigantic (and literally heavy - couldn't lift the platter!) serving that's good for 4-5 persons.  It has a local garlic sausages, grilled beef, chicken and pork skewers with aioli sauce, sliced onions, zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers.  Everyone loved the beef slices.  It was the one that was emptied in a flash.  These are best dipped on their chimichurri sauce (Argentinean sauce with finely chopped parsley and garlic in olive oil and lime juice) and chirmoi sauce (Guatamelan sauce with grilled tomatoes, pepper Jalapeno mixed in olive oil).  For staple, it has gallo pinto rice and crispy potato wedges (quite addictive!).  It also comes with a salad with tomatoes, buttered corn, onions and greens.  

I've encountered churrasco which meant grilled in Spanish and Portugese before at Brazil! Brazil!.  I've noticed that the Brazilian churrasco is grilled barbecue with a sweet and savory marinate.  While, the churrasco of Cocina Juan is Nicaraguan-style which is grilled like steak and spiced with parsley, garlic and peppers.

Drinks

Cucumber Lemonade (65 php/glass)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Cocina Juan is a place to appreciate Central American cuisine.  Once you've tried it you'd want to try some more.  I know I do.  The price isn't budget-friendly but definitely worth the experience.   

Although we Filipinos are generally heavy rice eaters, I'm quite surprised that there are hardly any Mexican restaurants around.  So I'm always happy to discover more.  And, I'd like to thank Food Panda Magihawa Food Crawl for my latest discovery.

With a facade that's simple, the hat, name and color instantly hints out that they serve Mexican dishes and they specialize in Quesadillas.

You can opt to eat out al fresco style but on a hot day, I'd suggest eating inside.  I like how they made the place feel Mexican with the red bricks, orange tone and Mexican art. 

Food

Quesadillas

Mexican Beef Quesadilla (110 php)

The Mexican Beef Quesadilla has salsa, beans and ground beef.  This is their specialty item.

♥ Spinach & Chicken Quesa (130 php)

 The Spinach & Chicken Quesa is the champion of quesadillas for me.  It had oozing melted cheese, tender ground chicken and slippery spinach bits.

Beef Yakiniku Quesa (140 php)

I think they made a risk to fuse Japanese and Mexican with the Beef Yakiniku Quesa.  Well, it was a risk well-taken because it works!  The tiny beef slices and caramelized onions delivered sufficient savory flavors to make it interesting and fun to munch.
 

Home Made Hot Sauce

If you want to add some spice to any of their dishes, try their Home Made Hot Sauce.  It's not very spicy but does the job of adding tingling appetizing hotness.

Burrito

Chicken Burrito (120 php)

If you want a heavy meal that's bang for the buck, go for their Burritos.  The Chicken Burrito is loaded with tender chicken chunks, salsa, cheese, yogurt sauce and flavorful rice.
 

♥ Mexican Beef Burrito (130 php)

The Mexican Beef Burrito has the same composition as the Quesa but with yummy rice to boot.

Side Orders/Others

Ultimate Nachos (130 php)

The Ultimate Nachos with zesty salsa, ground beef, beans and cheese is great for sharing.

Salsa and Yogurt Dip

You can dip the nachos to the Salsa and Yogurt Dip.   My companions liked the diluted and sweet Yogurt Dip but I personally prefer the rich and tangy type.

♥ Dynamite Beef Rolls (99 php)

The Dynamite Beef Rolls is a special kind as it has ground beef bits on top of the usual chilli and cheese.  I don't find it compatible with ketchup though.


Drinks

Unlimited Iced Tea (50 php)

For drink, you can go for Unlimited Iced Tea to replenish your taste buds especially from the spicy dishes.

Order from Casa Quesadilla Through Food Panda
Food Panda is an online delivery service available in over 35 countries. Craving for Mexican?  You can order hassle free from Casa Quesadilla through Food Panda. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Casa Quesadilla is my kind of hole-in-the-wall Mexican House. The price is so reasonable that student's can frequent the place as much as they want.  The portion and taste is quite satisfying too.

When my friend Sumi asked me to accompany her at Chilli & Ink in Teachers Village,  I was a bit skeptic because I thought it was a full-blown tattoo shop.  It was my understanding all along that I would be accompanying Sumi for a Henna tattoo and we would somehow be given a pica-pica snack as part of the service haha  XD

As we viewed it's facade with food posters, I began to understand that is also a dining place. 



This is the first time I've been to a tattoo shop but I'm guessing tattoo art displays are typical for those right?  The color ember red for its walls are appropriate with its branding as a chilli wings and tattoo shop.  There is a bar table in this area as an extended dining area.  If you're seated here then you back would be facing the Tattoo shop area.


They also have a Hall of Flames for those who became the fastest in conquering their Hot ng Ina Nyong Lahat Challenge.  If you don't beat the time record but finish  your meal, you get to put your name on the Survivors.


It's a typical hole in the wall type of place with small red wooden tables and black matching wooden chairs.  Even though we visited during the mid-afternoon, the place was packed with diners. Most of the diners are girls just like us. 

Food

Chilli Fingers (100 php)

The Chilli Fingers are fried rolls with our local siling haba (long green pepper) with cheese would be spicy.  Some of these are slightly spicy while some are bitterish.  It's like picking the lottery but I guess that just added more to the fun.  It is served with mayonnaise.

Chilli Con Carne

♥ Nachos with Chilli Con Carne (180 php)

The Nachos with Chilli Con Carne is enjoyable snack to munch on because the Chilli Con Carne gives an exciting hot kick to the taste buds.


Chicken
Although the normal serving portion is five pieces., you can request them for a smaller serving of three.  Don't hesitate asking the staff for suggestions on what to order as they are very friendly and knowledgeable about their offerings.  Most of our orders are Chicken wings simply because we love them!

Garlic Parmesan (220 php/5 pcs.)

The Garlic Parmesan is a fried wings covered in Parmesan and garlic powder.  This is a zesty and salty one making it advisable to be eaten with rice.  Unlimited rice is unbelievably only 25 php from 2 pm to 6pm so better grab that great deal!  You can also fully appreciate the crunchy coating and juicy chicken meat with this.

♥ Spicy Mango (150 php/5 pcs.)

I was really impressed with the Spicy Mango!  It is initially sweet and tangy followed by a slight hotness.  This is lip smackin' good!
 

Binagoongan (150 php/5 pcs.)

The Binagoongan is chicken wings rubbed with sweetened bagoong or shrimp paste.  The strong  sweet and salty flavor of this makes it a must to eat it with rice. 
 

♥ Hot ng Ina Nyong Lahat (150 php/5 pcs.)

My ultimate favorite is their Hot ng Ina Nyong Lahat.  It is covered in all red chilli sauce with chilli seeds on it.  I've never had a fiery hot wings as intense as this before.  Whew the spiciness spread and lingers in the mouth even after I've swallow it.  This is only three on their hotness level though.  You should try their Hot ng Ina Nyong Lahat Challenge which is level four.


Fish Fillet

♥ California (220 php)

Another interesting variant to try is the California which is fish fillet served with mango and wasabi sauce.  The crunchy-coated soft fish fillet is irresistible when dipped!  
 

♥ Wasabi (180 php)

I don't know why I was expecting a wasabi-mayonaise type.  But, I liked this more!  It is wasabi paste spread over the fish fillet.  Although Wasabi can also be applied to the chicken wings, we both agree that it's a better match with this. 

Cupcake

♥ Caramel Cupcake (50 php)

For a sweet ending, try their light and cotton fluffy Caramel Cupcake.  I'm not a fan of anything caramel but I enjoyed ever little bit of this.

Beverage

Iced Tea (35 php)

Update (Sept 2014): Read a post on their Facebook Fan Page "we will be temporarily closing to transfer to a bigger place where we can serve you better."  Went there and this was posted...

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I've got Chilli and Ink tattooed on my mind as one of the best chicken wings place in the Metro!  And, I thought it was just an add-on to the Tattoo Shop.  Silly me cause both their food and tattoo service are pride-worthy.  Their spiciness is the real deal.  Expect intense fiery hot wings as indicated on the menu.  Other variants are also fun and a must-try for foodies.  Bring your friends along too because the food is not only affordable, the serving size is also good for sharing.  If you're alone, not to worry too because they offer Budget Meals for as low as 99 php, you already have a complete meal with drinks.  They also offer FREE WiFi and the staffs are nice so it's the perfect hang out too.