'Starbucks' sa KNL

Pasta Pronta

About 2 years back, we (UP Volleyball team) used to call this place Starbucks… sa KNL. I was new with the volleyball team and they showed me the places where they would eat. In one of the tight and congested roads in Krus na Ligas or better known as KNL, you will find our team’s ‘Starbucks’, now called Sefali. It is on Lt. Francisco road, near CP Garcia. If not for the good comfort food and nice and clean restaurant, we would not be going through the hassle of driving though such narrow roads and running the risk of having no parking space. From UP, you can ride a tricycle and just go down at Krus na Ligas then walk. From Katipunan, turn to CP Garcia then make a left to Krus na Ligas, under the arch and left on the first street.

The menu is written on 3 small blackboards stuck on the wall. Everything is written in chalk, easy to erase and change. The team’s favorites are chicken in white sauce, oriental chicken and their tapsilog. They are all served with a big cup of rice and for only Php58 for the chicken in white sauce and less for the others. The chicken in white sauce has always been my favorite. I actually don’t know why I like it. It just tastes good hehe… even better with Knorr seasoning. It is served with chunks of potatoes and Vienna sausage, although I would suggest they change their brand of Vienna sausage for it has a weird aftertaste. The whole dish is just so filling and yummy. The tapsilog is another one of their best-sellers served with fried egg, Filipino way, meaning, fried sunny side up on both sides until crunchy. The oriental chicken on the other hand simply has a gingery taste. They serve iced tea, which used to be very cheap, Php8 per glass but now has gone up to Php15 per glass, already more expensive than Ababu iced tea.

Sefali is at the ground flour of an old house. It is very quaint, homey and just a nice place to sit, eat and chat with your friends. It is one of those out of the beaten track restaurants, at least for most of the people I know, which is worth visiting. They should offer coffee, hot chocolate and tea with pastries too, for those who would want to make tambay in the afternoon. The interiors are quite Mediterranean, given the wall’s bright yellow color and the kitchen wall’s purple color. The rest would be Filipino. The lamps, windows, chairs and a lovely touch which makes you feel like you are not in KNL are the plants, orchids placed strategically around the house. Additional decors would be pictures of the UP Mountaineers up on the walls and old camera on the shelf. The owner happens to be a part of the UP Mountaineers and people from that organization and from the college of Human Kinetcis normally go to this place.

This place is one of the restaurants around UP or in Teacher’s village that is definitely worth eating at. The others would be Ababu, an all time favorite!, Salt of the Earth (when it was still open hehe), Grill Queen, Henry’s Grill, TomatoKick, Friuli, Steak of the Nation and BMK Pizza.