Don’t submit yourself to excessive work. Find time to rest and relax out of your daily routine of beating deadlines and rushing deliverables. The best thing, or most convenient I supposed, is to find that perfect restaurant, invite your colleagues, and share some good conversation (out of work) over great meals. A much needed break.
Early morning and a workmate started a conversation in our chat group and suggested to have a lunch in one of the snug restaurants near the workplace. The idea got the attention of everyone and before the clock’s minute-hand hits noontime, we already secured a spot inside BRIQUE Modern Kitchen, which is along Salinas Drive.
The brimming light passing through the almost from floor-to-ceiling glass façade provides a nice lighting in the restaurant’s interior. The counter itself looks like an art gallery with the must-try items on frames suspended on metal racks decorated with some wine glasses and artificial potted plants. Restaurant’s name was engraved in one side of the concrete counter.
From where we seated, the adjacent wall is a brick wall while the opposite side is a wood wall. On that side of the restaurant is their wine cellar, elevated few meters from the ground, which is accessible by using a metal ladder installed on the wall’s side. With that ambience and the fact that we were the only group that time, much needed time off from work was very noticeable.
BRIQUE’s menu was curated in such a way that you can easily hover at a particular section of the menu: starters, soup and salad, sandwich, breakfast all day, pasta, entrée, desserts, smoothies and fruit juices, drinks, and wine. A must try on their starter is their homemade truffle flavored shoestring potatoes (Php225) with bacon, grated Pecorino, and fried basil, which we missed.
When the last member of the group arrived, a crew immediately approached us and took our orders. We asked for Fish Fillet with Porcini Spinach Beurre Blanc (Php275), Brique Chops (Php230), Drunken Angus (Php375), and Braised Beef Pot Roast (Php250). For the drinks, since summer already creates trouble and discomfort, we also added smoothies and cold beverages.
The colorful glasses of OPM Blend (Php125), Sunrise (Php105), Fresh Afternoon (Php125), and Tropical Twist (100) adorned our table. We weren’t bothered by the waiting time because great conversation and good laughs were shared on that moment.
The orders arrived on our table one by one, on wooden cutting boards. For my order, the fish was literally covered with the white sauce plus the veggie salad drizzled with the vinaigrette was made out of perfection. I liked how the dish was a bit salty but not that overwhelming that blended well with the fish meat. I wasn’t able to savor the beer on the sauce of the Drunken Angus while the Brique Chops impressed me even if the meat looks too bland. Nothing wow for the Braised Beef Pot Roast because it was just the usual one being cooked at home. It was a nice lunch for us and the short break in BRIQUE Modern Kitchen refreshed us in facing another day of being corporate workers.
BRIQUE Modern Kitchen
Address: Salinas Dr, Cebu City, Cebu
Phone: 032)-414-1720
Operating Hours: 10AM–11PM
