BRAZO: New Comfort Food Spot at Maginhawa, Teacher's Village

Location: 131 Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village Quezon City
Contact No.: 09209042649 / 9580023
Email: brazoresto@gmail.com
Facebook: BrazoResto

Following the likes of Sancho Churreria and Crazy Katsu at Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village is BRAZO, a newly opened comfort food spot previously occupied by Henry’s Grille, so my colleagues told me. I’ve never dined at Henry’s, as I don’t often come here just to eat.

The place feels like a resort to me which is a breath of fresh air. They have both indoor and outdoor seating so for those who want to have an alternative place to chill but don’t have time to hit the beach, this is your new spot. In the middle of Brazo is actually an apartment for rent. It could pass as a B&B (Bed and Breakfast) place.

BRAZO MENU

I hope the food meets my expectations. You know I’m never a fan of hodgepodge cuisine as before I heavily criticized the likes of Chocolate Kiss, which has recently closed its branch at Roces Avenue. I don’t want to say I was right, because you might think I’m arrogant and evil 🙂 but as I’ve mentioned before in my review, these types of restaurants won’t last long if they don’t give focus. The review has been deleted since there’s no point to have it up.

(It’s sad a number of well-known restaurants have been closing these past few days – Miso-Ten Robinsons Magnolia, Cafe Provencal at Shangrila Plaza, Little Asia at Tomas Morato… I want to stress this because the competition is so tough nowadays and it all boils down if the restaurateur knows what he/she is doing.)

Brazo Burger

My colleagues say Brazo’s bestselling burger is quite good. I was impressed by the size of it, except the patty protruding from the sides tell that the bun is quite small. BRAZO makes their buns on their own, and that’s pretty much a good thing for me. They make brioche buns too, but surprisingly, Brazo doesn’t use their Brioche buns for their burger. I thought the trend nowadays is to use Brioche Buns.

The meat is kind of reddish.. Good for people who want medium rare meat.

You can order Sriracha Mayo on the side which is a pretty good alternative to catsup. Good one.

Brazo Corned Beef

I had the Brazo Corned Beef, which is their bestseller as the waitstaff claimed. I was surprised upon seeing this thick slab of beef spread on top of my white rice and scrambled eggs. You know what, I forgot what I actually ordered upon seeing this. It was very tough to chew especially since it was beef brisket and it was pure meat. The taste was a bit bland, not something I would recommend.

Brazo Tapa Tenders

My friend had Tapa Tenders, which was OK, nothing out of the ordinary.

Iberian Chicken

Brazo’s Iberian Chicken with marble potatoes is good for sharing. It’s been marinated with garlic olive oil and looks tender, a bit reddish in meat.

You have to order extra rice since the Iberian Chicken doesn’t come with rice.

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes

What would Brazo be without its Brazo de Mercedes? I think this is where Brazo hits the spot with their dessert selection. I liked its creamy consistency except it wasn’t too cold as a dessert should be. This could be one tough competitor to Sancho’s Brazo de Mercedes

Strawberry Eclairs

Whoops. Is that a fly on top of the eclair? We happen to sit outdoors so ants were also eating with us.

Eclairs aren’t too sweet. You might want to try out their Muscovado Cheesecake also which is quite a catch.

Prices aren’t exactly cheap for Brazo.

No Room for Errors

I know BRAZO is on a bit of a soft opening and it would take a while to have it into a well-oiled machine but as I’ve always said, it’s different to setup a restaurant nowadays. Back in 10 to 20 years ago, restaurants might be easier to setup because customers are more lenient and forgiving. Today, it’s competition, competition and competition. And customers are starting to get intelligent too. They want to get more out of their money. They want artisanal, small, hole-in-a-wall spots that are at good price points. Food chains are welcome but only for those who execute it well. Space is one huge factor also. Back in the days, it was alright to have a buffet size restaurant you can invest. Today, space can become your enemy. A restaurant with too large of area with too few customers is not a pretty sight to see.

For Brazo, I think there is still time.