I have mixed feelings about Crisp on 28th because it seems promising: nice ambiance, varied menu, healthier options, and dishes below 500 pesos. On paper, there were a lot of interesting things that if executed well, could have merited a higher rating. At times, I felt like the restaurant was confused, or it didn’t really know what it was: manly but feminine, healthy food but doughnuts for dessert, dim lighting but not much of a drinking place. Crisp has ways to go.

The ambiance is nice. Near enough from high street but tucked away to make it seem more private and exclusive. Chances of you finding this place while strolling is very slim. The interiors are nice, wooden simple furniture with quirks here and there. This is a good place for a chillax, after-work dinner with your barkada. It gets a bit crowded though, with the tables being quite close to each other so if you have any confidential or scandalous topics to cover, this might not be the best place to make noise. They use dainty plates which doesn’t go really well with the ambiance. It was a bit confusing as to what the restaurant was trying to be: minimal, manly, dainty?

The service was just okay, though it took a while for the food to arrive, probably around 25 minutes. Perhaps that’s because the place was full when I ate there but a heads up would’ve been nice. They gave us a glass bottle of room temperature water for our table, though I prefer cold water.

It took a while for me to figure out what to order because there were so many interesting things that I wanted to try, but at the same time the menu was very wordy, with no pictures to give you a better idea on what the dish is.

The Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Salad would make a good post-workout meal, thanks to the high protein content. If you want something light, the half would probably be enough. But if you have a ravenous appetite like me, get a full size. Presentation-wise, it was served on a silver mixing bowl, which looked very odd with the dainty plates. The colors of the different ingredients really popped out of the dish, though, making it appealing. I could not taste the Chipotle and could barely taste the cheese included. It was an okay dish, but the flavor didn’t really stand out. Maybe they should consider adding more herbs or something that would give the salad more texture/bite. Overall, it’s a healthy dish but forgettable. Good concept, execution could use some work.

What I really wanted to try ever since I first heard about Crisp on 28th is their Bacon and Eggs. They serve you two souffled eggs, a slab of smoked bacon, mixed salad greens, and potato hash as your carb. I’ve had bacon slabs in other restaurants before and unfortunately, Crisp’s was quite thin and not very flavorful. I wish the slab of bacon was a bit thicker to really taste the meatiness of it. The souffled eggs were the winner in this dish! It felt like eating a cloud. Best to break the yolk, mix it with the potatoes and a slice of bacon, and add some whites to make it texturally interesting.

One problem though: Only one egg came out properly souffled. The other egg’s yolk was overcooked and the white wasn’t as fluffy. They put it directly under the nice looking egg, probably so that it won’t be noticeable. I think that with the price of the dish, they should really quality control whatever comes out of the kitchen, before serving to the customers. It turned me off that they served it anyway, especially considering that one egg was obviously not souffled. I didn’t send this back because I was starving and just wanted to eat already but again, even just by looking at the egg you can tell that it’s all wrong! This would make a really good meal but they really have to work on the consistency of their eggs as well as the thickness of the slab of bacon. Another promising dish that didn’t quite make it.

I tried two of their doughnuts (though they seemed more like munchkins because of their size) displayed: Banana Cream and Browned Butter. It’s quite pricey, considering how small they are and since there seems to be nothing special when it comes to the ingredients used. The Browned Butter didn’t really taste like anything but fried dough and was quite dry. The Banana Cream was a bit better because there was a cream filling inside, but I still would not recommend you to order it. Might be better to try their other desserts.

They could use some work on the salad’s flavor profile and do get another dessert but I really liked the Bacon and Eggs dish, with just a few minor tweaks. I appreciate the healthy option that Crisp brings, especially with all the new restaurants that serve rich indulgences. All in all, I would probably go back to Crisp on 28th one day to try their other interesting dishes. After all, I’m always looking for a new healthy place to eat, especially after working out. But to be honest, I’m in no hurry to go back and would rather try out other new and unexplored restaurants.

Crisp on 28th
G/F, Alveo Corporate Center, 28th St., BGC