Date #11: Cannan Bistro

  Cannan Bistro is one of my favorite establishments in Katipunan for a very simple reason: I love the reasonably priced food. 

  Cannan began by putting up stalls and kiosks in various schools around the Metro. Actually, my first encounter with Cannan was through their food stall in the Ateneo Cafeteria. Because of their interesting and creative take on rice meals, Cannan has become my staple choice when I eat in the caf. Unfortunately, though, the crowded cafeteria makes me claustrophobic, so I normally avoid the caf when I can.

 Thankfully, Cannan has expanded and has rented their own space in Katipunan Avenue—so now I can have my favorite food with a more comfortable ambiance. 

  In the bistro, you can ask the kind staff to turn the channel to something you’d love to watch. We watched the ADMU-DLSU game here, which we lost. :( If you’re not into that sort of stuff, Cannan Bistro plays a lot of wonderful music in the background, too.

  Alipasta (P140) is a spin off from one of their classic dishes, Alipusta Rice. Alipusta Rice is characterized by using crab fat to flavor the rice, and by adding various seafoods like squid rings and mussels. Alipasta uses the same concept, however, they changed the rice into pasta, and have added olive oil and anchovies to give a different taste. 

  I really loved this dish that I scarfed it down the moment it was given to me (It was still piping hot when it was served, by the way). I know I was hungry, but I’m sure my hunger was not the only thing which made me enjoy this very much. It was seasoned just right—a delicate balance of saltiness with a spicy kick to it.

  Definitely coming back here for this.

  Douglas ordered Pork Chop in Black Bean Sauce (P170). He commented that it was cooked really well, grilled to perfection. 

  Nevertheless, we loved the flavorful black bean sauce which covered the entire portion of the meat.

  The rice had interesting toppings—we didn’t know exactly what the toppings were, but they were very tiny strips of crunchy materials that gave the rice sort of a salty flavor.  He said that the crunchy toppings were a nice touch.

  In the end, the taste worked out great because the flavors of the rice and the flavors of the black bean sauce were able to compliment each other.

This is our friend’s order of Te’Vi Rice (P95). I love how Cannan mixes different ingredients in their rice meals—they seem very well thought of. This particular rice meal had teriyaki chicken cubes, various vegetables and scrambled eggs. One bowl is enough to fill up one hungry person because it’s quite big and heavy.

  As you can see, it’s a few pesos more expensive than the Te’Vi Rice in school. That’s why I advise you to order the stuff on the menu which aren’t found in school (like the previous two dishes).

  This is why the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool loves Cannan. We love drinking. Cannan Bistro offers Tanduay Ice buckets of six for only P200 each. They also serve buckets of my favorite beer, Red Horse, for the same price. San Mig beers are cheaper, P175, if I remember correctly.

The Verdict: The food is simply amazing, and it comes at reasonable prices. The beer does, too. You and your date can watch the next UAAP game here if you’re too lazy to line up for tickets. It’s a great place for budget-friendly dates with your partner. (Douglas doesn’t like basketball, but he enjoys it if he watches with me. :D)

Cannan Bistro,

329 D, Katipunan Avenue (above Copylandia, beside Bo’s Coffee)

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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