CASA MARIKIT: AN ITALIAN TREAT IN LIPA BATANGAS

By Ed Lorenzo
9 years ago in EATS
1 Comment

Photo courtesy of Casa Marikit fan page

George Bernard Shaw once said “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” and I concur to that.

The air was tightly breezy and my ears heed the winds whisper. We are driving across the SLEX on a steady pace. The drive going to Lipa City was very pleasant. As we bid goodbye to the towering heights of Makati and rancid smog of the city, I can’t help but wish for a longer road stay.

This travel is no foreign to me; I’ve been on this road before in search for the best goto in town, and now, I’m back to taste one of Lipa’s most glorified restaurant, Casa Marikit.

ART AND ROOTS

Photo courtesy of Casa Marikit fan page

Nested at the very heart of Lipa City, Batangas, Casa Marikit is an Italian themed restaurant with interiors that will truly captivate your taste for art.

The place is heavily made up of wood, punctuated with ceramic tiles and fortified with stones, painted in complementing hues of cerulean, ochre and roast vintage red, Casa Marikit is truly a sight to behold matching the cozy lighting of the place and a lull that will accompany your gastronomic experience. The restaurant is a dear place for the owner, TJ Fabie “I have always been fascinated with arts and design and I guess it runs in the blood.” He stated. “I made these tile decorations to somehow share a piece of my art and knowledge inside the place. I love seeing art. I just didn’t realize that I’ll start etching a name here in the food industry.” He added chuckling.

Casa Marikit was named after TJ’s youngest child and unica hija, Marikit, and he mentioned that the bliss inspiration in putting up the restaurant is his wife. “We prefer to be called Nanay and Tatay by our kids, given that we are serving Italian food here in the resto, we still want our kids to embrace and pay homage to our Filipino roots.” He explained.

THE FOOD

I sat down to feel the cold breeze of Lipa. Truly, this place doesn’t need any air-conditioning, the low ceiling and its wall can contain the pure coldness of the place. I browsed thru their carte du jour, and I’m at awe for the diversified list of authentic Italian servings they have on the menu: from appetizers to desserts and their authentic wine offerings, this semi-fine dining restaurant can make you salivate for goodness. Quick service is a boon, after 5 minutes of waiting, the first dish was served.

In a pure white ceramic plate, the insalata rucola was served. It is an Italian salad with arugula tossed with gorgonzola cheese complimented with toasted walnuts, fresh pears and drizzled with balsamic vinegar; this salad is a good starter if you’re up for something healthy.

Not a minute or two, the plate of greens completely vanished and was replaced by one of my favorite dishes from the resto, the spinaci al parmigiano funghi triffolati, this plate totally swept the sour-biting-taste of balsamic vinegar as freshly-creamed spinach in butter and parmesan cheese topped with sauteed club mushrooms smothered onto our palette. Need I say more? We finished this dish as we gabbed our way to the third offering.

Simultaneously they served the seafood marinara pasta in one side of the table, and on the other the bavette al pomodoro, (too bad that I can’t devour the marinara dish since I’m allergic to seafood), but nevertheless the barvette al pomodoro satisfied my craving for pasta, this dish is a combination of fresh tomatoes delicately simmered with herbs on bavette, a type of ribbon pasta noodle, similar to Spaghetti, that has a flat section and a slightly convex shape, a truly healthy-no cholesterol-pasta plate for me! Oh god I’m elated over the mem’ry!

Down to our fourth salver, our main course; I consumed a juicy, grilled rib-eye steak with asparagus and baby potatoes; this alone can be your perfect meal for half a day because of their big serving. I opted to use the all-famed A1 sauce, but one of my colleagues told me to enjoy it with rock salt and a dash of pepper, I quickly followed his instruction and returned to my delectable steak. Alas! Never was it a wrong move. The steak complements the salt that has been sprinkled over, the juicy and tender taste of the meat in every relinquishing bit is divine. Not much of fantasizing, but this steak literally can melt inside your mouth because of the soft meat threads blending with the juicy steamed marinade of the beef that sat inside the cut. The salt was a PLUS that left me wanting for more. As if it weren’t enough, I downed even the garnish in the plate. The potato was sumptuously smooth and soft while the asparagus is crispy and tasty. I guess it is better to say that I optimally enjoyed the food after being famished for an hour.

Each and every single bite had us lurching with glee! The food was gloriously savoring us a delish experience doubled with the laughter I shared with my dear friends.

The night is still young when we finished our meal, so we decided to stay outside the casa and had our conversation accompanied by Casa Marikit’s authentic wine . Indeed, as Geoffrey Neighor once said, Good Food ends with good talk.

Casa Marikit is really one for the books. The experience was great, the place itself is amazing- good place for date nights, family dinners and small gatherings- The price could be a bit high, but for that premium kind of offering and service, one must try it for you to taste and experience the difference.

Casa Marikit Ristorante Italiano Restaurant

Address: Banay-Banay, Concepcion, Lipa City, Batangas, Lipa, Batangas
Landline: (043) 312 0454
Mobile: (0917) 869 2354
Email: casamarikit@yahoo.com
Hours: 11am-3pm and 6pm-10pm

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Ed Lorenzo

Edryan Lorenzo, a PR and Marketing practitioner with 13 years of solid experience in the industry of lifestyle, fashion, and e-commerce. I'm into visual arts which includes photography, painting, and sketching. During my free time, I'd prefer to travel to keep my self fueled by different cultures and information. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @edryanlorenzo.

Ed Lorenzo

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