MANILA, Philippines – From the outside, Cafe Enye looks unassuming – its entrance is a literal hole in the wall, and in the daytime, its charming interiors are hidden in shadow.

But inside, you’ll find a quirky cafe-resto-bar serving up Spanish fare inspired by the Philippines, Argentina, Mexico, and Morocco.

The restaurant, located along Eastwood Avenue in Eastwood City, sounds like it’s trying to do too much – they’re open from 7 am to 1 am, so their menu offers everything from breakfast to full meals to cocktails.

But the concept works and the food is great. Cafe Enye’s dishes are good for any time of the day and the portions are perfect for one person’s big appetite or even for family-style sharing.

The restaurant’s grand opening is on Thursday, January 28, and we stopped by for lunch a few days before the opening to see what it was like. Here’s what we tried:

Pollo croquettas (P175)

These cheesy bite-sized chicken fingers topped with crisp garlic slices would go great with a beer. They come with their own sauce, but you can also dip these crispy Bechamel croquettas in Cafe Enye’s salsa verde.

Gambas Enye style (P350)

Cafe Enye’s gambas aren’t spicy in the traditional sense. They’re cooked with a blend of spices called harissa, giving the shrimp a Middle Eastern twist. It’s labeled as an apetizer on the menu, but it’s big enough to be a whole meal with a cup of rice (steamed rice, P50; Enye rice, P60).

Lechon Carbonara (P250)

Better mix this while it’s still hot! Cafe Enye’s lechon carbonara is a small mountain of pasta topped with a raw egg yolk and the restaurant’s Mojo Chicharonnes.

Steak with Sofrito butter (P575)

If you like steak, you’ll love this. We were served a medium-well steak when we visted Cafe Enye and it was juicy and tender. Aside from sofrito butter, you can pour some chimichurri sauce over your steak too.

Plantain and chorizo tortilla (P250)

These aren’t your ordinary tortillas. Cafe Enye’s plantain and chorizo tortilla is an open-faced omelette with potatoes, plantains, chorizo, and a dollop of honey yogurt.

Chouros with dulce de leche cream (P170)

These are the lightest churros we’ve ever had. Instead of a dense pastry, Cafe Enye’s churros were crispy on the outside, but creamy on the inside. If the texture reminds you of an eclair, that’s because they’re made with the same pate a choux technique.

Calamansi-cucumber shake (P90)

This shake is just as refreshing as it sounds. We sat outside that day, so a tall glass of sweet calamansi, cucumber, and ice was perfect for the hot weather.

Ñ (P250)

Since they’re open ’til one in the morning, Cafe Enye serves cocktails and wines too. The Ñ is one of their specials – a blend of gin, apple, kiwi, lychee, pineapple, white wine, and soda.

With its 18-hour day and wide range of choices, Cafe Enye is great for lunch with co-workers, dinner with family, and drinks with friends. And as the opening of its first branch approaches, it’s exciting to see where this home-grown restaurant will go next.

Are you gonna head over to Cafe Enye to try what they’re serving up? Let us know in the comments! – Rappler.com