Brunch south of the City - Good Bites Cafe

There are so many restaurants in the City so why drive down to the Peninsula to try out a brunch place, right? While there is some truth to that, I was rewarded once again by being open minded.

My friends Caloy and Rey truly enjoyed the brunch at Good Bites Cafe in Belmont. This place serves what probably is the best Champorado, ever! :)

My friends Caloy, Rey and I got together before I went on a three-week vacation in the Philippines. We were looking for a place that serves Filipino breakfast that none of us have been to before. There were lots of options but Rey picked Good Bites Cafe in the city of Belmont.  Belmont lies in that part of the Bay Area locals call the Peninsula which is south of San Francisco and north of Silicon Valley.

[read my other Filipino food blogs here]

The three of us last got together before New Year's so there was a three-month worth of stories to catch up on. It was raining that Saturday and I got there first. I took pictures to make use of the waiting time.

There was a line by the door but it went fast. Kuya Jeff sat me right away.  Caloy and Rey arrived a little after 10 minutes after I got our table.

 

  

They served this pita bread with tahini dip which was delicious and free.

After I saw Arroz Caldo on the menu, I knew right away I was going to order it. The serving is a lot for one person especially if that person plans to eat a Tapsilog later on. The three of us shared this Filipino rice soup. It was delicious and perfect on a cold and rainy day.

I ordered this Bangsilog. In case you are not familiar with the names, Bangsilog is a compound name for Bangus (milk fish), sinangag (garlic friend rice) and itlog (egg). It was very tasty! This made me feel home sick. Thank God I was flying to Manila the week after our brunch!

Caloy and Rey both ordered Tapsilog which is Tapa (marinated beef strips), sinangag (garlic friend rice) and itlog (egg) with slight variations on their eggs.

As if we haven't had enough, we still ordered this Champurado (chocolate rice). I am glad we ordered it because it was the star meal of the day. It was very creamy which complimented the bittery taste of Filipino chocolate. The rice was perfectly cooked. It was not sweet at all which allowed us to taste the flavors of the rice, chocolate and milk. I don't think I have had a Champurado this good before?

The place looks like it is only open for brunch and serves both Filipino and Western breakfasts. Good Bites Cafe is on El Camino Real in Belmont.

~rl