by Lori Baltazar
I have an affinity for those small restaurants where, if I drop in at an off-hour, I’m pretty much assured of having the place to myself. Salcedo Village has a wealth of these hangouts, and one that I enjoy is Alexa’s Deli.
It has that cool, stainless steel feel that practically urges me to order a glass of wine (a rarity), or at the very least, stay for a cup of coffee. A glass counter showcases a (rather limited) selection of cheese, wines, and desserts. This deli/café/wine shop — one of those “hyphenate” places –welcomes diners to choose and consume whatever they see in the shop. Sandwiches are a great strength of this place where one can customize according to meat, bread, dressing, and filling. There are salads to satisfy the more “green-minded,” as well as pastas (all P175), of which I recommend the Pesto or the Smoked Salmon with Basil Cream (both seen above).
I like the fact that I can order a Cheese Platter (P180, cover photo) here, but I frown at the idea of not being able to choose the two kinds of cheese that I prefer. I dislike the rather ordinary cheddar that it comes with, so I pay extra for the privilege to choose and fork over another fee for the crackers and grapes that come with it. I’m also served a handful of pistachio nuts to accompany my “made to order” cocktail platter, and it goes down well with my glass of the house white wine, one of over 50 wines available.
Upon entering, Alexa’s Deli appears quite small, but unlike the industrial tables at the front, the back of the restaurant is designed for those who have more time to kill ”“ diners can lounge on the sofas or sink into the deep leather couches and mull over the vagaries of life while gazing at the mural of the Italian vineyard.
When you’re as into desserts as I am, all I need is one look at how the cake is frosted or the way it’s styled, and I can tell who made it. Like handwriting, every baker has a unique style that soon becomes evident. Here, I can tell that the desserts at Alexa’s Deli are supplied by Baba Ibazeta-Benedicto’s Classic Confections, not a bad thing but she already supplies too many establishments; overexposure does exist in the food industry. Still, dessert is something to be thankful for, so I order the Banana Cream Pie, something that Classic Confections always does well.
Alexa’s Deli
G/F Classica 1 Condominium
112 HV dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati
813-7097; open from 7 am ”“ 10 pm.
www.alexasdeli.com
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I love the fact that Alexa’s is a few short steps away from my place. The pesto is quite good and so is the Tuna with Sundried Tomato pasta. 🙂 It’s a great place to have some wine and cheese with friends.
what’s beside the classica 1 condo? i don’t think i ever saw this but i definitely wanna visit this place!
its a nice place to seat, realx, have wine, dessert, coffee…
that looks really yummy and i love cheese too 🙂 im a fan of small restaurants too. you know those places not a lot of people know of yet but have such good food. mom & tina’s (along c5) is one 🙂 i love their paella. but they’ve really expanded now.
I agree, Alexa’s Deli is a comfortable place to chat with friends over wine, or just have some coffee by oneself. What I prefer to do is choose the cheese from the display, then have them serve it with crackers. I didn’t know Baba Ibazeta provided the desserts. The two I tried were disappointing. I should go back soon and try more! 😉
a glass of wine mid-day at a time when all else seemed like hell, that was how I spent one afternoon at Alexa’s. Might be time to go back again.
I’ve always wondered if this place was any good. I can now take advantage of them being a few steps away from my place.
Keep up the good work! I enjoy reading your posts. 🙂
Alexa’s! I’ve always loved this place. A friend first ‘introduced’ me to Alexa’s when I was pulling night shift at work – oops, I’m hoping none of the bosses see this!!! – we’d often go get something to eat (they close early though!) and sometimes have a glass of wine each. Favorite date place of me and the bf – quiet, good food, good wine… I don’t know if I should be happy that you wrote about it, or feel bad that our ‘secret place’ has been discovered, haha! Something this good should be shared though 🙂
PS – I never noticed the banana cream pie (wonder why??) – need to go back!