Fuzion Gourmet

Your restaurant is kind of hidden with only the sign "Fuzion Gourmet" giving a hint of what's a few steps down and behind the door. How can you lure my friends and me into your restaurant?

Start a conversation. That's what Ms Divina Veloso-Couvreux, the owner of Fuzion Gourmet, did when we were walking by in September, a week before they launched. I did not catch how she hooked my friend into a long conversation, but long conversation they had. While they kept talking and talking, another friend and I observed somebody filling tables with different types of pasta before putting on the glass top. In the course of their conversation, she handed each of us 15% discount coupons and said to take a look inside.

We are such easy targets. The peek into the restaurant metamorphosed into a two-hour stay. We had dinner and desserts. I chose the chicken tajine with couscous because it sounded exotic. My friends decided to have the trusted roasted baby back ribs.

What is chicken tajine? The menu describes it as "Moroccan stew with vegetables and spices served with ratatouille and couscous grain." Ratatouille is not that awesome rat cook in the animated movie, it's a French vegetable dish. Couscous is like rice but not really (oh just google it or, better yet, try it). I have no idea what Moroccan food is and how it tastes but I found my chicken tajine quite interesting, though lacking in quantity. My friends' baby back ribs were, yeah, ribs. Tender but nothing impressive. The homemade iced tea they said is brewed differently, I just can't remember how nor can I say the taste was any different from other iced teas I've had.

Now for desserts: muffins (not found on their menu but in the display case), samosa, and pie. First the samosa and pie. Just Php 25 each. The samosa was like empanada in disguise. In my opinion, the only difference was the shape. The chicken pie was okay. But for just Php 25, I'll pick this over the samosa (size wins this round). Of the four, I like the muffins best! The muffins were packed (not at all crumbly) and moist. And they were big!

Fuzion Gourmet claims to have "a thousand tastes in one place." Yes, the food we had were just a few, but check out their facebook page for the other 993 tastes. Maybe not exactly 993, but there are more choices on the menu, thus more reasons to visit again.