#AllDayMornings And Comfort Food Served Every Day At Cafe Mabini In San Juan

It always happens. Each time you think of comfort food, familiar breakfast staples always pop up. Why? Maybe because it's the sense of nostalgia and even that emotional connection from countless memories of starting the day right with sumptuous flavors. As dayparts associated with mealtimes continue to blur driven by the popularity of all-day breakfasts, restaurateur Kelvin Yu and Chef Consultant Kalel Chan share their own inspired take on everyone's favorite meal of the day at Cafe Mabini. 

Popular all-day breakfast and brunch staples from elevated renditions of the ubiquitous "silog" meals to traditional in-between meryenda fare supplemented by an extensive selection of coffee-based beverages has a name in San Juan. And that's Cafe Mabini. Cafe Mabini offers all your mid-morning and mid-day cravings you'd expect from an all-day breakfast restaurant. And then some. But leave it to Kelvin Yu and Chef Consultant Kalel Chan to change up the usual breakfast game with some creative and even unexpected tweaks. From the same group behind Francesco's in San Juan, it's always all-day mornings any time of day at Cafe Mabini. Breakfast food for lunch or dinner? Count me in...

The all-day breakfast concept is nothing new with the wide and extensive variations of "silog" or rice meals with egg remaining a mainstay in our daily dining options. But Chef Consultant Kalel Chan does one better with a bold yet playfully inventive repertoire of reimagined breakfast staples at Cafe Mabini (for more on Cafe Mabini, see my previous post A Comforting Taste Of Nostalgia And Innovation Served Daily At Cafe Mabini from 2024). 

But first, some soothing libations. And Cafe Mabini has just what you need to tease your palate before a sumptuous brunch feast with the Iced Latte (P 180). The bold flavorful depth of the espresso is smoothened by the creamy milk, iced to cool you down from the summer heat. 

Fresh off the brick ovens at Francesco's located right beside Cafe Mabini, the specialty Hand-Stretched Pizza selections offer tempting options for your mid-morning or mid-afternoon feast...

...like the Garlic Chorizo Hubad (P 595), an inventive pizza creation with homemade smoked chorizo, garlic and bell peppers. Each bite brings the bold yet familiar savory notes of chorizo to the palate perfectly complemented by the nutty hints of garlic and the subtle sweetness of bell peppers. And that beautifully blistered charred soft and lightly crisp crust? The brick oven does the job right. The pizza offerings at Cafe Mabini reflect a unique style of the Italian classic inspired by local flavors that sets it apart from the more traditional selections at Francesco's like the Garlic Chorizo Hubad. Other must-try options include the Tuyo Pesto (P 625), Ohana (P 595) with chicken tocino and pineapple, Kwatro Keso (P 625) with Mozzarella, Cheddar, Kesong Puti and Grana Padano, the All-Karne (P 625) with shredded beef tapa flakes, house cured corned beef, homemade spam and chorizo and the Toasted Garlic & Cheese (P 545). 

Chef Kalel Chan then adds his own playful spin to the kaya toast with his Singaporean Style Ube Toast (P 475) with ube-filled brioche paired with soft boiled eggs, sweet soy and white pepper. It's creative renditions like this that makes Cafe Mabini more than just the usual all-day breakfast spot. 

The distinct sweetness of ube transforms the Singaporean classic with an indulgent yet comforting twist for a refreshingly new flavor experience, made even richer when dipped in the soft-boiled egg. The mildly sharp hints of sweet soy and white pepper cuts through the lingering sweetness of the ube for that delicately balanced play on sweet and salty notes. More toasts? Cafe Mabini also serves the Dragon Toast (P 495) with avocado, dragon fruit hummus and poached egg, the Tapa Cheesesteak (P 625), Reuben Sandwich (P 745) and Grilled Cheese (P 445) paired with tomato soup. 

Then, there's the popular Rice & Shine menu of Cafe Mabini for the perfect all-day breakfast fix. Each option is a complete meal with garlic rice, eggs prepared the way you like it, fresh papaya salad and grilled tomato with moringa pesto like the House-Cured US Corned Beef (P 625) topped with crisp fried onions. Tender slabs of beef with rich savory notes tempered by subtle briny hints from the curing process, the house-cured corned beef by Cafe Mabini takes the usual shredded corned beef silog up an indulgent notch. Made in-house, it's these made from scratch specialties that differentiates Cafe Mabini from the usual all-day breakfast establishments. 

And there's more. Chef Consultant Kalel Chan showcases more of his made from scratch creations with the Homemade Spambini (P 525) featuring his take on the timeless canned luncheon meat served with two eggs freestyle, garlic rice, papaya salad and grilled tomato moringa pesto. The thick meatloaf like slabs of Homemade Spambini delivers familiar notes evoking that sumptuous breakfast vibe with its savory and mildly salty hints. That same savory richness from the beloved square meat is smoothened by the luscious favors of the eggs perfectly finished by garlic rice. Who doesn't love breakfasts like this? 

But Chef Consultant Kalel Chan has even more tempting options from his bag of culinary treats like the Spanish-Style Garlic Dulong (P 495) with tiny silverfish confit. The comforting and nostalgic notes of the garlic and Spanish style rendition gives this dish a comforting familiarity best enjoyed with the eggs and garlic rice combo for another breakfast or brunch hit. The nutty hints of garlic, rich olive oil and fresh sweetness of pimiento completes the dish. 

Taking a cue from Asian flavors, the Taiwanese Adobo (P 475) with tender Taiwan style pork belly and pork leg adobo packs solid flavors with its play on sweet and salty savory notes. Paired with garlic rice and egg, it's another dish you can enjoy all-day at Cafe Mabini. 

Change up your usual tapsilog game with a delectable crunch with the Crispy Beef Tapa Floss (P 525) or shredded tapa flakes made even more tempting with toasted garlic and special tapa sauce. The bold beefy notes come through with a crisp and crunchy finish for another winning breakfast all-day pick at Cafe Mabini. 

And if pork is your jam, the crisp and juicy Lechon Kawali (P 525) is your hands down pick at Cafe Mabini. Imagine a deep-fried slab of pork belly topped with crispy onions and paired with lechon liver sauce for the ultimate pork breakfast with garlic rice and eggs. The supporting cast of eggs, garlic rice, papaya salad and grilled tomato with moringa pesto completes the medley of flavors. And you can enjoy this all-day for that perfect brunch, a late lunch or early dinner at Cafe Mabini. Other must-try Rice & Shine variants include the Grilled US Beef Tapa (P 525), Mabini Premium Pares (P 545), Chicken Tocino (P 475), Daing na Bangus (P 475) and DTE (P 475) with danggit, tuyo and espada. 

But there's one more popular staple that deserves a spot on the all-day breakfast table. Chef Consultant Kalel Chan weaves the warm nostalgic vibe of the traditional arroz caldo or rice porridge with Hainanese Chicken and the soothing sweetness of squash for a cool crossover with the Squash Caldo (P 545). The concept alone makes this dish an interesting pick. 

Why? Breaking it down starting from the vibrant orange-colored squash and rice porridge to the tender chunks of poached Hainanese chicken, garnishes and condiments all combine for a sumptuous meal any time of day. The squash-infused rice porridge is rich and creamy with a subtle yet lingering sweetness while the tender chunks of poached chicken with ginger complemented by hard-boiled eggs and crunchy fried onions provide not only textural contrasts but added flavor. Then, the condiments of ginger sauce and sweet chili sauce deliver bright bursts of flavor along with a fresh squeeze of calamansi for that complex yet delicately balanced and layered finish. Everything just comes together in a seamless weave. 

Breakfast or meryenda, the Squash Caldo is the perfect meal to start or end your day. From toasts to the Rice & Shine menu, the Squash Caldo and even pizza, Cafe Mabini's playlist of breakfast, brunch and meryenda hits has all the bases covered for any comfort food cravings. Any time. All day.

A soothing hot Caffe Mocha (P 180) caps your feast at Cafe Mabini. Say good morning all day long with the breakfast and brunch specialties and so much more right here in San Juan. At Cafe Mabini, it's all about the perfect start. If that's brunch or a late lunch or early dinner, that's up to you. It's always all-day mornings at Cafe Mabini...

Cafe Mabini is located at 863 A. Mabini Street, Addition Hills, San Juan, Metro Manila. You can also visit their FB Page and IG Feed at https://www.facebook.com/cafemabiniph/ and https://www.instagram.com/cafemabiniph/ for more information and updates or call 8777 9777 and 0917 144 4395 for inquiries.

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