MU Parlour @ Holland Village {Foodee}

Last Saturday found me with the sibs Arlyn and Armar at Holland Village, a place that I had only been to just once before, three years ago, when I celebrated another friend’s birthday at Gyu-Kaku. This time around we had something else to celebrate, a small victory of Armar’s. Since he was the celebrant, we let him choose the place. And what a beautiful cafe he chose!

The place reminds me of a New York studio. Not that I’ve ever been one (how I wish!) but those that I’ve seen in movies and TV shows. It’s so artsy, like you want to take a picture of every single nook and cranny.

I also love that it’s so spacious and quiet, with few people, a place where you really can relax and enjoy the food and company at your leisure and not feel pressured to leave ASAP because someone is eyeing your table. In other words, nothing at all like the overcrowded cafes you usually find in malls.

I suppose it owes that in part to its location, because it’s pretty to miss. It is at the second floor, above Thai Express. At first glance you’d think that it’s just an apartment or art gallery or furniture shop.

But there’s actually a narrow entrance with green-carpeted stairs that lead to it.

Now onto the food. Here are their menus:

I was thinking of ordering one of their all day brunches at first, but when I asked the waitress what their specialty was, she said it was the burger, and that their bestseller was #11. Arlyn had already ordered that, but it did look really appetizing. I mean, bacon? The answer is YES. Always yes.

NO. 11 SIGNATURE CHEESE BURGER ($15)
Beef, avocado, streaky bacon, MU secret sauce

I thought the black bun was quite interesting, certainly something that I haven’t seen before. They even have this sign on their door (scroll back up, look at the entrance pic) that says: “Once you go black, you never go back.” LOL.

And its taste? It was delicious! It kinda reminded me of this line from a HIMYM episode:

“It’s so much more than ‘just a burger.’ I mean…that first bite, oh, what heaven that first bite is. The bun, like a sesame freckled breast of an angel, resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below, flavors mingling in a seductive pas de deux. And then…a pickle! The most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a…a patty of ground beef so exquisite, swirling in your mouth, breaking apart, and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savor so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin. This is God, speaking to us in food.”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that good, but it still was good, I promise. And it was so gigantic that I had a really hard time finishing the entire thing even though I hadn’t even eaten breakfast and lunch at 5pm (I tend to do that on weekends, oops). It kept me so full for hours afterwards.

And you know what else was good about that meal? The fries! If you look closely at the fries, there are specks of garlic in them. Garlic fries, can you believe it? OMNOMNOMNOM!

I also loved that the milkshake we ordered with it came in a mason jar. I love mason jar drinks, they’re so cute!

Armar had already eaten lunch, so he just ordered a slice of carrot cake and a cup of coffee. It tasted good, too.

They have a wide selection of desserts, too, and I was planning on ordering one until the burger took up all the room in my tummy. Maybe next time.

We left the cafe and walked around to get our food to settle, and ran across some guys promoting the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, who encouraged us to take pictures with their all-American cast. Hence this pic.

Then before we left Holland Village, we had some celebratory drinks at one of the pubs that littered the streets. Armar had a beer, while Arlyn and I ordered mojitos. She got a classic one and I got a frozen one. The frozen one looks and tastes better. (And sounds better? ♪ Let it go… let it go… ♪ okay, sorry, I’ll let it go now.)