Katre Mediterreanean Restaurant offers flavorful and healthy dishes combining tastes of bitter, sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Located in a hidden corner along Tomas Morato, this two-floor restaurant evokes a minimalist setting. Entering Katre, with its numerous framed newspaper clippings at the walls, white and starched linen tablecloths, and wooden blinds makes the restaurant slightly more formal than the casual dining atmosphere that the websites indicate it to be.

Lunch diners are middle-aged, corporate groups, chatting with their collegues or busy answering their phones. Indeed I saw the chef, but he was more concerned roaming his chic establishment with previous old-time customers. Diners were commonly eating the famed Adobo Flakes with Bagoong Rice or the Hearts of Romaine appetizer.

I had already eaten dinner here once, but the lunch staff, wearing black tees and white aprons around their waist, were, as I observed, far too many with the number of customers. But service was polite and outstanding.

I dined first on Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup (P160), served with tortilla crisp, tomato brunoise, parmesean and parsley. This was probably button, shitaake, and portobello mushrooms, sauteed and blended with cream. The tortilla crisp turned soggy, but I found the aciditiy of the diced tomatoes in the soup a welcome accompaniment to the creaminess of the dish. Though brunoise is a technique used as garnish, specially for consomme, I did not see the tomatoes when it was first served. The hidden tomatoes was used as palate play. The parsley framed a slight herbal and fresh taste, while the parmesean contributed to this already umami-flavored dish.

For my main course, I ordered a Grilled Tuna Served with Ceviche and Jalapeno in a Weck Bun (P250.00). It took the service close to 30 minutes to serve my sandwich. Expecting something different with my prolonged sandwich, it came with a Grilled Tuna and Lettuce served in a football shaped bun sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The dish was accompanied with Wasabi-mayo, Beet Puree, Pickled Jalapeno, Tomato Brunoise, and Fried Onions. The atmosphere of the restaurant did not call for me to chow down a giant bun having 4 inches of height. I would have preferred, if the chef served it tartine style (open-faced) instead. Since, I had a problem slicing the crispy armored shell of the bun with a knife. The tuna though perfectly seasoned, did not look appetizing, as I investigated the insides of the sandwich, further. No char-marks. Just grey colored meat. I enjoyed the palate play from the spiciness of the wasabi and jalapeno, the tart acidity from the tomatoes and the sweetness from the beet puree. The chef should remove or improve the onions as its soggy exterior proved anything remotely edible.

Ended my meal, though not completely satisfied with the outcome, with outstanding front of the house service, will try Katre one more time, but this time sticking to the common dishes served.