I haven’t enjoyed a decent meal in a while, so many things happening on my plate lately that having a great meal is something I look forward to. It’s a good thing my husband and I have arranged for a lunch date last weekend. But roaming around the mall at almost lunch time is not exactly what I had in mind then so I proceeded to Café Cravings in Festival Mall and waited for him finish a meeting.
It’s not my first time here. We often go to this place during special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. And the main reason we love it here is because of the free salad, soup, appetizers you can have if you order one of their main meals. Moreover, they also have a new offering that consists of a free buffet of desserts with free coffee for only P120.
I was their first client that day, giving me a chance to pick a corner so I proceeded to sample some appetizers. There was a salad station with iceberg lettuce but I bypassed it and chose the interesting-looking crispy wanton wrappers topped with sundried tomatoes and the potato salad. I loved the wanton wrappers. It had great texture as it crunched in my mouth while the sweet and salty taste of the tomatoes provided a good contrast to the wanton wrapper’s subtle taste. Their potato salad was also good, not your usual potato salad, with its little strips of ham and sweet pickles, making it very tasty.
And if you have the chance ask the waiter for some of their pesto. It’s not included in their salad station anymore but you can request a small plate. It‘s one of the best pesto I tasted. The taste of the basil is not overpowering as it is well complemented by the mixture of I assume to be pine nuts and olive oil. I ordered some and almost combined it with almost everything on my plate, the salad, the rib-eye and the wanton wrappers. I wished they can have it bottled and sell it so I can buy some. Another thing I also loved is this one salad that consisted of eggplant, zucchinis I think and stewed tomatoes in a sweet pomodoro sauce. It’s something unique and refreshing and definitely a great side dish.
For the main course, the rib-eye was tender enough and filling. It’s not as great as the steaks of well-known steakhouses but good enough for me. And I liked the mashed potato side dish. It was the real thing, not the type made from a box. Though not as creamy but I appreciated its chunkiness as it gave the meal more breadth. The asparagus sticks on top meanwhile gave the rib-eye a quirky take on presentation. I was glad to taste an actual asparagus but I wasn’t too happy with the not-so cooked carrot sticks.
And lastly, for the dessert, okay, I’m not exactly a dessert person but the thought of eating a blueberry cheesecake over and over again is enough to make me try the dessert station. And because I was so full already, I only sampled the cheesecake and the chocolate cake topped with white frosting together with a cup of brewed coffee. The blueberry cheesecake was a little runny for my taste and was not the baked kind and the chocolate cake was like the usual chocolate cake you tasted in birthday parties. But since I wasn’t able to try all the desserts, I really can’t make a just comparison but I’m sure there are some that are noteworthy.
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s been awhile since I enjoyed a great meal and this one made me momentarily forget any concerns and allowed me to savor the food. And even if the orange ambiance of the place does not actually scream fine dining but from the appetizers, to the main course, to the dessert, I salute the effort and the scale of the food showcase. It’s something I will look forward to again. Lastly, I’d like to commend the patient and kind waiter who assisted us, his whiff of good service is something any restaurant should aspire to.
