Kubiertos

Even before the heightened awareness of the economic crisis, my friends and I were always conscious about spending too much the few times we eat out. If there is no special occasion, then we choose a place that is reasonably priced so that we do not blow our hard earned money on a regular day. But there are times when we become weak and give in to splurging on a pricey meal especially during days that are too stressful or depressing for words.

I cannot remember what we were celebrating or why we were stressed but we could not resist an invite to dine at Chelsea Market and Cafe at Serendra. Not one of us has been there so we were at risk of totally disappointing ourselves but most of us have heard good feedback about the place.

Though it was a little after noon that day, we were surprised that the place was quite empty (oh yeah we have heard about the long lines and the long wait). There were several vacant tables outside but even if they looked inviting, it was too hot outside to enjoy it so we chose to dine inside the restaurant.

The interior was bright but inviting. We were seated by servers dressed all in black and wearing wide grins like they were all too happy we chose to dine there. My first thought really was that the server’s uniforms were too stark for such a bright place. At some point I felt obligated to be formal which was a contrast to what the surroundings encouraged.

I could not say the same for the menu which was a perfect compliment to the place. It was plain, simple no fuss kind of a menu. You simply read and choose what you want from a list of many yummy offerings they had. We succumbed to the invitation and chose dishes that would not only satisfy our palate but our cravings for comfort food. Well.. comfort food at a steep price I must say. Regardless, our visit was filled with oohs and ahhhs and we left with happy smiles, happy stomachs and promises to come back when our wallets are once again thick with the month’s paycheck.

Focaccia bread with roasted whole garlic Php 0.00

While we were perusing the menu we were served focaccia bread topped with a whole bulb of roasted garlic. Nothing says garlic bread like this one. Though my hubby would love to have feasted on that bulb, we just set it aside and wolfed down the soft warm bread that makes me dream of baking bread in the future.

Five Cheese Macaroni Php 495.00

The Five Cheese Macaroni (smothered in cheese and bacon) was as sinful as it sounds and maybe more. It was served in a medium sized white bowl which I first thought would be insufficient to feed a part of four but honestly, I could not have carried myself out if I had finished everything by myself. The dish came with toasted bread topped generously with mozzarella like there’s no tomorrow. Another yummy treat I must say.

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Pizza Php 420.00

The Roasted Portobello Mushroom Pizza came crowned with a galore of toppings, it was hard to see the crust underneath. Not that I am complaining. There are too many pizza places around that its always lovely to see a new twist on a fast food favorite. The mushrooms, tomatoes, vegetables and cheese had a bold flavor that made up for what we thought was a small size pizza.

Another surprisingly delicious dish we ordered was the NY Diner Pastrami Melt. It read like a boring book but arrived with a loud bang. Served with tons of bacon and salty potato wedges. However, I was too full from the macaroni and cheese and the pizza that I could only partake of several pieces of potato wedges. It was all gulped down with refreshing strawberry iced tea.

NY Pastrami Melt Php 395.00

Were we too stuffed to order dessert? Of course not! It was a first time for all of us at Chelsea Market so naturally we had to try out all the goodies under the dessert list. We ordered to share a slice of NY Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake and the famous Choc-nut Valrhona cake. The cheesecake was unsurprisingly delicious and creamy, which is what a great cheesecake is all about so let me rave about the choc nut cake instead.

The Choc-Nut Valrhona cake is a chocolate cake topped with marshmallow frosting that is sooo good I did not notice that it wasn’t quite choc-nut tasting. It appeared like a very moist cake that literally melts in your mouth. I had to look at it closely to check if it was really cake or mousse but in the end could not really decide. For a short while, my friends and I were debating on what it really was but finally just let it go and continued to enjoy the yummy cake in front of us.

Chocnut Valrhona Cake Php 160.00

Chelsea Market and Cafe
Serendra Piazza Ground Level Mc Kinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig City, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 909-7011

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 8:57 pm and is filed under Chelsea Market and Cafe, Gourmet . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.