Cafe 1771: Justifying Mismatched Decor

Cafe 1771 Whimsy

March 19, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – Blessed Friday has come, and Cage volunteered to accompany me for the night’s culinary adventure. I’ve seen how intense the dinner crowd can be, but I was not willing to put this off another day.

The waiters were courteous and the evening’s best wishes were quickly followed by a lengthy explanation of the restaurant’s concept. And how could he have not? It was a mash-up of formal and casual decor that was as mismatched as their conceptual attempt at “whimsy.” The restaurant is divided into two sections – step into the “whimsy side” for a more informal dining experience where everything is bright and colors are subdued hues of cream and salmon, or scoot over to the “lounge side” where it is cozier and the walls are lined with books and graphic art words like “Love,” “Friendship” and “Believe.” It was unusually camp and contrived.

Cafe 1771 Lounge

I had no expectations for the “whimsy” side because being called just that was license enough to be garish. The “lounge” was both annoying and hilarious. Furniture is a mismatch of transparent plastic chairs and plush couches. Tables are wobbly and I don’t get the subliminal messaging on the walls.

Cafe 1771 Lounge Shelves

It was a ridiculous recreation of a library with quite the unimaginative collection of books. The novelty of a ’90s Encyclopedia Britannica set wore off in two seconds.

Cafe 1771 Lacquered Salmon

But in the end, I surrendered and let scent of food wafting through the air remind me of my purpose. Order up!

Cafe 1771: A Dish that’s Worth the Wait

Cafe 1771 Lamb

March 19, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – I’ve eaten it in so many restaurants. I still dislike eating beef and pork, but I’d sneak in a few bites of lamb from a restaurant or two just to see who did it right.

Gamey meat is notoriously difficult to do right. Not seasoned properly, the taste of the meat is overpowering. Not cooked long enough, it can be tough as rag to chew on. I eat lamb on occasion just to see if the chef managed to get it at the right flavor and fall-off-the-bone consistency.

The basic recipe calls for lamb to be cooked a good seven hours with your aromatics and braising liquid, so restaurants have to precook the lamb for dinner service. Where I usually wait 30 minutes for an order of lamb, Cafe 1771 took a full hour. I understood that slow, winey braises take a long time, but an hour waiting was a little too much.

Cage and I had gone through the rest of the food when the lamb shoulder was brought out in a red casserole. Faint gamey smell. Generous amounts of meat and beans. We spooned the stew into our plates as the meat simply would not hold impaled to a fork before it disintegrates enticingly into the pot.

In my mouth, chunks of the lamb shoulder just melted. Though it was a great finish to our meal, preparation took ages. Next time, I’ll order this when I have a whole evening to spare.

Cafe 1771: A Note on too Long a Service

Cafe 1771 Lounge

March 19, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – A flurry of activity. Disorganized service. Mistaken identities. Mis-seasoned dishes. Incredulously long wait. Gotta love a newly opened restaurant.

One thing fastfood veterans like McDonald’s and Jollibee have in the bag is their ability to replicate themselves seamlessly with little to no downtime. Like clockwork, each newly opened branch sport crew that operate with scary efficiency and possessed of a thorough knowledge of their product offerings. I hate the greasy food, but I have got to give them props for something. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the classier restaurants take months to adjust after initially opening to the public. Art takes time(?).

Cafe 1771 was no different. It’s been 45 minutes since we placed our order, and I’m two seconds away from throwing a fit.

Cafe 1771: New Kid on the Pueblo

Cafe 1771 Welcome

March 17, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – I love Chateau 1771 – well, in general. There have been a few misses, but none of which had been enough to prevent me from coming back for more. When not in the mood for experimental, Chateau 1771 at Greenbelt 5 is always a safe bet. The mood is lavish without being ostentatious. The food is always well thought and the flavors deliberate. I am a fan boy.

Working in Ortigas definitely has it’s challenges for the epi-curious such as myself. It’s an area inundated with call centers and fast food. Cheap. Fast. Single-serving death in a plate. Hardly any of the established sit down restaurants already in the area impress. There are some notable ones that I’ll talk about later, but for the most part, it’s a culinary wasteland.

Cafe 1771 is the latest, curious project from the Chateau Group opening in (Thank you, God!) El Pueblo, and I can’t wait to find out what they have to offer.