Chaplin Cafe at Century City Mall

Had a wonderful small brunch at Chaplin. It's a restaurant at the 5th floor of Century City Mall in Makati Avenue, Makati City. It's been a while since I've been here so I'm making the trip worth it and show you around this place which I found very nice. The seats are comfy, even though it's a little packed I still managed to get seats in the center. I got to do my favorite activity, people watching. Aside from that, we got the best items on the menu as recommended by the wait staff and chef who came out to say hi later on. A foreign lad, concocting upscale middle east/Mediterranean dishes for the restaurant. I knew I had to see this.

The interiors are nice. It's like a California modern restaurant with functional, minimalist interiors. The colors are basic, black, white, green and wood tones all around. It's upscale but relaxed, I can imagine this being frequented by Titas of Manila, those who have meetings, or foreigners who just want something quick for breakfast and lunch. They have dinner, the ambiance up there was quite conducive for talk and lovely.

 

For business travelers, they have wifi. Although not that fast, it was okay for the small things like browsing and Instagram. I wanted to stay there for work but I had to attend another event on the same mall on the lower floors so after brunch I left in a jiffy.

What caught my attention was that most of the foreigners opted to stay under the sweltering heat of the sun. They didn't mind it was super hot that day and just got hydrated by drinks and perhaps took advantage of our tropical weather to get a tan while they're there. Makes sense though.

I ordered this Orange-Carrot juice which the server recommended. It was very refreshing, not too sweet, and you still get that legit orange juice taste on every sip. I think it's imported boxed orange juice though, or maybe fresh (since it's also available), I couldn't tell. A bit pricey but considering the heat outside, it's something you would think you'll need.

I thought this was chicken, but apparently this is their version of Potato Wedges. It's more on the sweet side, but I do like the variety rather than just spuds on a plate.

This is Shakshouka. It's a middle eastern egg and tomato based dish. The star here is the egg of course and is served a little runny so you can put it on your bread like a spread.  It reminds me of the Italian bruschetta, but this is vegetarian with the exception of the egg of course. They love this in any meal as part of their starters. Pretty good.

This is Eggplant Melanzane. To me, it looks like the Greek Moussaka with none of the cheese and cream. It's very nice to see something vegetarian that's this good. I think this is my personal favorite and perhaps when they come out with breads (I heard they are really soon) this would be something that would be perfect for that.

This is their Chicken Steak. It's a hearty version of Chicken Barbecue, butterflied. It's very savory. I also like that this comes with an option of potato wedges or mashed potatoes and their side salad. You basically get this as a complete meal perfect for lunch or dinner. I love the small crispy parts and how soft it is inside. If you like barbecue, you'll love this healthy plate.

 This is their signature Chaplin Pizza. The ingredients are fresh, although I found it a little unseasoned. I did put a generous amount of salt and pepper (which they had on the table) and it was okay after that. What's good is that they have a "Make Your Own Pizza" section on the menu where you can choose the ingredients and have it ordered like that. Still, they had very healthy options for toppings so you're not gonna miss out on the veggies even if it is pizza.

My friend and I had this for dessert to end the meal. She also ordered another one just so we could see the best sellers. The first one is my personal favorite, the Chocolate Souffle. I liked the flavor and how deep the chocolate is in every spoonful but, there seems to be some presentation problems. I like my plate pretty, and if it's a souffle, at least have it risen properly and not all broken down like a mush on the bottom. I was so glad that they were very receptive about comments of their food since they just opened. The Napoleon was so good, I like the flaky crust crisscrossed with luscious caramel and the dollop of cream on the side. Then the last one is the Triple Chocolate Mousse, it went missing after around 5 minutes and I don't know where it has gone. Maybe it just vanished.

Chaplin Cafe is located at Century City Mall's 4th Floor. You can access it through the Kalayaan Avenue side of the mall to get breakfast even if the mall isn't opened yet. It's the perfect meeting spot, but I'm just telling you. Yes, it's worthy to go to for a visit, or do your work. They've actually got pretty good coffee too so if you're around the area and it's a little early, go give them a visit. It's a little pricey (for Pinoys but not for foreigners) but considering the upscale ambiance, the vegetarian choices, the good food, I think it's worth it. There you go.

For more information about their restaurant:

Chaplin Cafe

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https://www.facebook.com/chaplin.cafe.philippines

Halloween Costumes Early On!

We start waxing philosophical on how elusive happiness seems to be for most, while it comes so naturally to others. Sometimes we make mistakes; thinking that our happiness depends on other people when the real happiness we were looking for only begins with ourselves.

In 2007, we celebrated our company Christmas party in the outskirts of Manila. I was amused a little because our theme was Hollywood movies. Consequently, our assigned film was Star Wars. I was so excited because it was my first time to dress up like this guy here.

That's Ana kin Sky Walker of the Star Wars trilogy; and having the same picture as an inspiration was grand! I mean hey, not only did I get to play along but I had the chance to re-live my favorite character in the movie. But don't get me wrong, I was not there to win the prizes meant for the one with the "coolest costume". I just liked dressing up like kids ha-ha.

It took about a week to fix my costume which I had custom made at my Uncle's garments factory. I arrived at the event together with my compatriots in team SAT Hawks at that time. We were not as adventurous as those in a Biker costume, but everyone looked like we were in a different era; because we all were carrying the costumes so well. I was happy no one killed joy at that time and participated dressing up for the occasion. It was nice to see my office mates look weird every once in a while because we practically spent so much staying geeks fixing IT devices the whole time.

I did not win anything that night but the sheer enjoyment of having my friends an office mates around was better than any award that I'll gladly take. The next time I join things like that and I get serious about the costumes, I'll find excellent ones that are available online at http://www.costumecauldron.com. It's cost efficient and easier, so why should we stop celebrating Halloween right?