Romance Is Alive...in Cubao!
"Do you always hear that noise?" a visitor asked me once when he was at my house.
"What noise?"
"You mean you don't hear it?"
It was the ever-present hum coming from the nearby ice plant. Between the noise from both the LRT and the MRT, the constant roar of the jeepneys as they made the climb up our street, and our neighbor's Sunday-morning videoke sessions (to which I attribute my disdain for "If We Hold On Together"--pity, Land Before Time was a favorite movie when I was younger), the sounds from the ice plant had become barely noticeable.
Welcome to my 'hood.
It's a place where, apart from noise, pollution and people--mobs of them--are ever-present. Notice how the MRT suddenly empties itself as it stops at the Cubao station. This is where everyone gets off--and, if you've heard (or experienced) what I've heard about this town, you're likely to snigger at that remark.
In the midst of it all, Cubao is undergoing a facelift: there's the refurbishment of Araneta Coliseum, and the renovation and addition of new shopping centers. At the heart of this brand spankin' Araneta Center is Gateway, whose name connotes a sort-of portal to another un-Cubao-like world, where chi-chi stores crowd every floor (remaining empty, last I checked--most people either just pass through or grab a bite).
At the center of the mall is an open-air resto with gardens, walkways, and little ponds with huge fish: the Mandarin Oriental Cafe & Deli. After a short ukay-ukay store hunt near the old Fairmart, my mom and I decided to have dinner at the restaurant. We were expecting it to be muggy as it was outdoors, but it was surprisingly cool.
My mom ordered the panini with ham, mozzarella cheese, and arugula. I am not a big fan of arugula (I tend to pick at my salads and take small bites, fearing that there's some arugula hidden in there), I opted to try their salmon and crab meat in a scone. Both came with a side order of fries, which were the better part of the meal, I would say. The ham in mom's sandwich was chock-full o' ligaments, while my sandwich was just too dry. And while we were munching on our pseudo-gourmet sandwiches, one waitress suddenly came up to us and, without a word, grabbed an unused glass from our table and rushed off. Not even a small "excuse me"!
While the ambience was lovely (and would be perfect for dates), I expected so much more from the satellite cafe of one of Manila's better hotels. Perhaps their entrees are better, but their sandwiches left me feeling full yet unsatisfied. I guess for the price of what we ordered, I expected better quality food and, at the very least, a polite and well-trained staff. Don't get me wrong, the service in general was ok, but for Mandarin, it was below par. To paraphrase what Hamil once said, "I don't mind bad service if it's a cheap place. But to be so expensive and still give bad service, that's inexcusable."
Still, I can't say I won't return. The place is different from the typical resto, and the other tables' orders seemed appetizing. Besides, where else in Cubao will you find date place that's a virtual oasis?
Food: 2 out of 5
Ambience: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 2.5 out of 5 (would've been a couple of points higher if it hadn't been for that waitress)
Price: 2.5 out of 5 (I feel we didn't really get our money's worth)
"What noise?"
"You mean you don't hear it?"
It was the ever-present hum coming from the nearby ice plant. Between the noise from both the LRT and the MRT, the constant roar of the jeepneys as they made the climb up our street, and our neighbor's Sunday-morning videoke sessions (to which I attribute my disdain for "If We Hold On Together"--pity, Land Before Time was a favorite movie when I was younger), the sounds from the ice plant had become barely noticeable.
Welcome to my 'hood.
It's a place where, apart from noise, pollution and people--mobs of them--are ever-present. Notice how the MRT suddenly empties itself as it stops at the Cubao station. This is where everyone gets off--and, if you've heard (or experienced) what I've heard about this town, you're likely to snigger at that remark.
In the midst of it all, Cubao is undergoing a facelift: there's the refurbishment of Araneta Coliseum, and the renovation and addition of new shopping centers. At the heart of this brand spankin' Araneta Center is Gateway, whose name connotes a sort-of portal to another un-Cubao-like world, where chi-chi stores crowd every floor (remaining empty, last I checked--most people either just pass through or grab a bite).
At the center of the mall is an open-air resto with gardens, walkways, and little ponds with huge fish: the Mandarin Oriental Cafe & Deli. After a short ukay-ukay store hunt near the old Fairmart, my mom and I decided to have dinner at the restaurant. We were expecting it to be muggy as it was outdoors, but it was surprisingly cool.
My mom ordered the panini with ham, mozzarella cheese, and arugula. I am not a big fan of arugula (I tend to pick at my salads and take small bites, fearing that there's some arugula hidden in there), I opted to try their salmon and crab meat in a scone. Both came with a side order of fries, which were the better part of the meal, I would say. The ham in mom's sandwich was chock-full o' ligaments, while my sandwich was just too dry. And while we were munching on our pseudo-gourmet sandwiches, one waitress suddenly came up to us and, without a word, grabbed an unused glass from our table and rushed off. Not even a small "excuse me"!
While the ambience was lovely (and would be perfect for dates), I expected so much more from the satellite cafe of one of Manila's better hotels. Perhaps their entrees are better, but their sandwiches left me feeling full yet unsatisfied. I guess for the price of what we ordered, I expected better quality food and, at the very least, a polite and well-trained staff. Don't get me wrong, the service in general was ok, but for Mandarin, it was below par. To paraphrase what Hamil once said, "I don't mind bad service if it's a cheap place. But to be so expensive and still give bad service, that's inexcusable."
Still, I can't say I won't return. The place is different from the typical resto, and the other tables' orders seemed appetizing. Besides, where else in Cubao will you find date place that's a virtual oasis?
Food: 2 out of 5
Ambience: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 2.5 out of 5 (would've been a couple of points higher if it hadn't been for that waitress)
Price: 2.5 out of 5 (I feel we didn't really get our money's worth)
posted by Tisha at
5:34 PM
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