Cafe 1771

Cafe 1771 occupies the former space of its sister restaurant, Chateau 1771, which has since transferred to tony Greenbelt 5. The difference between the two is night and day. While Chateau is more formal all the way from the decor to the food, Cafe 1771 aims for an easy going and homey atmosphere starting with their free popcorn appetizer.

I ate here on two successive days, one for lunch and one for dinner. The restaurant is divided into three areas; Whimsy, the Lounge, and the Winebar. Both of my meals here were in the Whimsy area, brightly lit and European cafe inspired. I also saw the Lounge area, a den like dining area complete with couches and lots of books. I was not able to see the Winebar , which was located on the second floor.

We started off with Fried Squash Flowers and Pig’s Ears Pepperocino. I loved the the squash flowers which were stuffed with anchovies and white cheese(kesong puti). It was very crunchy and once you bite into the middle the anchovy and kesong puto give off a nice salty taste. I did not like the Pig’s ears, which were sauteed in garlic and chili. They were a non crunchy version of “sisig”.

We had Holy Cow pizza next, white cheese, arugula, mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil. I loved this crunchy pizza and the large pieces of white cheese on top of each slice. I would have like a little more arugula but that’s being too picky.

 

For my main course (the top picture) I had Orange Pork Spareribs (P450), simmered in soy, orange juice, garlic and ginger. The ribs were very tender and the citrus flavor was evident. I think I should have ordered some rice so as not to waste the tasty sauce.

I had been eyeing the Eggs Benedict since the previous day so that was my order for dinner. I love eggs in any form and eggs benedict is too complicated for my wife to cook at home. This dish used organic eggs but I could not taste the difference with ordinary eggs. I loved everything about this dish except that one of the eggs was not perfectly done. The ham and the hollandaise sauce were substantial and the english bread used was good.

Irene picked Ham and Cheese Fiats, mini Italian sandwiches with mascarpone and ham. I had a taste of this and was really surprised how good it was. It was presented interestingly like a bread tower.

A nice cozy restaurant with excellent service and good food will be added to our list of restaurants we will go back to.


Cafe’ 1771
El Pueblo Real de Manila
J.Vargas cor. ADB Avenue
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
631.7340/470.6559

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