CPK recently introduced rice meals to heed their lunch time diners for something quick and all in one. It took a while to develop rice dishes that was in line with their California state of mind tagline and feel. They’ve also added a bunch of new salads, starters, pasta and of course pizzas to their menu.
Fruit Salsa and Tortilla Tzatziki (P375). You get two plates for this light and fresh starter, one with mixed greens in orange herb dressing with fresh fruit salsa and another with blue corn tortilla chips with tzatziki. Lots of interesting ways to eat this, you can eat the greens by itself or top it with the tortillas.
Quinoa and Arugula Salad (P475/full, P275/half). Super food overload with a base of quinoa and then you add pine nuts, crumbled feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, asparagus, arugula and red onions then tossed in honey dijon vinaigrette. A great way to add something healthy to your meal that is still tasty.
Our old favorite, the Chinese Chicken Salad (P475/full, P275/half) magically showed up on the menu again. It was one of our staples but it was removed a while back from the menu then replaced with something similar. A mix of napa and red cabbage, Romaine lettuce, wonton strips, and chicken, then tossed with scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds and hoisin ginger vinaigrette. A very fun salad to eat with lots of crunchy textures and an addictingly good dressing.
Watermelon Lemonade (P175). A refreshing drink with the tanginess of lemons and the sweetness of watermelons. Good drink to pair with the new CPK dishes plus it’s served in a wine glass so you can pretend to drink a fancy cocktail.
Foriana Roasted Walnut and Cauliflower (P575). Crispy thin pizza with foriana (nut and raisin) sauce, Queso quesadilla, mozarella, cauliflower florets, red and yellow bell peppers and red onions. A vegetarian pizza option but I was just not a fan, too healthy of a pizza for me.
Surf and Turf Trio (P650/regular, P325/personal). Now this is more my kind of pizza, poached shrimps with crisp bacon, salami slices, Queso quesadilla, mozarella, tomatoes and asparagus. Equal parts umami sweet and savory, a successful translation of a classic dish into a pizza. Another new pizza I can recommend is the Grilled Chicken Chipotle with Avocado that I had on a previous visit.
Chicken and Sausage Fajita Pasta (P495). Smoked sausage, grilled chicken, tri color peppers, jalapeno and spinach fettuccine, tossed in roasted garlic cream sauce. Good taste wise but I found it too rich and cloying.
CPK decided to introduce rice meals for the first time because of their diners clamor for them especially those in the business districts looking for quick and easy lunch fares. There are a total of 5 rice items but the best thing is you can upgrade the white rice to quinoa for only +P45. I’ve tried 3 of them so far and the best for me is the Chicken and Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce (P345). Fried chicken breast fillet smothered in piccata cream sauce, served with asparagus, cherry tomatoes and olives. Even though it was a cream based sauce, it was still light and you could taste the lemon which also helps cut the richness. The Sweet Flame Shrimp (P385) is quite good too but it’s the mango cucumber salsa on top that carries the dish. I found the Crispy Calamari with Stir Fried Vegetables (P295) too pedestrian.
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)
Branches: Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 5Greenhills, Power Plant Mall, Mall of Asia,
Century City Mall, Shangri-la Plaza East Wing
Facebook: California Pizza Kitchen PH
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