COVID-19 cases here in the Philippines are rising again. We've recently hit all-time highs on our daily new cases. I hope it won't come to another lockdown but if that's necessary then I will have to adjust to it once again.
In 2021, we had a second lockdown after the first long lockdown from 2020. It was around August to September after cases were surging again. I was happy that it ended and we got to go out again.
In this post, I'll be sharing with you my dining experience after the second lockdown. For dinner, we went to Cafe Georg and for dessert, we moved to La Marea Pastry Shop and Lavazza Cafe. I've never been to both restaurants before and it's a shame that my first time was during the pandemic. Still, I enjoyed my time and you'll see why in this Food Memories post.
CAFÉ GEORG
After restrictions were lowered in Cebu City, my project leader set up a dinner meeting and he asked me to look for a venue. I searched around and suggested we go to Cafe Georg. It was not far from our workplace and I also wanted to try dining there.
The place is beside the road (Gov. M. Cuenco Ave) in Kasambagan, Cebu City. Upon entering, I was greeted with an iron doorway that gave the place an old and sophisticated look. Beside the doorway was a lighted sign that said "Cafe Georg" with some lights missing. I thought it looked dim and sad which was a preview of what the atmosphere inside was going to be.
The main door of the restaurant was glass and outside it was a temperature scanner, a contact tracing logbook, and a hand sanitizer. All of these were required in establishments. I placed my hand in front of the scanner and after it displayed a temperature, I just went inside and didn't bother to write my name in the logbook.
Beside the door was a cabinet full of chinaware. They were clearly for display and they reminded of old households that reserved their precious ceramics for special guests.
When I looked inside the restaurant, I thought it looked really gloomy and sad. It was empty and the tables were small and far from each other. I understood that this was because they had to limit the capacity of the place. Still, the restaurant did not look cozy and inviting.
The lighting inside was soft and warm. Their seats were comfy and the other walls had more items to display. There were more ceramics, some jars, and glass. There were also awards. One said that Cafe Georg was awarded Best Salad Place in 2014. I should've ordered their salad but I forgot about the award when I made my order.
They had a lot of cakes on display and my project leader and I agreed that we would try some of their cakes later. Unfortunately, we didn't make it on time to order their cakes because they were closing early.
We were given the menu and I'm not sure if this was how they took their orders before the pandemic. The menu had checkboxes and you check the boxes of your orders. They had starters, sandwiches, dishes made from different meat, pasta, plant-based, salads, and more.
I ordered their cheesy spinach dip as a starter. It came with some garlic bread and I really enjoyed it. I tried to share some of it with my project leader and my other colleague but they didn't want it. I had it all to myself. It was so filling and I had to remind myself that the main course was still coming up.
My project leader ordered soup. I think it was squash. It was paired with bread and he said it was good. I wished I had also ordered a soup.
I ordered pork ribs which was a very safe order. I didn't feel like ordering something unfamiliar. The serving was quite small but I still ordered extra rice. The ribs were okay. I've had better ones in other places.
My project leader ordered grilled lemongrass chicken and it looked really good. There was white sauce on top of the chicken and the lemongrass gave the dish an Asian feel.
My other colleague ordered a dish with grilled pork and egg. I forgot the name. It looked like breakfast food if not for the parsley on top of the meat.
For our drinks, we ordered some fruit shakes. My project leader and I had mango while our colleague had grapes.
Overall, I enjoyed the food and the serving size was okay. I just didn't like the atmosphere and the vibe of the restaurant. It looked deserted and lonely. You wouldn't want to stay long after having your meal; which was exactly what we did. We weren't able to order their cakes and so we decided to move to a different location for our dessert.
LA MAREA PASTRY SHOP & LAVAZZA CAFÉ
Outside Cafe Georg, there was a nearby strip of restaurants called The Crossroads. We went in and saw La Marea Pastry Shop & Lavazza Cafe. I remember back in college when the place was so famous for its blueberry cheesecake. I was hoping I would get to finally try it.
We approached the cafe and the outside appeared gloomy. It looked dark and deserted. I can imagine the place being full of people before the pandemic. The place was small and somehow it looked smaller without people inside. We walked towards the door and for a second we thought they only accepted take-outs because there were hardly any tables inside.
We went in and it was surprisingly brighter inside. There were a handful of tables for dine-in customers each with its own chair for social distancing. They had a lot of cakes on display but unfortunately, they didn't have a blueberry cheesecake available. They weren't selling cake slices and we had to order a whole cake. They had Brownie Cup with Ice cream and some small cakes. I chose to order the Chocolate Sansrival not knowing what to expect.
While waiting for our orders, I checked out the place. There was a painting of an octopus and we asked the staff about it. They said the place was ocean-inspired. La Marea meant The Tide. I noticed half of a wooden boat behind their counter and the banisters of their stairs had ropes just like in some wooden ships.
My cake was served and it looked cute. I thought the frosting was well done and the chocolate topping completed the whole cake. I also ordered black coffee. Chocolate cake with coffee, what a way to end my post lockdown dining experience.
I took a small slice of the cake and was surprised that it was hard. I didn't realize that it was a Sansrival cake. I was expecting a soft and moist chocolate cake. I didn't like the layers of meringue and the cashews. It felt like I was eating a cake made out of wafers. The sweetness was just right for me though. The coffee helped but I didn't finish the whole thing. I was already quite full from our dinner.
My dining experience was somewhat gloomy with the restaurants looking deserted but I still enjoyed the food and my time outside. We had to go home early because a curfew was still in effect.
Currently, more restaurants have opened up and people are finding their way to dine out. However, indoor dining capacities will be reduced in the coming days in response to the rising cases. I don't think I'll be looking forward to eating out again anytime soon.
That's it! As much I enjoy trying out different food and going to restaurants, I have to be careful these days. Fortunately, I still have a bit of Food Memories stashed from my experience which I'm sure I'll be sharing with you.
Thanks for reading this post. See you in the next one. Cheers!
