Bakeries, Cafes, Food, Restaurants

Café Mary Grace

The ensaymada-filled counter at Café Mary Grace in Town

I was a late convert to Café Mary Grace—for the longest time, whenever we found ourselves in Serendra, my friend Meann would recommend that we eat there, but I always vetoed her suggestions for one reason or another. It took a while before we finally found ourselves there, and even then, the café at Serendra never really became a default option for me.

So I was surprised to find myself haunting the newly opened branch in Alabang Town Center, though after a bit of reflection, I realized it’s exactly the sort of place I should like. It’s nice and charming, positive and upbeat, warm and spiritual without being cloying; the larger space in the Alabang branch reduces the “bahay-ng-lola-mo” feel of the place, making it cozy instead of claustrophobic. It’s open relatively late (compared to the rest of Town, which sleeps early), making it a good option when all the other places are closed and Starbucks is overflowing (this may be a misleading statement: I’m sitting here right now, and they made their last call for orders at 9:30, not that much later than the rest, though officially it says they’re open ’til 10). And the food is good, the sort of simple but well-thought-out fare that I enjoy: fine ingredients and savory, herby flavors.

Grilled Rosemary Chicken on Couscous and Tomato Concasse

I’m discovering the food one dish at a time: my first (and favorite so far) order was the Grilled Rosemary Chicken on Couscous and Tomato Concasse (P298). The chicken is cut into kebab sizes and has a reasonable amount of fresh rosemary needles, and the couscous is moist with a strong broth-y flavor and lots of giant chickpeas and chunky onion slices. It’s really good, although the last time I had it, the couscous was too wet, which made chewing on it a little less fun. :p

Grilled Chicken & Oranges with Black Olive Dressing

The other night I had the Grilled Chicken & Oranges with Black Olive Dressing salad (P229). This was another winner: the chicken was grilled to just the right level of tenderness and was bursting with flavor. The dressing was very good (then again, anything with olives is good in my book), and its saltiness hid the fact that the oranges were on the sour side, and the feta cheese was a bit too tangy. The greens weren’t as juicy as my favorite salads (at Italianni’s and Coffee Bean; more on that in future posts), but then I think they were native greens, and with the soaring veggie prices, I guess I should be thankful I had any at all.

Seafood Chowder

Fried Kesong Puti & Calamansi Vinaigrette

Just this weekend I met Aweng there for breakfast (well, we call it breakfast, but most people would—rightly—call it lunch). I had my usual chicken and Aweng ordered Seafood Chowder (P138) and Fried Kesong Puti & Calamansi Vinaigrette (P199). The soup was good, as far as chowder goes; and the fried kesong puti was very yummy—though there wasn’t nearly enough of it in the dish.

Grilled Cheese Roll

Brewed Coffee with Almond Cream

Aweng cam-whoring with her Cappuccino

After the meal I had another favorite: the Brewed Coffee with Almond Cream (P73, with extra almond cream, mmm) and a grilled Cheese Roll (P42). What I find rather amusing is that Mary Grace has earned her place in the bazaar / culinary scene through her ensaymada and cheese rolls, the two things I’ve tried here that I’m vastly unimpressed with. No matter; people still come here for that, and I return for the food.

It’s not just my review… the customers have their say too

Tonight I’m enjoying a light dinner: Wild Mushroom Soup (P124) and—yet another favorite—a Valencia Cappuccino (P124), which I’m almost convinced is made with real oranges instead of syrup (the thin subtle strands of rind might have something to do with that, though they’re not always in the coffee). I get to hide in the corner (also a favorite spot when this place used to be Seattle’s Best), plug in my laptop, and make my post courtesy of their free wifi. Reason enough for me to keep coming back, despite the two major gripes about this place: the high prices (I say they’re high because the food servings are relatively small—and the ensaymada, after all, costs 73 bucks), and the slow—and by that I mean mabagal as well as slightly clueless (though unfailingly polite and sincere)—service. I guess that means when all is said and done, Café Mary Grace still comes out a winner for me. I’m glad it’s found its way to Alabang.

Café Mary Grace
Corte de las Palmas, Alabang Town Center
828-8476, 384-0129, (0917) 515-7524
Operating hours: 10AM – 10PM, weekdays; 8AM – 11PM, weekends (breakfast served from 8AM – 11AM)

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