Monday, February 13, 2017

Cafe Dominique: This Hidden Gem Offers Delicious Comfort Food in Examiner Street, West Triangle


Cafe Dominique opened in early 2016 along the quiet Examiner Street in West Triangle, Quezon City. The restaurant is best described by it's tagline: Where Food Meets Happiness. They serves a variety of dishes that's a mix of American and Asian Fusion. Indeed, it's safe to say that they simply want to serve you good food that'll make you beam with joy. 

The restaurant hasn't gained the attention it deserved since it opened last year, but Cafe Dominique has had a few loyal customers that keep on coming back for both the food and the quiet ambiance. If you're looking for a quiet place to dine on a weekend, or have a nice dinner out on weekdays, then consider trying out Cafe Dominique. 

Here's what you can expect from this hidden gem...



The restaurant has a very minimalist interior that's both homey and spacious. It's a nice spot for a casual date or a place where you can catch up on some reading during a gloomy afternoon with a cup of hot coffee.  



The Cafe Dominique Brewed Coffee (Php 55) was enough to give me the caffeine kick I needed after a heavy lunch before an early 'dinner' feast. It's not specialty coffee, but it'll do. 



The Creamy 4 Cheese Pizza (Php 300) is one long thin-crust pizza that's topped with Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan and Feta. This pizza certainly exceeded my expectations since I wasn't expecting a pizza this big for the price. It might be a simple pizza that's just topped with cheese but I loved every bite of it with the home-made thin crust. 



The Beef Nacho Pizza (Php 365) is, quite frankly, a beef nacho on a pizza. It's a nacho lover's dream served with home-made salsa and a sour cream dip. While the Four Cheese Pizza can be described as simple and classic, this one actually has bangs of flavor that most Mexican dishes are known for. If you love nachos, you'll love this meaty, cheesy, tomato-based pizza with bits of nachos that gave it a nice bit of crunch for added texture. 

The best way to eat this is grabbing a slice of pizza and pouring over some salsa and sour cream in it before eating the entire slice. Trust me, it's delicious! This is one pizza I would highly recommend. 



The Caki Maki Salad (Php 275) is a Japanese-inspired salad with crab sticks, cucumber strips, ripe mangoes, nori, and a bunch of greens. It draws inspiration from both the Japanese-favorite California Maki and Kani Salad. It's certainly a fresh way to start your meal if you're craving for something Japanese with fresh greens that pairs well with the sweetness of the mangoes and the crunch of the lettuce, although it's not a salad I would personally crave for.



Cafe Dominique's version of Okonomiyaki (Php 195) is a Japanese-stlye appetizer that's inspired by our favorite Japanese pancake, but rather than pancakes the base of this dish are these crispy potato twists. It's drizzled with a delicious homemade okonomiyaki sauce, some Japanese mayo, and has shredded cabbage and strips of seaweed that makes it close to the real thing but better. 

My fellow foodies and I were raving about this so this appetizer because it was one of the best dishes in Cafe Dominique's menu (in my humble opinion) so it's highly recommended, especially if you're both an okonomiyaki and potato lover! 



The Rings and Wings (Php 190) is also a nice appetizer that's a sweet and savory way to start your meal. It comes with sweet chicken wings and large onion ring that's served with some carrots and cucumbers (I honestly don't get why it has carrots and cucumbers). I thought both the onion rings and the chicken was quite tasty to the bone, so I definitely would recommend this. 

It's also quite affordable for a delicious plate of chicken wings. 



The Twice Cooked Pork Belly (Php 260) is pork belly that's quite tender and juicy but retains a crisp pork skin that crackles when you bite. It's served on top of a mushroom demi and is served with spiced rice and some delicious fried spinach. This has to be my favorite main dish from Cafe Dominique because of how juicy, tender and beautifully cooked that pork belly was. The crispy spinach on top of the rice elevates the dish further by adding another element of flavor and texture to the dish. It all works nicely and makes for a splendid meal.  

The only downside here is that there isn't enough of that tasty pork belly on the plate! Otherwise, it's highly recommended. 



The Kare-Kare Bagnet (Php 275) is Cafe Dominique's take on this Filipino favorite. The best way to describe it is it's deconstructed kare-kare, with the pork bagnet and vegetables swimming on top of a creamy kare-kare sauce. It's perfect if you mix it all up together with the bagoong that's sitting on top of the rice. 

Kare-Kare is one of my favorite dishes and I have pretty high standards for it, so I'm happy to say that Cafe Dominique's kare-kare is one delicious version that I would recommend. The crispy bagnet pairs beautifully with the creamy sauce, the vegetables, and of course that salty bit of bagoong. It's not as good as Metro Manila's best kare-kare, but it's definitely delicious. Highly recommended!



The Roasted Herb Chicken Au Ju (Php 330) is a half chicken that's marinaed in olive oil, fresh garlic, and a Cafe Dominique's special herb rub. It's served with some homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, and fresh beans. I thought it was a tasty piece of chicken that's big enough to share. The chicken was nicely cooked and the mash complements it quite well. 

I would recommend this because it's one dish you can share because of it's large serving. 


Food Quality: 3.5
Service Quality: -
Ambiance: 4.0


Overall Quality: 3.5

The food was delicious but the only drawback here is the steep price point for some of its dishes. The coffee and the pizza is definitely value-for-money but everything else, I would say, is just appropriately priced for the quality but you wouldn't call it 'sulit'. With that said, I would definitely come back here for the delicious Twice Cooked Pork Belly, the Okonomiyaki, the Four Cheese Pizza and Nacho Pizza, and that delicious Kare-Kare Bagnet

If you're looking for a quiet spot for a casual date, Cafe Dominique is one place where delicious comfort food will surely make you smile just as their tagline promises. 

What are your thoughts on Cafe Dominique?




    Don't miss out! You can follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Chef Jay's Kitchen by email to get updates on new articles. To check out my restaurant reviews, follow me on Zomato.


    Cheers,
    Chef Jay

    Cafe Dominique Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

    Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer. 

    No comments:

    Post a Comment