AN EXTRAVAGANCE THAT WAS ALL WORTH IT
by Louie P. Oviedo

Café Breton at Orosa Street in Malate reminds me of the image of the witch's candy house in Hansel and Gretel with its candy blue and bubble gum pink colors, this would include even their decors and paintings hanged on the walls. It has been styled like a country house with lots of arts and crafts in candy-like colors. How I wish I could bite into one part of their wall and that it would taste like candy. Unfortunately, this was only in my fantasy.

We found ourselves seated at the first floor because I asked for their non-smoking section. I felt a little deprived of a window seat because we cannot get the table near the window---their first floor was nearly full. We found ourselves seated near the cashier and directly under the air conditioner, which was directly under me that I ended shivering even if I was wearing a long sleeve blouse. So, I nosed around as to what could be upstairs and found out that their first floor was devoted to non-smokers while their second floor was for their smoking customers.

They have clean comfort rooms and as far as I can remember this was the only place in Malate that has a big painting hanging inside their ladies' room. Their liquid soap smells like strawberries so I go back to my candy house fantasy.

We ordered for two cups of cappuccino for my sister and her friend, brewed coffee for me, and two kinds of crepes. One of which was the Adam and Eve, the other one being their bestseller, La Pinay.

Their cappuccino was passable, a little on the bitter side. I know of a place where they serve better cappuccino than theirs and it's just a few minutes walk. Their brewed coffee tasted like brewed coffee, nothing extraordinary, most brewed coffee which I have tasted almost the same these days. It was strong and still bitter to the taste leaning more on the hard to tame taste kind of coffee.

What was more interesting was how my two companions responded to the two crepes I ordered. My reasons for ordering these crepes: 1) I ordered for the Adam and Eve because an officemate informed me that this crepe was known to be delicious at Café Breton and 2) as for La Pinay, our waiter informed me this was the favorite by most of their customers. If there was a contest as to "the crepe that was finished first on our table", La Pinay would emerge as the winner.

La Pinay was softer and smoother probably because it was soaked in chocolate syrup when they served it to us. I could taste the juices coming from the mangoes seeping into the crepe. Adam and Eve was a little dry that night. The crepe was not as soft as La Pinay.

The place is best for dates, it is also good place for friends to sit and talk amidst a background music wherein one can hear Natalie Cole singing. They tend to clean your table immediately after you've drank the last coffee or after the last piece of crepe, it was a little embarrassing to stay too long after the meal. However, that did not stop us from staying longer than usual.

What's confusing about this place was that a different person takes your order, then another different person delivers your crepes (I cannot remember if it was the same person who delivered the coffee), then another different person cleans the table. In the end, I was a little confused as to which of these different people should I call to hand me over my bill.

Nevertheless, the service was fast and we got what we ordered, kaso nga lang hindi nila alam kung sino sa table namin and may order ng alin. So, with the crepes, we asked them to just put it in the middle since we all intend to share it.

I actually felt richer since I paid Php360 for coffee and dessert. I do not do this all the time but with crepes as good as their La Pinay, seeing my companions happy with what they've just tasted---I can say that a little extravagance like this was all worth it.