Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell serves whimsical full-flavored food in an almost private setting. The former is due to combinations like sisig spaghetti, guava pork adobo, and ube cheesecake. The latter is due to the coziness of the place, which accommodates a maximum of 50 people at a time. The dining area inside the café has six tables.
When John and I were there, our server Jose showed us the true meaning of aruga – to be cared for – as he was there at our beck and call, politely answering our queries and cheerfully attended to our needs. My glass of water was constantly almost full to the brim due to his attentiveness. Thank you, Jose.
*Here are some photos taken at Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell:
The Mushroom and Spinach Empanaditas have mushroom, spinach, onion, cream cheeses, feta cheese, grana padano, truffle oil, and cream. All of these were lovingly encased by flaky wrapper that just crumbled at the touch. The ingredients signify the complexity of flavors that assaulted my taste buds when I bit into one of them. Ohhhhhh, so so so yummy! I had three of these perfect starters.
The Sisig Spaghetti has pork sisig, light cream sauce, and chicharon bits. The spaghetti noodles were cooked perfectly and soaked up the flavor of the cream sauce. The smoothness of the noodles were balanced by the crunch of chicharon bits. The pork sisig did not overwhelm the dish, rather the refined sisig highlighted its beauty. With squeezed kalamansi and crushed sili, this sisig spaghetti was the highlight of the meal.
The Salmon Flammekeuche has smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and onions. The flatbread had a good level of crispness, which contrasted the delicacy of the smoked salmon. Those onions were the best part of this dish. As much as I wanted to eat more slices, I ended up eating two.
The Ube Cheesecake has New York cheesecake blended with ube and topped with whipped cream. This cheesecake is as big as it looks and as heavy as a brick. I enjoyed every bit of it, but eating 60% of it was just too much. As a dessert monster, it pains me to say that this dessert needs to be shared with someone.
*US $1 = P52.60
Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell Contact Numbers:
Telephone: +632 – 230 6770 and +632 838 2279
Mobile: +63917 710 3896, +63977 802 3900, +63917 896 2328, and +63917 529 3358
Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell Operating Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 6am to 10pm
Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell Email Address:
restaurant@mesclun.ph
Aruga Café by Mesclun at Aruga by Rockwell Address:
Ground Floor Aruga by Rockwell, Waterfront Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City