Cascada
It was a long day of shopping. We scouted the whole Glorietta, from Debenhams to Jag, and Greenbelt, from Adidas to Celio (well, of course, that’s a shorter walk) and bought a lot of pretty good finds. CMG is the only store that had a sale. 2-inch chocolate colored pumps in suede material (only PHP 999! What a steal) immediately propelled themselves to the counter. I also bought a pair of blue knitted scarves. GAP didn’t have anything new but CW bought two items –one similar to a polo shirt he bought before. CW bought two long sleeves shirts from Celio and before we know it, he was already carrying 6 paper bags. So it was time for refreshments. It was a late dinner at 930pm but our Apartment 1B lunch carried us the whole day. I opted to have dinner at Cascada.
Slick and urbanely stylish, the mustard yellow/beige wall is smartly decorated with gigantic circular mirrors and quirky lamps. Crystal drapes separate the dining area, the right side elevated in a half-foot podium. A beautiful water fountain mounted against the left wall greets you as you enter the door. There is a huge red display case of different vases near the counter area. The ceiling could use a cover up since the black pipes are visible. They have an open kitchen but no need to worry about the food odor reeking from your clothes.
On the Table:
Lamb with Seafood Paella Risotto PHP 525 ++
Risotto is the common way of cooking rice in North Italy –a traditional Italian dish of slow cooked rice made sometimes with beef stock, olive oil, and a little butter. A suitably cooked risotto is creamy from the rice’s natural starch that still has a bite to it. Cascada’s risotto is in a seafood paella version. The rice is overcooked since the grains were bigger than what the usual risotto should look like. The rice has dried out even if it’s soaked in the paella sauce. I have to say that I still like my paella a little dry and toasted. The 2 small racks of lamb could be a little bigger. It was almost tantamount to one eensy bite. This dish was lacking in volume but it wasn’t lacking in flavor, which still made it enjoyable.
Blackened Fillet of Sole on Pesto Penne PHP 250 ++
I requested for pasta linguini instead of penne and the waiter was kind enough to oblige the change. Penne is not so good on Penne, especially after that catastrophic dish I made for Bubba. Since Penne is thicker and bigger and carries more water and starch, it doesn’t really seep into the pasta.
The pesto sauce was made from scratch as you can still taste the freshness of the basil. It really makes a difference when one uses fresh ingredients, than dried or canned. The blackened fillet of sole tasted fresh and the Cajun spices didn’t overpower the fish.
Dishes are artistically presented, one on a colorfully designed plate, while the other in plain white ceramic. Both were finished in a flash.
Cascada is still a hot dinner spot during weekends. At 10pm, it was still half full. I enjoyed our late dinner at Cascada. It is a perfect balance of sophistication –with no attitude, just delicious food and a good time.
Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/397/08_0405-_Cascada
