Prior to visiting BenCab Museum, I purposefully did not stuff myself full with food because I wanted to check out what they have to offer at Cafe Sabel. It was… quite an experience, to say the least. Love the coffee, though, and how it “kicked” me right up.
Cafe Sabel is the in-house coffee shop and restaurant of BenCab Museum, named after “Sabel”, the muse of the National Artist Ben Cabrera.
Every time I hear and read accounts of visitors going to BenCab Museum, they always mention how it is a must to try eating at Cafe Sabel. So we kinda starved ourselves for a bit, walking around the Eco-Trail for almost an hour before, at close to 2pm, we decided we starved ourselves enough, and it is time to eat.
The Cafe is located at the lowest level of the Museum building, so we passed by it when we stepped out to start our walking tour of the Farm and Gardens. When Anika, our guide, left us, we headed straight inside the cafe.
The place was not very big, but it was not too small, either. It was spacious enough, and the glass windows that open out into a terrace and overlooking the duck pond, gardens, and the forest on the other side of the mountain give it an illusion of airy space. If the inside is packed with people, I think they open up tables with umbrellas at the terrace for an airier dining experience.
Artworks, posters, and whatnots littered the walls and ceilings. The tables and chairs are simple enough, but I bet those with artistic eyes can better appreciate it. Unfortunately, my art-vision is limited to either “It’s pretty!” “I like the colors!” and “…uhm… I don’t get it…?”
Now, time to place our orders.
By the way, you pay as you order in this resto.
I had mixed feelings looking at the menu and the prices. At first glance, they looked a bit pricey to me, but hey, I am not one to complain if the food is great and worth it!
We started off with BenCab’s Brew, the signature coffee blend of Cafe Sabel.
My friend, Rog, is not much of a coffee drinker. I, however, drink coffee moderately, and when I do, I prefer to take it without sugar. So we just ordered one cup, and it costs Php100.00.
This is not the only beverage sold here, by the way. They offer a variety of hot and cold drinks, an assortment of coffees and teas, from Espresso (Php80) to various teas (Php120 per pot) and iced drinks (Php180.00).
So, how was the BenCab’s Brew?
It was quite strong, and had a consistency to it, especially when I mixed in the heated milk. Even Rog had to frown when she sipped it. After the first couple of sips, I kinda got used to it. But, yes, it was quite strong.
I liked it. I don’t think I’d go for a second cup after I’ve had one already, though.
In the spirit of clean and healthy eating (at least once in a while), we ordered their FarmFresh Green Salad (Php 150.00). Also highly recommended in many lists and publications was the BenCab’s Chicken Paprika (Php250).
Take note that most of the ingredients used by the restaurant in its dishes are harvested from the Farm and Gardens of the Museum.
I appreciated the freshness of the vegetables of the Farmfresh Salad. Usually, in other places, especially outside of La Trinidad, salads are composed mostly of lettuce (more than two varieties of it). But this had a lot more, such as cherry tomatoes and even some herbs that we saw while walking around the Eco-Trail.
What made it a winner, however, was the mild strawberry vinaigrette. I asked for a refill of the vinaigrette and poured it all over the remaining greens, only to think I overdid it because I could taste too much of the vinegar. Haha!
BenCab’s Chicken Paprika is a proud original recipe of BenCab. They had a unique spice for the chicken which, when mixed in with the pasta, made for quite a different pasta-chicken taste.
I liked it, too. The chicken was cooked well, with the spices going inside, making it flavorful. I just thought some of the pasta was undercooked, but maybe that was just me.
My only real complaint, I guess, is that I think it’s too expensive, and the serving too small. Haha! There were two of us, and it was barely enough.
For dessert, Rog ordered the halo-halo (I forgot how much it was, sorry. Maybe around Php100 to Php150) because she wasn’t sure when she will get to taste it again once she goes back to Canada, haha!
I remember thinking it was overpriced, considering how “regular” it seemed. I don’t know about you, but I think I can get this same halo-halo serving for around Php50.00 close to where I work and live. *shrugs*
My dessert order was the Volcano Ice Cream (w/ fresh strawberries and chocolate lava), which cost Php150.
I don’t know what I expected, but it was not this. 🙂 I’ve been spoiled with large strawberries, I supposed. And I thought it was more swirl than “lava”. 🙂 Still, I’ll take what I can get.
Overall, I was more satisfied with the salad and the chicken paprika than any of the desserts. I wouldn’t have minded much if they were not quite expensive. And, yes, these are expensive, at least in my circles. (Check end of post for food price lists as of June 2016).
I would definitely recommend that you try eating at Cafe Sabel if you visit BenCab Museum any time in the future. Of course, you have to prepare to spend some dough, especially if there are a lot of you in your group. The ambience and the view made it even better, too.
I recall a group of college students seated on the table behind us going, “we should have just gone to the City and eat at Good Taste”. Haha! Well, if you are truly truly hungry, and want to gorge on food without worrying about your pockets, then I would suggest you do that. But again, I hold to my earlier opinion, which is for you to try Cafe Sabel, at least once.
Price list not indicated in photos above, for your reference:
SOUP (served with toasted bread)
- Tomato Soup (Php100)
- Carrot & Pumpkin Soup (Php100)
- Watercress w/ Egg Soup (Php100)
- Duck Noodle Soup (Php100)
APPETIZERS
- Fried Organic Vegetable Lumpia (Php120)
- Camote Fries (Php100)
- Potato Fries (Php100)
- Fish & Chips (Php170)
SALAD
- Watercress Salad w/ Spanish Ham (Pata Negra) (Php250)
- Farmfresh Green Salad w/ Strawberry Vinaigrette (Php150)
PANINI
- Toasted Bread w/ Jam (Php70)
- Chicken Alpesto (Php200)
- Ham & Cheese (Php200)
- Tuna w/ Pineapple (Php200)
- Pork Adobo (Php200)
- Spanish Sardines (Php200)
DESSERT
- Volcano Ice Cream (w/ fresh strawberries and chocolate lava) (Php150)
- Ice Cream Sandwich (w/ fruit mix) (Php100)
- Turon ala Mode (Php120)
- Broas Split (Php120)
- Suman Sa Latik (Php100)
- Blueberry Cheesecake (Php100)
MEALS
- Smoky Baby Back Ribs (w/ steamed vegetables & marble potatoes) (Php350)
- Duck Flakes (w/ red egg salad) (Php250)
- Cream of Mountain Rice (w/ ground pork & mushroom) (Php250)
- Grilled Pork Chop ((Php220)
- Chicken Cacciatore (chicken nuggets w/ fresh tomato sauce) (Php200)
- Homemade Longganisa (w/ rice & fried egg) (Php220)
- Pork Adobo Rice (w/ red egg & camote chips) (Php220)
- Taal Rice (Smoked Fish w/ egg salad) (Php200)
- Omelette served w/ lettuce (tuna, ham or bacon) (Php200)
- Cinnamon Pancake (w/ ham, bacon or banana) (Php200)
- Hungarian Sausage (served w/ rice) (Php220)
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