Review: Mary Grace Cafe

Hello friends! Welcome to yet another restaurant/cafe review

For some time now, I've been seeing Mary Grace in kiosks. Since it was a kiosk, it generally didn't appeal to me and I have ignored it for the past few years. Last Sunday, April 12, 2015, my bestfriend, Mabs, recommended it to me since I  was craving for something light to eat. 

They don't really have a restaurant, but they have extended their kiosk at Robinson's Manila to have an "outdoor" Cafe.

The restaurant was very open, with planters giving it "division". It was something that has put me off of this place. But since it overlooked the Midtown Activity Center, it didn't really matter to me at that time. 

photo from website

Although the  seating area lacked that bit of cafe intimiacy, the place had a homey look. Mismatched chairs of white metal wrought iron made the cafe look like it was in another dimension

Each table was unique. Square wooden tables topped with glass. What made it unique was the sweet handwritten letters, cute photos, stationary and other kitsch that was placed underneath the table. It reminded me of "grandma's house" if my grand mother's house was fancy! They had lovely centerpiece tables and what caught my interest was the seashells painted purple and arranged to look like freshly cut hydrangea! 

The table setup was adorable too! unlike most restaurant cafes that offer placemats for their guests, Mary Grace offered doilys for their drinks!

I love doilys. They're very pretty, but you can't buy them in stores. 

Although their signature items are the ensaymada and cheese rolls (which we didn't try), we did get to taste their cakes, pasta and sandwich, and all I can say is, THEY SHOULD BOAST THEIR FOOD MORE!!

Their food is like a special niche, something you'd probably just try for the sake of trying new, and you will end up regretting not trying them out before! Their pasta is just right and very flavorful! and this is from someone who has very high standards in terms of pasta. I usually prefer my own cooking to most restaurants since I usually end up frustrated and sad, but Mary Grace Cafe know how to make a very good tasting pasta. Something you would crave for when down.

And don't get me started with the cakes

I've never had a strawberry shortcake before. I often see them in animes, where the heroine would be eating that huge slice of happiness, given to her by a date. When I saw the cake, it really remindeed me of that signature anime cake... 

Since it was plastered on shows, I wanted to try one for YEARS 

And here is Mary Grace's STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

210 php per price

It looks way happier than this gif!!

Every bite had strawberries! Plus the vanilla cream blended everything together. It wasn't overly sweet like most artificially flavored cake, so I really loved this one!

Their Chocolate truffle was also very good! I'm not a fan of Chocolate cakes though, but the cake was super moist, and very flavorful. 

Most cakes make me sick after a few bites, but Mary Grace knows just how to make the right balance!

I also love their staff. They have a small crew but I noticed they're very attentive! They kept our drinks refilled and they're very attentive! They're very friendly too! Unlike Shakey's where you've caught every crew's attention and yet they only listen to your needs, not attend to it.

If I were to rate this shop, I'd give it a perfect 5! I've stopped minding the "outdoor cafe" style, since that has its own charm. 

I would recommend this shop for business meetings, (no outlet for laptops though) study cafe and dates. The place didn't give you a "please eat as quickly as you can" vibe, and left us alone. Even though we were done eating, and they have cleared all plates, the staff still attended us, like we just got there.

It doesn't have that sweet cozy incandescent lighting fixture perfect for a romantic dinner dates, but it's great if you prefer a daytime permanently afternoon tea time dates!

A good crew, good food and a niche cafe, that is what Mary Grace is all about.