I will go directly to the point. Simply J’s Café and Restaurant is simply
divine. One will not know how divine Simply
J’s Café is until one sets foot inside the place and just drowns in the
ambiance of the music and the peacefulness of the surroundings. Simply J’s Café is located at the corner
of Apitong Street, Cebu City on the crossing of N. Escario Street. This place
is just a few minutes away from the University of the Philippines Cebu and from
Ayala Center Cebu. Built as a two-story construction, Simply J’s Café was originally a house. The owner lent the building
to the brothers Jason and Jacob Sy. The original business of the owner of the
house was selling wooden carvings and antiques like chandeliers and portraits.
What the Sy brothers did was they transformed it into a café and restaurant
using the wooden tables and chandeliers. The building itself is white: the
roof, door, and outside walls. The inside is even more stunning! With the
interior’s white walls, black chandeliers, glass windows with the long white
curtains, and marble floor, the first floor of the building can make one feel
that he/she was transported back in time. The instrumental music playing over
the radio adds to the mood of the place. Portraits decorated the back wall that
set off the whiteness and blueness of the walls it hung on. Wooden cabinets
occupied specific corners of the room. The tables were of two kinds: round and
square shaped, both were wooden as well as the chairs that matched their shape.
The waiters were dressed simply: in white polo shirts, black slacks, and black
aprons. When my friend and I came in, we were immediately escorted to a round
table and a simple laminated menu. The menu was divided into parts: appetizer,
salad, main course, pasta, dessert, hot and cold beverages, and choice of rice.
My companion and I ordered one from each set of foods and took a bite of each
one until we decided to have them wrapped, except for the dessert, which we
finished with gusto. The meals were served one by one but my friend and I had
the dessert to follow after. The round table got awfully crowded due to the big
plates the meals were presented with but the food tasted heavenly nonetheless.
Simply
J’s Café and Restaurant is open from 10 A.M. until 2 P.M. and re-opens at 6
P.M. to close at 10 P.M.
“Mas
daghan sa gabie, ma’am. Anhi mo sa gabie, mas daghan ang diners”, says
waiter Idgarlie.
Because my friend and I went during
the lunch hour, we saw only a number of customers but not all were Filipinos.
Some were foreigners and most were professional ladies and gentlemen.
“Mga
Amerikano, mga Koreano, mga foreigners, mangaon pud sila diri and Pilipino pud.”
Mr. Idgarlie adds.
Hmmm. This explains the one time I
saw Americans while I was passing by and thought that the restaurant was for
foreigners. But the place was really for students, families, employees, and the
like (as long they will pay). Also, Simply
J’s Café was perfect for fine dining. I had to watch my table manners (the
glass must not bump with the plate etc.) and my posture. Honestly, what
attracted me most about this restaurant was the setting. The second floor was
also a function room for those who wanted to hold lunch meetings and such and
this floor was upholstered by a winding skeletal staircase made with brown wood.
 |
| Kuya Idgarlie and me during my interview about the place |
Throughout the course, my companion
and I had fun tasting the different foods the restaurant offered and even had
small talk with the waiters who attended to our every need.
I, as the acting food critique of
this project, handsomely state that Simply
J’s Café and Restaurant is the place to be when one wants a fine dining
experience. And thanks to the dishes presented, my dear friend and I came out
of the place with heavy stomachs and satisfied smiles.
These are the lucky foods which have
caught my attention and, equally, my hopeless taste buds:
Calamares
Long and round, the Calamares is an appetizer made with
squid rings and garlic, which adds to the food’s flavour. Deep fried and served
with mayonnaise, the calamares was a
real treat. This food was served on a round plate that accentuated its deep
fried colour. The mayonnaise, placed in the middle, served as dipping station to
the calamares, which were
strategically placed around the tiny bowl of mayonnaise. The calamares is a finger-food and can be
eaten using the fork provided or just the human fingers.
Crab
Cake Salad
On a rectangular plate sat a pile of
fresh lettuce greens, cucumber, and tomatoes. The crab cake, a square shaped
concoction, was poised above the fresh vegetables and topped with citrus
vinaigrette. I was puzzled at first because the food’s name was Crab Cake and the crab cake or cakes,
for there were two pieces, looked more like hash brown patties enlarged than
cakes on top of freshly mixed vegetables. However, the flavor of the salad was
nothing I ever tasted. The taste was a new light to the known taste of crab.
Chef’s
Signature Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs are a piece of meat
and bones from a pig that were grilled until the meat was thoroughly cooked.
Brushed with honey mustard sauce, the main course meal was served on a rather
large square plate. Alongside this meal were fresh vegetables and rice. Being
of one of the shop’s most in-demand dish, the Baby back ribs certainly gave me
new cravings. The meat looked hard on the outside but felt soft when sliced and
tasted sublime when eaten. The sauce adds a sweet flavour to this meal and the
rice and vegetables make it one hearty course.
Spaghetti
Bolognese
Warm and having long pieces of spaghetti,
Spaghetti Bolognese is made of Sautéed
ground beef in olive oil. Fresh tomatoes are one of the ingredients that make
this spaghetti different. The Spaghetti Bolognese was served on a blue bowl.
The tomato sauce, grazing the topmost layer of the pile, added a subtle
sweetness to the pasta. When tasted, the spaghetti Bolognese just made me want
more. The pasta tastes like regular spaghetti but it had a salty flavour all
its own. The food was not too sweet or too sour; it was just right.
Chocolate
Mousse
Placed on a tiny blue bowl, the chocolate
mousse looked harmless. Bu when tasted, I could savour its sweetness and only
ask for more. A swirl of whipped cream tops the delicate dessert from above.
This one part of the whole course was what my friend and I anticipated most. We
expected something chocolaty, but the appearance of the chocolate mousse on a
miniature cup deflated the idea. When we tasted the confection, it was too
sweet to be mourned over.
Mango
Shake
Cool and refreshing, the mango shake
had been served to almost each table. Placed in a tall glass which was round at
the bottom, the beverage satisfied the customers all around. A slice of mango
was placed on the lip of the glass beside the straw, and it was a delight
seeing the customers devour this little piece first. From the bottom up, the
glass was full of mango extracts and ice combined to create one cool smoothie
for the diners to enjoy.
Tap
Water
Perhaps one of the true highlights
of our food trip was our choice of beverage: tap water. Immediately, after announcing that we would only have
cold water, two glasses filled with cold, tap water were put into places. The
presentation of the tap water was also funny since the waiter did some
acrobatic moves with his hands and arms. It was good tap water: cold and dry.
The tap water also helped in keeping all the previous foods down, so the
waiters constantly checked our glasses and refilled them when the water was
almost gone.
A long walk after the food trip was
needed, so my dear friend and I said our goodbyes to the staff and merrily went
out. The walk did marvellous things to our stomachs and I guess it made us
hungry for more. But the afternoon was coming and both of us had our respective
duties to do before sundown. We parted ways after a few more moments and thus
began this piece of information about Simply
J’s Café and Restaurant. My curiosity about this place was finally answered
but my hunger for the food the restaurant serves was not satisfied. I wanted or
want to go back to Simply J’s Café and
next time, I’ll make sure to bring not just one friend, but a few others who
were as curious about the place as I was.
Note:
I would like to introduce my friend, Ms. Jelica Marie Recamara. She accompanied
me throughout the course and after it, too. She used her own materials to take
these pictures herself. I am ever grateful for her help.
