It was a meet-up with old friends from my masters days that led me to The Fat Seed Café + Roastery. When the ladies asked where I wanted to celebrate my birthday, I mentioned this place. I’ve passed this place many times when I go to U.P. Town Center. I always told myself to check it out soon. Happily, the ladies agreed to meet up here.
There were four of us that day, and here’s what we ended up eating and sharing.
This Sonoma Salad had grapes, arugula, lola rosa, lollo rosso, spinach, feta cheese and pecans with a special Sonoma dressing. The combination of sweet and crunchy was a freshly perfect way to start our meal.
We tried these Mushroom Fritters, which are deep-fried oyster mushrooms served with homemade ketchup. Oyster mushrooms? Yes, and I ended up loving these fritters without question.
Then came this Bruschetta Medley. It had smoked salmon with herb cream cheese topped with chives, chicken liver pate with garlic salad confit, spinach and mushroom, and lastly, mango prosciutto.
This Spinach Artichoke Dip had spinach, artichoke, mozzarella, parmesan and garlic with baguette slices.
I’ve got to admit, I was initially hesitant about this Hotate Soy Cream Pasta. But I promptly changed my mind after tasting it. Only goes to show you, when you’re faced with a new dish, just take a bite. You might find something new to like or even better, to love. It had Japanese soy cream, scallops, ebiko, bonito flakes and nori shreds.
Last but not the least, we shared this Kimchi Fried Rice with Maple Bacon Slab. Everything about it seems to indicate that I was going to love it – kimchi, maple bacon slab, spring onion, nori shreds topped with sunny-side up egg – and I did!
As the birthday girl, I also got this little cake. Nice, right?
After that first visit to The Fat Seed Café + Roastery, I went back there again; this time, with my husband and our long-time friend. They both ordered the Kimchi Fried Rice with Maple Bacon Slab. Smart move!
Once again, I ordered the Mushroom Fritters because I wanted to see if I’d still like it, just to make sure that the first time wasn’t a fluke. I discovered that yes, I still love those fritters.
This time around, I decided to give their Wagyu Pares a try.
Remember this good ol’ 3-tier stainless steel lunch container like the one on the left? The Wagyu Pares came out in a similar container. Talk about a throwback! We actually still have such a lunch box at my parents’ house.
Anyway, it was like eating a lunch baon in a restaurant, which sounds weird yet I was strangely charmed by the whole thing. So cute.
The Wagyu Pares had Wagyu beef cubes cooked in pares sauce. It came with fried rice. I’m just not sure what was in that third container, but it was tasty.
Verdict: The Fat Seed Café + Roastery is perfect for the coffee lover. With coffee beans from different places all over the world and their different brewing methods, The Fat Seed Café + Roastery shows there is so much more to drinking coffee. True to its name, this place is a cafe with an on-site roastery. Yes, they actually roast and process coffee beans there. They serve specialty, single origin and local coffee, as well as the usual espresso, americano, and latte. They also have affogato and piccolo.
They serve comfort food, but it’s not your typical comfort food. The moment you get seated and they give you the menu, you might do a double take because their menu looks like a magazine. It’s a perfect place for hanging out with friends for a chitchat and no one will drive you away. Trust me, I’ve been there twice with two different sets of friends and we stayed longer than I thought is tolerable in a restaurant.
The serving staff is nice without being overly effusive. The food was portioned for sharing. I love the wall art and the wood furniture. I wish I could’ve taken interior photos to share here, but since the place was full both times I went there, I didn’t. Gotta respect people’s privacy, after all.
If you’re in U.P. Town Center, don’t pass this one by.
Address:
The Fat Seed Café + Roastery
Phase 2 G/F U.P. Town Center
Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City