Comfort food and veggie goodness, too

MANILA, Philippines - People who love to eat are all alike — except perhaps when it comes to the food choices they make. I love to eat and I am constantly in search of places that serve good food at affordable prices and restos that have a choice of dishes that can accommodate all members of the group.

I have been a vegetarian for the last 20 years. Although I do know a lot of people who have opted to go for healthier meals, not very many of my friends are vegetarians. Sure, they eat vegetables — but they also like to have their meat dishes. It’s something I have come to accept and welcome.

When it comes to eating, to each his own is the best way to enjoy a meal. Many years ago, it used to be a big problem for me to find a yummy vegetarian meal. But those days are long gone and forgotten as the number of places for great veggie meals has grown and grown. So, too, have restaurants that offer menus specially made for vegetarian diners.

But before all the new places to eat were around — there was Café Mediterranean. It is one of my fave restaurants — and has been for the past 15 years. I guess it’s because Café Med, (as its regulars fondly call it), was one of the first restos to have a vegetarian menu for food-lovers like me.

I can still remember my first felafel meal at Café Med. The felafel is a ball of crunchy chickpea croquettes. Perhaps, it can be compared to a meatball, but made with garbanzos.

“You have got to try it,” says co-owner Marla Tañada. “There aren’t many diners who order it yet. But, in the future, the felafel here is going to be tops.”

That was 15 years ago, when Café Med opened its first resto on Greenbelt 1. Today, Tañada continues to develop Café Med’s vegetarian selection — which always hits the spot as far as my hungry tummy is concerned. “We always listen to what our regulars are looking for,” says Tañada. “And, believe me, we do have lots of regulars who like to suggest what we can include in our menu selection.” 

When it first opened, people wondered just what Mediterranean cuisine was all about.

“The lunch crowd in the area got curious and tried our food. It didn’t take long for them to fall in love with the items on the menu,” enthuses Tañada. “We now have regular diners. But we also continue to attract foodies in search of tasty and healthy meals. Café Med in Greenbelt 1 remains to be our number one store in terms of customers.”

Tañada, who is one of the most hands-on restaurant owners I know, says she often gets requests from regulars to come up with dishes that are geared towards vegetarian diners.

“We have noticed that there are lots of expats, and a growing number of Pinoys who look for healthy but delectable alternatives to their meals,” adds Tañada. “In the past it used to be women on a diet who sought out our veggie menu. No longer — even the male diners are looking for healthy alternatives.”

Tañada makes sure that the veggie dishes on the menu are dishes that she eats at home. She believes that people will come back for more if they really like what they are eating – and if they can get a healthy meal that tastes just like what they can have at home, or perhaps something even better than a home-cooked meal. 

Veggie Yummy

To me, Cafe Med has become a regular stop. I can still remember the joy of being seated in its first resto, small as it was, and thinking that it was a place that actually made me feel “normal.” I do take a lot of friends there because I know that there are equally as yummy meat dishes on the menu.

“The felafel has been improved,” notes Tañada as she encouraged me to take a bite. “We have reformulated it according to our customers preference.” I have always enjoyed the felafel in pita bread with lots of hot sauce and loaded with french fries. It makes for a good combination with the soupe au pistou, a hearty vegetable soup with beans, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs, and topped with Parmesan cheese. I must say that the new formulation of the felafel does taste good. But, then again, I have always been a felafel fan of Café Med.  There are lots of other veggie choices on the menu for appetizers — hummus, baba ghanoush (smoked eggplant with Tahini dip), tapanade, tzatziki (a combination of cucumber, yogurt and garlic dip). For meat-eaters, appetizers include kofka, a savory ground beef and lamb on skewers. I have grown jaded when it comes to salads because of the many years that they were the only vegetarian meal that could be found on the menu. But at Café Med I did sample the Greek salad, which is a new addition to its offerings. Refreshing is the first word that comes to mind. This salad is loaded with tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, sliced onions, green bell peppers, and crumbled feta cheese. The crispness of the veggies mixed with the cheese is truly a treat. The other must-try salad is the Turkish salad, a combination of tomato chunks, feta cheese, homemade pickled chilies, and extra virgin oil. In fact, the Turkish salad has made me a salad-eater again.

“You can ask the staff to add virgin oil if you like,” suggests Tañada. “This salad has become a favorite of our diners. They said healthy never tasted this yummy.” I asked my meat-eating companion to try one of the meat dishes. She went for the grilled chicken Mediterranean-style with buttered rice. “The chicken is really tender and quite tasty,” adds Fiona. “I also like the spices that it was roasted in. They give the chicken a healthy flavor.”

My younger brother Hans loves the grilled lamb at Café Med. “I haven’t tasted it any better in any of the places I have eaten,” adds Hans. “The lamb is grilled just right and the flavor is to dine for.”

“We also make sure that we continue to make the meat dishes we offer, not only healthier, but just as delicious, too,” says Tañada. “Our regulars are always looking for substantial meals that are served quickly, yet are also of high quality.”

I had a choice between a Mediterranean pizza (the anchovies can be removed for vegetarians) or the eggplant Parmigiana. I went for the Parmigiana. Although I have eaten this dish many times at Café Med, I never grow tired of it. Although I do limit eating this dish as it is loaded with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese interspersed between lasagna noodles and eggplant. The dish is truly part of a pasta lover’s heaven. But for people like me who are constantly on a diet had better go a bit slow on it.

Sweet Endings

You can’t leave without tasting our desserts,” says Tañada. “I know you will love the Tartufo Al Cioccolato.”She was not mistaken. How can one not fall in love with this intense frozen chocolate dessert? It’s like eating frozen mousse and then having ice cream, too.

There are so many other sweet endings to pick from like the tiramisu, pudin di limon (light, refreshing pudding baked with fresh lemons), yogur con miel y naranja (yogurt with almond flakes and fresh oranges), baklava (the classic Mediterranean pastry with layers of filo and pistachios and walnuts), or baklava a la mode which is topped with vanilla ice cream and mango, orange or chocolate sauce and the chocolate fudge cake.

I wish, I wish, I could eat all the dessert — but that wouldn’t do me any good. I just promise to try another sweet treat on my next trip to Café Med. On its 15th year, Café Mediterranean has created a niche of its own. From its first branch in Greenbelt 1 (751-9705), Café Med now has eight other branches — Rockwell Powerplant Mall, 898-1301; The Podium, 631-7297; SM Mall of Asia, 556-0650; Alabang Town Center, 850-1690; Rockwell Business Center, 238-0517; Davao City (082) 224-1360; Boracay, (032) 288-1972; and Asian Development Bank.

“We grow with our customers,” says Tañada. “Our customers look for meals which are healthy, served quick and hot, are affordable and bring them to a different world of flavors for lunch, dinner or merienda. We offer just that.”

Before I left Café Med, I made a mental note to try the panino vegetariano, grilled zucchini, eggplant with onions and tomatoes. We all need to escape from our frazzled worlds once in a while, even if it’s just through a good meal.