Lunch Date @ Zao Viatnamese Cafe (Eastwood City)

MY EX-GIRLFRIEND AND I went to Eastwood City two Saturdays ago to bring some documents in relation to our condo unit at the Eastwood Excelsior.

After the photo-finish completion of our mission (we made it to the admin office of Eastwood Excelsior a few minutes before their closing time of 12:30PM), we were famish.

I would have settled for McDo, or KFC, or Pizza Hut but my ex-girlfriend was in a dating mood so we went to look for a proper dating place. We passed by El Pirata and we recalled how nice the ambiance in there and how the food was both good and reasonably priced, too. But we wanted something we haven’t tried before so we looked further.

We ended up at Zao Vietnamese Cafe, a small place right in the middle of City Walk. In our recollection the spot used to be where West Lake was when City Walk first opened in about 2001-2002. We were then still both working at the IBM Plaza so we knew all the eating places by heart (or was it by gut).

Zao was my choice. I reasoned that since it is Vietnamese its food should be similar to Pho-a. I particularly like most of the food I’ve tried in Phoa. I wasn’t disappointed.

For our appetizer we ordered Pomelo Salad (w/ chicken & shrimp).

For our main course we settled for rice toppings ñ Zao bowl (combination of grilled pork, beef, and chicken) for her and Grilled Pork Chop bowl for me. It was a not-so-good decision. Not that the food was bad, but it could have been better. It was really our fault because we were lazy. We settled for the easy and safe choices when we could have chosen several others. The rice was a bit too dry for our liking and the grilled meat were nothing out of the ordinary. The saving grace, at least for me, has been the really fresh bean sprouts and the pickled carrots & turnips.

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For our main course we settled for rice toppings ñ†Zao bowl†(combination of grilled pork, beef, and chicken) for her and†Grilled Pork Chop bowl†for me. It was a not-so-good decision. Not that the food was bad, but it could have been better. It was really our fault because we were lazy. We settled for the easy and safe choices when we could have chosen several others. The rice was a bit too dry for our liking and the grilled meat were nothing out of the ordinary. The saving grace, at least for me, has been the really fresh bean sprouts and the pickled carrots & turnips.

For refreshment my ex-girlfriend ordered†Avocado Shake, which was perfect. Still too lazy to choose I just settled for†Coke Light. I must have missed Coke Light a lot (I’ve switched to†Coke Zero†andPepsi Max†for quite some time now) for I consumed two cans by the time we asked for the bill.

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A proper date won’t be a proper date without dessert. My ex-girlfriend ordered†Espresso Gateu de Crepe, 20 layers of paper-thin crepes filled with Vietnamese coffee-infused cream. It was the grand winner. We liked it a lot & we readily forgot about the unmemorable rice bowls. She also ordered†Green Tea Cappuccino, a nice and smooth blend of coffee, milk and green tea, with a touch of almond. It was also good.

Now the inevitable question is:†How does Zao compare with Pho-a?

When it comes to food I don’t have enough information to compare the two. I’ve always liked Pho-a and I am generally pleased with their menu. It was my first time at Zao and I could have made a better choice of food to order.

But Zao’s Espresso Gateu de Crepe is a real winner. So far I don’t have lasting memories of dessert at Pho-a. But that may be an unfair remark since my last visit in Phoa was at least two years ago.

Ambiance-wise, Zao’s†bossa nova music†gives it a really cool and cozy atmosphere. I’ll have to visit Pho-a soon to check out their background music.

Disregarding the music I would say Zao is a little bit cozier than Pho-a with its dark-red and deep brown interiors.

Oh yes, the bill. It was just a little less than P1,500, which is†neither cheap nor excessively pricey. In other words, it’s reasonably just right. #